SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – A van stolen from the Al Tahoe neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday night was recovered in Carson City Wednesday after the owner spotted it in the parking lot of a sporting goods store.
Samuel Strachen, 26, was arrested in the 1400 block of S. Carson Street after allegedly stealing a South Lake Tahoe man’s van, driving to Carson, then walking into a sporting goods store and stealing weapons.
According to the arrest report and CarsonNow, Strachen was arrested after deputies were dispatched Wednesday just after 1:30 p.m. on a report of a stolen vehicle, with the suspect running from the vehicle when confronted by the owner.
On arrival, deputies began searching for the suspect, who was described as 6’1” and wearing a green hoodie. One deputy advised on the radio that the suspect was running east through Carson Mall.
A sergeant saw the man, later identified as Strachen, and put him at taser point. They ordered Strachen to the ground and placed him in handcuffs.
Strachen was checked for weapons, and deputies located a large black folding knife in his right front pocket and a can of pepper spray in his left front pocket.
Deputies asked the man’s name, and he provided a false one. Another deputy was able to identify him from prior contacts. He also had a warrant for petit larceny.
The van had been painted green since being taken from the owner’s home in Al Tahoe. The reporting deputy noted that Strachen had green paint on his fingers, consistent with the new paint on the vehicle. The vehicle also had a Nevada plate that did not match the vehicle; deputies said they believed the plate to be stolen, however, there was no reported stolen plate in their system.
He was taken to jail without incident.
Deputies spoke with the owner of the van, who said he’d been driving around Carson to look for his stolen vehicle. He said he saw the van spray-painted outside the sporting goods store and stopped to check out the van.
He said he saw Strachen, whom he knows, walking out of the store with a compound bow. Strachen then ran from the owner, and the owner called 911. The owner said he located a backpack in the vehicle, which belonged to Strachen.
Deputies went to the sporting goods store and were able to determine that Strachen had also allegedly stolen items from the store.
The reporting deputy wrote that Strachen entered the store, removed a black folding knife from its packaging, and grabbed a compound bow. He concealed the knife on his person and walked out of the store with both items, passing all points of pay. He did not have any money or credit cards on his person when he was placed in custody.
In the jail, Strachen admitted to the petit larceny and made a statement that his “fingerprints were all over the van,” according to the report.
Deputies asked him about a sprat incident relating to defecating in a park. Strachen admitted he was in the van at the park, however, said he did not “shit in the park.”
Strachen asked how long he would go to prison for “GTA,” and the reporting party told him they did not know.
Total bail: $11,637; $3,000 cash only