Modoc County DA ‘disapproves’ of LassenNews.com’s reportage: LassenNews responds

Publisher’s note: Yesterday, LassenNews.com published a story regarding the recent termination of Alturas Police Chief Marc Muller by the Alturas City Council. That reporting included a letter from the Modoc County District Attorney’s Office reporting its designation of Mueller as a Brady Witness Officer, alleging a “probable cause determination by this office of dishonest conduct committed by Chief Muller during official acts as a peace officer,” and “The investigation concluded that Chief Muller had committed acts of dishonesty as a peace officer.”

In a press release responding to LassenNews.com’s reporting, MCDA Nina Salarno said she “disapproves of the leak of a professional document” and is “deeply disappointed in the manner in which this was divulged.”

Here’s the text of the MCDA’s press release regarding LassenNews.com’s reporting
The Modoc County District Attorney’s Office disapproves of the leak of a professional document concerning former Alturas Police Chief Marc Muller. That document, a letter designating former Chief Muller as a “Brady officer,” was published in an article appearing in the Lassen Times on Monday, November 24th, 2025 (sic).

“Our Office did not publicly release what we considered to be confidential and sensitive information concerning former Chief Muller. We are committed to conducting matters of criminal justice with the greatest integrity and at the highest ethical standard possible. Matters of this nature are subject to the rules of evidence and should only be released in judicial proceedings as governed by law,” said Modoc County District Attorney Nina Salarno.

The letter was intended per our ethical and legal obligations to alert local defense attorneys of a potential issue which might have been argued in court to impeach the credibility of former Chief Muller.

Salarno added that it was her duty under state and federal law to issue the letter in question and emphasized that she does not condone the release of the document or the actions of the individual who leaked the document to the press.

The office of the District Attorney is deeply disappointed in the manner in which this was divulged.

At no point did the Lassen Times contact our office for comment, clarification, or verification of facts prior to publication.

For any further inquiries, please contact the Modoc County District Attorney’s Office directly.

LassenNews.com’s publisher responds
LassenNews.com publisher Sam Williams acknowledges he received a copy of the letter from a confidential source, and he apologizes for any confusion that may have arisen that the MCDA Office provided the letter. It did not.

Williams also acknowledges he did not contact the MCDA’s Office “for comment, clarification or verification of the facts prior to publication,” because the letter and the revelation it contains speak for themselves. In the United States, news organizations are not required to seek permission or approval from government entities prior to disseminating the news. Salarno does not dispute the authenticity of the letter or its content.

Williams said he laments the effect this revelation may have in regard to criminal cases in Modoc County, but that is not LassenNews.com’s doing. The responsibility for ensuring justice for those affected by this information rests squarely with the MCDA’s Office.

Salarno writes, “The letter was intended per our ethical and legal obligations to alert local defense attorneys of a potential issue which might have been argued in court to impeach the credibility of former Chief Muller.”

According to the letter from the MCDA published yesterday by LassenNews.com, “Our office is conducting a records search in order to identify those cases in which you represented defendants which may be impacted by Chief Muller’s Brady designation. However, since you would be in a more familiar position to identify any such cases, please conduct such a case review and advise this office accordingly of any issues that may require this office’s evaluation for materiality per Brady.”

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, “A California prosecutor’s obligation to provide exculpatory and impeaching information arises from the federal Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as applied by the United States Supreme Court in Brady v. Maryland (1963) 373 U.S. 83, and California’s Criminal Discovery Statute, as codified in Penal Code § 1054.1(e). Additionally, Rule 3.8 (Special Responsibilities of a Prosecutor) of the California Rules of Professional Conduct requires that prosecutors timely disclose all evidence or information that tends to negate the guilt of the accused, mitigate the offense, or mitigate the sentence, except when relieved of this responsibility by a protective order of the court.”

Finally, Williams said he chose to publish this information in the compliance and furtherance of spirit of the laws requiring such disclosure in an effort to ensure justice and due process for all who may be affected by its revelation.

LassenNews’ attempts to contact Modoc County District Attorney Nina Salarno on Wednesday, Nov. 26 proved unsuccessful.

Click here to read LassenNews’ Tuesday, Nov. 25 story, “Alturas terminates police chief, alleged ‘dishonest’ conduct could impact Modoc County criminal cases.”