Two arrests have been made in a case involving seven mannequins hung at various Crestline locations threatening an officer to prevent duties and criminal threats against an officer. (File Photo)
By G. T. Houts
Crestline, CA – A call of a mannequin hanging by a rope near the road with the name of a Deputy Sheriff and a bullseye type target painted on it was received by the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station on Thursday, February 18.
Deputies responded and collected the mannequin and while investigating the incident, another mannequin was located near a school bus stop.
Soon after, the station received a call stating there were approximately five additional mannequins with deputy’s names on them, hanging from various locations.
THE INVESTIGATION
As the in-depth investigation continued, a total of seven mannequins were located in the Crestline and Cedarpines Park communities, according to a media release from the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station.
The release indicated that six of the mannequins had the names of current and past Twin Peaks deputies, and the last had a Probation Officer’s name.
All had bullseye targets painted below their names.
THE LEADS
Sarah Stewart (Booking Photo)
Within a few hours, the press advisory stated, leads were given implicating Sarah Stewart, 36, from Crestline as the alleged responsible party.
Stewart was reportedly seen driving a rented U-Haul van with the mannequins inside.
“Stewart is a known criminal in the community with ties to white supremacist gang members whom we have recently arrested for serious crimes,” the release noted.
POSSIBLE ACCOMPLICES
Deputies identified a number of known accomplices allowing for the recovery of additional evidence in the way of text messages and phone calls.
Erin Keith Elder (Booking Photo)
Video tape of the suspects was also recovered from nearby locations.
Through investigation detectives and deputies located six more matching mannequins at residence in Crestline.
Witnesses told investigating officers that they had seen Stewart loading mannequins into the U-Haul van with another suspect (Erin Keith Elder, 47) the night of the reported incident.
THE ARRESTS
On February 26, shortly after 9 a.m, deputies located Stewart and Elder at a residence in the 300 block of Davos Drive in Crestline.
The two suspects were taken into custody without incident. The duo may face a variety of charges including threatening an officer in order to prevent duties, criminal threats against an officer, and criminal activity to promote reputation of a street gang.
Video arraignments are scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The media release states that the investigation is ongoing and investigators believe three to four other suspects assisted Stewart.
If you have further information regarding this case, contact the Twin Peaks Station at (909) 336-0687 or We Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME.
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