IE Chatter

More Wild Wild West Action on the Rez

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department searched for carjacking suspects on the Soboba Indian Reservation.

Although things have died down, you can see that the tension still exists.

Authorities were called to the reservation by a construction crew working there who reported being carjacked by three men about 6:30 a.m. at gunpoint.

The crew was approached by the men, one armed with a handgun, another with a rifle, who stole their work truck, sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said.

The construction crew was not injured and tribal government assisted law enforcement searching the reservation for the carjackers.

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"The Tribe was surprised by the show of tanks and scale of response deployed to address the incident," said a statement from the tribe that singled out Worby. "Despite the tactic, the Tribe worked for a more diplomatic and uneventful surrender."

More Soboba Goodness - Stand Off Ends With Arrest

More shenanigans over at the Soboba Indian Reservation where a member of the tribe was taken into custody after a lengthy standoff with authorities.

Gotta love the braintrust behind this criminal act.  Read below for why this is also being assigned to the "Idiot Files":

Riverside County sheriff's investigators tracked David Neil Morreo, 34, Monday afternoon to a home in San Jacinto, where he barricaded himself inside before a SWAT team invaded the home at 3 a.m. according to a sheriff's report.

Sheriff's officials said tribal officials cooperated fully with deputies during the investigation. The Sheriff's Department and the tribe have been locked in a dispute about access for deputies in emergencies or investigations on the reservation. Sheriff Stanley Sniff has threatened to bring criminal charges against any members of the tribe who impede deputies in their duties.

Police said Morreo and Charles Durnin, 19, forced their way into a 23-year-old woman's home Saturday morning in the 300 block of East Main Street in San Jacinto.

The two men demanded the woman's valuables at gunpoint and threatened two other men who tried to take down the license plate as they were leaving the house, according to the sheriff's report.

One man was seen with a "Soboba Rez" tattoo on his left forearm, and the other man was seen with a "Soboba" tattoo on his neck.

More on the Wild Wild West

After posting the last story in the news today, I thought that I should also mention some of the current troubles between the Riverside County Sheriffs Department and the Soboba Indians.

Here is a fantastic article that offers some insight on the mindsets of those involved in this crazy situation. 

In a nutshell, authorities say crime has run amok on the reservation and at levels that far exceed the other communities adjacent to the reservation.  Tribal Chairman Robert Salgado scoffed and retorted, "Hey Dude Whitey!  We just had a concert and 7,000 people partied without any trouble."

Point goes to the authorities.

The RSD says that they have engaged in running gun battles where three suspects were killed and had a police helicopter fired at.  The RSD say that there have been times when they have tried to honor the wishes of the tribe by notifying them upon entry, but that the tribe has tipped off suspects.  Tribal Chairman Robert Salgado says, "Hey Whitey!  Just like a military base, just give us a holler so we can give you directions to the right house."

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

In assessing the stalemate, Chief Deputy Jim Domenoe was very to the point.

"We hope it doesn't hit a crisis point, but I am fairly certain it will," said Chief Deputy Jim Domenoe. "We are going to be reasonable about this, but if they cause us significant delay, that could be grounds for arrest."

Oof!  Buckle your seat belts, kiddies.  This ride might get bumpy.

The Resurrection of the Wild Wild West

The following is from the "NOT As Seen On TV" department.

Four bounty hunters took a leisurely trip over to the Soboba Indian Reservation in 2004 to capture two convicted felons who were wanted by authorities.  That was until these bounty hunters ran into a modern day "Bonnie & Clyde".

The bounty hunters took cover when Moreno and his girlfriend opened fire with semiautomatic weapons and Moreno was able to get away, prosecutor Chris Bouffard told jurors during opening statements in the trial of Moreno and Shaundeen Theresa Boniface.

Reports indicate that 21 shots were fired at the bounty hunters, allowing Moreno to evade capture.  The defense attorney has an interesting portray of the events.

Although it doesn't appear there is any direct connection between this incident that occured several years ago and the most recent flare up in tensions between the Riverside County Sheriffs Department and the Soboba Indians, it offers a glimpse into what some observers might casually suggest is a modern day "Wild Wild West".