Two people were arrested in Reno early Wednesday morning and face multiple felony charges after being found driving a car stolen from Carson City, the Nevada Highway Patrol reports.
Arrested were Samuel Phompadith, 31, and Jennifer Violet Peters, 30. Both are from Reno. The 1993 Honda Civic they had been driving had been originally reported stolen by the owner earlier this month to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office, said NHP Trooper Chuck Allen.
The Carson City Sheriff's Office was immediately contacted about the recovery this morning and notified the owner of its location at the designated towing company in Reno.
Here is a press release regarding the arrests:
Occupants of Stolen Vehicle in Reno Charged with Multiple Felony Charges
This morning at approximately 2:30 am, a trooper with the Nevada Highway Patrol requested a registration check of a license plate displayed on a primer grey colored Honda Civic traveling north on S. Virginia Street near Gentry Way in Reno. While waiting for the vehicle’s information to return from the DPS dispatcher, he saw the Honda turn left where it entered the property of the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino. Shortly thereafter, the information returned indicating the vehicle had been recently stolen from Carson City. The trooper briefly lost sight of the sedan as it entered one of the levels of the parking garage of the hotel and casino property. Other troopers in the area were listening to the status of the call and began to make their way to the area and assist.
The vehicle was soon located and abandoned in one of the parking spaces in the garage and the property’s security personnel were contacted and met with troopers near the vehicle. With the aid of the security cameras, the security detail advised the troopers three occupants had exited the stolen car; two males and one female. The security team was able to identify and locate one of the males and the female minutes later inside the gaming area of the casino and detained both of them. The third subject was never located.
The male subject, identified as 31-year-old Samuel Phompadith of Reno, was carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol concealed in a shoulder holster. Troopers learned he was a convicted felon and also had an active misdemeanor warrant issued by the Reno Justice Court for not having a valid driver’s license. He was taken into custody and charged with driving a stolen vehicle, being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon, and the traffic warrant. His total bail is 27,687 dollars and he is in custody at the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office-Detention Facility.
The female accompanying Phompadith was also arrested and identified as 30-year-old Jennifer Violet Peters of Reno. She had just over 19 grams of methamphetamine on her person along with drug packaging materials and other drug paraphernalia in her purse. Her criminal charges included possession of a stolen vehicle and several drug-related offenses. Because one of the drug charges included trafficking, she is being held at the Washoe County Detention Facility without bail.
The 1993 Honda Civic had been originally reported stolen by the owner earlier this month to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office. The agency was immediately contacted about the recovery this morning and notified the owner of its location at the designated towing company in Reno.