Carson City arrests: Woman allegedly used fake ID, cards to withdrawal money from banks

A 35-year-old woman was arrested Monday for felony fraud and other charges after allegedly attempting to pull money from bank accounts that were not hers, a Carson City sheriff's report states.

Melissa Rae Johnson, listed as being from Georgia, was arrested at Bank of America on William Street after deputies were alerted Monday afternoon she was trying to withdrawal money from the bank, and was flagged for doing the same from banks in Reno. She was booked for the following felony charges: Suspicion of identifying information of another person, obtaining money and using personal information of another, possession of a fraudulent credit card, possession of false identification, attempting to obtain money by false pretenses, attempted grand larceny and burglary.

According to the arrest report, deputies were dispatched to the bank in the 600 block of East William Street in reference to a fraud report. According to dispatch a female suspect was trying to get money from an account that wasn't hers. Dispatch was advised the woman had attempted to withdrawal $6,500 from a Reno bank earlier in the day.

Upon arrival a deputy met with the branch manager who advised the suspect was still at the counter. The deputy made contact with the suspect and asked her to speak. The woman provided a Georgia driver's license with a name and said she was trying to get her banking in order. She provided the deputy a name of the account for which she was attempting to obtain money, the arrest report states.

The deputy observed that the woman appeared nervous. He asked where she currently lived and what brought her to the area. She said she came here with her family for a "balloon show," the report states.

The deputy asked the woman if he could look through her purse, which she gave consent. While looking deputies located a note book from a hotel that had a name and phone number, date of birth, social security number and address written on it. She said she was going to cash a personal check from her grandmother but then realized she did not have it.

A detective arrived on scene and began to speak with the woman. While waiting to speak to the teller, the bank manager said the branch was alerted the suspect had tried to withdrawal money from at least five banks in Reno. The teller stated she saw the suspect walk through the back door and put her hair in a bun. The teller said she recognized the suspect from a "be on the lookout" descriptor from the Reno Bank fo America that had been sent out, the report states.

The teller said the suspect told her she had the wrong card and then gave her a Discover card. She told the teller she wanted to check out her account balance and make a withdrawal and provided a New Jersey license with a name, according to the arrest report.

Deputies spoke with the suspect again, and asked for the other identification she had on her. She denied having another ID. She asked the officers if she was in trouble. A detective advised the woman of her Miranda warning. She provided officers with a New Jersey license along with the Discover credit card which she said was not real, the report states.

The woman said she came with a friend driving in a black Ford Taurus with California license plates, who was parked at a nearby grocery store. Deputies could not locate the vehicle. The woman said her friend gave her the ID and the Discover card. She was taken into custody on the charges. Bail: $100,000.

In other arrests:
— A 19-year-old Carson City man was arrested Monday for two contempt of court warrants, driving with a suspended license and driving with suspended registration. Bail: $1,505.

— 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.