Douglas County authorities seek public help in solving Carson Valley burglaries

Douglas County Sheriff's Office investigators are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspects responsible for several burglaries that occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Jan. 15.

The unknown suspects committed burglaries at four separate locations in Douglas County; including a commercial burglary at the Genoa Bar, two burglaries at unoccupied homes in a residential neighborhood in Genoa, and several vehicle burglaries at two local auto repair shops in Gardnerville.

Evidence recovered at the various scenes lead investigators to believe the burglaries are likely related, and were committed by at least two suspects working in conjunction with each other.

Surveillance video obtained from a business adjacent to one of the auto repair shops that was victimized revealed that at approximately 4:17 am on Tuesday, Jan. 15, a male subject is seen walking around a security fence outside the location. The male appears to be checking for an entry point onto the secured property. The male is described as: 20’s to 30’s in age, approx. 5ft-10in to 6ft tall, with a large heavy-set build and brown short-cropped hair. The male is wearing a dark colored jacket and lighter colored pants - possibly jeans.

Surveillance video obtained from the Genoa Bar revealed that at approximately 5:08 am on the same day (Tuesday, Jan. 15), two subjects forced entry into the building. The subjects are seen rummaging around various locations within the building.

One of the subjects in the Genoa Bar burglary appears similar (size and clothing worn) to the subject seen in the area of the vehicle burglaries committed in Gardnerville. The second subject in the Genoa Bar burglary is described as: male, unk age, approx. 5ft-8in to 5ft-11in tall, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, dark colored baseball-style cap, and dark colored pants - possibly jeans.

Property stolen from the various incidents consists of a cash register drawer and portable electronic items.
Investigation into this incident continues, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in developing any suspects or leads. A reward of up to $1,000.00 is available for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division at: (775) 782-9905 or Douglas County Secret Witness at: (775) 78-CRIME (775-782-7463).

— Writer Sgt, Pat Brooks is the administrative sergeant and public information officer for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.