Residents react to tribal suspect

CEDARVILLE, Calif. - Practically everyone in this tiny town in the high desert of northeastern California’s Surprise Valley knew Cherie Lash Rhoades.

A leader of the Cedarville Rancheria, she worked in the tribe’s gas station and convenience store and wore brightly colored tank tops that showed off her tattoos.

But it is tough to find anyone with a kind word to say about her.

“She bullied her way through life,” said Sandra Parriott, a lifelong resident of Cedarville and owner of two downtown markets. “But I would never think she would start blowing people away in a meeting.”

Police arrested Rhoades on suspicion that she did just that Thursday in Alturas, leaving four dead and two wounded in a gun and knife attack at a meeting on whether to evict Rhoades from one of the nine little houses on the rancheria.

Eviction from tribal housing is among the most serious punishments for American Indians.

Although police have said they are still working on a motive, a nephew who lived with her, Jacob Penn, said she snapped under the pressure of her brother trying to evict her.

The brother, Rurik Davis, who lived down the street on the rancheria, had apparently taken over as tribal chairman and was among the dead.

Investigators had been looking into whether Rhoades took federal grant money meant for the rancheria she once led, a person familiar with the tribe’s situation told a reporter. The person spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Alturas Police Chief Ken Barnes said they were looking into whether the embezzlement allegations spurred the tribe’s efforts to evict Rhoades.