Window shooter in court after Christmas mail theft

A Carson City man awaiting sentencing on a two-county shooting spree earlier this year will be in court on Dec. 27 for a preliminary hearing in a mail theft case from Sunday.

David Scott Killen, 23, was arrested at 4:58 a.m. in the 1200 block of South Carson Street on suspicion of gross misdemeanor tampering with mail and opening mail.

According to the arrest report, a homeowner on Cogorno Way heard his mail box open and close at about 3:45 a.m. and when he looked outside, he saw a vehicle leaving. When the man looked in his mail box, he told police, he found mail belonging to someone else. The man then got into his own car and followed as the suspect vehicle stopped at several other mail boxes. Officers pulled over that car at Carson and Fifth streets.

Inside they found Killen, Dylan Gregory, 22; and Tristen Ledford, 19. According to the report, several pieces of mail from addresses on Ash Canyon and Kings Canyon roads were recovered. Ledford lives on Ash Canyon Road, according to the report.

All three of the men admitted to opening the mail. Ledford allegedly said the goal was to find holiday cards and credit cards.

On Monday, bail for both Gregory and Killen was raised from $5,000 to $50,000. By Tuesday, Ledford was no longer in custody.

The arrests came one day before Killen was originally to be sentenced in Douglas County on a charge of willful destruction of property for a Feb. 12 shooting spree in which he shot out the windows of several main street businesses and shot the window out on an occupied vehicle in Douglas County. When police eventually caught up with Killen in the shooting case, Gregory was again his passenger. Gregory managed to escape any charges in that case.

Last week, a judge delayed sentencing to allow Killen more time to earn money for restitution and to give the Parole and Probation Department time to prepare a sentence recommendation. Killen faces one year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Assistant Carson City District Attorney Gerald Gardner said Tuesday that Killen's new arrest won't likely bode well for his current legal troubles.

"If he is convicted of the mail-tampering charge, it probably would effect his sentencing on the destruction of property case," Gardner said.

Killen pleaded guilty in Douglas County in October to the willful destruction charge.

He was released from prison in August 2005 after serving a sentence for felony arson.

When he was a juvenile, he and his brother admitted setting a neighbor's lawn on fire.

• Nevada Appeal reporter F.T. Norton contributed to this report.