Cole Puffinburger
The heart wrenching story of a 6-year-old boy kidnapped from his Las Vegas home, allegedly to settle a multi-million dollar drug deal gone sour, now has a Southern California connection. The boy’s grandfather, a person of interest in the case, is in the Central Detention Center in the city of San Bernardino today after being arrested in Riverside by U.S. Marshals last night.
There is a nationwide Amber Alert for young Cole Puffinburger. I spotted a huge billboard flashing that Amber Alert at La Brea Avenue and Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles, last night. Sitting in traffic, waiting to make a right turn onto La Brea, I read the Amber Alert on the billboard and was surprised at how quickly it had been added to the rotation, which involved mostly promotions and advertisements.
The first grader was snatched on Wednesday, October 15. At least two suspects posed as cops, then reportedly ransacked Cole’s home, apparently in search of a money cache. When none was found, they tied up Cole’s mother and her boyfriend; and fled with the boy.
The face of young Cole with his bright smile and silver-rimmed glasses is hard to forget, which is one of the reasons for the Amber Alert. Cole is described as weighing about 48 pounds, 3-foot-11, with blond hair and blue eyes.
Clemons Fred Tinnemeyer
Earlier, Las Vegas authorities indicated the abduction may be drug related. Some reports say Cole’s grandfather, Clemons Fred Tinnemeyer, may have stiffed a Mexican drug cartel for as much as $20 million. At a news conference, Las Vegas Metro Police Captain Vincent Cannito said, “this is as bad as it gets.”
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s website information page on Tinnemeyer is sketchy, but it does say the 51-year-old grandfather is being held without bail.
