Mendocino County Sheriff blames the bench for Benjamin Miller’s release

by Roger Coryell August 21, 2026August 21, 2026

Benjamin Miller, 48, in a Mendocino County Sheriff's Office booking photo following his Aug. 1, 2026, arrest in Willits, Calif., on suspicion of burglary, theft of a firearm, attempted first-degree burglary and multiple counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. A judge released Miller on his own recognizance six days later, and deputies arrested him again on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, near Laytonville, Calif. (Mendocino County Sheriff's Office via Bay City News)

MENDOCINO CO., 8/21/26 — It took the Mendo-Lake Regional SWAT Team to bring in Benjamin Miller the first time. A deputy had tried to contact him near Redwood Valley on the last day of July, and he fled in an SUV, according to Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office releases. Miller was wanted in several burglary investigations and on a misdemeanor warrant for destroying evidence

At about 4 a.m. the next morning, the SWAT team served a search warrant at a home on East San Francisco Avenue in Willits, and after a brief standoff Miller, 48, was in custody. Deputies said they found multiple firearms and ammunition that prior convictions barred him from having. Bail was set at $37,500.