Lyon County District Attorney Releases Bonta Police Report

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http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/07/lyon-county-district-attorney-releases-bonta-police-report/

Last week Indian Country Today Media Network received a copy of the police report concerning the arrest of John Bonta on May 24, 2011. (A request had been sent on June 22, 2011.) Significantly, there is no reference or mention in the report to the claims of the Bonta family that they were targeted by alleged assailants for being Native, or that anti-Native slurs were used during the incident. Put simply, the events recorded in the documents from the Sheriff’s office are considerably divergent from what the Bontas have alleged.

According to the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office’s District Attorney Fact Sheet filed by Deputy Steve Tustin, Johno Bonta, Shane Murray (Bonta’s son-in-law) and Alyssa Bonta were charged with Assault and Battery with a Deadly Weapon. Although a box is checked indicating the “suspects” were interviewed, no written statements by them are included in the police report. In another section for Statement of suspect(s), the following boxes have checkmarks: “Denied,” “Conflicting,” “Written” and “Verbal.” The Case Disposition is recorded as Closed by Arrest and Warrant Requested. Hands, feet, ratchet wrench, small baseball bat, golf club and automobile are listed under the description for weapons or instruments used. See the Bonta’s account here. Under Hate Crime, the box “No” is checked.

The Narrative written by Deputy Tustin has Tustin dispatched on May 24 to the scene of a reported fight on Truckee Lane, near the Nevada Department of Transportation. Arriving at the scene he observed two cars, a white Ford Crown Victoria and a green Mitsubishi Eclipse 60 feet apart, and was approached by Jacob Cassell, Josh Janiszweski, and another male (who shall remain unidentified as he is under the age of 18). Bonta and Shane Murray were observed in a field south of the cars, and Deputy Travis Clarke, also dispatched earlier, was sent to them.

According to Cassell as reported by Tustin, he and his friends drove into a local Quik Stop where Bonta and Murray began yelling at him. Cassell drove to an unknown address at a local street, departed, and observed Bonta and Murray following them in white car. They continued to drive along various streets, trailed by the white car, until Cassell drove onto Truckee Lane, discovered it was not a thoroughfare, and in the midst of trying to turn around his car was intentionally struck in the driver’s side by Murray.