West
Los Angeles wildfires rekindle 'eco-terror' arson suspect manhunt after fake firefighters arrested
The FBI has rekindled a decades-long manhunt for a serial arson suspect accused of operating a domestic “eco-terror” cell that lit off more than a half-dozen fires in the 1990s and early 2000s shortly after Los Angeles authorities announced the arrests of a pair of fake firefighters from Oregon – one of whom has a criminal history of arson.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told Fox News Digital Sunday that Dustin Nehl, 31, and Jennifer Nehl, 44, were arrested after allegedly impersonating firefighters and driving into a restricted zone in a fake firetruck from a fake department.
The FBI is offering $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Josephine Sunshine Overaker, a suspected domestic terrorist accused of setting arson fires to spread an animal rights message alongside a group of fellow radicals. She, too, has been accused of posing as a firefighter.
COUPLE WITH FAKE FIRETRUCK BUSTED FOR IMPERSONATING FIREFIGHTERS NEAR PALISADES FIRE IN LA: SHERIFF
The Vail Ski Resort arson fire in 1998 that authorities say was the work of Josephine Sunshine Overaker and her alleged domestic terror cell known as “The Family.” (FBI/YouTube)
Overaker was indicted 24 years ago Sunday on charges including arson, destruction of an energy facility and domestic terrorism. Her exact age is unknown, but she is believed to have been born between October 1971 and November 1974.
The incidents she is alleged to have been involved with were linked to extremist groups known as the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front. The alleged attacks took place in Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado and Wyoming beginning in 1996.
Several hours after L.A. authorities announced the couple’s arrest, the FBI’s Most Wanted account on X reposted a flyer seeking information on Overaker, a longtime fugitive.
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A split image shows fugitive Josephine Sunshine Overaker’s distinctive back tattoo and an age-progressed sketch of what she may look like now. She is the last remaining fugitive suspect in the 1998 firebombing at the Vail Ski Resort that caused millions of dollars in damage, one of the most devastating ecoterrorism attacks in U.S. history. (FBI)
It was not clear that the Nehls had any connection to Overaker or the radical groups she is accused of working with. The FBI re-shared her wanted poster on the 24th anniversary of her federal indictment.
Dustin Nehl has a criminal record that includes prior arson charges, according to authorities, who found him dressed up in firefighting gear, carrying radios and riding with his wife in a decommissioned firetruck that had been purchased at auction.
The vehicle was emblazoned with the name of a fake Oregon agency, the “Roaring River Fire Department.” Under their firefighting gear, according to authorities, they were wearing CAL-Fire T-shirts, California’s state firefighting agency.
Dustin Nehl served five years in prison for a series of vandalizations that culminated in an arson attack at a country club and at other locations, LA Magazine reported.
‘AMERICA’S MOST WANTED’ PROFILES OREGON ARSON FUGITIVE TIED TO DOMESTIC TERRORIST GROUP
The rebuilt Two Elk Lodge in the Vail ski area at Vail, Colorado, in October 1999. It was built to replace the original building, destroyed in an arson attack by an eco-terrorist group known as The Family, which had ties to the Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front. (John Epperson/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Overaker is the last remaining suspect out of 17 in a catastrophic 1998 fire at the Vail Ski Resort in Colorado that has not been captured, according to federal prosecutors. In 2018, fellow longtime fugitive Joseph Mahmoud Dibee was arrested in Cuba for his role in the plot. He pleaded guilty in 2022 in exchange for an 87-month prison sentence.
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The FBI calls it the “largest eco-related arson in history.” The fire destroyed the luxe Two Elk Lodge restaurant, which was later rebuilt, disabled chair lifts and leveled other buildings, according to authorities.
Other targets were the Cavel West Meat Packing Plant in Redmond, Oregon, and a barn that belonged to the Bureau of Land Management in Litchfield, California.
Overaker allegedly led an cell of domestic terrorists known as “The Family,” blamed for between $45 million and $80 million worth of damage across 25 arson attacks. To avoid detection, she allegedly shoplifted her bombmaking materials rather than buy them.
Overaker, a Canadian-born American citizen, has a large bird tattoo across her back and may be posing as a firefighter, a midwife, a sheep tender or a masseuse, according to the FBI. She has brown hair, brown eyes, stands 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs an estimated 130 pounds. Agents have said she has facial hair on her upper lip.
She has used a number of aliases over the years, including Lisa Quintana, China, Jo and Osha, according to the FBI. She is fluent in Spanish and may have relocated to Spain.
She faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
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Idaho
9 local 7th-graders to represent eastern Idaho at national FBU tournament – East Idaho News
EASTERN IDAHO — A handful of local middle-school football players have been traveling to and from Boise every weekend for the last two months, all in preparation for a massive football tournament later this month on the other side of the country.
Team Idaho will compete in the Football University (FBU) National Championship in Naples, Fla., Dec. 18 to 22. And nine members of that team will represent not just Idaho, but eastern Idaho, according to Chasity Snowden, whose son, Titian, is among the nine-player eastern Idaho contingent.
Snowden described the tryout process, saying that she and the other eastern Idaho parents were concerned their boys would not be able to separate themselves from a pack of primarily Boise-area athletes. But by the end of the tryouts, those concerns were eased, as their nine kids spent the entire tryouts “standing out,” she said.
“They take this seriously — these kids do. They’re so committed,” Snowden said.
FBU is “the nation’s leader in football camps, events and showcases,” according to their website. Among the camps and showcases they host is the FBU National Championship.
Team Idaho, which includes the eastern nine, along with players from the Twin Falls area, northern Idaho and primarily the Boise area, has been practicing for two weeks in Boise.
And while some of the local families have been able to make the weekly trip, some of the boys have been carpooling with Duane Rawlings, an SIYFL board member and Team Idaho coach. Rawlings, Snowden said, rents a car every weekend allowing him enough room to assist in transporting any of the boys in need of a ride.
In addition to the weekly practices, several of the boys, including Titian, do additional training. Titian, Snowden explained, participates in strength and agility training, as well as defensive line training, three times a week. In his free time, he watches YouTube videos of football players, including some that he will face at the FBU National Championship, looking for areas where he can improve his own play.
“He is very, very serious about this, and he’s kind of even taken a leadership role as well … it’s been really cool to see,” Snowden said.
And when he isn’t working on his skills, Titian, along with his teammates, is working toward raising money to pay for the team’s big trip.
Team Idaho has done several fundraisers, including a raffle ticket sale.
Raffle tickets can be purchased at this Venmo:

Donations to the fundraising efforts can be made at the same Venmo.
For more information about the raffle and the prizes available, visit Chasity’s post in the East Idaho News – Sports Facebook group — here.
Idahoans do not have to travel to Florida to see Team Idaho take on the competition. The FBU National Championship, Dec. 18-22, will be live-streamed at the FBU website — here.
Our attorneys tell us we need to put this disclaimer in stories involving fundraisers: EastIdahoNews.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries.
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Montana
Montana Tech moves on with 31-21 win over rival Carroll in NAIA playoffs
BUTTE — It was a competitive battle between Frontier Conference rivals, but in the end Montana Tech had too much for Carroll College on Saturday in the second round of the NAIA football playoffs.
Jarrett Wilson threw two touchdown passes to Levi Torgerson, and Torgerson later returned the favor with a TD throw back to Wilson as Montana Tech withstood a Carroll rally to prevail 31-21 at Bob Green Field and advance to the quarterfinal round of the NAIA’s Football Championship Series.
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS:
No. 3 Montana Tech advances to NAIA quarterfinals over No. 14 Carroll
The most impactful sequence occurred in the fourth quarter, when Montana Tech’s Casey Kautzman pinned Carroll’s offense on the 1-yard line with a well-placed punt. Three plays later Orediggers’ linebacker Tyler Kovick laid a big hit on Saints quarterback Quinn Stamps to force a fumble, which Trey Yates recovered in the end zone for a touchdown.
At that point Carroll had fought back from 17 down to crawl within 24-21, but Kovick and Yates combined on a crucial play to put Montana Tech back ahead by two scores.
Later, a fourth-down pass by Stamps in the red zone went incomplete and Carroll surrendered the ball and, ultimately, the game.
HEAR FROM THE VICTORIOUS OREDIGGERS:
Montana Tech football celebrates first postseason victory since 2016
Stamps came off the bench for Carroll after starting quarterback Kaden Huot was injured in the first half. Stamps threw three touchdown passes to tight end Carson Ochoa, including two in the second half to keep the Saints in it.
But the Orediggers put Carroll in a hole early. Wilson found Togerson with a 15-yard TD score in the opening quarter, then hit Torgerson with a 66-yard bomb for another touchdown to build a 14-0 lead. A Kautzman field goal made it 17-0 and that was the score at halftime.
Carroll’s defense forced a three-and-out on the opening possession of the third quarter, then scored when Stamps hit Ochoa for 14 yards in the end zone. But Tech answered on Torgerson’s trick-play touchdown throw to Wilson off a sweep to keep it a three-possession game.
The Saints got back within 24-21 after consecutive TD connections between Stamps and Ochoa, but they got no closer.
Torgerson, the Frontier Conference East division’s player of the year, finished with 219 all-purpose yards — 124 receiving and 95 on returns. Wilson completed 11 of 16 passes for 197 yards and also rushed for 94 yards, including a 60-yard run to help set up the game’s first touchdown.
Huot threw for 80 yards on 8-of-11 passing before leaving the game. Stamps was solid in relief, throwing for 187 yards.
Defensively, the Orediggers were led by Frontier East defensive MVP Tel Arthur and Kovick, who combined for 22 tackles and three tackles for loss. Braeden Orlandi finished with 11 tackles to lead Carroll’s defense.
With the win, Montana Tech improved to 12-0 and will host another Frontier foe — this time the College of Idaho (10-1) — in the quarterfinals next week. Carroll closed its season with a 9-3 record.
Nevada
Local veterans donation drive rallies community support for paralyzed veterans of Nevada
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A community event, the Veterans Donation Drive, took place on Saturday, benefiting the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Nevada Chapter.
The event aims to gather donations and support for veterans who have served the nation and now face physical challenges.
Lori DeClue and Stephanie Bishop are with the Eckhoff (Reality) Group.
Bishop says, “So we are here doing a donation drive for PVA.”
The drive is made possible through a partnership with Northwest Career and Technical Academy, which has joined forces with organizers to maximize community involvement and support.
There were about 30 to 40 volunteers who were students who helped with the distribution of clothing, food, kitchenware, non-perishable items, and furniture.
Residents are encouraged to participate and contribute to this noble cause, helping to make a difference in the lives of paralyzed veterans.
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