Some non-Indians who lease land from the Colorado River Indian Tribes haven't paid rent in over a decade.

Ron Jones, 75, hasn't paid since 1994. He refuses to do so because he believes the Water Wheel Camp Recreation Area is not within reservation boundaries.

"The Indians stole my trailer, literally stole it," Jones told The Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Wendell "Sonny" Schubert, 80, hasn't paid in over a decade either. He was served with an eviction notice demanding $100,000 in back rent and interest.

"We might be out of here tomorrow," Schubert told the paper.

A federal judge has ruled that the residents are subject to tribal court jurisdiction because they signed leases. But their attorneys continue to question whether the recreation area is part of the reservation, which was created by an executive order and by administrative decisions.

"If that's the challenge they're raising, they're out of good arguments," Indian law expert Carole Goldberg told the paper.

The reservation is located in California and Arizona.

Get the Story:
Eviction notices rekindle tribal dispute (The Riverside Press-Enterprise 7/27)
Press Release: Statement Regarding the Impoundment of a Trailer from Lot 20 of the Twin Palms/Wind River Subdivision (CRIT 7/23)

District Court Decision:
Water Wheel Camp Recreation Area v. LaRance (September 23, 2009)

Related Stories:
Judge backs CRIT authority over non-Indians (9/30)