Crime Corner, Aug. 12

Man arrested for allegedly threatening man with shotgun

A man was arrested last week after he allegedly threatened a man with a shotgun, firing a shot into the air, the Nye County Sheriff’s Office said.

Brent Volk, of Pahrump, was arrested Aug. 3 and charged with a preliminary count of discharging a firearm where a person may be endangered, after an alleged altercation surrounding Volk’s scooter that had been towed, the arrest report stated.

The responding deputy was dispatched to the 5500 block of Doubletree Road regarding a weapons offense. The responding deputy recognized the address, as he had just been there five minutes earlier regarding a scooter being towed. The deputy was advised by dispatch that the owner of the scooter called, saying he was assaulted with a shotgun by Volk, who lived at the residence on Doubletree Road.

When the deputy arrived at the scene, he encountered Volk, who said that a black male came to his property and confronted him regarding the scooter that was towed earlier. Volk relayed to the deputy that the man ran away from his property heading northbound.

The man was found by the deputy a few blocks away and he told the deputy that he went to Volk’s home to inquire where his scooter was that broke down several hours prior, police said.

Volk told the victim that it had been towed and when the man asked where the scooter was towed to, Volk allegedly said to his house.

The victim then said that Volk went inside his property and grabbed a pistol-grip shotgun and ordered him to get on his knees, the arrest report stated.

After that alleged command, the victim said he began to slowly walk backwards, away from Volk’s home, when Volk pointed the gun in the air and fired a single round.

After the alleged shot, the victim said that he turned and ran away from Volk and proceeded to flee the area down the road, police said.

Volk then drove up to the scene in his vehicle and he told the deputy that he feared for his life when the victim came to his property, the arrest report stated.

He claimed that the victim was bigger than him and he was yelling at him about the scooter, so he grabbed his gun to defend himself, police said. Volk confirmed that he did order the victim to his knees and since the man didn’t heed his command, that he fired the single shot into the air.

The deputy noted in the arrest report that the victim appeared to be smaller in size than Volk, despite his claim.

Volk was placed into custody by the NCSO and was transported to the Nye County Detention Center without further incident.

Volk’s neighbors were interviewed and they said they heard the two men arguing, but said that they didn’t recall hearing a gunshot.

The deputy did find a spent shotgun cartridge in Volk’s outdoor garbage container and the shotgun was recovered inside his home.

Volk was being held on $2,500 bond.

Couple arrested on preliminary drug and child endangerment charges

A Pahrump couple was arrested earlier this week on preliminary charges related to child endangerment and drugs after the sheriff’s office discovered deplorable living conditions at their residence.

Josephine Mariano and Klayton Walker were taken into custody by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office Monday and charged with preliminary counts of felony child neglect and endangerment, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

NCSO deputies were called out to a residence on the 900 block of First Street at 9 p.m., Monday evening in reference to a disturbance.

The responding deputy encountered a man saying his son, Walker, and his girlfriend, Mariano, left their newborn baby with him earlier in the day and that it was out of formula and that he did not know how to properly care for the infant, the arrest report stated.

The deputy observed the infant on a couch wearing only a diaper, and noted that the house was in “complete disarray.”

The man went on to tell the deputy that he didn’t know the infant’s age, but knew the baby couldn’t be more than two weeks old, police said.

The man took the deputy to Mariano’s and Walker’s bedroom in the house and he noted that there were multiple open beer cans, old dishes with moldy food and multiple boxes of trash, the arrest report stated.

The deputy also discovered a metal pipe that he identified as paraphernalia to smoke pot with, with marijuana inside the pipe.

The deputy called the Department of Child and Family Services and described the living conditions the baby was living under, and took the child under the care of the state of Nevada.

Mariano arrived home shortly after the call to DCFS, and she allegedly told the deputy that she and Walker were methamphetamine users.

Mariano consented to a search of her and Walker’s room and the deputy collected the alleged marijuana pipe for evidence. The deputy also took pictures of the home and bedroom where the child slept.

Walker then arrived at the home, after which both he and Mariano were arrested and transported to the Nye County Detention Center on the three charges and were being held on $6,280 bond each.

Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.