Robbery disrupts nudist Summer Games at Glen Eden
A 20-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested after a robbery sent members and visitors into shelter at the Southern California nudist resort
A 20-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested after a robbery at Glen Eden Sun Club prompted a large law enforcement response and temporarily interrupted the Southern California Naturist Association’s Summer Games on Saturday, sending members and visitors into shelter while deputies searched the nudist resort.
Riverside County sheriff’s deputies responded to the 25000 block of Glen Eden Road at about 12:55 p.m. and confirmed that a robbery had occurred, Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Sgt. Robert Martinez told Planet Nude. Deputies searched the area with assistance from the Sheriff’s K9 and Aviation units before locating and arresting David Cordero, 20, of Los Angeles, on Glen Eden Road.
Additional victims were identified during the investigation, Martinez said, although none reported injuries. Investigators also recovered what Martinez described as “evidence related to the robberies.”
Cordero was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of home invasion, assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a weapon and burglary. The investigation remains ongoing.
The Sheriff’s Office did not provide further details about the circumstances of the incident or identify the type of weapon allegedly involved. Attendees who spoke with Planet Nude said additional details circulated among those at Glen Eden, although much of that information was secondhand.
Cynthia Holbach, an organizer with the Southern California Naturist Association (SCNA), said the incident unfolded during a break in the competition.
“There were some different stories circulating,” Holbach told Planet Nude.
According to accounts shared among attendees, a man was discovered burglarizing a residence and fled after being confronted by a neighbor. He then allegedly entered another residence occupied by a man in his 90s and threatened him with a knife while demanding money. The resident reportedly escaped through a back door and went to a neighbor for help.
The Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there were multiple victims and that Cordero was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and brandishing a weapon, but did not confirm the account involving the elderly resident or say what type of weapon was allegedly used.
Attendees gave consistent accounts of Glen Eden’s response. “[Management] suddenly asked all people to exit the main pool and shelter in place,” said Claudia Kellersch, a longtime Southern California naturist leader who was attending the Games. Kellersch said she joined others inside Piper Hall, the club’s recreation building, to wait out the shelter order.
Quinn Leland, an attendee who was preparing to compete in one of the Games events, recalled a staff member announcing, “Attention everybody, there is a police incident happening on the grounds and we need everyone to quickly and calmly go to Piper Hall or to your car. We need to lockdown for everyone’s safety.”
Inside Piper Hall, attendees were told that a home burglary was occurring in Glen Eden’s residential area, police were already on scene and the suspect claimed to have a gun, Leland said. Kellersch recalled management telling those sheltering that sheriff’s deputies had surrounded a suspect in a standoff. A Sheriff’s helicopter could also be seen overhead during the search.
About 15 to 20 minutes later, Leland said, staff received word from deputies that the shelter order could be lifted. Holbach estimated the shelter order lasted roughly 20 to 30 minutes. She said about 50 people had been participating in the Summer Games, while a couple hundred members and visitors sheltered in Piper Hall. Others were directed to their vehicles.
Leland praised Glen Eden’s response. “The staff had a plan and enacted it very quickly and calmly,” he told Planet Nude. “They were totally on top of things and kept us very safe. Thank you to the staff of Glen Eden!”
“We did finish the Summer Games, but the energy was down some,” Holbach said.
Planet Nude contacted Glen Eden Sun Club on Sunday and left a message with management seeking comment. The club had not responded by publication time.
The Summer Games are an annual SCNA gathering bringing naturists from around Southern California together for recreational competitions. Saturday’s events included a water cup relay, water balloon toss, noodle race relay, hula hoop race and pool noodle javelin toss.
The robbery was the latest in an unusual string of unrelated disruptions affecting SCNA events this summer.
On June 27, two people were injured when someone fired a BB gun during the Los Angeles World Naked Bike Ride. The incident occurred between the event’s two scheduled rides, according to Kellersch, who participated that day but was not present for the shooting. Los Angeles police responded at about 11 a.m. and arrested a suspect. The victims suffered lacerations and were treated at the scene.
Two weeks later, Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies arrived during SCNA’s Skinny Dip Day gathering at Bates Beach after receiving a complaint about nudity. Deputies asked participants to cover up, although no citations were issued. Planet Nude reported on the encounter at the time.
There is no indication that any of the three incidents are connected. But for SCNA volunteers and members, the sequence has made for an extraordinary summer.
“Between the bike ride incident with the guy and the pellet gun, the beach on Skinny Dip Day with the sheriffs coming down and now this, I’m hoping three times is it,” Holbach told Planet Nude.
Kellersch said the two incidents involving weapons have been particularly unsettling. “I am shocked at the presence of guns in nudist situations, both when I participated in the WNBR Los Angeles and now at Glen Eden, which I consider a safe place,” Kellersch said. “The USA.” 🪐
Editor’s note, Aug. 10, 12:45 p.m.: This story was updated to correctly identify the deputies who responded to the Bates Beach incident as being from Santa Barbara County, not Ventura County.
