Sheriff's office gains ground in Hettick robbery
Matt Unrau
The Sanders County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to devote a massive amount of time and manpower to solving the case of burglary against Harley Hettick and Dixon Melons occuring on Saturday, Sept. 14. “There are a lot of new developments, every resource that I have is being used, I have four people working on that case, the undersheriff is working on it full time. We have several suspects, it could be three or four and maybe some other people tied to it, but there will be some arrests not before too long,” says Sheriff Gene Arnold.
It was two weeks ago that an estimated $50,000 was stolen out of the safe in Hettick’s house. The family was gone from the house at the time selling melons in Great Falls and Missoula when the burglars broke through a window and made off with the loot. Hettick believes the safe was either unlocked at the time or the burglars knew the combination.
After the burglary Hettick hired a lock shop to clean the safe and change the combination. While working on the safe the company noticed a problem with the sliding door lock, which may have caused the safe to not lock properly giving the burglars free access.
The money was the year’s earnings for Dixon’s Melons. The Hetticks were on the verge of dividing the money between five partners and starting the financial year over again. It is a sad irony for Hettick who had just expanded his operation this year by 16 acres. “We were actually ahead of the game this year,” says Hettick.
Now Hettick faces the possibility of cutting back workers and acreage. This is a dire outlook for seasonal workers in the area who depend on the Hetticks to supply them with jobs. Christina Partida of Pablo, along with her two sisters, are regular employees at the Hetticks and Partida uses the money to buy her daughter birthday gifts and school clothes.
“It’s hard to find a job these days,” says Partida. “They pay us good. They treat us good and this is what they get for helping us out? I don’t think that’s fair.”
Dixon Melons routinely employs up to 30 people during harvest when all of the melons have to be picked by hand and Partida says they regularly employ many Dixon Tribal Members who know that the Hetticks will give them a decent wage for their labor. “They help a lot of Native Americans out here, they’re just trying to help people out,” says Partida. “It’s hard to believe that this is going to happen to them, because they’re such good people.”
At this point of the year Dixon Melons usually employs close to 25 people for Fall cleanup work, but now they may have to forego hiring anyone and solely rely on themselves to clean up the melon farm.
Partida describes the Hetticks as a very trusting and caring people, but in the weeks after the burglary Harley says he is suffering from an increased paranoia followed with feelings of depression and violence. “It’s like a death in the family, you can’t sleep at night and then you start suspecting everybody,” says Harley. “You get a really hollow feeling in your gut and chest. It’s just like craziness.”
Part of the depression also comes from Harley’s fear that the burglary is what he calls an “inside job.” Harley acknowledges that the burglars may have worked for them in the past, because they knew their schedule and when they would be gone from the house. “It’s a really low blow,” says Hettick.
A good portion of the money was to be used to buy next year’s melon seeds, but now Hettick says he will have to borrow money for the seed if it is possible for Dixon Melon’s to remain afloat. “At this point there may be no Dixon Melons,” says Hettick.
Ever since the burglary there have been rumors of hush money being passed around to keep people quiet about the burglary. At this point however, Undersheriff Rube Wrightsman has no confirmed reports of this going on. “In any case like this you’re going to hear a lot of rumors,” says Undersheriff Wrightsmen. But, in the event that people have taken money Wrightsman says they will then be subject to prosecution for a felony. Any situation where witnesses are bribed, threatened, harassed or intimidated, the Sheriff’s office takes very seriously, says Wrightsmen.
Sheriff Arnold says there are several informants helping in the case, but have asked to remain confidential because “they are afraid.”
The Sanders County Sheriff’s Office is working hand in hand with the Tribal Police in the investigation.
Dixon Melons is offering a $2,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and or conviction of those involved with the break-in. Please call Harley Hettick at 246-3526, the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office at 827-3584 or the Tribal Police at 675-4700.
Matt Unrau can be contacted at 406-826-3432 or at editor@VP-MI.com