A Safe Idea?

    Today is day five of the manhunt for Chris Dorner that is taking place fifteen miles from my home town. I live in a ski resort town and yes we got sixteen inches of snow Friday night. Yes there is also quite possibly a dangerous dude with guns hiding out some where in this national forest. I mean maybe there is. No one really know for sure.
    Friday evening on the news Sheriff Cindy I-Don’t- Remember- Her-Last- Name was encouraging tourists to come up over the weekend and visit the local communities and the snow.
     I’m all about the local businesses need to make money anyway they can but this seems like a bad idea to me. Chances are Chris Dorner is long gone from these mountains he escaped to last Thursday after shooting at a bunch of cops down in the valley below, but what if he is still up here?
    I saw a chilling sight when I was glued to the T.V. Thursday watching the news. After Chris Dorner killed a Riverside police officer and ditched his burning truck in our forest there was a shot on the news of about nine AMR ambulances waiting in Big Bear for what was going to come next.
    Obviously police expected a shoot out if they special ordered all those ambulances to head up to the mountain area.
    If he is still out there lying in wait in the forest that could still happen.
    Besides the fact if this mountain is crawling with snow pigs playing in the snow I would think they would get in the way of the law enforcement guys trying to find Chris Dorner, right?
    Or maybe this was his plan all along. Maybe he planned to disappear to the mountains for a few days and wait for a busy snow weekend. After it snows the mountains are covered with people like ants; littering,  sledding, peeing in my front yard. It would be easier to disappear among them.
   I’ve talked to people who are bringing their young children up to Big Bear to play in the snow this weekend and I think to myself you are seriously going out to the forest this weekend? When this guy does come out of hiding I believe there will be a gun fight and there is a good chance he is up here.
     This is a very interesting time to be living in this mountain community. I think looking back us locals will always remember the winter of thirteen and having law enforcement officers knocking on the door at nine p.m. urging residents not to open their doors to anyone not in uniform. There were rumors going around Thursday evening that there was a seven p.m. curfew in Big Bear and also that all the highways into Big Bear were closed for a while. I’ve also heard that they are going to search the forest UNTIL CHRIS DORNER IS FOUND. I don’t see that happening and until he is found that little amount of doubt remains in me that he could still be out there.
    It seems like a unsafe time to venture out into the forest.
   I’ve been staying inside for five days now and it is killing me to not be able to go out in the snowy forest and stretch my legs but I don’t want to run into a wacko.
   Instead I’ll sit by the fire on this snowy day and be obsessed with watching the news. It sounds like a safe idea.
   

Comments

  1. opinion8dhermit

    There’s a million dollar bounty for him
    So I wonder how many people are out there looking for him..confusing the police and risking their lives. 3 have been shot mistakenly by police already. Sad and scary story all around. Maybe run down the hill or on a treadmill to stay safe?

  2. Angela Ryan

    This is such a terrifying story. What leads a man to such violence and madness? How awful to live so close to it. I hope he’s found soon, and that you feel safe again.

  3. jesterqueen

    I’m horrified by what he has managed to do. Equally terrifying is the hairtrigger reactions the frightened police are having. “Sorry I shot you, have a new truck” just doesn’t feel adequate. Yes. Stay inside!

  4. Gina

    This is such a scary story that we are following all the way in the flat lands of Chicago. They caught him, right? But I can’t imagine the terror.

  5. Ericamos

    You totally called it! I’m shocked people still wanted to go up there while he was still at large. I’m directing a camp off of Jenks Lake Road this coming weekend, and prior to today’s shoot-out, and his possible capture/death, we were considering canceling.

    1. Amber

      Wow, are they still going to have a camp event there this weekend? I have friends who live up the 38 who are dealing with this nightmare to get home.

    2. Ericamos

      I guess authorities are in touch with the Barton Flats Camping Association (the one my camp’s a part of), and they’ll let us know if it’s safe or not. Apparently there were a couple of camps going on last weekend when he was known to first be hiding up there. If our camp was last weekend, I for sure would have canceled. Too scary!

  6. Winopants

    I saw an interview with a snowboarder today, where the reporter asked him if he’d been concerned about Dorner. “I didn’t even think about it until I saw the police checkpoint” he said. Wow.
    You are smart for staying inside!

    1. Amber

      I know I saw all these tourists being interviewed and it blows me away that they would come up and they are being told it is safe up here all week long!

  7. Wily Guy

    That’s pretty scary. I remember a few years ago, some prisoners escaped from the prison that is about 15 miles from here. Every friggin noise outside made me jumpy. Enjoy your fire.

    WG

Comments are closed.