4Runner thief sent to prison

A man with 17 felonies was given six to 15 years in prison Tuesday for stealing 10 Toyota 4Runners between February and May.

William Geiger, 36, pleaded guilty in June to three counts of grand larceny of a vehicle.

Carson City District Judge Jim Wilson sentenced Geiger to two to five years on each count, to run consecutively.

Geiger has served prison time in Washington for stealing Toyotas and has been convicted of 17 felonies also in Washing-ton, court records indicate.

He was arrested in May in connection with the rash of Toyota 4Runner thefts in the city. Between May and late February, 10 4Runners went missing from city streets and parking lots.

When one of the victims found shocks, an axle and engine for his truck listed online he contacted police and set up a meeting with Geiger, the seller, at Geiger's home in the 2900 block of Gillis Way.

There officers recovered the advertised items and the remnants of the man's 4Runner in the backyard. Upon questioning, Geiger allegedly admitted stealing seven Toyotas from around town.

In all but the final case, the Toyotas were stripped of their valuables and left on side streets. Geiger said he sold the loot at a Sparks swap meet.

All of the trucks have since been recovered.