Carson City sheriff’s log: Man admits to stealing purse, uses credit card to buy merchandise

A 50-year-old Carson City man was arrested Wednesday on felony burglary and fraud charges after allegedly stealing a woman’s purse from her car and using a credit card at Walmart to obtain merchandise, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

Eric Weber was booked into Carson City Jail on $25,000 bail. According to the arrest report, the vehicle burglary happened July 12 in the 300 block of Corbett Street.

The suspect then allegedly went into Walmart and used the victim’s credit card to buy $252 in goods. Video footage and pictures of the suspect were obtained. During the course of the investigation, investigators learned the identity of the suspect, according to the arrest report.

On Wednesday, deputies located Weber riding a bicycle in the 1700 block of North Carson Street and placed him into custody. After the suspect his Miranda Rights, Weber spoke with the officer and admitted to breaking into the vehicle and stealing the purse, cigarettes and change. He admitted to using a credit card that was not in his name at Walmart, stating the card was given to him by another man. He admitted he knew the credit card was stolen at the time he used it.

In other arrests: A 41-year-old woman, Carolyn Marie LaPlaunt, was booked into jail Thursday, 8:18 a.m. on a felony warrant, uttering a forged instrument to commit fraud, issued June 15, 2015 out of Carson City Justice Court. Bail: $7,500.

— A 23-year-old Carson City woman, Aprille Lynn Knight, was arrested Thursday, 5:11 p.m. in the 2000 block of North Carson Street on felony drug charges. According to the arrest report, a Carson City Sheriff’s Office deputy asked for identification of Knight who gave him two false names and dates of birth. Dispatch was unable to provide a match. Inside the woman’s purse was an identification with Knight’s name and date of birth. She had a confirmed warrant issued June 24, 2015 with a $2,500 bondable bail. She was placed into custody and taken to jail.

Also located in the purse was a prescription bottle that contained seven Lorazapam tablets. The medication was prescribed to another woman living in Reno. The woman was contacted and stated that her purse had been stolen about three months ago from her front porch and that’s likely how Knight obtained the pills and information. The woman stated she never allowed Knight to fill prescriptions under her name and completed a statement. Knight was jailed on felony charges of possession of a prescription pill without a prescription, providing false information to avoid prosecution and a misdemeanor warrant charge of contempt of court. Bail: $20,000.

— A 37-year-old Las Vegas man, Ian Michael Simmons, was booked into jail Thursday, 12:01 p.m. on a felony fugitive from justice warrant issued March 8, 2015 out of the 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Dade County, Florida. Bail: $10,000.

— A 48-year-old Carson City man was arrested Friday, 12:52 a.m. in the area of 20 College Parkway on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. According to the arrest report, the suspect and the victim were arguing and a drink was spilled. The suspect became mad at the victim, who tried to flee down the hall. The victim told officers the man grabbed and pinned her against the couch, and punched her three or four times with a closed fist. This caused a bruise on the left shoulder and she advised she was also hit on the left side of her head.
Deputies spoke with the suspect who advised during the argument the woman threw a drink in his face and began to run down the hall. The man said he held the woman by the arms and and told her to “knock it off” and then locked himself in the bathroom. Officers observed bruises on the victim’s left shoulder and an area that appeared red on her face. Bail: $3,137.

— A 40-year-old Carson City man was arrested Thursday, 5:42 p.m. in the area of Fifth and Stewart streets on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI following a vehicle crash. According to the arrest report, deputies were dispatched to the intersection of Fifth and Stewart streets for a traffic collision. A reporting witness told dispatch one of the drivers had been drinking alcohol and fled the scene.
The driver who had fled had returned when deputies arrived. The suspect smelled strongly of alcohol and said he was leaving a South Carson Street bar when he was being tailgated by another driver. The suspect told the deputy the driver was “riding on my ass so I jammed on the brakes,” the arrest report states.
The officer asked the suspect why he left the scene. He told the officer he considered running but instead decided to call his wife and return. The officer asked the man if he had been drinking. He said he had been drinking but could not estimate how much.

The deputy asked the man if he would participate in field sobriety tests. The man told the deputy “I’d rather not. I’m f***ed up anyway,” the arrest report states. The officer tried to explain to him that the tests were for his benefit to demonstrate if he was not impaired. The suspect said “no thank you,” the arrest report states.

He was asked to submit to a preliminary breath test. He submitted to a sample with a .213 breath alcohol content, the arrest report states. He was taken to jail and gave consent for a blood draw. Bail: $1,219.

— A 20-year-old Carson City man was arrested Thursday, 2:21 p.m. in the 2700 block of Highway 50 East, on suspicion of petit larceny and possession of drug paraphernalia. The man allegedly shoplifted two large 750ml bottles of whiskey from a store shelf and concealed them in a computer bag he had brought into the store. The man then went to the cash register and paid for a small bottle of juice and attempted to leave without paying for the whiskey. He was arrested for shoplifting. During a search of the bag, officers located a blue glass smoking devise with residue inside. Bail: $1,489.

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.