Arson suspect pleads not guilty to ID theft attempt

A woman accused of attempting to procure a driver’s license in another person’s name to avoid prosecution on arson and animal abuse charges pleaded not guilty to the offense this week in District Court.

Diane J. Davis, 57, appeared Monday morning to be arraigned on charges of obtaining and using identifying information of another person to harm or impersonate person, to obtain certain nonpublic records or for another unlawful purpose; offering false instrument for filing or record and burglary. All three counts are felonies in the state of Nevada.

She was bound over to the District Court following a preliminary hearing in Pahrump Justice Court on Jan. 23.

Davis pleaded not guilty and a trial was scheduled for Jan. 13-14, 2015.

According to a criminal complaint filed by the district attorney’s office, Davis allegedly entered the Pahrump Department of Motor Vehicles, located at 1780 E. Basin Road, on Oct. 15, 2013 and attempted to use the personal information of another individual to apply for a driver’s license under a different name than her own.

The state further accused her of attempting to obtain the new ID in order to avoid prosecution in another case she had pending before the local courts in which she had been charged with one count of first degree arson and 13 counts of animal abuse.

At the preliminary hearing, defense attorney Steven Altig argued that Davis was not attempting to run from her charges, but rather to renew her sister’s expired license for her.

A DMV technician testified at that hearing, however, that Davis never indicated she was trying to renew the license for someone else, and even took the eye exam and photo for the new license as well.

Davis is scheduled to be back in District Court on Dec. 15 for a calendar call prior to the start of her trial.

A preliminary hearing in the arson case had not yet gone before the Justice Court.