Suspects head for district court in 'drug deal gone bad'

Two men accused by a woman of roughing her up in what she described as 'a drug deal gone bad' face felony charges Monday before District Judge Michael Gibbons.

Jeffrey Reynolds, 35, of Gardnerville, held on $100,000 bail, is charged with robbery, two counts of burglary, second degree attempted kidnapping and possession of stolen property.

Michael Interrante, 34, of Gardnerville, is charged with burglary, second degree attempted kidnapping and possession of stolen property.

The two were arrested Oct. 18 after Amanda Conti, 21, said they stole her backpack and tried to force her into a vehicle because they believed she had taken a global position system to be exchanged for methamphetamine.

Conti testified for several hours Thursday at a preliminary hearing before East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl to determine if there was enough evidence to bind the suspects over to district court for further proceedings.

She said she met Reynolds and Interrante through a friend for whom she delivered methamphetamine.

Conti said she met the men about six weeks before the alleged attempted kidnapping. She agreed to an arrangement where they would give her electronics equipment that she would exchange for methamphetamine from a Carson City source.

The night of the arrest, Conti said, Interrante kicked in the door of an apartment near Rancho Grande Restaurant where the items were being held, loaded them into a car with Reynolds and discovered the missing GPS.

"Jeff opened the door, grabbed my backpack and purse and told me to get in the car," Conti testified. "I told them I wasn't going."

She said Reynolds threw her cellphone on the ground and tried to shove her in the car. She said she was pushed against the door three or four times before she managed to break away.

Deputies said she had red marks on her arms and a bruise on her right side.

Conti said she crossed the highway to Eagle Gas Station, then ran back to Lucky Discount Liquor where her boyfriend called 911 about 10:30 p.m.

As officers were questioning Conti, the pair returned with a third man, but fled when they saw authorities.

Six additional officers arrived for the high-risk traffic stop and the fleeing car was stopped across from Gardnerville Elementary School.

Deputies found several items in the vehicle reported stolen in recent burglaries, including a Bose stereo system that had been ripped out of a recreational vehicle that was ransacked while it was being serviced at Bob's Performance Center.

The manager of the Gardnerville automotive repair center testified that Reynolds worked there less than a month before he was laid off.

The owner of the Bose system identified the speakers and other components recovered in Reynolds' and Interrante's vehicle.

Under questioning by Reynolds' attorney Matthew Ence, Conti said she was addicted to methamphetamine, but was seeking substance abuse treatment at her own expense.

She also said she was facing no charges in Douglas County, nor had she been offered immunity in exchange for her testimony.

Conti originally told authorities she was pregnant based on a home test, but testified Friday when she was examined at a medical center, "they couldn't see anything."