San Pasqual tribal conflict spills into community

By: JO MORELAND Staff Writer | Monday, July 11, 2005 9:35 PM PDT ∞

SAN PASQUAL INDIAN RESERVATION ---- More sheriff's deputies are patrolling the San Pasqual Indian Reservation after a weekend fight during a tribal council meeting at Valley Center Middle School, authorities said Monday.

They said one man was arrested and three people were hurt during Sunday's altercation in the school's auditorium.

The brawl is the latest incident in tribal turmoil that began in April when one group tried to add 200 members to the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians. Since then deputies have tried to keep the peace at three or four tribal meetings.

"I would say, yeah, this is probably the worst so far," Lt. Sean Gerrity, commander of the Valley Center Sheriff's Substation, said Monday. "I have added extra patrols to the reservation until the tensions subside. We did that before. This is purely internal tribal government issues."

Tribal Chairman Allen Lawson and other San Pasqual officials did not return repeated phone calls Monday.

The tribe operates the Valley View Casino in Valley Center, just east of Escondido. Tribal members are entitled to money from the casino operation, according to a federal lawsuit about membership that a tribal member filed in June.

The tribe already has about 300 members, said Jim Fletcher, supervisor of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southern California Agency in Riverside. He said a group in the tribe added an additional 200 members to the band at an April meeting.

"That meeting wasn't in accordance with their constitution," Fletcher said.

He ruled it was not an official meeting ---- a decision that the group is appealing.

The federal lawsuit filed later by tribal member Eleanor Atilano seeks to get the federal government more involved in the tribe's membership enrollment process.

Karen Jobe, superintendent of the Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District, said she knew the tribe had "issues" when they asked to rent the middle school's auditorium for Sunday's quarterly general council meeting.

"We were hoping this would give them an opportunity to resolve it," Jobe said.

Another sheriff's lieutenant initially reported the fight happened at the San Pasqual tribal hall. Gerrity said a tribal faction met there later in the day, but that it was a peaceful session.

The fight investigation is continuing, and there might be more arrests, Gerrity said.

He and Jobe said there was no damage to school property.

"I would say we would have to look at it if they wanted to rent the auditorium again," Jobe said.

Because of the tension at recent meetings, Gerrity said, he had his deputies and the sheriff's Special Enforcement Detail stationed outside the auditorium building and at a room inside.

About 300 to 500 people were in the auditorium when the meeting started at 10:30 a.m., Gerrity said.

Eight minutes later, he said, the fight erupted between a few people and quickly escalated to a dozen. Chairs and water bottles were shoved aside as other tribal members tried to get out of the way or out of the hall.

Gerrity promptly declared the meeting an unlawful assembly, and a line of deputies moved everyone outside.

During the fight, Gerrity said, one man was assaulted, an elderly woman suffered a forehead injury and another elderly woman required attention for a heart condition. All three declined to go to the hospital, he said.

Deputies arrested 23-year-old Louis Morales of the reservation on suspicion of assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. Morales' bond was set at $15,000 at the Vista jail.

Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or jmoreland@nctimes.com.

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