HIGHLAND (CBSLA.com) — Investigators have apprehended three people they say drugged then robbed people visiting San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino.
At the center of the investigation is Esperanza Maldinando. Both victims say they had some sort of interaction with her at the casino, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies.
Investigators suspect Maldinando put a sedative in the beer of one victim.
After taking a few sips of his drink, the man told deputies, he dozed off. When he woke up, he drove himself home, but began to lose consciousness when he was on the freeway. He crashed into a guardrail and was injured.
Another man had a similar situation with Maldinando at the casino, deputies say. He woke up to find he was missing cash he had placed in his pocket, and Maldinando was gone.
There’s reportedly video of another suspect, Eddie Lee Chapman, helping Maldinando rob a third man. Deputies say Chapman can be seen holding an unconscious man up on his chair while Maldinando takes cash and a cellphone from his pocket.
Deputies say three suspects drugged the victims with either Ecstasy, GHB or ketamine. They stress the San Manuel Gaming Commission has been fully cooperating with their investigation.
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