Carson City arrests: Man jailed said he used stolen Social Security number found on black market

A 41-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for felony suspicion of unlawful use of a Social Security number after the victim was informed it was already being used, a Carson City sheriff's deputy said.

Jose Luis Garcia of Reno was taken into custody at 1:10 p.m. According to the arrest report, a sheriff's deputy on Tuesday spoke with a person who said they were the victim of fraud by someone else using her Social Security number.

The victim said she applied for a Medicaid card in Reno on August 12 and was told someone was using her Social Security number and was employed at a Carson City tire store. The deputy contacted the man who claimed he did not have a Social Security number and was not using someone else's number, the report states.

The deputy contacted the owner of the company who said it is required that all employees provide a Social Security number and State ID number. The suspect was on the payroll prior to when the company came under new ownership in 2019 and had been working at the Reno store, the arrest report states. After opening the Carson City store, the owner transferred the employment records and said that the Social Security number was provided when Garcia was hired, the report states.

A second deputy arrived on scene. Garcia was Mirandized and he invoked his rights, however, he spontaneously said he had obtained the Social Security number from the black market in Las Vegas several years ago from a subject he did not want to name, the arrest report states.

He said he began working for the tire company in Reno, then moved to the Carson City location in May 2019. He said he knew it was wrong to use the number, but did not realize the consequences. He was not asked any questions and his statement was voluntary, the arrest report states. Garcia was booked for felony suspicion of unlawful use of a Social Security number. Bail: $10,000.

In other arrests:
— A 27-year-old Carson City man, Sean O'Neal Harrison Jr., was arrested Wednesday in the 500 block of East William Street for suspicion of felony embezzlement.

According to the arrest report, a deputy who was on an unrelated call at a grocery store in the 500 block of William Street was approached by a loss prevention manager who advised he currently was in the process of obtaining a statement from an employee in regards to the employee admitting to stealing money and other items from the store.

The manager stated he caught Harrison stealing money from one of the cash register on August 12 and said Harrison admitted to stealing money, beverages and candy from the store.

The manager informed the officer that he placed Harrison at a terminal on August 12 to be the only employee logged on the terminal to confirm it was the employee stealing money. The manager stated Harrison was in his office completing a written statement regarding the incident, the arrest report states.

The manager stated he wished to pursue charges against Harrison on behalf of the grocery store.

The deputy made contact with Harrison. Before being questioned, the officer advised he was not under arrest and that he could stop the interview at anytime and he was free to leave whenever he pleased. He stated he understood and said he would speak, the arrest report states.

Harrison stated he had worked at the grocery store for at least 8 months. He said he had stolen between $1,500 to $2,000 in the last two months from the store, the arrest report states. Harrison advised he stole the money due to not being able to afford his bills. He said he had also stolen products from the store such as energy drinks and candy, the report states.

Harrison told the deputy he initially started stealing $20 to $40 at a time. He stated the largest amount of money he had stolen was $150. He completed a written statement for the grocery store manager. The deputy asked if he could read the statement. Harrison gave the deputy permission to read the statement.

In the statement, Harrison wrote that he stole items because he did not have enough time during his break to stand in line to purchase the items. He wrote that he stole the money because he did not have enough money to pay his rent. He apologized for his actions in the statement. He wrote in his statement that he would like to keep his job and is willing to repay the money stolen. The officer asked if he could make a copy of the written statement. Harrison agreed, according to the arrest report.

The store manager provided an information report from multiple dates between July 16, 2019 through August 13, 2019. He said the report shows the operator, the cash register and the amount of money the cash register is short at the end of the day. The manager said each cashier begins the day with the same amount of cash. The manager informed the deputy of Harrison's employee number and the amount of cash the register was short at the end of the shift.

On July 16, the register was short $147.14; July 26, $348.28; July 27, $319.13; July 28, $251.44; July 29, $136.61 and August 13, $113.30, the arrest report states.

Because he was entrusted with the money inside the cash register and his admission to stealing money from his employer for his own use, the manager completed a citizens arrest form on Harrison for the charge of embezzlement on the grocery store's behalf. Harrison was arrested for suspicion of felony embezzlement, ($650 to $3,500). Bail: $10,000.

— A 58-year-old Carson City man was arrested early Thursday, 3:03 a.m. in the 300 block of South Carson Meadows for gross misdemeanor injury or tampering with a vehicle and misdemeanor destruction of private property.

According to the arrest report, deputies were called to the area regarding shots fired in the area. Deputies arrived on scene and found a white Ford pickup with the passenger window broken out, a large impact point in the center of the windshield, the driver and passenger windows broken out, the driver side headlight broken and all four tired which had been deflated.

A reporting party (RP) stated he did not see anything but only heard 4 to 5 shots being fired and then glass breaking. The RP stated the only person out front at the time he heard the noise was a man, who was later identified as the suspect.

Deputies collect evidence and went to the apartment where the suspect lived. Deputies detained him and read him his Miranda rights. The suspect had blood dripping from his hand, the report states.
The deputies informed him of the situation and that a witness had stated that they saw him in the area of the time of the incident.

The suspect denied knowing anything about the incident. When asked what happened to his hand he stated he had smashed it in the door and cut his fingers. A deputy took a closer look at the cuts on his hand and noticed a small shimmering piece of glass still imbedded in the cut, the report states.

Deputies then trace blood from the doorway of the man's apartment to the front parking lot where the incident took place, the report states. There was a blood trail leading from the front door in the kitchen into the bathroom. There was blood on the toilet and sink as well as the kitchen counter.

A deputy told the man to be truthful about what happened. After denying knowledge of the incident several times, he admitted to breaking the windows of the truck. He stated he had been bullied around the complex recently and was angry and stated the only way he could get back at the person was by breaking his windows, the report states.

The deputy asked the suspect how he broke the windows. The man stated he did with his fists. A deputy asked the man if he popped the tires on the truck. He denied having done so, the arrest report stated.

After hearing the man's confession to the vehicle damage, deputies informed dispatch the man would be placed into custody. He was treated for the cuts and taken to jail. Bail: $3,137.

— A 59-year-old Carson City man was booked into jail on two misdemeanor warrants issued August 5 and August 9, by Carson City Justice Court. Bail: $2,000.

— 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.