Woman admits looting vehicles parked at trailheads

A California woman admitted to being involved with a half-dozen burglaries of vehicles parked at trails last spring.

Carolyn Maxine Brinkman, 33, entered guilty pleas to felony principal to burglary and fraudulent use of a credit card.

The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of up to 14 years at her April 6 sentencing.

Under an agreement, Brinkman’s sentences will run concurrent and she would receive probation without additional jail time.

Brinkman and Harvis Berry, 35, were arrested on May 24, 2020, after the Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the vehicle burglaries May 16-24 at trail heads in Lake Tahoe and at Carson Valley.

Investigators set up surveillance at the Clear Creek Trailhead along Jacks Valley Road and within an hour Brinkman and Harvey turned up and were casing vehicles.

They were stopped with vehicle tools and $6,000 in gift cards. Brinkman and Harvey made $12,000 in charges on the cards, according to court documents.

Berry admitted the same counts in December and faces sentencing on Feb. 14.

District Judge Tod Young told attorneys that in both cases they should be ready to argue why both Berry and Brinkman shouldn’t go to prison.

“This is a lot of crime,” he said.

One of three teens arrested in an October traffic stop admitted to a count of possession of concentrate THC on Tuesday.

Erin Sadzak, 19, faces mandatory probation on the felony, and as part of the agreement will not seek diversion.

Sadzak, Joseph Coleman and a 17-year-old, all from Reno, were pulled over for speeding 2:30 a.m. Oct. 22, 2020.

Deputies found eight pounds of marijuana, 627 ounces of concentrated THC and a handgun in the vehicle.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 30.

A $10,000 warrant stands for the arrest of Leila Skenandore after her attorney said he has not heard from her since she phoned into court the last time.

Skenandore, 49, is denying a charge of felony DUI after her May 8, 2020, arrest. She was told to appear on Tuesday when she was on the phone.

A South Lake Tahoe man admitted to a count of possession of a credit card without the owner’s permission.

Raul Tyler Corral, 38, faces up to four years in prison at his March 30 sentencing after he admitted he had American Express and Best Buy cards when he was arrested on Oct. 30, 2020, at Lake Tahoe.

Corral also faces a fugitive warrant out of South Lake Tahoe Superior Court, where he’ll likely be sent once he’s sentenced here.

A man with a long history of criminal activity in Douglas County admitted to a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

John Daniel Christy, 52, is not eligible for diversion or mandatory probation in connection with his Sept. 23, 2020, arrest.

According to the Nevada Department of Corrections, Christy was paroled in February 2019.

A Reno man is in custody after he was arrested on a warrant issued after he failed to test while out of custody.

Joshua Tyler Steen, 29, had not turned up for testing while awaiting arraignment and failed to show up for court on Tuesday.

Steen waived his preliminary hearing and was released on his own recognizance on a charge of possession of heroin.

Two brothers were arrested on Monday after the vehicle they were in was pulled over at Highway 395 and Ironwood Drive in Minden.

Jesse Terrance Vickers, 41, and Terrence David Vickers, 55, were riding with Desiree Leeanne Payson, 39.

Deputies detained all three after finding an open can of beer in the vehicle, which had a registration that expired in 2017 and no proof of insurance.

A K-9 sniff indicated drugs and all three were taken into custody. A search later found heroin on Payson.

Terrence Vickers was released on his own recognizance. Jesse Vickers remains in custody on a parole hold. He was out of custody in July 2019.