Pettigrew
A convicted safe cracker admitted Tuesday that he broke into The Record-Courier on Sept. 17, 2017, and stole the newspaper’s safe.
Dylan Matthew Pettigrew, 45, was the subject of a manhunt after breaking into a home in December 2017. He was caught by the homeowner trying to drill into the man’s safe. He admitted to felony burglary of a business on Tuesday.
He was implicated by DNA found at the scene of The Record Courier break-in which was taken from a bottle of whiskey he left behind.
He is currently serving a three-year prison sentence for burglary, grand larceny and attempted burglary on another charge where he burglarized the Carson Valley home. He’s also been convicted of burglaries in South Lake Tahoe and Carson City.
He could be ordered to serve an additional 1-5 years in prison at sentencing, which is scheduled for Oct. 4.
• A Southern California man denied four counts of drug trafficking Tuesday.
David Henry Wright, 56, was arrested in July with codefendant Sung Lee, 56, during a drug sting conducted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Street Enforcement Team who were working in conjunction with the Tri-Net Task Force and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.
According to court documents, Wright is accused of delivering more than a pound of methamphetamine to the Grant Avenue Walmart for $3,000 transaction.
An additional 2.9 ounces of methamphetamine and a third of an ounce of suspected psilocybin mushrooms was allegedly located in Wright and Lee’s possession. Lee was allegedly found with quarter-ounce of methamphetamine on his person at the time of his arrest.
Both men were booked into Douglas County Jail on charges of felony high level of trafficking a controlled substance, sales of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy to sell or exchange a controlled substance. A trial is set for Sept. 13.
• A woman who attempted to transport 64 pounds of marijuana admitted to the transportation of a controlled substance charge Tuesday.
According to court documents, Xiuru Lin, 46, was originally arrested in August 2021 where she was observed travelling at a speed of 50 mph in a 35-mph zone on Dresslerville Road. During the traffic stop, a deputy noticed a large black bag hidden under a blanket in the front passenger seat. Lin informed the deputy that she was on vacation from Sacramento, travelling to Lake Tahoe and that the bag was just her clothes. After asking If he could check, the deputy located 15 individual plastic bags containing marijuana in the black bag with an additional amount of marijuana in the trunk of the vehicle, totaling to an amount of 64.15 pounds of the controlled substance.
She could face up to 5 years in prison and $10,000 fine at her Nov. 1 sentencing.
A month after her arrest, federal authorities raided an illegal marijuana farm at Cedar Flats.
• A man found with a “ghost gun,” after driving into a ditch admitted to unlawful possession of a firearm Tuesday.
Christopher Kelly Collins, 45, was arrested in April after he collided with a Blue Chevy Pickup near Mottsville Lane. According to court documents, Collins was driving a Ford F-250 when he struck the other driver before ending up in a ditch north of Mottsville. When deputies arrived on scene, Collins said he knew he was going to jail because he had been drinking. A search of Collin’s vehicle led to the finding of a 5.56 MM AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle in the back seat. The rifle had no serial number imprinted on the rifle.
Firearms without imprinted serial numbers are commonly known as “ghost guns,” and usually means the gun was homemade from a kit or parts purchased online. It is illegal to possess and transport components of a “ghost gun” in Nevada.
Collins faces five years in prison at his Oct. 4 sentencing.
• A man who sped away from deputies after a traffic stop and was found with 14-28 grams of fentanyl is ordered to spend his weekends in jail for 6 months.
Travis Benjamin Brantmeyer, 40, admitted to eluding police offers and possession of a controlled substance.
According to prosecutor, Eric Levin, Brantmeyer fled from officers at a speed of at least 80 mph through school zones and ignoring traffic signs.
“I am completely ashamed of my actions,” said Brantmeyer. “Not only were they dangerous, but they were disgraceful and were the result of the insanity of fentanyl.”
District Judge Tod Young told him that his actions were “a complete selfish and disregard for anyone else” before handing down a suspended 3-10 years prison sentence.
Brantmeyer must complete Western Regional Drug Court and report to the Douglas County Jail every weekend to serve out six months in jail as a condition of his probation. He was given credit for five days.
• A man who acted as the look-out in a fraudulent use of a credit card scheme received a suspended sentence Tuesday.
According to court documents, Christopher Monroe Whitehead and codefendants Kyleigh Dykes and Kody Whitehead entered CVS Pharmacy in Stateline in May with an attempt to purchase miscellaneous merchandise with a credit card without the card holder’s permission.
Whitehead has one prior felony conviction and three misdemeanor charges, according to his criminal history that dates back to 2000.
At sentencing he received a suspended 16-48 months in prison with 114 days credit for time served.
