Man arrested after body found in Jurupa Valley flood control channel

August 28, 2020 Trevor Montgomery

JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. — Officials investigating the murder of a Riverside man in a Jurupa Valley flood control channel Monday, Aug. 17 have arrested a man they say was responsible for the killing.

The sheriff’s investigation began when the victim, Jeremy Amerson, 32, of Riverside, was found dead from multiple gunshot injuries. The alleged suspect, Shaun Daniel Tara, 36, of Jurupa Valley remains in custody on a sole count of first-degree murder.

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Deputies from the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station, along with station and Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit investigators began investigating Amerson’s murder after a 911 caller reported finding Amerson’s lifeless body in a flood control channel that crosses under Van Buren Blvd., west of Bellegrave Ave.

“The male sustained several gunshot wounds, and although emergency lifesaving efforts were attempted, the male was pronounced deceased at the scene,” Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez previously said of the deadly incident.

Officials arrested Shaun Tara, of Jurupa Valley in connection with the Aug. 17 murder of a 32-year-old Riverside man whose body was found shot multiple times in a Jurupa Valley flood control channel. RSO booking photo

During the course of this investigation, Tara was identified as a possible suspect and officials began searching for him, according to Ramirez.

At around 3 p.m. on Aug. 27, just ten days into their investigation, members from the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit, Jurupa Valley Sheriff Station’s Problem Oriented Policing Unit and Special Enforcement Team located and arrested Tara in the city of Pomona.

Tara was later booked for first-degree murder at the Robert Presley Detention Center.

Jail records indicate he remains in custody in lieu of $1 million bail, and he is scheduled to be arraigned at Riverside’s Hall of Justice Aug. 31.

SEE ORIGINAL STORY: Shot multiple times, man dies in Jurupa Valley flood control channel

“This case remains under investigation and no further information will be released at this time,” said Ramirez.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to call Investigator Contreras at the Jurupa Valley Station at (951) 955-2600 or Investigator Moody with the Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-2777. Callers can refer to incident file number JV202300013 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s Homicide Tipline online form.

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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and 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 29 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 16 grandchildren.