Carson City deputies make arrests for illegal body armor possession, DUI and drugs

A 29-year-old man was arrested Saturday for felony suspicion of being a convicted person in possession of body armor and misdemeanor disorderly conduct, a Carson City sheriff’s deputy said.

According to the arrest report, a deputy was flagged down by a citizen who reported a man sleeping in the street behind a barrier above the I-580 freeway in the area of Line Drive and Clearview.

The deputy located the suspect, identified as James Christopher Fowler, a transient, sleeping in a seated position behind a jersey barrier on the south side of the roadway. The deputy spoke with the man who had a strong odor of alcohol. The officer observed the man to be wearing body armor including a MOLLE vest with soft and hard armor plates, the arrest report states.

The deputy thought it was odd as he was in a concealed position next to a freeway in an elevated area and was detained. The officer spoke with the man who made little sense, the arrest report states. He appeared intoxicated and gave a preliminary breath same of .034. He appeared as if he was under the influence of drugs, alcohol or having a mental health issue, the report states.

The deputy conducted a formal criminal history check with the man who has been arrested for several felonies in California. There were weapons, drugs and other charges on his California criminal history.

He was a flagged as being convicted for felony forgery in Utah. He was arrested at 4:09 p.m. In Nevada, anyone can purchase and use a bulletproof vest, unless he or she has been convicted of a felony, according to NRS. Bail $20,237.

In other arrests:
— A 48-year-old Carson City man was arrested Saturday, 8:35 p.m. in the area of Industrial Park and Idaho for suspicion of DUI and not having a functional license plate light. According to the arrest report, the man was spotted without a license plate light while turning south onto Roop Street from Fairview.

The deputy spoke with the driver and observed a flask behind the passenger side front seat. He asked the man if he had been drinking. The man replied he had not. The deputy could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. The officer conducted a records check on the man. The suspect agreed to field sobriety tests and demonstrated impairment on the tests. He provided a preliminary breath test of .231 and was arrested. Bail: $1,204.

— A 51-year-old Dayton man, Robert Frank Schmitt, was arrested Saturday, 11:19 p.m. in the area of Gordon and Brown streets for felony suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, gross misdemeanor possession of a prescription drug without a prescription and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. During a traffic stop the man consented to a search, according to the arrest report.

He was found in possession of methamphetamine, a single Oxycodone tablet, a Pyrex tube drug pipe in the center console and a methamphetamine pipe in the driver door, the arrest report states. Bail: $6,137.

— A 64-year-old Carson City man was arrested Saturday, 9:37 p.m. in the 2000 block of North Carson Street for misdemeanor DUI. According to the arrest report, deputies were called to the parking lot of McDonald’s for a report of an intoxicated driver that was swerving in the parking lot and nearly hitting another vehicle.

A deputy made contact with the driver and observed the man to have red watery eyes and slurred speech. He was swaying abnormally while sitting in his vehicle. The officer asked him what he was doing and the man stated he was waiting for his food to be delivered by McDonald’s.

He was asked if he had consumed any alcoholic beverages. The man stated no. The officer asked him to step out of the vehicle and he complied. He was unbalanced as he exited the vehicle and had to lean against it to maintain balance, the report states. The man agreed to field sobriety tests and was unable to follow directions. He provided a voluntary preliminary breath test giving a partial sample of .194 BAC. He was taken into custody for suspicion of DUI. Bail: $1,137.

— A 48-year-old Carson City man was arrested Saturday, 10:52 a.m. in the area of North Carson and West Nye Lane for misdemeanor suspicion of DUI, failure to maintain a lane of traffic, driving with a suspended license and open container.

According to the arrest report, a reporting witness had followed a vehicle he believed to be driven by an intoxicated driver through Washoe Valley. He advised to dispatch the vehicle nearly ran into several vehicles.

A deputy waited near the county line and located the car in the area of North Carson and College Parkway. The officer observed the truck swerving between the number one and two southbound travel lanes of North Carson Street in front of Save Mart.

There were approximately seven other vehicles on the road in close proximity to the swerving truck. The deputy conducted a traffic stop at North Carson and Nye and made contact with the driver who had a moderate odor of alcohol on his person.

The deputy observed an open six pack of Modela Negro with two bottles left on the front floorboard and caps to the bottles removed. The driver told the deputy he did not have a valid license. He provided a preliminary breath test of .232 and was arrested for suspicion of DUI and other charges. Bail: $2,053.

— A 41-year-old Sacramento man was arrested Saturday, 9:02 p.m. in the 300 block of East William Street for a misdemeanor warrant issued out of Elko Justice Court. Bail: $500.

All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) comes from the arrest reports supplied by the Carson City Sheriff's Office, and is considered by law to be public information. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The policy of Carson Now is to name anyone who is arrested for a felony offense.