Fugitive wore a red dress and combat boots at local event
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Slab City residents saw plenty of police activity last Friday, the night 30-year-old Andre Jeru Bernard Bigby was arrested.
Marchette Kennedy said, “There were about four sheriff’s vehicles came pouring in here right about dark one night. And then for the next couple of hours I noticed a bunch of spotlights. They were traveling all through the desert and up on top of Salvation Mountain ridge and showing spotlights everywhere.”
Jimi Austin James said, “I’ve seen a lot of cop cars in the slabs and helicopters flying around and everybody was talking about somebody was wanted for a murder.”
They said Bigby stayed at Mojo’s Camp for a while and went to concert events at the range, once wearing a red dress and combat boots.
“I was just walking with my dogs and I saw him at a distance but I noticed him because he’s tall. And he’s black. We don’t have too many black folks out here,” Kennedy said.
They’re not surprised by the arrest.
“Well, not really, because there’s so many people out of prison coming over this way that you never know who’s going to be over here,” Kennedy said.
“People come out here all the time thinking that this is a lawless place and the last free place, like it’s a separate continent because of the documentaries they see on the internet. But really there’s quite the police presence here. And they don’t last too long out here without getting arrested,” James said.
U.S. Marshals working with Indio Border Patrol and Imperial County Sheriff’s Office found Bigby hiding in a tent. He’s wanted in the murder of a 19-old in Virginia that happened earlier this year.
He’s currently in Imperial County Jail awaiting extradition to Virginia to face murder charges.
