Alleged burglar's night revealed by his snow tracks

Footprints, not fingerprints, were used to trace 19-year-old Christopher J. Montgomery's alleged night of burglary in the Gardnerville Ranchos on Dec. 21.

By tracking Montgomery's prints in the snow, Douglas County Sheriff's deputies were able to link him to three vehicle burglaries.

About 11:40 p.m. on Kimmerling Road in the Ranchos, a Douglas County sheriff's deputy observed a suspicious looking man. Two vehicle burglaries in the area that night had already been reported.

Additionally, on Sunday, deputies located two other vehicles burglarized the same night. The owners of these two vehicles "positively identified items Montgomery had in possession as being theirs," according to the report.

Police suspect Montgomery of allegedly breaking into five vehicles, if not more.

Montgomery is being charged by the Douglas County district attorney's office for three counts of burglary, each class B felonies, punishable by one-to-20 years in prison.

"We're charging him with the most serious charges," Deputy District Attorney Kristine Brown said.

Montgomery, whose attorney is Tod Young, is being held on $103,000 bail at Douglas County Jail in Minden. His preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Jan. 2.

Deputies arrested Montgomery after a foot chase through the Ranchos that ended when a deputy tackled him in the front yard of a James Street home.

Police reports say they tracked the crime by following footprints in the snow.

"I could see that he had approached nearly every vehicle that was parked in a driveway near the street and attempted to open the passenger and driver's side doors," said Deputy Robert Hanifan in his report.

Deputies found items on Montgomery and strewn along the path he ran, including three AAA cards, "American Crew" perfume, sunglasses, a tire-pressure gauge, a baseball glove, Stetson cologne, breath mints and many other items.

"Montgomery had property and money in his possession that I believe to have been stolen, in excess of $250," Hanifan said in his report. "Montgomery also had a flashlight and screwdriver I believe he used as tools to assist him in committing the burglary."

After his arrest, Montgomery told Hanifan he had left the Dresslerville Colony on foot to purchase a $25 phone card at the Tillman 7-Eleven.

He said he did not mean to run from Hanifan, but he was scared.