Holiday package thieves sent to jail

Two women were sentenced Monday to 30 days in jail each for fraudulent use of a debit card in connection with the theft of packages off porches in Carson Valley and Reno just before Christmas.

District Judge Michael Gibbons sentenced roommates Evelyn Aceves, 34, and Alisha Ezell, 40, to one month in Douglas County Jail, and ordered the women to pay a total of $350 restitution for stolen gift cards and other items.

The women were arrested after they tried to use gift cards at Walmart in December in Douglas County that were reported stolen by a Reno woman.

Gibbons considered the charge a gross misdemeanor in sentencing the woman. He said some punishment was deserved because the case was well-thought out and either defendant could have backed out.

He said jail time was the best answer, but acknowledged the fact that the women have several minor children at their home.

"It doesn't outweigh the need for jail time, but mitigates the amount," he said.

Ezell opted to serve 30 days straight while Aceves will be jailed on weekends.

Lawyer Tod Young, representing Ezell, asked that she be sentenced to a gross misdemeanor. He said she was having trouble finding work and wanted to earn a certified nursing license.

"To felonize her would make it much more difficult to find work," he said.

"The court is treating this as a gross misdemeanor because of your ages and lack of criminal records," Gibbons said.

He also ordered the women to perform 100 hours of community service.

Gibbons set a Dec. 14 review date.

Ezell claimed she bought the two $100 gift cards from a woman she identified as "Michelle." No other defendants were prosecuted.

The women were identified after Douglas County Sheriff's Investigator Greg Rooney watched store video surveillance showing the women using stolen gift cards at Walmart.

Rooney was investigating the thefts of packages off front porches shortly after delivery by UPS and Federal Express in December and January.

"There has to be some sort of punishment. This is a serious incident. If you go on somebody's front porch, it's only a step away from going in somebody's house," Gibbons said. "The timing has significance, too. The victims expected to enjoy Christmas with their families. Instead, they had to deal with this."

A half-dozen thefts occurred in Douglas County and others were reported in Carson City and Reno.

No charges were filed in other jurisdictions.

A Reno victim sent Rooney a video of one of the suspects removing a package from her front porch.

During an interview with the women, Rooney reportedly received a full confession from both of them detailing their involvement in several of the thefts.

Items taken in Douglas County included a vehicle ladder rack, a child's pedal car, holiday gift cards, clothes, toys, books, and a Christmas wreath. The value of the items stolen was estimated at about $2,500.

According to reports, the women said they took the items because they were short money for Christmas gifts.

Aceves also reportedly took dog and cat food from a porch in Johnson Lane.

Since the women were not charged in the thefts of the other items in the plea agreement, they weren't required to make additional restitution.

According to Rooney, none of the stolen items was recovered.