'Person of interest' held in Mendocino County woman's shooting death

Mendocino County authorities have a “person of interest” in custody in the shooting death of a 32-year-old woman at her home in the Manchester Band of Pomo Indians’ reservation in Manchester, police said.

Ramon Soto, 28, is in the Mendocino County Jail on charges unrelated to the death of Nicole Smith, said Mendocino County Sheriff’s Lt. Shannon Barney.

Smith was shot to death 5:43 a.m. Sunday when a gunman sprayed her house with bullets from the outside, Barney said. A 15-year-old relative was also wounded, but was later treated and released from Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Investigators heard from community members there may have been a past dispute between Soto and Smith, Barney said.

Officers found a small amount of marijuana at Soto’s house on the reservation, Barney said, which triggered a warrant for violating his parole. Soto was later arrested in Ukiah.

While in custody, Soto got in a fight with another inmate, Barney said, which is likely to result in another criminal complaint.

The sheriff’s office asks anyone with information on the crime to call 707-463-4086.