By RENE RAY DE LA CRUZ
STAFF WRITER
Posted Feb. 19, 2015 @ 8:39 pm
HESPERIA — Controversial land developer and newspaper publisher Raymond Pryke has died.
After Pryke’s friends, business acquaintances and community leaders contacted the Daily Press about Pryke’s passing, the paper he founded, Valleywide Newspaper group’s Hesperia Resorter, confirmed his death on Thursday in its own published article.
Real estate broker Joseph W. Brady told the Daily Press that Pryke hated corrupt government, and that the publisher was not motivated by money because he had plenty.
“People really loved the guy or hated him,” said Brady on Thursday. “He was one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. I told him once that when he died, it would be the most attended funeral in history.”
During a 2012 interview with the Daily Press, Pryke said people didn’t know who he was since he had been inactive for many years. He also said his next move would be his “Death,” which would be recognized as a “bank holiday.”
Despite receiving initial reports of Pryke’s death last week from friends, business acquaintances and community leaders, his death could not be substantiated through the San Bernardino County Coroner’s office, local mortuaries or online sources. Several messages to Valleywide were not returned. Pryke, who was 91, passed away quietly in his sleep on Feb. 7, according to the Resorter.
Born in England, Pryke was a local land developer who built his fortune in real estate speculation by buying and selling land more than 50 years ago, according to previously published reports.
During almost six decades in the area, many praised Pryke for bringing development to the High Desert. Still, others accused him of using his political influence as a publisher to win favorable deals for his land.
After he gobbled up cheap land in the High Desert during the 1950s, Pryke carefully studied Los Angeles Times Publisher Harry Chandler’s skill at using his newspaper to build his own real estate kingdom.
Pryke bought several local papers as a way to champion the cause of the High Desert while promoting the expansion of economic projects around his property. After he served as a San Bernardino County grand jury foreman, Pryke’s focus changed and he began generating articles about political scandal and corruption.
To read entire story, click here.
Probably one of the most evil humans on the earth. If he liked you he boosted you, if he didnt he would set out to destroy you. Dishonest, amoral, a habitual liar known for literally making things up about his enemies. His passing is none too soon.
Specifics would be nice #1. Evil is the strongest of words meant to destroy.
If your last name is Penrod I might understand the comment to a point. But there is interesting history there.
Since you didn’t have the fortitude to put your name on it, your score on credibility isn’t too noteworthy or specific.
But if your comfortable with your comment ok.
Ken: I thought the same thing, very harsh. It’s pretty hard to justify those words, not impossible, but it better be something really really bad.
Here is an interesting comment about Ray from the comment section of the paper. True but many details left out.
Funny no anonymous postings there discussing evil.
Edward Bruce Patrovsky
Re: The “Woman” who won the libel judgment against Mr. Pryke. This involved the wife of a former SBCO Sheriff, who just happened to be the psychological testing contractor for the Department. Pryke’s newspapers made some allegations about this arrangement, and she successfully sued. I give Pryke credit for being willing to do real investigative reporting, including an early warning about Bill Postmus which went unheeded.
Yes Nancy Penrod was successful in her lawsuit against Pryke. It ONLY took 10 years to accomplish the task. If anyone is impressed by the expedience of justice OKAY!!
She received a general damage award of $350k or so, but NO punitive damages. The jury did not find any “malice” or EVIL intent on Prykes part. Mr. Pryke in NO WAY was concerned or gave a RAT SHIT about the loss.
That old cob would do the same thing again if he felt the need. How do I know, Pryke told me himself.
YES PRYKE was indeed controversial. Anyone who takes on the REGIME of crooks in this County is controversial or crazy.
But Pryke right or wrong had resolve in his beliefs on CORRUPTION in this County he came across when he was on the Grand Jury in the 70’s.
Hmmm how wrong could he be looking at recent events with the Grand Jury and other high profile cases? History is a bitch for some around here. The old man just helped paint a picture early on.
Was Pryke or anyone else wrong for calling BS on Nancy Penrods business as a “conflict of interest” on its face? NOT if you had personal dealings with them.
Could I prove she told her hubby any secrets? NOPE. But my question to Nancy if I was a lawyer would be simple.
Tell us Mrs. Penrod how often you called foul on SBSD for creating any problem with ANY of your clients? That questioned is unanswered to the best of my knowledge.
Now before any of you readers call BS on me. I have a copy of Nancy’s DEPOSITION or one of them in this very case.
My OPINION of her over all ability to answer questions and recall is just ONE NOTCH above Rod Hoops deposition in the Parkinson matter.
The biggest problem for Ray Pryke in this case was the number of attorneys he went through before actually getting to trial. What a freakin circus.
But to Penrods lawyer the main man he was VERY professional with me. Nice guy bottom line.
Depositions, the gifts that keeps on giving….
Holtz you obviously 1. Didnt know Pryke 2. Dont know anyone who dealt with Pryke and 3. Obviously not familiar with the high desert whee MAny people knof of, and can share numerous stories about the dirtbag. Those of us who not only knew him, but knew many others who knew him know ehat we are talking about. You on the other hand just shoot off your mouth.
Ok 8. Well you just fire away with what you know, IF YOU can find the courage. I am talking about ONE issue.
Now step up. I knew Pryke, spoke with him often during the time I am talking about.
Your not talking about anything specific. Another brave keyboard warrior has emerged.
8 running the mouth but nothing came out. Try again dummy.
Holtz don’t know much of anything. He is all air. Don’t put any weight behind anything he says. He has been wrong countless times and continues to be. He hangs his own self perceived worth on his gone old
Days of being a deputy, in which he failed.
Right on que Joe. Your are E.F. Hutton.
Mills if you were as sharp as you would like others to think you are, you should have got Holtz fired all by yourself and a long time ago by the way you talk. Guess you didn’t get any of that action. Doesnt say much for your management skills now does it? Hot air? Don’t throw rocks at a glass house. If your pissed that your pals are under the gun get over it. If they were as sharp as you, well hell we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
For whatever it is worth, I can summon to mind eight separate occasions when I was present, Ray Pryke was present and Ken Holtz was present in the same place at the same time. These places were the front office at 16925 Main Street in Hesperia (i.e., the A-frame Ray built in 1964) on two occasions, the newsroom in Suite F at 16925 Main Street, the SEBA office in San Bernardino when it was near the Feldheym Library, the Denny’s near the I-15 Freeway and Main Street, a restaurant on E Street in San Bernardino, and at Stan Hodge’s law office in Victorville. The three of us involved ourselves in conversations, ones I would call lengthy and pithy, every time. Those are just the ones I can recall at the moment. I am relatively confident there were more. I also know Ken and Ray spoke on the phone, at least occasionally, as Ray would regularly fill me in on whatever information he picked up from Ken. On one occasion I can recall, I was summoned from the newsroom into Suite E at 16925 Main Street, where Ray was engaged in a phone conversation with Ken. Ray handed me the phone with one hand and foisted a notepad on me with the other and insisted I take notes about what Ken was going to tell me. Indeed, it was Ken on the line. I believe, but cannot say for sure, that they had met one another, either at the office or someplace else at least a few times when I was not present. The suggestion that Ken did not know Ray is absolutely wrong.
Thank you Mark.
So number 8 who’s running off at the mouth? You don’t feel like an idiot because you didn’t include your name. Typical of you key board clowns who dont have enough fortitude to run a piss ants motorcycle for 5 seconds.
I surely won’t profess to say I know ALL or MOST or even a lot of what Mr. Pryke did, good or bad during his years on this earth.
Like anything else he NO DOUBT had plenty of folks who didn’t like him. Such is life.
You Joe Henry need your ass kicked in a serious way. You fit the “dirtbag” and “evil” criteria like a custom fitted cotton glove. YES I can prove it.
One just needs to look at ALL your unsubstantiated comments and the rest is easy.
Bring your crooked pals Joe. The more the merry.
I agree Ken. Pryke did a good job. Mills can’t stand non coolaid drinkers.
And bet both ACU and Mark G. both remember the FPPC giving the Penrods a GET OUT OF JAIL FREE CARD by waiting until after the Sheriff RETIRED before they made a ruling on a complaint about that same conflict situation mentioned above, and then Sheriff Gary not declaring Nancy Bohl’s income and spousal relationship on his Form 700’s.
Think that the reporter even was working for Mr. Pryke at the time, and had to keep everything as far as the FPPC complaint and any Anti-Corruption efforts on the DOWN LOW because that’s how the owner wanted it… supposedly as A-political as possible, I was told by some of his employees.
But I didn’t know he was also a land developer, another reason then for friction with the COUNTY FATHERS, a land developer that won’t roll over for the County machine (who else does that remind you of?)…RIP Ray Pryke.
I remember GP. Just another stroke job at the time like all the rest.
Karma is catching up with some of these clowns, slow but sure.
Without social media we would be worse off.
Back to evil.
The Deputies are at Rays house. So is Dino DeFazio. Ray told me Dino didn’t waste any time telling them that their boss Gary Penrod was suing Ray. About an hour or so goes by with lots of questions for Ray.
Ray says the sergeant was on his cell phone with some one for quite awhile. The sergeant and deputy talk for a bit. The deputy finally tells Ray he is under arrest for residential burglary. A heavy duty felony.
Ray asked the sergeant if he could give his wife a kiss and tell her everything is ok before he leaves. The sergeant said NO I will tell her for you. Ray alledged the sergeant told his wife he wouldn’t be coming back. Ray is 84-85 at the time of this incident. Rays wife is not in good health.
Ray is furious with the sergeants decision. Ray is taken to West Valley Detention Center where he is booked on burglary charges. His bail is set at $50,000.00. Red flag number one.
It isn’t long after Rays arrest the local papers are putting out the word on the arrest. More than a few people are talking with each other to.
I contact Stan Hodge, Rays attorney. I told Stan this is nothing but retaliation from Penrod. Stan says sure looks like it but he is working on getting Ray bailed out of jail.
Hodge gets Rays bail to the jail by mid afternoon. Despite that Ray isn’t released from custody until the wee hours of the next morning.
More to follow.
#19, sadly, I am not at all surprised… Looking forward to you telling us the rest.
If I recall correctly, County Adult Services was called to Rays house. They took no action after INSPECTING the location and no doubt talking to Rays wife. ONLY logic in all that was to cause more grief for the Pryke family. I do recall one or more family members eventually arriving at the house to take care of Mrs. Pryke. Maybe it was a family friend.
Once Ray was back home I spent better than an hour going over every detail of the incident. The worse POSSIBLE crime Ray could have committed was trespass. NOT even close on a residential burglary charge. And NO REASON to arrest book and make ANYONE post bail on a property crime. I’ll cover that later.
Ray was very complimentary on the jail staffs treatment of him. Ray knew after a Deputy told him he was a SPECIAL guest that it was Penrod behind all of this. SORRY Ray some of us knew it was Penrod long before that.
Ray said Hispanic inmates took care of and watched over him while he was in the housing unit, not allowing anyone to take advantage of him due to his age.
Ray hired former San Bernardino County Assistant DA Dan Lowe to handle this incident.
I have no idea what actually took place, but it wasn’t VERY long and wth CREDIT going to the DA’s office NO CHARGES were filed against Ray. NOTHING!!!! Some one at the DA’S office had a BRAIN. I bet Dino DeFazio was upset.
Now comes the CIVIL RIGHTS violations Stan Hodge said he was preparing a Federal lawsuit against SBSD. YA THINK? I have no idea if anything ever came of that.
More to follow.
So Penrod puts a man in his eighties in jail for a bogus charge to retaliate? If I were Penrod I would be afraid Hell was reserving me a spot. Good news is, he won’t be lonely…
So let me get this right Kenny. You park your vehicle on a piece of property that I may or may not own. I obtain a lockpick and enter your vehicle. I then open your glove box and fumble through all your property within the vehicle and when they catch me, I say I was just looking to see who owned the car. Well according to you at best, I committed a trespass.
Based on your own account of the event, I think any rookie deputy out of the jail could make a factual basis for a probable cause arrest for a felony burglary. Hell, kenny you made felony arrests in your day with less than that! The arrest was valid and was not based on your perceived interaction with the sheriff and Pryke, but rather due to the actions of Pryke that day. Nice try Kenny. Oh, don’t ever park your trailer where I might want to enter it using a lock pick just to see “who it belongs to.”
Oh and there was never any such civil rights violation claim. Why you ask? Well because the arrest was valid and any such claim was futile. Yes the ex DA turned defense attorney had a BRAIN.
The Sergeant and Deputy were directed or ordered to arrest Ray Pryke, there is no question about that. Why was Ray arrested? NOT because he committed a crime that could be proven in a court of law and sure as hell not burglary.
He was arrested so Penrod could have what might be nothing more than having some thing to hold over Rays head in the civil trial that was pending. Some thing to attack his credibility with. Muddy the waters however possible against Pryke. It has happened to more than a few since that time in several judicial arenas.
There is no mystery in this County whether it be a criminal, civil, or administrative cases, ONCE the defendant or employee makes it known by their actions, they intend to fight you to the end, the PROCESS starts, trying to find ADDITIONAL charges that can be placed against you. Known to many as a LAUNDRY LIST.
Especially when the case is WEAK or the County has some skeletons they want to keep buried.
A CLASSIC example of that just occurred with that GANG member who was shot in the neck by a Deputy. 6 months later he is charged with assault on a peace officer, the DA now alleges he tried to run deputies over.
If I am the victim of that, the FIRST charge on the report and booking application as SOON as possible will be ADW on a peace officer. I don’t need the DA to figure that out for me 6 months later that the guy tried to kill me, REALLY? And the guys car is going to have more than a few bullets holes in it. At the MOMENT of the attack.
My point is some brain child figured they better add those charges to justifie the shooting at the house and hope they could BS their way through that.
Well we know that failed miserably with a NOT GUILTY on all ADW counts. Only guilty of evading arrest. Deadly force under the circumstances could not be justified.
They arrested Ray to use ANY conviction they thought they could get in the civil trail and to punish him for his stubbornness and refusal to accept Gary Penrod settlement offer.
I sure hope that BS arrest made it’s way into the civil trial. A missed opportunity if it didn’t. I have no idea if it did.
More to follow.
Joe NO CHARGES filed on Pryke. Ha ha ha.
Like NOT GUILTY for the Gang member who tried to run over Peppler.
Like Bill Maddox being found FACTUALLY innocent in the POST scandal.
Figure it out idiot. The list is long. Have another drink first.
Kenny are you that stupid to say if you were the victim of an ADW that’s the first charge on the booking app??? The second you shoot the guy in the neck, you are out of the investigation and it becomes someone else’s. maybe you were just that good that you would shoot a suspect that assaulted you (as you did) and filled out a booking app on the guy.
There is a statute of limitations for a reason. The gang member that was shot by the deputy was not a “cover up” due to the length it took to file on him stupid. It was for a variety of reasons that an investigator can attest to. You are an idiot!
Tell me Joe what arrests I made with less than Prykes scenario?
List them starting right here. _________ uh oh got to be specific!!!!
Brain overload time………
Kenny there are hundreds of thousands of arrests yearly that are made and not filed on for a variety of reasons. Certainly even you know that the probable cause standard for arrests by law enforcement is quite different than the standards for filings or convictions. Just because he wasn’t charged does in NO WAY validate the fact that the arrest was lawful and reasonable based on the probable cause. This is why there was never no lawsuit filed. Nice try moron.
James, ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID?? Did you NOT HEAR the BELT RECORDER YOU FLIPPING IDIOTIC MORON
Joe if you were that sharp on ANY investigation you would have nailed SUSPECT #2 on the Rancho case. REFUSING to be part of the cover up.
You don’t have a verifiable GOOD track record on anything except covering stuff up or turning a blind eye.
Guess Homicde SCREWED up on Pepplers case not including those charges out of the gate. NOT GUILTY.
You simply haven’t been there done that Joe. You screwed up what you were assigned to do and it leaked out. Not having nuts will generally cause that result.
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