Carson man held in kidnap, torture

MINDEN - A Carson City man faces an April 15 hearing on charges he kidnapped a man and tortured him to get drug information.

Stephen Morse, 38, is in Douglas County Jail on $25,000 bail for charges of kidnapping and torture in a November 2002 incident.

Morse was arrested about on March 30 in the 2000 block of Lone Mountain Road in Carson City.

He is charged by the Douglas County District Attorney's Office with a Class A felony for kidnapping in the first degree and five Class B felonies for battery, stalking, coercion and two counts of false imprisonment.

A special investigator for the District Attorney's office became aware of the incident after he began investigating the death of another man at the request of a senator.

Prosecutors allege that Morse confined a man named Brandon Robbins for the purpose of killing him.

Over a three-day period, Morse allegedly broke Robbins' kneecap, stabbed him in the leg with a knife and put a plastic Ziptie around his neck. According to the justice court file, Morse was attempting to get information on Robbins' drug contacts.

An attempt to raise Morse's bail at an April 2 hearing was rejected.

Kidnapping in the first degree is punishable by life without the possibility of parole, life with the possibility of parole beginning after 15 years or a definite term of 40 years with parole eligibility beginning at 15 years.

Morse has prior arrests and convictions for assaults and batteries in Douglas County, Carson City and Lyon County and an arrest by Nevada Highway Patrol for driving under the influence.