El Cerrito Man Suspected of $1.25 Million Gold Heist Turns Himself In

By Bay City News Service

An El Cerrito man has turned himself in to Siskiyou County sheriff's officials after being identified as a suspect in the theft of more than $1.25 million in gold from a Siskiyou County courthouse display case more than a year ago.

David Dean Johnson, 49, turned himself in on Monday and is now in custody at the Siskiyou County Jail, where he is being held on $1 million bail, sheriff's officials said.

Johnson and Scott Wayne Bailey, 51, of El Sobrante, were named as primary suspects in the theft of gold nuggets, jewelry and other artifacts from a display case at the courthouse at 311 Fourth St. in Yreka on Jan. 31, 2012, sheriff's officials said.

As of this morning (Tuesday), Bailey remained at large, officials said.

An investigation into the theft has revealed that at least some of the gold has been sold, sheriff's officials said.

Last week, Siskiyou County sheriff's detectives went to the Bay Area to try to locate Bailey and Johnson, but didn't find them.

Evidence was seized, but the stolen items, which include nuggets dating back to the late 1800s and early 1900s, were not recovered, according to the sheriff's office.

Both suspects have connections to the Siskiyou and Shasta County areas, sheriff's officials said.

In January, search warrants connected to the case were served at homes in the Bay Area, including a home in the 200 block of Pomona Avenue in El Cerrito, and in Shasta County, sheriff's officials said.

A $50,000 reward was offered for information about the suspects.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Siskiyou County sheriff's Detective Yves Pike at (530) 842-8354.

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