The Rev. Dennis Mattson was asleep in his house in the 4800 block of Old Woman Springs Road around midnight when three assailants wearing ski masks and wielding firearms entered his residence yelling they were police.
Two were armed with handguns and one had a shotgun, “Pointed at my head after he hit me with it,” Mattson related. “They dragged me off the bed and onto the floor. I’m half asleep.”
In addition to the head wound, Mattson’s hand and ankle were hurt during the assault.
The burglars took an orange Ridgid brand tool box containing about four pounds of marijuana, with an estimated value of $15,000. Also stolen was $5,000 in cash and a crossbow.
“They were like professionals,” Mattson said of the way the robbers operated, and he quickly came to the conclusion they were not the law enforcement officials they had claimed to be.
After the robbery, Mattson called out asking if the intruders were still inside his home. When they didn’t answer, he ran outside but they had gone. Mattson’s first call was to his attorney, John Cogorno, in Orange County. The lawyer assured his client his business was legal and he must call law enforcement.
Mattson heaped praise on all aspects of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s handling of the incident, beginning with a rapid response. Deputy Tim Preston led an investigation that included fingerprinting, photographs of tracks outside and a thorough interview with the victim.
“They made me feel safer,” Mattson said. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without them. Once I showed them my paperwork I was really impressed. I felt like they were really trying to help me. They were concerned about my protection.”
Mattson was reluctant to speculate about his assailants.
“I work with some dark energies, in some dark realms,” the minister said. “I don’t want to do any accusing.”
Despite the traumatic experience and financial setback, the minister said he still wants to open a wellness center here to provide mental, emotional and spiritual services to patients.
Mattson has observed an anti-marijuana sentiment here but says there are sick people who need medical marijuana.
“I’m against kids smoking pot,” Mattson said. “It’s harmful. But there are people who really need it. Because there’s such a resistance, there’s a black market. That’s what creates the crime.”
Mattson said he believes dispensaries are the best way to cut down on violence like his recent experience.
“I’m doing the best I can to conform to state laws,” the businessman said. “I thought I was safe. How do we protect ourselves? What can we do?”
The chief executive officer of Independent Growers and Patients Co-op said that as a result of the loss of his inventory he is out of business for a while. He has since moved from the location of the robbery because he didn’t feel safe there.
Source: Hi-Desert Star
Posts
