Three arrested in South Lake Tahoe on gun and theft charges

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Three local residents were arrested on March 9 on various gun and theft charges after being found asleep in a vehicle on the grounds of Lake Tahoe Christian Fellowship.

At approximately 7:10 a.m., an alert officer from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) located a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of the church located at 3580 Blackwood Avenue. The vehicle was occupied by two men and a woman, all who appeared to be sleeping.

As the officer made contact with the trio, the occupants started to act suspiciously, according to SLTPD. They said they appeared to be trying to hide items in the vehicle so they were removed from the car and a search began.

In the vehicle, SLTPD said in a press release that two loaded firearms were located, one of the firearms, a Glock 27, 40 mm handgun, had the serial number tampered with and was unreadable. The second handgun, Ruger 9mm, had the serial number removed. A further search located nine debit and credit cards belonging to different people, and a driver’s license not belonging to any of the occupants, police said.

During the investigation, two different victims called police dispatch to report thefts from various vehicles.

SLTPD arrested the three occupants of the vehicle, all South Lake Tahoe residents, for alleged crimes.

The driver, Destanee Milligan, 23, was arrested on felony charges of a concealed weapon in a vehicle, altering a firearm, possession of stolen property, violation of probation and enhancements. Her bail was set at $92,500.

Avery Ellis, 18. was arrested and booked on felony charges of a concealed weapon in a vehicle and altering a firearm, and misdemeanor charges of possession of stolen property and false identification to a police officer. His bail was set at $64,000.

Shaheed Brown, 23, was arrested for a concealed weapon in a vehicle and altering a firearm, both felonies and misdemeanor possession of stolen property. His bail was set at $62,000.

At this time, all three remain in the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe.

This is still an active investigation to attempt to locate all the victims from what SLTPD is calling a "potential theft spree." If you, or someone you know, was a victim of theft during the overnight hours on March 8 - March 9, please contact SLTPD at (530) 542-6100.