Carson City Sheriff’s Office offering $2,000 for suspect in Tatro arson

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in identifying a person of interest in an attempted arson on a Carson City judge.

The Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the Nevada Department of Public Safety Investigation Division, has been investigating multiple incidents of attempted violence against Carson City Judge John Tatro. With the most recent incident being on May 13, 2015, around 1:08 a.m. when an incendiary device was placed in front of the garage door at the Tatro residence. The device burned for a while, but didn’t ignite and no damage was reported. Nearby video footage captured the image of a light colored sedan driving in the area before and after the incident.

This incident was determined to have been connected to a drive-by shooting that occurred at the Tatro residence in 2012. Original reports state at 4:23 a.m. Dec. 11, 2012, Tatro called 911 to report someone had shot into his house. Neither Tatro or his wife were injured in the shooting. The bullets left two holes in Tatro’s front door, traveled through the living room, through a sliding glass door and out to the yard where one bullet lodged itself in a fence. A similar car appears in video footage from both the 2012 shooting and the 2015 incendiary incident.

Officials believe the suspect is a white adult male between the ages of 35-60, however they do not have an identity for the suspect. They also believe the man lives north of Carson City, possibly in the Reno/Sparks area, due to footage of the suspect’s car entering and leaving Carson City via I-580 at Carson Street at the time of the incendiary incident.

“I think there is a connection to Carson City, he doesn’t reside here, but in Northern Nevada,” said Sheriff Ken Furlong. “We are hoping that someone will see the car and it will ring a bell for them. This person has a motive for action that isn’t shaking, so it may not be a specific event, but an emotional event that triggered him. They are someone who is very upset with the Tatro family so he has most likely told other people about his hatred.

“Someone knows a person who matches this description and we need access to that if someone discussed that hatred in casual conversation.”

Furlong said it’s believed the suspect is comfortable around the Tatro house and the suspect spent some time observing the residence.

Investigators still are trying to determine whether the intended target is Tatro or his wife. Furlong said either way the family is at tremendous risk because he believes the intent is to harm the Tatro family. Investigators have gone through court records to see if the suspect may have been involved with the Carson City Courthouse, but they haven’t found an individual to match the suspect description through that.

The FBI, NVI, ATO and Northern Nevada law enforcement have all been involved in the investigation, however law enforcement has exhausted all efforts to try to identify who the suspect is, so Furlong is hoping someone in the community would have some information about who this person may be and come forward.

Anyone with information should contact Secret Witness at 775-322-4900 or the Carson City communication center at 775-887-2014. The Sheriff’s Office also has a tip site set up at carson.org/tips. Secret Witness is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the identity, arrest and conviction of the person responsible for these incidents.