Father of man accused of killing mother in jail

The father of the man accused of killing a Gardnerville mother of four in an accident was arrested Thursday for possession of a stolen vehicle.

Lester Eugene Ball, 45, is the father of Michael Ball, who is being held in Douglas County jail for vehicular homicide.

The elder Ball, a Sacramento resident, came to Minden to visit his son in a 1978 Ford Thunderbird reported stolen on Wednesday morning.

Sgt. Lance Modispacher said the Thunderbird's front license plate appeared to have been moved to the rear. It did not have registration sticker.

Modispacher said Deputy Mark Daigle spotted the car as Ball was driving through Gardnerville on Highway 395.

Daigle reported the plate to sheriff's dispatchers and was told the Thunderbird had been reported stolen on Wednesday.

He followed the Thunderbird to the Holiday Lodge Motel in Minden and found Ball in Room 106, where the younger Ball's girlfriend lives.

Lester Ball is being held in Douglas County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail for possession of a stolen vehicle and stolen property.