Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/266182
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The lawyer for a tiny Ameri- can Indian tribe in northeastern California said Monday the woman accused of leaving four dead and two wounded in a gun and knife attack last week at a meeting at its headquarters had been evicted from tribal housing because she was under investi- gation concerning missing tribal funds. Cedarville Rancheria attor- ney Jack Duran also said Cherie Lash Rhoades was ousted as tribal chairwoman just three weeks earlier, and Thursday's meeting was aimed considering her eviction appeal. Rhoades' son, Jack Stockton, also was ousted as vice chairman, Duran told The Associated Press. Rhoades was arrested Thurs- day on suspicion of killing four people and wounding two others at the meeting in Alturas, Calif. Modoc County District Attorney Jordan Funk said Rhoades tentatively is sched- uled to be arraigned Tuesday in Modoc County Superior Court in Alturas. Funk said it wasn't immediately clear if Rhoades had been appointed an attorney yet. The Cedarville Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe with 35 registered members. The Rancheria owns 26 acres in Cedarville, where most mem- bers reside in nine small, one- story houses on lots on the out- skirts of town. The tribal houses are clustered around a small playground. Killed in the shooting were Rhoades' brother Rurik Davis, 50; Rhoades' niece, Angel Penn, 19; her nephew, Glenn Calonicco, 30; and Shelia Lynn Russo, 47. Rurik Davis had apparently taken over as tribal chairman. Alturas Police Chief Ken Barnes said Friday that authori- ties have been checking whether the embezzlement allegations spurred the tribe's efforts to evict Rhoades, but had not established any definitive motive. Eviction from tribal housing is among the most serious pun- ishments for American Indians. Though police have said they are still working on a motive, a nephew who lived with Rhoad- es, Jacob Penn, said she snapped under the pressure of her broth- er trying to evict her. Barnes said that as the shoot- ing erupted, young children were inside the building and on the property, and a judge from another tribe was listening to the eviction proceedings over the phone. After running out of bullets, Rhoades grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed a woman, police said. She chased one of Davis' daughters out of the building and into the parking lot while brandishing the knife. On Monday, Duran said Angel Penn, one of the dead, was holding her newborn infant Weather forecast 8B Sunny 71/50 N EWS D AILY DAILY 50¢ TUESDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2014 Best Music for Your Workout Corning's Top Seed Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com N EWS D AILY RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 See Page 4A SPORTS 1B Vitality 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 Responders recognized Daily News photos by Julie Zeeb Above: Honorees gather for a picture Saturday at the annual Corning Exchange Club Police and Fire Awards Dinner. Back row, from left: Ian Turnbull Officer Jay McPeek, Jeff Garrett, Rick Schulke, Chris Martin, Scott Spangler and Joe Rossi. Front row, from left: Troy Somavia, Agustin Hernandez, Gavin Gormley, Dave Demo, Daymon Schlereth and Suszette Erb. Not pictured: Tyler Pierce, who was toned out to a call just as he received his award; Jeremy Bonesio, Michael Kain and Gerry Magana. Below: Officer Ian Anderson, left, receives congratulations and a certificate of recognition from Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Club honors local public safety service By JULIE ZEEB DN Correspondent Tehama County gave a standing ovation for host Bucky Bowen Saturday during the Corning Exchange Club Police and Fire Awards Dinner. Bowen announced at the evening's close, after many years of hosting this event and others, that this would be his last. The event is one that is close to Bowen's heart, his son being a retired California Highway Patrol officer, but it was time to step down, he said. "I'll be 90 years old this year," Bowen said. "It's time." Bowen began the evening with a reminder for the audience of why the group had gathered at the Corning Veterans Memorial Hall. "The purpose of this event is to recognize and honor the law enforce- ment and firefighting per- sonnel of Tehama Coun- ty," Bowen said. "We are acknowledging your brav- ery, enthusiasm, commit- ment and your hard work. We are proud of you because you are commit- ted to a great tradition of public service … You have stepped forward to serve others. You save lives, you are the first responders to violence, tragedy and to many other situations that may affect many people." People often take for granted the work those honored do and the sacri- fices they make, he said. "Too often we take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude so let us express our thanks to these brave men and women every day," Bowen said. "Silent gratitude isn't of much use to anyone." Honorees included: Capay Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ian Turnbull, 60th anniver- sary award; Red Bluff Fire Department Engineer Scott Spangler; Reserve Engineer Chris Martin; Tehama County District Attorney's Office Volun- teer Michael Kain; Corn- ing Volunteer Fire Depart- ment Capt. Dave Demo; Dispatcher Daymon Schlereth; Tehama Coun- ty Sheriff's Department Detective Jeff Garrett; Search and Rescue; Cal- Fire/Tehama County Fire Firefighter Gerry Maga- na; Volunteer Firefighter Rick Schulke; Corning Police Department Offi- cer Ian Anderson; Dis- patcher Agustin Hernan- dez; California Highway Patrol Officer Troy Man arrested after demanding woman's keys A 34-year-old Red Bluff man was arrested by the Tehama County Sheriff's Department early Saturday morning for attempted robbery, burglary and petty theft. Around 3:22 a.m. deputies were dispatched to a Joaquin Lane residence north of Red Bluff, according to a department press release. The homeowner reported that she had seen an unknown man in her garage. The 56-year-old woman said she had locked herself inside her residence after the man demanded she give him the keys to her truck parked outside. Cleanup planned at former motel lot By RICH GREENE DN Staff Writer The Department of Toxic Substances Control presented a plan Thursday night to concerned resi- dents and local officials to clean up the site of a for- mer manufactured gas plant at 600 Rio Street on the banks of the Sacra- mento River. Public comments and questions weren't as much focused on the cleanup effort, which will be carried out by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and overseen by DTSC, but rather the site's future beyond the cleanup and whether a neighboring property was also contam- inated. DTSC officials said samples had been drawn at a now vacant property north of the contaminated site that was once a park. They said based on data collected in those samples the contamination had not reached the former park beyond possible minimal encounters over the prop- erty line. Gas production began at 600 Rio St. in 1874 and the Red Bluff Manufac- tured Gas Plant was con- structed and began opera- tion four years later. In 1919 PG&E pur- chased the plant from Northern California Power Co. and continued operations. In 1959 the site was sold and in 1962 the Cin- derella Motel was built at the location. The motel was in oper- ation until 2010 when PG&E reacquired the property and began an investigation for remedia- tion. PG&E Project Manag- er Bill White said since the 1970s the company has been working to clean up former sites across the western United States such as the one in Red Bluff. White said the compa- ny's goal is to clean up sites and return them to use as quickly as possible. He said PG&E has no plans for the site and would likely put the prop- erty up for sale once the cleanup is complete. That sale would include a land-use covenant to restrict well use and allow for future monitoring at the site. DTSC said residues from the gas-making process remain in the soil and ground water at the location. The proposed plan would call for about 1,000 truckloads of shallow soil to be removed from the site. The property would then be treated with an applicant that prevents or slows the release of haz- ardous material and would be backfilled with clean and imported soil. Officials said the cleanup plans did not include tearing up any part of Antelope Boule- vard, responding to a question asked by Tehama County Supervisor Den- nis Garton. The contamination does lead up to the bridge, samples show. DTSC said it antici- pates the cleanup would start in Spring 2015 and take around eight to nine months to complete. The department is col- lecting public feedback on the proposed plan through March 10. One of the public com- ments on the plan came from Bobie Hughes, who was in attendance at Thursday's public meet- ing. Hughes said she Tribe's lawyer: Eviction related to missing funds See KEYS, page 7A See CLEANUP, page 7A See CLUB, page 7A See FUNDS, page 7A