MADERA - Fifteen people involved in the take over of the Chukchansi Resort & Casino in the Coarsegold area of Madera County last month have been charged with multiple felonies, Madera County District Attorney Michael Keitz announced Friday.
On the evening of October 9th, armed men from the Tex McDonald faction of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California, stormed the Madera County casino taking several people into custody. The raid was captured on the casino's video surveillance system. The casino was immediately closed and has remained closed ever since.
Fourteen of the defendants, David Lee Dixon, Timothy Tofaute, Tex McDonald, Shawn Fernandez, Josh Olivera, Tyrone Mark Twain Bishop, Vernon King, Benjamin James Rhodes, Jim Glasscock, Brian Lec Auchenbach, John David Cayanne, Ronald Jones, David Paul Anderson and Miguel Ramos are each charged with seven counts of kidnapping, seven counts of false imprisonment, eight counts of assault with a firearm, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, one county of battery inflicting serious bodily injury and five counts of assault with a stun gun.
Eric Domingo Flores Suniga (30), who was captured by the Tulare County Sheriff's Department Sunday morning, is charged with five counts of assault with a stun gun. Tulare County authorities turned the Fresno County Private Security employee over to Madera County Sheriff’s Deputies shortly before 10:30 AM. Suniga was booked into Madera County Department of Corrections on suspicion of five counts of Assault with a Stun Gun, with bail set at $25,000
Many of the defendants are also charged with various special allegations for possessing and using firearms during the alleged crimes. All of the charges against the defendants are felonies and are punishable by imprisonment.
The case is a product of an investigations by the Madera County Sheriff's Department. On October 28th the sheriff's office submitted the matter to the Madera County District Attorney. The charges were filed after a careful review of the evidence and multiple discussions with the sheriff's office.
