Carson City arrests: Man booked for possession of pornographic images of a child
A 21-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of possessing pornographic images of a child, according to a Carson City Sheriff's Office report.
Alexander Roman Merchant was booked into Carson City jail following an investigation through the Nevada Department of Parole and Probation. He was booked for alleged felony possession of visual pornography of a person under the age of 16. The matter remains under investigation.
According to the booking report, the Carson City Sheriff's Office was contacted by a Parole and Probation officer who explained he placed Merchant into custody for violation of conditions of his parole and probation. The officer explained the man is on supervision for sex crimes against children stemming from convictions out of California. The officer said part of Merchant's conditions of probation are search and seizure of his property.
The officer said he reviewed two cell phones in Merchant's possession and said he located sexually explicit photos of female juveniles estimated to be 12 years of age. The officer also said he located multiple sexually explicit text message conversations between Merchant and a female juvenile estimate to be around 12 years of age, the arrest report states.
Due to this located activity, Parole and Probation requested the assistance with performing forensic extractions of the contents of the cell phones and review of possible criminal activity Merchant was allegedly engaging.
CCSO had the contents of the cell phones downloaded for review. CCSO investigators located multiple images that appear to be downloaded off the internet of a female child estimated to be 12 years of age portrayed in stages of undress and sexual poses, according to the booking report.
Merchant was taken into custody. All photos, video files and text messages remain under review in the investigation, which is ongoing and pending further charges, according to the booking report. Bail: $20,000.
In other arrests:
— A 55-year-old Dayton man was arrested early Thursday for a gross misdemeanor warrant issued in August out of Storey County. Bail: $5,545 cash only.
— A 30-year-old Carson City man and 44-year-old woman were arrested Tuesday for misdemeanor violation of bail conditions. Bail: $3,000 cash each.
— A 47-year-old woman, Erin Adrienne Houck, was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of felony possession of stolen property. According to the booking report, the woman was in possession of a cell phone that was reported stolen out of Kentucky. Bail: $10,000.
— A 42-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia (methamphetamine pipe). Bail: $1,000.
— A 56-year-old Carson City man was arrested Tuesday for suspicion of DUI. According to the booking report, deputies were alerted to an intoxicated man at a convenience store where witnesses alerted that he was driving around in the store parking lot and then parked in the parking lot.
He was located passed out behind the wheel of the vehicle, with the engine turned on and the vehicle was at high idle. The man opened his eyes and the deputy asked him to turn the vehicle off. He complied and was asked to exit the vehicle. He agreed to standardized field sobriety tests and showed signs of impairment. He provided a preliminary breath sample of .324. He was taken to the hospital for medical clearance due to the intoxication level and then booked into jail. Bail: $1,137.
— 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.