Bohl: Dispute over house lands publisher in jail

Raymond Pryke arrested on suspicion of burglary
Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 05/08/2008 12:26:43 AM PDT

APPLE VALLEY - A real estate dispute landed a newspaper publisher known for making accusations about Sheriff Gary Penrod's wife behind bars Wednesday.

Raymond Pryke, 85, of Apple Valley was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary. He was booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. Bail was set at $50,000.

Employees of Artisan Realty went to check on a house in the 25800 block of Rancho Street just before lunch and found Pryke and a locksmith changing the locks.

They looked on as Pryke entered the house, locked the door and stole several items from the house, San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said.

She declined to say which items were stolen because of the ongoing investigation.

"Deputies discovered that Pryke had no legal claim to the property and refused to provide documentation proving Artisan Realty did not own it," Beavers said.

Tristan Pelayes, Pryke's attorney, could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.

Pryke is publisher of Valleywide Newspapers, a chain of eight High Desert weeklies.

He was sued in 2000 by Nancy Bohl, Penrod's now-wife.

Pryke ran articles saying Bohl, a psychotherapist and owner of The Counseling Team International, gave Penrod confidential information about sheriff's employees undergoing treatment.

An article also claimed her counseling business only secured a contract with the Sheriff's Department because of her relationship with Penrod.

A judge ruled in 2005 that the articles impugned the integrity of Bohl and The Counseling Team and ordered Pryke to pay $3 million. An appeal last year overturned the decision.