Three suspects remain in jail late this week after they allegedly took part in a carjacking at California’s Rolling Hills Casino. One of the criminals was armed with a shotgun when the carjacking occurred over the weekend, the local sheriff’s office said.
From left: Joseph J. Lodge, Robert J. Diaz-Mendoza, and Karla G. Ortega-Pahua in mug shots, pictured above. The three were charged after a carjacking at a casino. (Image: Tehama County Sheriff’s Office)
The trio were identified as Joseph J. Lodge, 18, Robert J. Diaz-Mendoza, 29, and Karla G. Ortega, 20. Each was being held in the Tehama County Jail, according to the Tehama County Sheriff’s Office. Bail for each suspect is $133,000.
The carjacking took place last Saturday at the Corning, Calif. casino. The unnamed victim was in his car when the two male suspects ordered him to exit the vehicle.
They hopped in and drove the car away from the parking lot. The victim did not appear to suffer any injuries.
The stolen car was eventually located in Glenn County.
When the trio was apprehended for carjacking and being felons in possession of a firearm, they had in their possession another vehicle that was stolen in Chico. Calif., authorities said.
Deputies said they also found in their possession the firearm used in the Rollings Hills Casino carjacking.
In addition, when they were getting booked in the Tehama County Jail, each suspect allegedly had methamphetamine (meth) and/or fentanyl in their possession. So each was charged with bringing a controlled substance into the jail.
If convicted on the charges, the suspects could each face many years in prison.
Prior Carjacking
Carjackings also have taken place at casinos in other states. For instance, in September 2021, a carjacking occurred in the parking lot of Summerlin, Nev.’s Red Rock Casino Resort Spa.
A suspect armed with a firearm exited his car and approached a woman in a lot. He ordered her to turn over the keys to her 2021 white Toyota Sienna.
The victim complied. The suspect then fled in the car.
The suspect was described as being in his 20s. Some 40 minutes later, police found the Toyota in East Charleston, Nev. The car was unoccupied. It was unclear if a suspect was ever apprehended.
Car Stolen, Boy Inside
That same month, a 10-year-old boy was left alone in a running car outside of Oklahoma’s Newcastle Casino. The mother was arrested after the car was stolen. So, too, was the man who allegedly took the car with the boy inside. The child was later found safe.
The mother drove to the tribal gaming property. She left her 2016, black Lincoln MKX running in a parking lot, according to the Canadian County Sheriff’s Office. Keys were in the ignition.
The mother then went into the casino, leaving the child in the car. A short time later, a man got into the car. He sped away with the child still in the car. For several minutes, the boy remained in the car as the male suspect drove in Newcastle.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol soon issued an Amber Alert, according to KWTV, a local TV station. A passerby saw the stolen car in Newcastle. Police soon located the car at a local gas station.
A man identified as Seth Grant, 36, was arrested for the carjacking by the Canadian County Sheriff’s deputies, KFOR, another local TV station, said.
The boy’s mom was charged with child neglect. It was unclear how the cases were adjudicated.
The post California’s Rolling Hills Casino Armed Carjacking Leads to Three Arrests appeared first on Casino.org.
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