Eight people were arrested Thursday during a Sheriff's Department special operation, including an alleged purse snatcher who'd been victimizing women in Carson City since at least March.
Carson City Sheriff's Special Operations Sgt. Brian Humphrey said nine officers, two of whom had drug sniffing dogs, and two reserve deputies took part in the criminal interdiction program.
The program saturates the city with extra officers at the entry points or in areas of high gang activity. The special unit was in addition to regular patrol deputies, Humphrey said.
At about 1:30 p.m., Deputy T.J. Boggan stopped a vehicle that matched the description of one driven by the suspect in a purse snatching at the AM/PM Mini Mart, 720 S. Carson St.
A woman reported that she was paying for gas when a man reached inside her unlocked passenger door, grabbed her purse then sped away in a blue Ford Taurus.
Boggan stopped the vehicle in a South Carson Street parking lot. The victim and a witness of the purse snatching arrived and identified the suspect, according to the arrest report.
The victim's purse was found in the parking lot, and inside the vehicle Boggan allegedly found a bank deposit slip in another woman's name and several items suspected to have been shoplifted.
Michael Luther, 39, of South Lake Tahoe, was booked into the Carson City Jail on suspicion of felony burglary, misdemeanor failure to yield, misdemeanor possession of stolen property and driving with expired plates.
"I think as a direct result of us being out here, we had enough people on the street to catch this guy," said Humphrey.
Detective Craig Lowe said there have been at least five similar purse thefts in recent weeks in Carson City.
At about 4 p.m., Deputy Matt Putzer stopped a speeding vehicle on Arrowhead Drive. Putzer said the vehicle was registered to an address on Tiger Drive that had been shot at earlier in the week. The driver, Antonio Huicochea, 19, and a passenger who identified himself as Juan Guadalupe Espinoza Caballero said they had borrowed the vehicle from someone in Reno that they didn't know.
A search of the vehicle recovered three handguns, bags of ammunition, duct tape and three knit ski masks.
Huicochea was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor speeding and failure to properly display license plates. Officers were unable to confirm Caballero's identity. He was booked on suspicion of felony illegal possession of a firearm, said Putzer.
"Today was very successful," said Humphrey. "We were able to field numerous units today on this special operation without causing overtime, while still maintaining the same amount of officers working patrol."
The victim's purse was found in the parking lot, and inside the vehicle Boggan allegedly found a bank deposit slip in another woman's name and several items suspected to have been shoplifted.
Michael Luther, 39, of South Lake Tahoe, was booked into the Carson City Jail on suspicion of felony burglary, misdemeanor failure to yield, misdemeanor possession of stolen property and driving with expired plates.
"I think as a direct result of us being out here, we had enough people on the street to catch this guy," said Humphrey.
Detective Craig Lowe said there have been at least five similar purse thefts in recent weeks in Carson City.
At about 4 p.m., Deputy Matt Putzer stopped a speeding vehicle on Arrowhead Drive. Putzer said the vehicle was registered to an address on Tiger Drive that had been shot at earlier in the week. The driver, Antonio Huicochea, 19, and a passenger who identified himself as Juan Guadalupe Espinoza Caballero said they had borrowed the vehicle from someone in Reno that they didn't know.
A search of the vehicle recovered three handguns, bags of ammunition, duct tape and three knit ski masks.
Huicochea was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor speeding and failure to properly display license plates. Officers were unable to confirm Caballero's identity. He was booked on suspicion of felony illegal possession of a firearm, said Putzer.
"Today was very successful," said Humphrey. "We were able to field numerous units today on this special operation without causing overtime, while still maintaining the same amount of officers working patrol."
67 traffic stops
21 citations issued
3 felony arrests
1 misdemeanor arrest
4 outstanding warrant arrests
20 K9 searches