Crime Corner

COPS: Man arrested after allegedly breaking into home, assaulting woman

Police took one man into custody last week after he allegedly broke into a woman’s home and forced her into a bathroom.

According to a declaration of arrest in the case, on Sept. 10 at approximately 11:15 a.m., a Nye County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to an address on Lupin Street for a report of a male breaking windows at the residence.

When the officer arrived, he found a man later identified as Jerod Lord walking in the yard wearing only his underwear, a t-shirt and socks.

The deputy asked Lord if he lived there, to which Lord allegedly replied he doesn’t know where he lives, but his troops were hiding in the bushes.

Lord was subsequently ordered to the ground and placed in restraints while police spoke with the victim in the case.

The victim reportedly told officers Lord had broken the back windows to her home and then entered the residence before grabbing her by the hair and pulling her into the bathroom.

The woman said she was able to escape after she punched him.

Police found damage to the back windows of the home as well as weights thrown through the inside walls of the residence during their investigation.

Lord was subsequently arrested for home invasion before being taken to the Nye County Detention Center to be booked into custody.

COPS: Man leads police on desert car chase

One man was arrested for eluding police after he allegedly led officers on a chase through the desert in the southern part of town over the weekend.

On Saturday, a deputy was conducting a business check at Maverick gas station on State Route 160 when he saw a dark purple SUV accelerating southbound through the intersection of the highway and Homestead Road with no taillights.

The officer began following the driver, later identified as Tomarey Patterson, and soon after attempted to pull him over for the traffic offenses.

Patterson allegedly refused to stop and eventually turned onto Dandelion Street before going off the roadway and heading west through the desert.

Eventually the SUV came to a stop between two apartment buildings at the Courtyard Apartments, before Patterson fled his vehicle.

Another vehicle in the area then began to flash its lights to officers to indicate Patterson was in front of their car and deputies were able to take Patterson into custody.

A witness at the scene told police they saw Patterson exit the suspect SUV police had chased into the area.

Patterson was arrested on charges of eluding (danger to property and life), tail lamps required, turn signal required, failure to maintain travel lane, driving without a valid license, proof of insurance required and unregistered vehicle and transported to the Nye County Detention Center to be booked into custody.

COPS: Electricity theft leads to drug arrest

A man arrested earlier this month for allegedly being under the influence of marijuana and methamphetamine was arrested again this past weekend for theft and possession of meth.

According to a declaration of arrest in the case, on Saturday a deputy was performing extra patrol at a property in the 3300 block of West Simkins Road due to recent criminal activity in the area.

When he stopped at the residence, which is supposed to be vacant, he could reportedly see an extension cord plugged into an outdoor outlet on the side of the house.

The deputy followed the cord through a fence to the neighbor’s home on the same property. The cord ran through the front door of the other home and police conducted a search of the residence, at which time they found the cord was plugged into a running refrigerator. The rest of the house, an arrest report notes, did not have electricity.

After their search, a woman stating she was a resident of the address where the power cord was found said she had no knowledge of the item and that she and her husband, Trenton Smalls, had gotten in a fight the night before and she left, only returning after police arrived at the location the following day.

The property owner also reportedly arrived on scene after deputies searched the property, telling officers she had been on the property the day before around 2 p.m. and the extension cord was not present at that time. Additionally, the property owner stated she did not give anyone permission to take power from the first residence at the address.

Around 1:30 p.m. that afternoon, the initial responding deputy at the scene learned Smalls had been seen on a bicycle in the area of Wilson Road and West Street.

Police located Smalls outside Dotty’s, and when they approached to make contact with the man, he allegedly fled, making his way behind the businesses in the area until he was apprehended behind Port-of-Subs.

Smalls was placed under arrest and a search of his person then revealed a small bag of what appeared to be methamphetamine. He was arrested on charges of theft, possession of methamphetamine and obstruction before being taken to the local jail to be booked into custody.

COPS: Pot pipe found in DUI arrest

A marijuana pipe was allegedly found in one man’s possession after he was stopped for driving while intoxicated this week.

Sunday evening around 3 p.m., police were asked to respond to a report of a possibly intoxicated driver traveling eastbound on Basin Avenue toward State Route 160.

A deputy spotted a vehicle with the same license plate given to emergency dispatch and watched as the driver turned onto the highway, begin traveling southbound, almost hitting the median as the vehicle drifted in its lane.

The office conducted a traffic stop with the driver, later identified as Clifton Pappas, after the man pulled over in the parking lot of Smith’s grocery store.

When the man started to get out of his vehicle, the officer noted in his arrest report Pappas needed to hold his steering wheel to assist his balance and that the man was exhibiting signs of being under the influence of alcohol.

The deputy then asked Pappas if he would submit to a series of field sobriety tests, but the only one the officer was able to conduct with him was a preliminary breath test due to back problems Pappas told the officer he had.

Pappas allegedly failed the breath test and was arrested for DUI first offense.

A search of his person allegedly revealed a pipe with what appeared to be burnt marijuana residue on his person as well.

COPS: Man blows twice legal limit after DUI stop

Police took one man into custody Saturday after they received a report of a drunk driver on the highway just outside Terrible’s Country Store.

According to an arrest report in the case, around 1:45 a.m. an officer was dispatched to the convenience store and told by the reporting party that a vehicle being driven by a possibly intoxicated person was heading northbound on State Route 160.

The responding officer located the suspect vehicle near the intersection of the highway and Wilson Road, at which time the grey Chevy Sonic was reportedly unable to maintain its travel lane.

After he was pulled over for possible DUI, the deputy noted the male, identified as Michael Lee Granger, smelled of an unknown type of alcohol and had red, watery, bloodshot eyes as he spoke with him.

Granger agreed to participate in a series of field sobriety test, which he allegedly failed.

Granger also allegedly had a .149 blood alcohol percentage, almost twice the legal limit when he took a preliminary breath test as well.

He was placed under arrest for DUI first offense and transported to the Nye County Detention Center to be booked into custody.