Former St. Cloud Representative Tama Theis and Husband Caught in Deadly Cartel Riots Rocking Mexican Resort Town

(KNSI) — Former Minnesota state Representative Tama Theis and her husband, Greg, are among the thousands of Americans being told to shelter in place as riots erupted over the weekend following the killing of drug kingpin and notorious cartel leader known as El Mencho.

Theis tells KNSI she and her husband are vacationing north of Puerto Vallarta and were set to come home when things quickly unraveled. “We had breakfast, and then we went to check out because we were supposed to leave yesterday (Sunday). We were [booked] on a 4:00 p.m. flight, and we decided to go down to talk about checking out early, and that’s when people were just all over the place, and we found out what was going on, so all the flights were canceled.

Theis praised the staff for quickly executing safety procedures. “We can’t go on the beach, that’s blocked off. We were told not to go outside. The front doors were locked.”

An ominous, thick black cloud of smoke hung over the water from fires burning across the area, but she said they don’t feel there is an impending threat where they are.

Both Tama and Greg praised the staff who quickly rearranged accommodations for stranded travelers. “The staff here has been phenomenal. They’re working 16 to 20 hour shifts, so it’s very skeleton crew because nobody new could come and help them,” he said.

Residents and tourists are essentially trapped as roads are blocked by burning vehicles and debris. Greg added the guests are trying to be upbeat and help the staff where they can. Tama explained many staff stayed put Sunday night and are keeping a positive attitude, even though they may not know what’s happening with their families.

Security forces have been deployed to Jalisco state, which Mexico’s Defense Secretary, General Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, said has restored normalcy to the region.

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