Four held in home invasion

Four men were in Douglas County Jail on $25,000 bail each charged with throwing rocks through an Apollo Drive apartment early Sunday and trying to kick down the door.

Ernesto Alejandro Benitez, 21, of Carson City; Jesus Martinez, 24, of Gardnerville; Pedro Martinez-Ceniceros, 22, of Gardnerville, and Rogelio Nava-Vera of Gardnerville were charged with home invasion.

They also were placed on holds by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

They are to appear in East Fork Justice Court today.

The victim told deputies he was sleeping on a living room couch when two softball-sized rocks came through the window about 5 a.m. He said four men were shouting obscenities and kicking the door, demanding entry.

The men fled and a neighbor who heard the disturbance called 911.

About 20 minutes later, a deputy stopped one of the suspect's vehicles on Toler Avenue near Stodick Park and arrested Benitez and Jesus Martinez, identified as the driver.

The deputy said Martinez appeared intoxicated and his breath-alcohol test registered .152, nearly twice the legal limit of .08. He also was charged with driving under the influence and driving under the influence with blood-alcohol content of .08 or more.

The deputy found three knives in the center console of the vehicle, a knife on the dashboard and a knife in the driver's door compartment.

Two of the men were arrested when they returned to the apartment a few hours later.

A witness to the attempted home invasion called deputies several hours later because she said a woman had threatened her for contacting law enforcement, leading to the arrests.

-- An Indian Hills man was charged early Saturday with domestic battery after a woman said he pinned her down in bed and cut her hair in retaliation for an earlier fight.

Justin Robert Jackson, 29, admitted the accusation, according to reports. But he told deputies that Friday he and the victim were arguing and she pulled out his hair.

According to a woman who witnessed the second attack, Jackson and friend were out drinking. When he arrived at the Vista Grande apartment he shares with the victim, he entered the bedroom where she was asleep, pinned her down by the back of the neck and started cutting her hair.

She grabbed a set of keys from a nightstand and tried to hit him.

The witness accused Jackson of putting the victim in a headlock and attempting to choke her.

Jackson was taken to Douglas County Jail after the witness called 911.

He was allowed to bail out and ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim.

Jackson is to appear in East Fork Justice Court today on a charge of battery that constitutes domestic violence.

-- An 18-year-old Foothill man was charged with reckless driving after Douglas County Undersheriff Paul Howell, who happened to be in a vehicle behind the motorist on Kingsbury Grade on Sunday, reported his erratic driving.

Howell said Jeremy Daniel Bahr-Worley was tailgating a driver in front of him who swerved to the right shoulder to allow Bahr-Worley to pass.

According to Howell, Bahr-Worley weaved in and out of traffic and nearly struck three westbound vehicles. Howell said the suspect crossed the double-yellow line 15 times.

Bahr-Worley turned southbound on Foothill Road and sped in excess of 80 mph, driving in the middle of the road, Howell said.

The suspect turned into a residence on Canyon Creek Lane where he was arrested for reckless driving.

Records show Bahr-Worley has three prior speeding tickets and a citation for failure to obey a traffic control device.

He pleaded not guilty to reckless driving on Monday and is to appear in East Fork Justice Court on Aug. 8. Justice Jim EnEarl told him he cannot drive.

-- An East Valley resident reported a case of animal cruelty after someone shot her cat in the spine with a pellet gun and the animal had to be destroyed.

The 44-year-old Merino Circle resident said the orange-and-white male cat was missing for a couple of days, but returned home on July 22, walking with a limp.

She said she thought the animal had been hit by a car and she left the cat in the garage. The next day, the cat couldn't walk and was dragging himself by his front legs.

She took the animal to a veterinarian who determined that a .177 pellet was lodged in the cat's spine close to its bladder and recommended euthanasia.

Deputies interviewed the woman's neighbors, but have no suspects.

-- The owner of an Industrial Way fabrication business reported that two 50-foot arc-welding cable leads were stolen.

The man said the leads apparently were removed from a portable arc-welding unit parked behind the commercial business.

He valued the stolen items at $250 each and said he believed they were taken for the copper braids which can be recycled at $1 per linear foot.

He said the theft was discovered on July 27 at 8 a.m. and the thief left behind a flashlight, a broken padlock and other items which were collected by the sheriff's department.