Anti Government White Supremacists Held as Suspects in Multi-State Crime Spree
An autopsy concluded that Cody Myers, 19, was fatally shot, according to the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office. Myers, of Lafayette, Ore., was shot in the head and chest. Investigators declined to say how many times. The teen never returned home from a trip to Newport, Ore.
Pedersen, 31, and Grigsby, 24, were driving Myers’ car when they were stopped Wednesday by California Highway Patrol officers north of Sacramento. Police found three loaded guns in the car, including a handgun at Grigsby’s feet.
Court records and family statements show the two suspects claim ties to white supremacy groups. Pedersen has a history of violent crime and served time in federal prison for threatening to murder the judge who presided over the trial of Randy Weaver.
Weaver was an Idaho white supremacist whose 1992 standoff with federal marshals ended in the deaths of his wife, his son and a U.S. marshal. Weaver’s case remains a flash point for antigovernment groups and white supremacists.
Pedersen and Grigsby were being held Thursday at the Yuba County Jail in California. Yuba County District Attorney Pat McGrath said they will be arraigned Friday on weapons and car-theft charges in California, followed by fugitive complaints from Washington and Oregon.
Pedersen and Grigsby then will be given the option to waive or fight their extradition.
Everett police have probable cause to arrest the two for the death of Leslie Pedersen.
Her husband, Red Pedersen, hasn’t been heard from or seen since Sept. 26. Witnesses told police that the suspects had visited the Pedersens at their Everett mobile home the weekend before Leslie Pedersen’s body was discovered.
Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said Thursday afternoon that detectives continue to search for Red Pedersen and his Jeep. Investigators believe the Jeep was driven to Oregon and abandoned there.
“We’re following leads we have as a result of our investigation,” Goetz said. “Most of the focus is down in Oregon.”