Some arrested in Hemet police raids have violent history, gang affiliations

Hemet police have released information regarding those who were arrested and evidence confiscated during a series of raids conducted Tuesday as part of an investigation into a series of attacks against the department and a Hemet-based gang task force.

None of the arrests are directly connected to the series of attacks that started Dec. 31, said Capt. Dave Brown in a news release.

Brown said that some of those taken into custody have gang affiliations, but he declined to identify which ones. He said the focus of the investigation is to determine whether the attacks have been the work of individuals acting separately or part of a larger conspiracy involving.

The nature of the attacks and the different methods used could mean that more than one person or group is involved, Brown said.

“We have to determine whether all five are connected,” Brown said. “Frankly, the first three and the fourth one are quite different. Does that mean there are different people involved? That is the question we need to answer.”

“That is the thing that investigators have to determine,” Brown said Thursday morning.

Brown said the information and evidence recovered during the raids has helped in the investigation move forward and “help with the goal of making the arrest of those responsible.”

Sixteen of the 23 arrested have been booked on suspicion of committing felonies, but those centered around parole violations, weapons and drug charges, Brown said.

The jailed suspects are still being interviewed for information that could lead authorities to the attack suspects, Brown said.

About 200 law enforcement personnel from the Hemet Police Department, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the San Bernardino and Orange County sheriff’s departments took part in Tuesday’s raid, which also yielded 16 firearms, along with other evidence and contraband, Brown said.

Warrants were served in San Bernardino, Orange and Riverside counties, including San Jacinto, but all those arrested were taken in Riverside County and booked into the Riverside County jail system.

Police said they believe they are closer to identifying the culprits responsible in a series of attacks on vehicles, officers and buildings in Hemet since December.

The operation came about a week after the Hemet City Council gave the city manager emergency purchasing power to outfit police with whatever equipment, resources and personnel were deemed necessary to combat the attacks that have put police on the defensive.

The most recent incident occurred April 12, when a fire damaged a mobile home used for police training. Investigators have not confirmed the fire was intentionally set, but are trying to determine whether the blaze was connected to a series of life-threatening acts that started with someone rerouting a natural gas line into a gang task force building on New Year’s Eve.

“Intelligence reports indicate that the police facility (station) is the likely focus of future criminal acts,” Brown wrote in a staff report to the city council at the time of the fire.

Tuesday’s activity is the closest police have come to linking the acts.
Brown released the names of those arrested and information about the allegation against them, but did not provide their hometowns.

Some of those arrested have violent criminal histories and at least one was convicted of violating someone’s civil rights by force.

One of those arrested was Joseph Matthew Zito, 29, who was booked on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, being a felon in possession of a firearm, gang membership and committing a crime while having a prison prior within five years. He was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail, pending a court appearance Friday.

Zito was convicted in 2003 of possessing a firearm or ammunition while on probation and in 2004 of assault with a deadly weapon, not a firearm, to produce great bodily injury. He received two-year terms for both convictions.

In 2009, Zito was convicted of unlawful use of tear gas and was sentenced to 120 days in jail. He was acquitted in 2008 of assault, making criminal threats and gang activity.

James Robert Tielens Jr., 27, was booked on weapons, drugs and parole violation and held on a no bail warrant. In 2007, Tielens was convicted of making terrorist threats and false imprisonment on a domestic violence case. He was sentenced to three years probation and six months in jail.

Also in 2007, Tielens was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, not a gun, to cause great bodily injury, and violating someone’s civil rights by force. Hate-crime allegations attached to the assault were stricken.

Others jailed on suspicion of felonies were:
– James Dean Tielens Sr., 54, booked on possession of a hypodermic needle or syringe, receiving stolen property and drug possession. He bailed out on $5,000 bond, pending a court appearance May 18.

– Ronald Potter, 39, on weapons, ammunition and parole violation. He is being held on a no bail warrant.

– Patrick Mike Nugent, 40, on martial arts weapons and probation violation. He is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail, pending a court appearance Friday.

– Ryan Lendon Stobaugh, 28, on drugs and parole violation. He was being held on a no-bail warrant.

– Jessie Claire Marie Reynolds, 24, booked on possession of a deadly weapon. She made bond on $5,000 bail and is set for a court appearance May 18.

– Darren James McGraw, 29, booked on suspicion of driving on a suspended license, petty theft and failure to appear on a written promise. He was being held on no bail, pending a court appearance July 20.

– Christian Ray Lewis, 44, booked on possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held on no bail, pending a court appearance Friday.

– Anthony John Ross, 27, on a parole violation. He was being held on a no-bail warrant.

– Rhonda Lynn Thomas, 34, on drugs, weapons and probation violations. She was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail.

– Derrick Yates, on drug and parole violations. No record was found for him in the sheriff’s jail system.

– Alfred Lee Morris, 48, on parole violations, held on a warrant, no bail.

– Sheri Dillon, on parole violation. No record for her was found in the sheriff’s jail system.

– Kelley Rae Jackson, 40, booked on possession of a controlled substance and possession of a needle or syringe. She made bond on $5,000 bail, pending a court appearance May 20.

– Brandon Edward Garciduenas, 35, booked on suspicion of possession of at least 28.5 grams of marijuana, a misdemeanor, and felony possession of a deadly weapon. He made bond on $5,000 bail, pending a court appearance May 18.

– Christopher Felber, 21, on parole violations. He was being held on a no-bail warrant.

Those arrested on misdemeanor allegations: Jon Felgen, misdemeanor warrant; Erin Kaiser, misdemeanor warrant; Ryan Gray, misdemeanor warrant; Keith Garron, misdemeanor warrant; Jarett Mejia, probation violation; Chris Burton, misdemeanor warrant.

Among the items confiscated include: Twelve handguns, three rifles, 13 computers, a cellular phone, numerous martial arts weapons, gas masks, drugs/narcotics paraphernalia (pipes, syringes), ammunition for examination, gang paraphernalia.

A reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible for the attacks is at $200,000.  The tip telephone number is 951-765-3897, and the email address is tips@cityofhemet.org

Tags: Alfred Lee Morris, Anthony John Ross, Brandon Edward Garciduenas, Bureau of Alcohol, Capt. Dave Brown, Chris Burton, Christian Ray Lewis, Christopher Felber, Darren James McGraw, Derrick Yates, Erin Kaiser, FBI, Firearms and Explosives, Hemet Police Department, James Dean Tielens Sr., James Robert Tielens Jr., Jarett Mejia, Jessie Claire Marie Reynolds, Jon Felgen, Joseph Matthew Zito, Keith Garron, Kelley Rae Jackson, Patrick Mike Nugent, Rhonda Lynn Thomas, Ronald Potter, Ryan Gray, Ryan Lendon Stobaugh, Sheri Dillon, SWRNN, Tobacco

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 at 8:31 am and is filed under Courts, Crime, Local News, News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.