Sex offender arrested after fatal shotgun shooting of acquaintance inside Shasta Lake home
CITY OF SHASTA LAKE, Calif., — Authorities say a convicted felon and registered sex offender was arrested after gunning down an acquaintance during an argument at a private residence in the City of Shasta Lake late Thursday evening, March 31.
Officials have said the alleged suspect, 58-year-old Dwight Stewart Honeycutt, used a sawed-off shotgun to kill a man that he believed had made sexual advances toward his girlfriend.
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Deputies from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Shasta Lake Station and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the 3800 block of Pancake Hill around 11:30 p.m. after receiving a 911 call reporting a shooting, Shasta County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit Detective-Sergeant Ken Koenen has since reported.
When officials arrived, they found an adult male suffering from a critical gunshot wound. Initial reports from the scene based on official radio traffic indicated that although the victim was still alive, the man was in grave condition after he was possibly shot in the back of the head.
Authorities say 58-year-old Dwight Stewart Honeycutt, a convicted felon and registered sex offender, was arrested after shooting an acquaintance in the head during an argument at a home in City of Shasta Lake. Shasta County Sheriff’s Office photo
The victim, whose identity has not been released pending notification of his family, was rushed to an area hospital as a Trauma Alert patient, where he later succumbed to his injuries and passed away, according to Koennen.
Deputies detained Honeycutt and his girlfriend and secured the scene. Detectives with the department’s Major Crimes Unit were requested and ultimately assumed the investigation.
Honeycutt agreed to provide a statement to detectives, at which time he admitted to knowing the shooting victim and told officials he and the man were neighbors. Honeycutt also admitted that he and the victim had used controlled substances together earlier in the day.
At some point, Honeycutt and the victim began arguing, at which point Honeycutt retrieved an illegal and unlawfully possessed sawed-off shotgun and shot the victim, according to Koennen, who said, “Honeycutt revealed he shot the unarmed victim out of anger because the victim made advances toward his girlfriend.”
Koennen added that as a convicted felon and a registered sex offender, Honeycutt is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
At the conclusion of the interview, detectives arrested Honeycutt and he was booked this morning into the Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of murder, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and possession of a short-barreled shotgun.
Online jail records indicate Honeycutt remains in custody, where he is being held in lieu of $1 million bail or bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Shasta County Superior Court on Tuesday, April 5th, at 1:30 p.m.
The sheriff’s investigation is continuing and anyone with information directly related to this shooting is encouraged to contact the Shasta County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit at (530) 245-6135 or by email. Callers can refer to incident file number 22S009411 and can remain anonymous.
This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS). Both are stringer organizations, providing breaking news coverage and community interest stories for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.