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Court bombed to stop drug trial I
Police say ex-convict
thought he could avoid
cocaine charges by
having building blown
up.
VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) — An ex
convict surrendered Monday to face
charges he masterminded bombings at
a courthouse and a bank to thwart a
drug trial that could put him away for
life under California’s “three strikes”
law.
The explosions last week destroyed
three cash machines and blasted a cra
ter in the side of the Solano County
Courthouse wall. No one was injured.
Authorities said Kevin Lee
Robinson, 29, had hired several men
to disrupt the Solano County court
system, where he was to go on trial
Monday on cocaine charges.
The bank was bombed to throw
detectives off the trail, investigators
believe.
Police said the conspirators
amassed more than 500 pounds of sto
len dynamite, which is closely regu
lated and can be traced to its legiti
mate owner.
If convicted of the drug charge,
Robinson would face a mandatory 25
years-to-life sentence under
California’s “three strikes” law, which
applies to three-time felons. Robinson
has a history of drug and weapons
convictions.
Six men have been arrested, in
cluding Robinson and two others ar
rested Monday and three men on Sun
day. Police said more were expected.
Police didn’t say how much the men
were paid to carry out the bombings.
On Jan. 25, children had found 30
sticks of dynamite in a rucksack at the
county library, which houses some
police evidence in its basement. On
Sunday morning, investigators found
more than 60 sticks of wired dynamite
in the trunk of a car parked outside an
apartment complex. They speculated
it was intended for a second assault
on the library.
On Sunday evening, police
stormed a house and found 500 pounds
of dynamite and a semiautomatic rifle
in the garage. Authorities said the
explosives could have leveled much of
the neighborhood.
Federal agents said they were still
searching for another cache of explo
sives, possibly up to 100 pounds.
Orlando Johnson, 30, was arrested
Monday for investigation of a parole
violation and an explosives charge.
Jason Pascual, 22, also was arrested,
although investigators have not said
what charges will be filed against him.
ABA: Stop executions
SAN ANTONIO (AP)—Com
plaining of unfairness, the Ameri
can Bar Association urged a nation
wide moratorium on the death pen
alty Monday despite opposition
from its own president and the
Clinton administration.
The ABA’s House of Delegates,
which makes policy for the nation’s
largest group of lawyers, voted 280
119.
Leaders of the 370,000-lawyer
organization were told that current
death-penalty systems are marred
by unfairness and racial injustice.
One supporter, Washington
lawyer Estelle Rogers, said the or
ganization was not taking a posi
tion on the death penalty itself. In
stead, she said, “We’re calling on
every jurisdiction... to clean up its
act.”
Neither the federal government
nor any state has in place a system
of capital punishment that meets
the ABA’s standard of fairness, she
said.
The resolution was approved
following a 45-minute debate dur
ing which a high-ranking Clinton
administration lawyer and the
ABA’s current president urged de
feat of the measure.
Deputy Attorney General Jamie
Gorelick voiced concern that the
resolution, which becomes the fo
cus of ABA lobbying efforts in
Congress and state legislatures,
would affect pending cases involv
ing domestic terrorism.
The government has decided to
seek the death penalty for two men
accused in the bombing of an Okla
homa City federal building, and is
considering doing so in the
Unabomber case.
ByRobynnTysver
Associated Press
SANTEE — A year ago, Bobby
Bickerstaff Jr. had never seen his name
in a telephone book and Theo Bear
ing had never had a “real job.”
Both were single parents on wel
fare.
Today, the two Ohiya Casino em
ployees are among 17 members of the
Santee Sioux Tribe who landed jobs
on a reservation with 75-percent un
employment.
Since the disputed casino opened
Feb. 2,1996, the tribe has paid about
$200,000 in wages, said Thelma Tho
mas, casino manager.
“The point of the Ohiya Casino is
not to get wealthy, but to provide em
ployment for our tribal members,”
Thomas said.
“It’s devastating to live in a com
munity where only a handful of people
work,” she said. “You would be
amazed how many don’t have tele
phones.”
Bickerstaff, 31, never did. He used
his father’s telephone and borrowed
money he couldn’t pay back. Then, he
was hired at the casino as a security
guard and began to learn the joys of a
paycheck.
He has purchased an entire bed
room set for his 4-year-old daughter
and hopes to stock the room with a
computer by the end of the year.
“I lode forward to buying things
cm weekends,” he said.
Bickerstaff worries that his good
fortune will end and the casino will
be forced to close. But for now, he
enjoys his paycheck.
“It still feels good to have a phone
and call people you need to,” he said.
Casino could close
The possibility of closure looms in
m
The point of the Ohiya Casino is not to
get wealthy, but to provide employment
for our tribal members.”
Thelma Thomas
casino manager
the future. U.S. Attorney Tom
Monaghan was involved in a year of
efforts to close the casino. Along with
other federal and state officials,
Monaghan argues that the casino is
illegal because the tribe has no gam
ing agreement with the state.
After three major courtroom
battles, a two-month shutdown and a
closure order from the National Indian
Gaming Commission, Ohiya Casino
remains open. But Monaghan has not
said whether he will appeal a federal
judge’s December decision not to or
der it shut down. Monaghan did not
respond to several interview requests.
The casino’s opening and contin
ued existence have made conquerors
of the once-dispirited Santee Sioux
Indian Tribe — one of the tiniest
members of the Sioux nation.
‘It’s put this tribe cm the map,” said
Richard Thomas, tribal chairman and
brother-in-law of Thelma Thomas. “It
lifted our spirits, it lifted our hopes.”
Still, the tribe expects the court
battles to continue and does much of
its business as if it is under siege.
“We have our own way of storing
our money,” Thomas said with a
smile. “We don’t use the bank.”
The federal government seized
about $87,000 from a tribal account
in South Dakota in April in an effort
to put an “economic squeeze” cm the
tribe and force the casino to close. The
tribe responded with its own lawsuit
and secret accounts.
The tribe plans to improve the ca
sino by secretly bringing in Las Ve
gas-style slot machines that dish out
money rather than just tally player
“credits.”
Neighbors are sympathetic
The tribe’s struggles have garnered
sympathy among its white neighbors
in Knox County.
“They know it’s real tough getting
a job down there,” said Sheriff Wes
Eisenbeiss. “Those people are poverty
stricken, there’s no doubt about that.”
The sheriff said crime has declined
since the opening of the casino, which
does not serve alcohol.
School Superintendent Chuck
Squier notices the casino’s impact in
another way.
“We have some kids having new
coats and their folks are driving up
and dropping them off in new ve
hicles,” he said.
Gamblers at the isolated casino
said if it wasn’t there, they would go
to one of the many casinos that sur
round Nebraska in South Dakota,
Iowa, Kansas and Colorado.
“It’s like drinking or anything
else,” said Wayne Hill of Niobrara.
“Nobody forces you to cane down and
spend your money.”
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