Carson City area burglary ring: Four arrests made; two more sought in regional operation

Four people are now in custody and two more being sought in what Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said is a multi-agency effort to break up a burglary ring.

He said the individuals involved are responsible for more than 30 burglaries in Carson City and three surrounding western Nevada counties.

He said his office began tracking the suspects after a string of residential burglaries in the capital last summer and fall. After his department announced they believed the rash of burglaries was the result of a single group, the problem moved to Douglas County then, later, Washoe Valley.

He said over the past week as it began to close in on the suspects, his department was joined by deputies from Douglas, Washoe and Lyon counties in a coordinated effort to shut the ring down.

He said it was Thursday when detectives spotted a vehicle belonging to two suspects in the case and tracked them to a residence in Washoe City. After discovering that residence had been broken into by kicking in the door, they followed Travis Lieberwirth, 37, and Brian Madson, 34, to an address on Woodcrest Lane in Carson City. They were arrested without incident when they attempted to leave that apartment.

After that, he said deputies descended on what was believed to be their primary residence, a home in the 300 block of Corbett, in hopes of finding the man they believed was ringleader of the group. He was not there. According to Furlong, he’s still at large.

But during the process, two women were arrested. They were identified as Crystal Bullock, 31, and Rachel Strull, 28.

Lieberworth was charged with possession of stolen property and conspiracy. He’s awaiting transfer to Washoe County Jail.

Madsen was charged with attempted burglary and possession of stolen property. His bail was set at $25,000.

Bullock was charged with possession of a controlled substance (meth) and child neglect/endangerment. Her bail was set at $2,500.

Strull was charged with two counts of maintaining a drug house and possession and use of drugs with bail at $10,000.

He said deputies also monitored several other locations in the area, attempting to apprehend other individuals believed involved in the burglaries.

In Carson City, several burglaries occurred on the west side during the fall and winter months in the areas of West Winnie Lane and Washington Street, according to a press release in late January from the CCSO. The burglaries were happening during the daytime hours.

Furlong said Tracey Lock, 40, was being sought in the case for questioning in connection with the burglaries. Lock is described as 5-foot 5-inches, 170 pounds, brown hair and brown eyes.

Lock was convicted of robbing Hamdog’s in Gardnerville in 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was eligible for parole after five years. According to the Nevada Department of Corrections web site, his last parole hearing was June 12, 2014.

Drake Van Cleave, 50, was wanted in the case in connection with charges of possession of stolen property. He was in the Carson City Jail but released on bail and has failed to appear in court. Van Cleave is 5-foot 10-inches, blonde hair and blue eyes.

In addition, Furlong said several “known associates” of those in custody have been contacted and questioned. He said they are being evaluated for their potential involvement in the case at this time.

“I am confident we disrupted a significant crime ring but it appears to be a drug ring that was supported by burglaries,” Furlong said.