Two jailed: Carson City deputies recover stolen checks, cards, forgery equipment and drugs

Two men were arrested early Saturday after a vehicle search at a casino parking lot led to the recovery of drugs, stolen credit cards and checks, as well as equipment to manufacture fake driver’s licenses, identification and Social Security cards, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

Ray Brashears, 31 and listed as a transient, was booked into jail on suspicion of being in possession of a forgery laboratory, possession of forgery instruments, unlawful use of identification, check forgery and possession of a schedule 1 controlled substance, methamphetamine, all felonies. He also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of stolen property, drug paraphernalia and less than an ounce of marijuana.

Also arrested was August Anderson, 45, of South Lake Tahoe. He was booked on suspicion of felony trafficking methamphetamine and misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

According to the arrest report, the men were in a casino parking lot in the 3800 block of South Carson Street. Security had asked the men to leave and when they didn’t, they called the sheriff’s office to have them trespassed.

Deputies were dispatched to the casino at 2:06 a.m. and spoke with Brashears who was in the back seat and Anderson, who was in the driver’s seat. Dispatch advised the Social Security number provided by Brashears did not match his name and date of birth.

The number did match a warrant out of Clark County. He was asked to step out of the car so he could explain why he gave incorrect information. While attempting to climb out from the back seat, a deputy saw him pulling out items from his pocket and putting them behind the front passenger seat, the arrest report states. The officer asked the man what he put behind the seat. Brashears replied it was methamphetamine. Due to the circumstance, both men were detained.

Brashears told the officer that he had once used a false Social Security number and that is why it was matching the warrant but not the matching name. The deputy confirmed the man’s identity using physical descriptors given by dispatch, the report states.

Due to Brashears admitting to having drugs in the vehicle, a deputy and K9 partner, Tarazan, arrived at the location. The dog provided a positive alert for drugs during an exterior sniff of the car. During a search of the vehicle, deputies recovered the following items:
— 1 gram of methamphetamine behind the front passenger seat in a medicine bottle.
— 6 grams marijuana in the center console near the driver’s seat.
— 16 grams of marijuana in an accordion folder.
— 7 grams of methamphetamine under the driver’s seat.
— Glass methamphetamine pipe under the steering wheel.
— 4 syringes throughout the car.
— 9 checks owned and paid to unrelated persons
— 1 paper copy of a check, owned and paid to unrelated persons
— 9 credit cards, owned by unrelated persons
— 1 passport, owned by an unrelated person with its picture missing
— 1 California driver’s license owned by an unrelated person
— 13 fake driver’s licenses, printed on gloss paper with the suspect’s picture
— A fake passport picture
— A black book containing Social Security numbers and bank information of multiple persons. Brashears name was on the book
— Two registration stickers, owned by unrelated persons with 2017 registration.
— Miscellaneous paperwork containing bank information, Social Security information and credit information for multiple persons
— A Dell laptop
— Canon printer
— Gloss printer paper used for printing fake driver’s licenses
— Paper cutter with ruler, with a fake driver’s license still located in the device
— A ruler, utility knife and a Social Security card with all information erased

The 1 gram of meth was from Brashears right shorts pocket and was located in a prescription pill bottle. The 16 grams of marijuana was in a clear plastic bag in an accordion file, which also had Brashears black book and fake driver’s license inside. The 7 grams of methamphetamine and 6 grams of marijuana were both within reaching distance of the driver’s seat where Anderson was seated, the arrest report states.

The black book, which was located in the accordion file, had multiple names and Social Security numbers inside. Much of the information in the book matched the information on the checks and bank accounts, according to the arrest report.

After finding the listed items, both men were taken into custody. A deputy contacted one of the check owners to ask if she had given checks to Brashears. The check owner said she did not and said that a particular $50 check was meant for a fundraiser, according to the arrest report. The victim also said she was alerted by her credit report company that someone had recently attempted to open a new credit card using her information.

A deputy spoke with Brashears in the Carson City Sheriff’s Office interview room, reading him his Miranda rights in which he understood and agreed to speak. The officer informed him of the checks, credit cards, equipment to make fake identifications and checks, drugs and paraphernalia. He admitted that he was producing the fake identifications and checks by himself and that Anderson was not involved, the arrest report states.

Brashears was asked about the checks that belonged to other people. He said he was trying to cash them at different stores. He was asked about the checks that had names erased. He admitted to erasing names and putting his name on one of the names on a fake identification in an attempt to cash them. He was asked if he cashed any of the checks in Carson City. He said he had cashed a couple around town but could not remember where. He noted that Walmart was “smart” and would not cash the stolen checks, the arrest report states.

Bail for Brashears, $100,000. Bail for Anderson, $20,000.

In other arrests:
— A 23-year-old Carson City woman, Felicity Campbell, was arrested at 10:11 p.m. in the 3400 block of Airport Road on felony suspicion of child endangerment and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. According to the arrest report deputies were called to the area in reference to possible drug activity.

Carson City Special Enforcement Team units received anonymous information there was unusual foot traffic at all hours of the night and a strong odor of marijuana coming from one of the apartments, the arrest report states.

On scene deputies found five people standing outside the apartment. A deputy contacted Campbell who said she lived with her boyfriend who was one of the men outside. He was later arrested on warrants. A deputy asked if he could speak with her in private and inside the apartment and she stated yes.

Once inside, she walked a deputy to her bedroom to talk because, she said, family members were sleeping and she did not want to wake them up, the arrest report states. In her bedroom the woman quickly jumped over trash that was on the ground and grabbed a gray metal pipe and tucked it under the bed sheet, the arrest report states. The officer told her he saw the pipe and she handed it over.

Inside the bedroom there was a 4-year-old girl sleeping on the floor in between piles of trash, open whiskey bottles, beer cans and old food scattered throughout the bedroom. There was piles of dirty clothing on the floor. The coverage was to the point where the officer could not identify the color of the carpet. The kitchen and living room had dirty plates and trash scattered everywhere, the bathroom was dirty with hair clippings in the sink which clogged the drain with stale water. The toilet bowl was brown with mold and the shower was a dirty brown color where it was normally supposed to be white in color, the report states.

Campbell said she had an open cases with Child Protective services after her daughter had been found outside the home without supervision numerous times and that the girl nearly fell out of a second story window of the bedroom, the arrest report states.

She told officers she uses marijuana and alcohol regularly and does not have a job. She was unable to provide her daughter’s date of birth, Social Security number and any information. The officer called CPS and a case worker arrived on scene. She was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia. Bail: $3,637.

The woman’s boyfriend, Brent Threet, was arrested on a felony warrant alleging attempted burglary, suspicion of probation violation and a misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear. He’s being held without bail in lieu of a hearing.

— A 33-year-old Carson City man was arrested Friday, 10:09 p.m. in the 3400 block of Airport Road on gross misdemeanor suspicion of possession of marijuana, third offense, and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia. Bail: $2,500.

— A 31-year-old Carson City man was arrested Saturday, 1:58 a.m. near the area of Fairview Drive and East Fifth Avenue on misdemeanor suspicion of DUI. Bail: $1,137.

All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.