Man accused of cashing stolen checks faces a dozen years

A California man who altered checks he stole from a Gardnerville cluster box faces up to 12 years in prison after he admitted to three counts of uttering a forged instrument.

Anthony Joseph Castro, 26, is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 21 in Douglas County District Court.

The checks were cashed at an area bank May 23-26, 2020, using Castro’s drivers license. He was brought back to Douglas County in May on a warrant issued for his arrest on Sept. 28, 2020.

• A South Lake Tahoe woman who spent 18 months on the lam will be permitted to participate in a drug treatment program but won’t be released from jail until she’s had at least 30 days sober.

Brittanie Leanne Lane, 31, appeared in District Court on Tuesday after she turned herself in on a $50,000 warrant last week.

Lane failed to appear for arraignment in December 2019.

She admitted to one count of possession of a controlled substance for sale in court in connection with alleged sales of 40 grams methamphetamine that occurred May 17-June 4, 2019.

Lane told District Judge Tod Young that she’d used methamphetamine during the time she was missing up to around a week before she turned herself in on July 21.

• A Lyon County man received a suspended 12-36-month sentence for third offense possession of methamphetamine.

Jerady Joseph Smith, 31, was on parole on a possession charge out of Mineral County when he was arrested on April 28.

Smith was paroled in August 2020, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections.

He was stopped after his license plate didn’t match the vehicle he was driving near Charlotte and Highway 395.

According to court documents 5 grams of methamphetamine was found in the vehicle.

• A Sacramento man who gave his brother’s identity when stopped by deputies in Stateline was sentenced to spend 364 days in jail.

Vong Vang, 38, was arrested June 20 in a vehicle that belonged to someone else and contained bolt cutters and a chain with key fobs on it.

Attorney Kristine Brown said there was no property theft associated with the traffic stop and Vang said he is a mobile mechanic.

She said he didn’t actually show identity but gave his brother’s name and birthday.

He admitted to one count of attempted providing identification to avoid prosecution.

Prosecutor Matthew Johnson said that Vang had a long criminal history dating back to 2008, involving fake identities and theft.

Vang was given credit for 36 days time served.