Sheriff SWAT team raids Squaw Valley home in missing-person case, finds explosives

Fresno County sheriff’s detectives spent two days searching a Squaw Valley property for clues into the disappearance of Donnie Dale Lee, a local resident who went missing in November.

But while they found no evidence linking the resident of the rural property to Lee’s disappearance, they arrested him anyway on unrelated felonies including making an explosive device, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

Detectives arrested Buford King, 31, who lives at the property in the 37000 block of Squaw Valley Road, Thursday on felony charges of assault with a firearm in an unrelated case.

King was also arrested on felony possession of explosives in or near a residence and illegal possession of explosives. He was being held Friday in Fresno County jail on $65,000 bail.

The Clovis Police Department bomb squad was called out to dispose of the explosives.

On Sunday, King reportedly shot another man in the foot, sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said. The victim is a friend of King’s who called the sheriff’s office to report the incident, Botti said. His name was not released.

Acting on information that explosives were rife on the property, the sheriff’s office obtained a search warrant and called out the sheriff’s SWAT team to serve it, arriving at the property near Sand Creek Road between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Thursday.

King was taken into custody and investigators spent the day and part of Friday searching the property, Botti said.

Lee, 63, was reported missing last year under mysterious circumstances because he does not have a habit of disappearing. He is 6 feet 1 inch and 175 pounds. He is a native of Dinuba and was employed as a cement worker and a truck driver.

His sister Sequita Shaw of Visalia told The Bee in June that Lee left behind his truck and his wallet when he vanished.

Another missing man is Aleksey Shelest, 35, who was last heard from on May 18, 2016. At the time, he was in Squaw Valley. He was reported missing to the sheriff’s office on May 29, 2016.

Detectives searched King’s property both Thursday and Friday. Cadaver dogs were used in the search.

Detectives found no evidence linking King to the disappearances.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information about these cases is asked to call Detective Jose Diaz at 559-600-8206 or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 (STOP).

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Sheriff SWAT team raids Squaw Valley home in missing-person case, finds explosives."