Carson City man faces kidnapping charges after stealing van with elderly woman inside
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sat, 10/01/2016 - 4:22pm
A 31-year-old Carson City man was arrested for felony kidnapping and grand larceny early Saturday after he allegedly stole a van in which an elderly, disabled California woman was sitting in the passenger seat waiting for her nephew who was checking into a hotel for the night, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.
Arrested was Casey Alexander Canto. He also faces misdemeanor charges of DUI drugs, obstructing, resisting arrest and driving without a valid license. He’s being held on $68,104 bail.
According to the arrest report, deputies were dispatched to the Days Inn hotel in the 3100 block of North Carson Street regarding a vehicle theft report. Deputies spoke with the victim who said that around 12:10 a.m. he arrived at the hotel with his 82-year-old aunt to check in for the night.
He said he parked his 1997 white Ford utility van in front of the hotel with the elderly woman in the passenger seat and the keys in the ignition. He said he went into the hotel to pay for a room and while he was inside, a man wearing a black shirt got into the driver’s side of the van.
The victim said he tried to talk to him but the man became confrontational and sped away with the elderly woman still inside. He said he last saw the van with California plates, going northbound on North Carson Street. He immediately called 911. He said his aunt was 82 and was disabled.
At around 12:41 a.m. Sgt. Daniel Gonzales advised he had located the van matching the description at College Parkway and Nye Lane and that he was going to do a traffic stop on the vehicle. The stolen van continued going, with the driver failing to stop and pull over, eluding the officer. The man did stop the van in the 700 block of Silver Oak Drive.
Arriving deputies saw Sgt. Gonzales attempting to take the suspect into custody. After a brief struggle with officers, Canto was handcuffed and taken into custody.
Deputies made contact with the elderly passenger victim in the van who was not injured in ordeal. She said she was sitting in the passenger seat when her nephew went inside the hotel to make room reservations. While he was inside Canto entered through the driver’s side door and took control of the van. She said she was afraid and yelled at the man to stop multiple times but he would not listen and was non-compliant. She said she opened the passenger side door and tried getting out of the vehicle a few times but the man would not stop or slow down enough for her to safely exit the vehicle.
Canto was taken to Carson Tahoe Hospital for medical evaluation for injuries sustained after resisting arrest. He was taken to jail after being medically cleared.
