European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 04, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse New twist to old West theme la Kef Nevada California Page 14 the stars and stripes Iota control Box 28 toggle switches 1,000 ibs. High explosive in Wood crates leveling blocks by Steven a. Capps United press International he rugged Mountain passes and Steep hidden canyons surrounding Lake Tahoe Are scenes that old West legends arc made from. It is easy to imagine highwaymen on horseback their faces hidden behind red bandanas waylay ing stagecoaches and demanding valuables at the Point of a gun. So while the put week s $3 million extortion plot against Harvey s in Stateline ner., focused on a sophisticated powerful homemade bomb rather than a six gun and the perpetrators arrived in a Vaa instead of on horses their was identical. The motive was strictly financial said Joseph Yablonsky the Fri s special agent in charge. More than 200 motels and hotels Cluster around the South end of 25-mile Long Lake Tahoe drawing thou Sands of californians from san Francisco and other Northern California cities throughout the summer. A big part of the attraction is the casinos which line . So starting immediately at the California Nevada Border. For the tourists tuesday aug. 26, was a brisk fresh Sierra Nevada morning the kind shown on picture Post cards and displayed in family vacation albums. But it was also a morning when a carefully devised scheme began at 5 45 . With the arrival of a White Ford econ line Van equipped with a Hydraulic lift out Side 11-Story Harvey s Wagon wheel resort hotel and Casino the first Casino on the left As tourists drive a tie state line. Inside the Van sat two men both in their mid-301 a woman probably about the same age. One Man described As about s-foot-7 with Blond hair and a tache the other 6-foot-1 and slender. They parked the vehicle in front of Harvey s enter and the woman remained inside As the two men do in Gray coveralls got out lowered the lift and Unk their Carijo a Large plastic draped Box with "1 scrawl d in Black Ink on the outside. Four Harvey s employees including two enteral who work the Early morning hours watched. Hit had been undergoing extensive remodelling with i deliveries. This one appeared the same As the oth Cit said later although it seemed to be rather Early. Morning. The extortionists had obviously planned 1 they chose a Lime when the minimum Rumba guests would be milling around the flashing n and ringing Slot duchies of the Casino. Am 1 fashioned their bomb to look like copying Chine. It appeared that great pains were taken to a device smoothing off the edges to really refine til of equipment Fri agent Bill Jansen said later. 1 the machine was actually a powerful sophist bomb containing the equivalent of 1,100 pounds of 1 the outer 5/8 Inch Blue steel casing had tits the discarded Shell of a machine or bad been Fri special agent Joseph Yablonsky shows photo of bomb planted in. Thursday
