Three arrested on felony charges related to burglary of fifth wheel trailer

Three people were arrested Thursday, each facing felony charges related to a burglary that happened at the site of a fifth wheel travel trailer located off of Brunswick Canyon, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

Arrested were Michelle Rene Salas, 40, Danielle Marie Abella, 33, each facing charges of burglary and possession of stolen property, and Brandon Arlo Johnson, 35, who was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property.

According to the arrest report, the victim contacted the sheriff’s office at 9:49 a.m. advising that on or around Sept. 16, she returned to the area where her travel trailer was located and found Abella and Johnson inside. The couple had packed up the victim's belongings inside and were attempting to steal them.

The victim said she confronted the couple. Before they left they told the victim that another female, Michelle Salas, was in possession of the victim’s generator and that she was living at a motel.

The victim told officers she contacted Salas and her boyfriend at the motel. Once contacted, the couple told the victim that Abella and Salas had taken the victim’s belongings from the trailer when she wasn’t around. Salas told the victim that she had pawned the generator for $60, the arrest report states. The victim said she had tried to retrieve her belongings without help from law enforcement was unable to do so.

Later, officers contacted Abella, Johnson and Salas and another man at the motel. The officer read all the subjects their Miranda rights at which time they all agreed to talk. Salas attempted to minimize here involvement but finally admitted to having gone to the victim’s trailer with Abella, taking many items including the generator.

Salas admitted to having pawned the item at the local pawnshop for $60. Salas said the two went to the victim’s trailer when she wasn’t present. After collecting the items, Johnson used Abella’s truck to transport them to their camp side. Salas was under the impression that Johnson and Abella still had some of the victim’s belongings, the arrest report states. The fourth person denied any involvement in the theft but he admitted to having known that the stuff was stolen. He was arrested on an unrelated charge.

Officers then spoke to Abella and Johnson and they too admitted to having collected the victim’s belongings from the trailer. Abella then volunteered to turn some of the belongings back. There were several items, including a chair, tool box, plastic tub and a small ladder. The victim arrived at the scene and identified the items as being hers.

Officers went to the trailer off of Brunswick and photographed damages to the side door, which had been pried open. The trailer was destroyed and many of the woman’s belonging were thrown inside and outside the trailer. The victim said when she left the fifth wheel, none of the damages had been inflicted and was devastated by what she had saw.

The officer recovered the stolen generator at a pawnshop and released it to the woman. Many other items listed as stolen were not recovered. Salas and Abella each face charges of felony burglary and possession of stolen property. Bail: $10,000 each. Johnson faces a felony charge of possession of stolen property. Bail: $5,000.

In other arrests:
— A 40-year-old Reno woman, Alida Rios, was arrested Thursday, 8:40 p.m. in the area of Monte Rosa and Stanton on suspicion of felony possession of methamphetamine and sales of a controlled substance.

The woman was stopped by a Carson City Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team officer for a moving violation, failure to stop at an intersection as required. The vehicle had been observed earlier in an area known for drug activity, the arrest report states.

Rios was asked if she had anything illegal in the vehicle, which was occupied by three others. The woman said “legal” to the officer five times while looking at the vehicle. The officer said he didn’t care if the vehicle was legal, he wanted to know if there were illegal drugs, guns or stolen property, the arrest report states.

The woman replied “no.” the officer informed the woman he had a police service dog trained to sniff the outside of the vehicle to identify drugs. The K9, Ivo, gave two positive alerts to the driver’s side of the vehicle. Officers conducted a search and located a black digital scale with white residue, and numerous small plastic bags with white residue, all testing positive for methamphetamine.

The amount of baggies, size of baggies, the scale with the baggies and specific design on each baggie was consistent with the sales of meth. Rios faces the following charges: Possession of methamphetamine, sales of a controlled substance, both felonies, and misdemeanor driving on a suspended license and not stopping at a stop sign. Bail: $8,040.

— A 27-year-old Carson City man, Andrew James Davis, was booked into Carson City Jail on Thursday for a felony warrant, three counts uttering a forged instrument, with an order to book and release. The warrant was issued Sept. 30, 2014 out of Carson City Justice Court.

— A 41-year-old Carson City man, Nolan Early Smith Jr., was arrested Thursday, 11:20 a.m. in the 1400 block of North Carson Street on felony suspicion of possession of a dangerous drug without a prescription. Bail: $2,687.

— A 34-year-old transient, Kevin Beard, was arrested Thursday in the area of Montarosa and Stanton. Officer made contact with the man, conducting a frisk for weapons. Found was a work badge with a small clear plastic bag with meth inside. Bail: $2,500.

— A 53-year-old man was arrested Friday, 2:55 a.m. at a casino in the 500 block of North Carson Street on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. The intoxicated man was ordered to leave the casino several times after vomiting and becoming belligerent with security. The man was arrested. A preliminary breath test showed .278. Bail: $242.

— An 18-year-old Carson City woman was arrested Thursday, 1 p.m. in the 4000 block of Village Drive on a misdemeanor warrant issued August 27, 2014 out of Douglas County.

Those arrested and facing criminal charges are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.