Suspect arrested in theft of Native American hats

BLUE LAKE, Calif. (AP) – A Eureka man has been arrested on suspicion of stealing century-old Native American hats from a Humboldt County museum.

Thirty-year-old Carter Daniels was taken into custody on Wednesday, hours after the seven Yurok and Hoopa hats were stolen from the Blue Lake Museum in an early morning burglary.

Sheriff’s officials say Daniels tried to sell the basket hats at an antique shop in Eureka. He was arrested after the shop’s owner, Bruce Pettit, directed an assistant to call authorities.

Pettit said the museum’s director had called to alert him about the theft. He told the Times-Standard of Eureka that Daniels was asking for $3,000 for all of the hats.

Museum staff has estimated their value at $1,200 to $3,500 each.

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Information from: Times-Standard, http://www.times-standard.com