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Indian Valley Record
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011 3A
Estranged wife's story contradicts text messages
Ruth Ellis
Staff Writer
rellis@lassennews.com
When law enforcement offi-
cials questioned Joanna McE1-
rath, wife of Susanville city
police officer Robert McE1-
rath, about her husband's
whereabouts on the evening of
Saturday, Jan. 1, she told
them Robert had wanted to get
drunk that night and gave an
account of their evening to-
gether.
According to search and
Ramey warrants, Joanna, 36,
said when she woke up the
next morning, Robert was
gone. A Ramey warrant is is-
sued prior to the court filing
of a criminal case against a
specific defendant because
law enforcement believes
there is probably cause to en-
ter a residence or enclosed
area to arrest someone.
Joanna was first inter-
viewed the evening of Sunday,
Jan. 2, the day Robert's body
was found near the railroad
trestle at Devil's Corral.
Joanna told law enforcement
that Robert had called her ear-
lier Saturday, Jan. 1, and said
he wanted to get drunk that
night. She said he told her to
buy some liquor for mudslides
and they could go to his Fifth
Street place to have a quiet
night without the kids.
According to the warrants,
the McElraths lived at 580
Spruce St. but Robert also
rented a place at 1714 Fifth St.
The two separated in 2010, and
Joanna allowed Robin Glen
James, 46, to reside at the
Spruce Street home for about
three months. He moved out
sometime in the last two
months.
The warrants said the McE1-
raths reconciled and Robert
moved back to the Spruce
Street home but due to a
signed lease/rental agreement
was forced to maintain and
pay rent at the Fifth Street
residence.
Joanna said she went to the
store to buy vodka and Kahl~a.
At one point on Jan. 1, she said
she saw James and gave him a
ride to Quarry Street because
it was cold outside.
Joanna said Robert got off
work at 6 p.m. and was al-
ready at their Spruce Street
home when she got there. She
said Robert went to get a
shower and told her to fix him
a mudslide, a drink that con-
tains vodka, Kahlfia and milk.
She said she made the drink
and he drank it while in the
shower and then asked for an-
other one. Joanna said Robert
had at least two drinks before
they went to the house on
Fifth Street where they played
cards, but Robert kept drop-
ping his.
Joanna said Robert wanted
another drink but had no ice
so she went back to the Spruce
Street home to get some.
When she returned, she said
Robert was at the bathroom
sink drinking out of the faucet
and ingesting pills.
Joanna said she asked what
he was doing and Robert said
he was taking aspirin because
he didn't want a headache the
next day.
They tried playing cards
again and then Joanna said
Robert fell asleep around 10
p.m.
Around 10:30 to 11 p.m.
Joanna said Robert woke up
and began yelling about the
blood of dead Marines being
on his hands. He walked
through the house, sat in his
chair and fell asleep.
Joanna said she went to
sleep between 2 and 2:30 a.m.
in a room in the rear of the
house.
At 6 a.m., Joanna said she
was startled awake thinking
something was wrong and she
noticed Robert was gone, as
were his boots, car, phone,
key, weapon and holster.
A preliminary search of the
Fifth Street home showed
Robert's magazine, ballistic
vest and badge were on a bed
in the residence. His wallet,
Cell phone, duty Sig Sauer .40-
caliber pistol and boots were
gone. According to the war-
rants issued the week of Jan.
3, the weapon had yet to be re-
covered.
Dr. Susan Komfort per-
formed the autopsy at the
Shasta County Coroner's Of-
fice. According to the war-
rants, it was observed Robert
was wearing pajama pants, a
T-shirt, a light long-sleeved
shirt and black socks that
were scrunched up in his
boots rather than being' com-
pletely pulled up. One boot
was zipped and the other was
not.
Autopsy results also showed
the bullet entered Robert's, left
cheekbone and traveled to his
spinal cord at the base of his
head stopping in the spinal
area.
Komfort said a gunshot
wound of this type could
cause immediate paralysis
due to the severing of the
spinal area.
Robert also suffered inter-
nal wounds consistent with
FRC reduces out-of-state tuition
Mona Hill
Staff Writer
mhill@plumasnews.com.
Feather River College (FRC)
Director of Business Services
Jim Scoubes presented
trustees with a revised fee
schedule to become effective
for the fall 2011 semester.
The only significant change
Was a decrease in'tuition fees
for out-of-state students from
$220 per unit to $199 per unit.
The state allows community
colleges some latitude for out-
of-state or international stu-
dent tuition fees, hut it does
not provide that flexibility for
enrollment fees -- $26 per unit
for California residents.
Under SB 2000 Good Neigh-
bor fee schedule, a non-resi-
dent student from a neighbor-
ing state pays $42 per unit.
Students from farther afield
pay $26 per unit in enrollment
fees as well as a per-unit tu-
ition fee, currently $220.
Trustee John Sheehan ques-
tioned whether it was appro-
priate to decrease fees at a
time when adequate funding
is in short supply.
Chief Instructional Officer
Dr. Michael Bagley and college
president Dr. Ron Taylor said
the enrollment management
committee recommended the
decrease for several reasons.
First, neighboring commu-
nity colleges charge lower tu-
ition fees. The committee be-
lieves FRC has lost students to
them as a result. Bringing the
tuition fees in line with other
colleges will even out the fi-
nancial considerations.
Second, Bagley said the ad-
dition of just two out-of-state
students paying $199 per unit
would offset the fee decrease.
Third, Taylor confirmed
that the committee's analysis
made a comprehensive and
compelling argument for the
reduced fee.
Trustees approved the pro-
posed fee schedule?
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being induced post-mortem.
"Based on these findings it
is likely the victim was shot
on one side of the bridge, tak-
en to the opposite side and
thrown over the rail," the
warrant said.
According to the warrants,
law enforcement received a tip
Monday, Jan. 3, from a former
resident. He contacted the
Lassen County Sheriffs Office
and said he had a sexual rela-
tionship with Joanna in 2008.
The man reported Joanna
asked him if he would be in-
terested in getting rid of
Robert so they could be to-
gether along with her chil-
dren. She said she would just
leave Robert but he would try
to take the children. The war-
rants said the man informed
Robert about this comment,
but he didn't believe him.
Law enforcement officials
said the man helped break the
case oPen.
According to the warrants,
Wednesday, Jan. 5, the Feder-
al Bureau of Investigation and
the Lassen County Sheriff's
Office issued search warrants
at the Fifth and Spruce street
homes.
Joanna was aIso re-inter-
viewed and law enforcement
noticed inconsistencies with
her story. They also obtained
her cell phone records and
gave them to Siskiyou County
Sheriff's Office, an agency
which was assisting in the in-
vestigation.
During the Jan. 5 search,
Robert's cell phone was found
between the box springs and
mattress at the Spruce Street
home.
On Thursday, Jan. 6, Joan-
na and James were arrested
on charges of conspiracy and
attempted murder.
During a Monday, Jan. 10,
arraignment they pleaded not
guilty to those charges as well
as not guilty to special allega-
tions that fhe murder was
committed for the purpose of
financial gain, lying in wait
and that James allegedly used
the handgun during the felony
and that action-resulted in
Robert's death.
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