Antioch couple arrested in Humboldt County with cocaine, Xanax, firearms, two juveniles
William Pree, Lucy Daniels apprehended following traffic stop during cross state trip
Alleged prison gang leader, Pree was convicted for 2015 murder of man in Antioch which was overturned on appeal
By Humboldt County Drug Task Force
On Saturday, December 21st, 2024, Agents with the Humboldt County Drug Task Force (HCDTF) and Deputies with the Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) served a search warrant on William Lavon Pree (43 years old from Antioch). During the month of December, HCDTF received information that Pree was traveling to the Bay Area and purchasing large quantities of narcotics for the purpose of sales, and that he was in possession of firearms. Pree is a convicted felon for numerous violent offenses involving firearms including attempted homicide.
HCDTF Agents observed Pree travel from Humboldt County, to Los Angeles, and then the Bay Area. Upon Pree’s return to Humboldt County, Agents conducted a traffic stop on his vehicle on Hwy 101 at Hookton Road in Loleta. The vehicle had four occupants, Josephine Lucy Daniels (Age 48 from Antioch), Willaim Pree, and two juveniles (ages 5 and 17). All occupants were detained without incident.
Agents searched Pree’s vehicle and located over 450 Xanax bars, a half-pound of cocaine, a loaded 10MM Glock handgun, a loaded 9mm ghost pistol (privately manufactured with no serial number) equipped with a “Glock Switch” enabling the firearm to shoot fully automatic, more ammunition, high-capacity magazines, and a digital scale.
Both juveniles were transported to a safe location by law enforcement and Humboldt Child Welfare Services will receive the criminal report. Pree and Daniels were placed under arrest and transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where they were both booked on the following charges:
11351 HS – Possession of narcotics for the purpose of sales
11352(A) HS – Trafficking narcotics
11352(B) HS – Trafficking narcotics through noncontiguous counties
11370.1 HS – Possession of a loaded firearm/narcotics
32625(A) PC – Possession of a machine gun
30605(A) PC – Possession of an assault weapon
25400(A)(1) PC – Illegally possessing a firearm inside of a vehicle
24610 PC – Possession on a non-detectable firearm
29800(a)(1) PC – Felon in possession of a handgun (Pree only)
30305(a)(1) PC – Felon in possession of ammunition (Pree only)
273A(A) PC – Felony child endangerment
According to localcrimenews.com, Press is Black and was also arrested by Antioch Police in September 2015 for being an accessory after the fact.
As previously reported, Pree was arrested in September 2015 for murder of 23-year-old Antioch resident, Kartiae Ely, who was shot in the driveway of an apartment building in the 1800 block of Cavallo Road and subsequently died from his injuries.
According to a Dec. 2023 Mercury News report, Pree is “An alleged prison gang leader accused of ordering the murder of a man over his gang’s attempts to take over an Antioch ‘money block’ has been released from jail after a judge lowered his bail to $200,000 in a pending murder case, court records show. William…Pree and his co-defendant, 45-year-old Edward Robinson, were convicted of murder in 2017, only to have the case be overthrown by an appeals court” in 2023.
According to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, he is being held in the Humboldt County Correctional Facility in Eureka. Also, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Dept, Daniels is of American Indian/Alaska Native descent and as of Sunday, Dec. 22 had bonded out of custody.
Anyone with information related to this investigation or other narcotics related crimes is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
the attachments to this post:
HCDTFL Pree & Daniels arrest 12-21-24
