Carson City arrests: Four jailed for drugs following high risk traffic stop

Four were arrested Friday on felony drug charges after Carson City Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team deputies attempted to make a high risk traffic stop when the driver failed to pull over.

Michael Westly Tiehm, 28, Nicole Illise Barkley, 28, Anothony Chappa, 29 and India Michelle Rogers, 30, all of Carson City, each face a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after heroin, methamphetamine, syringes and a pipe were found.

Tiehm, the driver, also faces a misdemeanor charge of failure to yield to a police officer. Barkley also faces a misdemeanor failure to appear warrant.

According to the arrest report, a Carson City Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Team deputy attempted to stop a red Chevy blazer after it had gone through a stop sign without stopping on Valley Road. The SUV was identified as belonging to Tiehm, who has a history of narcotic arrests and was recently released from prison.

When the deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop with flashing lights, the SUV slowed and turned west onto Washington Street and slowly continued westbound toward Stewart Street, failing to stop, the arrest report states.

The SUV passed several safe locations to pull over. The deputy observed the passengers inside the vehicle turning their heads and looking at the patrol vehicle.

The deputy turned on his siren and followed the SUV, attempting to get it to stop. As the SUV approached an intersection, it was forced to stop for congested vehicle traffic at a red light, the arrest report states.

Deputies in the high risk stop gave commands for Tiehm to put the SUV in the park position. Tiehm began yelling “what did I do wrong?” and would not shift the SUV into the park position. Deputies continued the commands with Tiehm who finally complied with the orders at gunpoint. All passengers were removed from the SUV and detained.

A check through dispatch showed Barkley had the confirmed warrant. A deputy used a canine to do an exterior sniff of the SUV and the dog alerted positive for drugs, the arrest report states.

Inside the vehicle deputies found a small clear plastic bag that had dark brown crystalized rocks presumed to be heroin. The baggie was between the center console and the driver’s seat. On the left rear passenger seat where Barkley was sitting, a pill container with dark brown residue and a cotton swab were with heroin were located, the arrest report states.

Under the front passenger seat where Rogers was sitting, a deputy found a black pouch that contained a glass pipe with a burnt bulb that had methamphetamine residue, the arrest report states.

Another small plastic baggie was found with dark brown rocks and multiple uncapped syringes. Throughout the SUV, small clear plastic baggies that are commonly used to hold/sale and transport narcotics were found scattered around, the arrest report states.

Tiehm and Chappa each denied ownership of the baggies with the suspect heroin found near the center console.

Chappa was searched where a deputy found, inside his right pant pocket, small clear plastic baggies that had methamphetamine inside, the report states.

Bail for Tiehm, $4,304. Bail for Barkley, $4,592. Bail for Chappa and Rogers, $3,637 each.

In other arrests:
— A 38-year-old South Lake Tahoe man was arrested early Saturday for felony suspicion of attempted commercial burglary and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

William Jack Phelps was taken into custody at 1:27 a.m. in the 4200 block of South Carson Street.

According to the arrest report, a security guard contacted the sheriff’s office regarding a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of Big Lots, 4215 South Carson Street.

Deputies arrived at the location and found a Jeep occupied by a man who told deputies he was waiting for a friend who was returning merchandise at the shopping center.

The deputy asked if he had anything illegal in vehicle. The driver gave the deputy a piece of burnt tinfoil and said it had been used by him and the suspect to smoke heroin.

Due to the time of call, the deputy found it unusual for the suspect to be returning property to a department store. The deputy asked what they were actually doing. The driver said he gave the suspect a ride to Carson City and that they didn’t have enough gas to return back home in South Lake Tahoe.

The driver said Phelps told him he would take care of it and began digging through trash prior to entering the store.

The driver gave the deputy consent to search the vehicle where inside he found miscellaneous clothing items with tags still attached, and multiple boxes of prenatal and vitamin supplements, the report states.

The driver stated he did not know if the clothing was stolen but stated the boxed vitamins were stolen, the arrest report states.

While searching the vehicle deputies made contact with Phelps inside Ross.

Inside, the man had a large amount of store property in his possession and had not exited yet. He was searched where deputies found a “tooter straw” commonly used to inhale narcotics on him as well as a large amount of store receipts.

Phelps was read his Miranda warning and advised he had been dealing with a heroin addiction for years and has an extensive history with stealing. He admitted the vitamins inside the vehicle were stolen. Based on interviews, possession of receipts, merchandise and possession of drug paraphernalia, he was arrested.

Among the multiple receipts were from the following Carson City stores: Ross, Walmart, JC Penny, Kohl’s and Walgreens with dates from October to Dec. 15.

Also found was a MasterCard that belonged to Phelps. None of the card numbers matched the receipt numbers. Bail: $21,137.

— A 43-year-old Carson City woman was arrested Friday, 8:14, in the 2700 block of Poole Way for misdemeanor suspicion of domestic battery. The woman allegedly hit her husband during an argument. Both had been drinking. The victim was observed to have scratch marks. Bail: $3,137.

— A 59-year-old Carson City woman was arrested Friday, 10:50 p.m. in the area of Proctor and Stewart streets for misdemeanor suspicion of DUI, failure to abide to a traffic signal and failure to maintain a travel lane.

According to the arrest report, a deputy observed a vehicle travel against a solid red light on Musser Street. The deputy activated his emergency lights. The vehicle pulled up onto a curb as it turned east on Proctor.

The deputy contacted the driver, who advised she didn’t believe she had run the red light and was nervous, which was why, she said, she hit the curb.

The officer could smell an odor of alcohol. The woman said she had a vodka cranberry drink and agreed to submit to a field sobriety tests, showing impairment on the tests. She provided a preliminary breath sample of .101 and was arrested. At jail she took an evidentiary blood test. Bail: $1,381.

— A 36-year-old Carson City man was arrested Friday 9:18 p.m. in the area of Carson and 8th streets for misdemeanor suspicion of DUI and failure to maintain a lane of traffic.

According to the arrest report, a deputy saw a sedan leave the travel lane, nearly driving on the sidewalk and then quickly correcting back into the number 2 lane.

The deputy could smell an odor of alcohol on his person. The driver agreed to submit to standardized field sobriety tests and showed impairment on the tests.

He provided a breath sample of .210 on a preliminary breath test and was arrested. At jail he provided evidentiary breath samples of .171 and .168. Bail: $1,224.

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.