More than two dozen arrested in case of hanging effigies

An investigation into the hanging of San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies in effigy has so far resulted in the arrests of more than two dozen people, the department announced Thursday.

On Wednesday, deputies arrested 27 people on outstanding warrants, as well as new criminal activity that included drug offenses and assault on a peace officer, according to Gil Flores, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spokesman.

No one arrested Wednesday was charged in connection with the hanging of effigies, authorities said.

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The roundup occurred in the communities of Crestline and Valley of Enchantment, where authorities had previously discovered mannequins hanging from trees. The mannequins had been painted with bull’s-eyes and bore the names of sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officials.

None of the people arrested Wednesday were accused of hanging the mannequins, officials said. Detectives are continuing to investigate the incident.

The first of slightly more than a half-dozen effigies were reported on Feb. 18. They had been found hanging by rope, near a school bus stop and other locations in Crestline and Cedarpines Park.

A bull’s-eye was painted on seven mannequins, along with the names of current and former deputies from the Twin Peaks station of the Sheriff’s Department, near Lake Arrowhead. The name of a San Bernardino County probation officer was also scrawled on one of the mannequins.

On Tuesday, investigators said they had arrested as many as four people in connection with the hanging effigies.

Sarah Stewart, whom Flores described as a known criminal with ties to white supremacist gang members, was identified as the person responsible. Stewart, 36, and another suspect, Erin Elder, were seen loading mannequins into U-Haul van on the night of incident, Flores said.

They were arrested Saturday at a home in the 300 block of Davos Drive in Crestline.

Elder, 47, was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty after deputies found methamphetamine inside the pair’s home, Flores said.

Stewart was arrested on suspicion of threatening an officer in order to prevent duties, criminal threats against an officer and criminal activity to promote the reputation of a street gang, authorities said. She is also being held on suspicion of cruelty to a child.

Times staff writer Sarah Parvini contributed to this post.

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