Tribal killing suspect target of probe

ALTURAS: The woman who police say killed three family members and a worker at the headquarters building for a Native American tribe that was evicting her and her son from its land was the target of a federal investigation into at least $50,000 in missing tribal funds.

Investigators have been looking into whether Cherie Lash Rhoades took federal grant money meant for the Cedarville Rancheria tribe she once led, a person familiar with the tribe´s situation told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Rhoades recently was ousted as chairwoman of the 35-member tribe that includes many of her relatives.

On Thursday afternoon, her brother, Rurik Davis, and other tribal members were attending a meeting involving Rhoades´s potential eviction at the headquarters building in the rural northeastern California community of Alturas. It´s unclear precisely when the shooting began, but in quick succession Davis, 50; Rhoades´ niece, Angel Penn, 19; her nephew, Glenn Calonicco, 30; and Shelia Lynn Russo, 47, were killed.

Investigators were looking into whether the embezzlement allegations spurred the tribe´s efforts to evict Rhoades, but had not established any definitive motive, Alturas Police Chief Ken Barnes said Friday.

"If we could confirm or deny that, it would help me toward a motive," Barnes said.

Later Friday, police armed with rifles and pistols searched her home. One Alturas police officer who would not give his name acknowledged that they were serving a search warrant, but would not say what they seized.

Eviction from tribal housing is among the most serious punishments for American Indians. One of Rhoades´ nephews, Jason Penn, said Davis was behind the effort.