Woman arrested after exchanging gunfire with victims during Millville home burglary

August 18, 2018 Trevor Montgomery

Reports of shots fired during a residential burglary in the Millville area led to the arrest of one of two alleged suspects who Shasta County Sheriff’s officials say exchanged gunfire with a homeowner, his adult son, and a 72-year-old neighbor, early Friday evening, Aug. 17.

The violent confrontation happened at a home on the 26000 block of Highway 44. The large property, which consists of several acres and an unoccupied residence, sits between Grey Ridge and Fisher Roads.

LEADING THE SCNS HEADLINES:

CASSEL: couple arrested during residential burglary investigation

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Deputies were responding to reports of a burglary in progress shortly before 6:45 p.m., when they learned a couple had fled from the area on foot after the woman exchanged gunfire with three men who had tried to stop the pair after catching them burglarizing the property.

When deputies arrived at the scene they located the victims, 50-year-old, Luis Alvarado and 24-year-old, Javier Alvarado – who are father and son, along with their 72-year-old neighbor, Reginald Ceehorne.

The three men told investigating deputies they had confronted Katheryn Marie Nickell, 50, Redding, and an unidentified man, after spotting the pair driving onto and around Luis Alvarado’s property.

Because the father and son did not recognize the couple, they called 911 to report a possible burglary in progress and the trio approached the property to investigate the pair’s activity. The three men soon discovered Nikkel and an unknown male in the process of stealing items from the home and loading the stolen property into their truck.

Upon being caught, the pair got into their pickup and with Nikkel behind the wheel, started driving around the property looking for a way to flee the area.

The three men blocked the couple’s path of escape, at which time Nikkel reportedly accelerated directly toward them before coming to a stop and firing a handgun at the trio.

Fearing for their lives, Ceehorn – who was also armed – fired back at the pair’s truck in self defense. The exchange of gunfire sent the alleged burglars scrambling from the pickup, which they abandoned before fleeing from the area on foot.

Deputies began searching for the suspects and a K9 handler and his partner “Jax” eventually located Nikkel about a half-mile away. Seeing she matched the description of the female suspect, “Jax was used as a deterrent to keep the female from escaping,” officials later explained in a social media release.

“The female was identified by all three victims as the same female who had shot the pistol and was driving the pickup,” said officials. The man, who has not been publicly identified, was not located at the time and officials are still searching for him.

Based on their investigation, deputies arrested Nickell and she was later booked into Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, assault with a firearm, burglary, vandalism, possession of burglary tools, and criminal conspiracy. She remains in custody on $50,000 bail.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.