Seven arrested in connection to armed robbery at marijuana grow site
Photo: Stock / Unsplash
Seven people have been arrested in connection to the alleged armed robbery of a marijuana grow operation in Mendocino County.
Around 4 PM on Saturday, September 19, sheriff’s deputies and personnel from multiple other agencies including CHP, Fish & Wildlife, and SWAT responded to a property on North Highway 101 near Laytonville to investigate a reported robbery.
The victims told them that, two days previous, 28-year-old Tyler Bagliere and his father, Louis (73), arrived at the property with two individuals later identified as Lathiaro White (26) and Anthony Watson (30) and demanded money at gun point. By the time it was all over, the suspects had made off with about 20 pounds processed marijuana. They also warned that they’d be back in two days.
Sure enough, on September 19, the younger Bagliere returned with three other men — Christopher Stewart (30), Deangelo Villalona (25), and a third man who hadn’t been identified at the time. The victims, identified only as three male adults, an adult female, and a juvenile female, were held at gunpoint for several hours as the suspects demanded money. At some point, the suspects ultimately left.
As law enforcement responded to the scene and began to investigate, they stopped a van that was leaving the area and found Tyler Bagliere, White, and Watson inside, along with a loaded handgun and multiple assault rifles equipped with high-capacity magazines.
Tyler Bagliere, Lathiaro White, Anthony Watson, Christopher Stewart, Deangelo Villalona, and Louis Bagliere were all arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and various other charges.
Louis Bagliere was cited and released due to existing medical conditions. The rest are held without bail at the Mendocino County Jail. At this point, the unidentified suspect remained at large.
The day after the arrests, September 20, deputies responded to the 50400 block of North Highway 101, where locals had found and detained a person matching the description of the outstanding suspect. 50-year-old David Lee Edmonds was taken into custody and later booked, also on various charges including armed robbery.
