A woman who spotted a man attempting to sell coins that were stolen from her home in an Oct. 28 burglary, chased him out of a store and into the streets shortly after the Nevada Day Parade ended on Saturday where Carson City sheriff’s officers then found and arrested him.
Drake Vancleave, 50, was arrested on suspicion of six felony counts including receiving stolen property, obtaining money under false pretenses and burglary, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said. He is being held on $125,737 bail.
According to the arrest report, officers assigned to the Special Enforcement Team were advised of a dispute at a currency and coin store in the 700 block of North Carson Street. Dispatch advised at 2:14 p.m. that a woman was chasing a man who she said he stole items. The man was located in the area of Carson and John streets.
On arrival Sgt. Daniel Gonzales had mirandized the man, and the contents of his pockets were placed on the patrol car. Officers asked Vancleave what happened. The man said he had gone to the coin store to sell some coins, 13 he said, that he had purchased for $100 from a subject named “John,” the arrest report states. Vancleave said that when he attempted to sell the items, a woman inside the business claimed the coins were stolen from her residence.
Vancleave told officers that he got scared and ran from the business. He stated the woman began to chase him. Officers asked Vancleave what he believed the value of the coins to be. The man said he thought they were worth approximately $300 to $400. The officer asked the man if he thought it odd that a person would take $100 for $400 worth of coins, the arrest report states.
The woman who chased the man, along with her son, spoke with deputies. The son said that on Oct. 28, 2014 their home was burglarized and multiple items were taken including many coins, a gun, jewelry, and other items. At this point the male victim looked at the items on the hood of the patrol vehicle and exclaimed one of the items was his, the arrest report states.
The officer looked and noticed what appeared to be a key chain made of white metal. The key chain was made into the shape of a bear paw with a middle medallion that spun. The victims stated they had just come from the coin store where they identified the coins that Vancleave attempted to sell as those being stolen during the burglary, the arrest report states.
Vancleave was arrested and placed into a patrol car. The arrest was for possession of stolen property, burglary (as he entered a business with the intent of committing a felony crime) and attempting to obtain money under false pretenses. Vancleave was taken to the hospital after he told officers he was experiencing chest pains.
Sgt. Gonzales spoke with officers investigating who learned that Thursday, Oct. 30, Vancleave had gone to the same coin store and sold 7 ounces of silver, 1 gram of gold, and 4 other coins and received $240 from that transaction. Gonzales stated that all those items were still at the store and were positively identified by the victims as being stolen from their residence. Officers learned the victims were still missing multiple items from the burglary, including the gun, more coins and multiple items of jewelry, the arrest report states.
Officers asked Vancleave where he lived and he told them a motel in the 1900 block of North Carson Street. Based on the property recovered, officers believed more items were at the residence. Deputy Morgan Tucker asked the man for permission to search the residence. The man looked at the officer and stated: “I’m not letting you into that room, get a warrant.”
Deputy Tucker went to get a warrant and was relieved by another officer, the arrest report states. Tucker confirmed with the manager that Vancleave was on the lease at the room. The deputy left with Vancleave at the hospital informed Tucker that Vancleave said: “What, did the other cop get tired of me?” the arrest report states.
The deputy told him “No, he is going to attempt to get a warrant for your hotel room.” At that time Vancleave was hooked up to a medical monitor showing his heart rate. The deputy stated that upon hearing that a warrant was being sought, the man’s heart rate jumped and he began to visibly shake, the arrest report states.
Officers made contact with a deputy district attorney and explained the circumstances. The deputy DA agreed there was probable cause to search the residence. A judge was called and a telephonic search warrant was issued to search the motel room for stolen items.
At 5:12 p.m. officers executed the warrant. No one was in the residence. A thorough search of the room revealed multiple coins and jewelry in several locations in the room. Also in the room was a beanie style hat located behind the TV with approximately 5 grams of marijuana.
Sgt. Gonzales contacted the victims and asked them to come to the motel in an attempt to identify items stolen from their residence. The victims arrived and began viewing items located in the room. They identified multiple coins, several stones, gold plated shark teeth and a set of limited edition full color state quarters that were taken from the male victim’s room.
The female victim was able to locate numerous pieces of jewelry including gold chains, earrings, and a small glass vial with a painted grain of rice inside that read “Brett.” The victims also located two small vials with yellow metal flakes in it that belong to the family. Officers took photos of all the identified items and the woman signed a release of property so the items could be returned.
Officers left a copy of the telephonic search warrant and a list of items retrieved from inside the room. Officers returned to the hospital to take custody of Vancleave. He was medically cleared to go to jail.
Vancleave faces the following felony charges: Receiving stolen property, two counts obtaining money under false pretenses, three counts burglary and a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.