Crime Corner

COURTS: Judge hammers felon arrested three times in six months

A man arrested three times over a period of six months for stealing, attempting and illegally possessing a firearm was sentenced to a maximum of 16 years in prison Friday in District Court.

Michael Steven Marano appeared before Judge Kimberly Wanker to be sentenced on three separate cases in which he pleaded guilty to earlier this year, including a grand larceny case, attempted robbery case and ex-felon in possession of a firearm case.

He was initially arrested on the first of those three cases in September last year after he reportedly stole copper wiring from the construction site of Inspirations Senior Living.

Marano was then arrested again in December after police were notified that he attempted to forcefully take a necklace from another man outside a local bar as collateral for a $15 debt the other man reportedly owed to someone Marano was close to.

He was then arrested a third and final time after he was caught attempting to sell a number of firearms, which are illegal for him to possess as he is a convicted felon, to an undercover police officer.

During his sentencing hearing last week, Marano told the court he was sorry for what he had done and that he accepted responsibility for his actions and would accept any punishment the judge felt fit to give him.

Ultimately, the judge decided Marano needed to serve prison time for each of the three cases and sentenced him to 24 to 60 months for the grand larceny, 28 to 72 months for attempted robbery and 24 to 60 months for being an ex-felon in possession of firearms. The sentences were set to run consecutively, meaning he will have to serve one case entirely before he can begin serving time on the next.

COPS: Man flees hit-and-run accident in parking lot

A man who allegedly ran into two cars in the Walmart parking lot with his own over the weekend reportedly told police he had a “screwdriver” an hour before the incident.

On Sunday, at approximately 1:30 p.m. a Nye County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to Walmart for a report of a hit-and-run accident.

During the course of his investigation, the officer discovered that the driver of the suspect vehicle, Jonathan Cody Reynolds, had struck two cars with his own before allegedly leaving the parking area without attempting to contact police or the owners of the other vehicles.

One of the victims in the case reportedly followed Reynolds after he struck their car and was able to get his license plate number to give to police.

The investigating deputy then went to speak to Reynolds at his residence where the suspect allegedly admitted he had lightly tapped one vehicle, but said he did not recall striking the second.

Reynolds allegedly further admitted to drinking a “screwdriver,” an alcoholic beverage, approximately an hour before the incident.

Further investigation also reportedly revealed Reynolds did not have a valid driver’s license.

He was subsequently arrested on charges of duty to report accident with property damage and driving without a license before being transported to the Nye County Detention Center to be booked into custody.

COPS: Man jailed for meth use after property stolen

Police took one man to jail after he allegedly took several items from someone’s home and was discovered to be under the influence of methamphetamine when police discovered him walking down the road.

According to a declaration of arrest in the case, on Sunday at approximately 5 p.m. deputies were requested at an address in the 1000 block of Plitz Road for a report of theft. The reporting party told police a man named Shawn William Speakman, had taken several items from the victim’s home before leaving the residence.

When officers arrived, they reportedly saw a man matching Speakman’s description walking down the road away from the victim’s property.

When police stopped Speakman to ask what was going on at the victim’s house, he allegedly stated he had to leave because the victim had accused him of stealing a marijuana pipe. A sergeant on scene, however, said the victim told him Speakman had actually taken several flash drives from his residence, not a marijuana pipe.

Though the victim had called police after he said Speakman had taken several items from him, the victim did not wish to press charges.

Speakman was subsequently arrested on a single charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance and transported to the Nye County Detention Center to be booked into custody. While there he also reportedly tested positive on a drug test for having marijuana and amphetamine in his system.

COURTS: Man blames police chase on drug addiction

A man arrested for alluding police in a high-speed chase through the area of Comstock Park in April pled guilty last week in District Court to a felony offense after admitting he had a drug problem and asking for help from the court to treat it.

Robert Taber, 25, appeared in District Court Friday morning to be arraigned on a single felony charge of alluding after he led police on a chase on April 18 through the western part of Pahrump at speeds of more than 90 mph. The chase reportedly began after a Nye County Sheriff’s Office Street Crimes detective attempted to pull Taber over for driving with a suspended driver’s license and registration.

He eventually ditched his vehicle on the roadway and ran from police, avoiding capture until more than a week later when he reportedly turned himself in.

During his court hearing, he told Judge Kimberly Wanker he had fallen off the bandwagon and begun using drugs again, leading to the high-speed pursuit through Pahrump.

He pled guilty to the charge of alluding and, as part of a plea agreement in the case, the prosecution agreed not to oppose his own recognizance release from jail if he were to go straight from police custody to an in-patient treatment program to get help with his addiction.

Though he asked repeatedly for Wanker to release him and place him in the Drug Court program instead of sending him away from his family to an in-patient program, Wanker and the state agreed it would be in his best interest to stay in jail until he either posts bail or is able to get into an intensive drug treatment program.

He will appear in court again on Oct. 18 for sentencing in the case.