Law

Shingle Springs Band vows cooperation into probe of incident

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Holly Fonseca. Photo from El Dorado County Sheriff's Office

The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians is cooperating with the investigation into a bizarre incident that involved the daughter of Chairman Nicholas Fonseca.

Holly Fonseca, 28, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said in a press release. Authorities say she pointed a shotgun at two men after one of them refused to pierce her nose.

"Because they were on rancheria property, she said the rules are different and she could kill and bury them without anyone caring," the press release stated.

The incident gets even more bizarre from there. Since it allegedly occurred on the reservation, tribal security officers responded to Holly Fonseca's home and took the shotgun in question.

Chairman Nicholas Fonseca is seen here with Rep. Tom McClintock (R-California). Photo from Shingle Springs Band

For an unexplained reason, the officers gave the shotgun to Chairman Fonseca. He later turned it over to the sheriff's office, according to the press release.

In the meantime, the victims were followed by Fonseca to a home off the reservation. There, she allegedly made more threats and that's when sheriff's deputies responded to the scene, where they found a large marijuana grow operation with somewhere between 300 and 400 plants, according to the press release.

Officers also said they found a suspected hash oil setup in home. Mihai Popescu -- it isn't clear if he was one of the victims of Fonseca's alleged threats -- was arrested on charges of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana.

Even though the alleged shotgun threat occurred on the reservation, a tribal spokesperson flatly told The Sacramento Bee: “It’s not a tribal issue."

Of Fonseca's arrest, which occurred at the home off the reservation, the spokesperson added: “The arrest and marijuana grow happened off tribal land. Essentially, she is an El Dorado resident that was arrested in El Dorado County.”

The tribe has been in the news lately over controversial plans for a shooting range on the reservation. Due to public opposition, the project has been scaled down.

Get the Story:
Shingle Springs tribal chairman’s daughter booked on assault charge in El Dorado County (The Sacramento Bee 5/6)