Carson City deputies arrest woman for arson, allegedly sets two fires in field

A 32-year-old woman was arrested Wednesday for suspicion of third degree arson after allegedly setting fires in a field near the I-580 off ramp and William Street.

Nicole Shantera Frenna, listed as being from Reno, was taken into custody at 11:14 a.m. According to the arrest report, shortly before 11 a.m. dispatch advised multiple callers witnessed Frenna walking away from two separate fires in the field, and saw her throw a lighter into a bush.

Witnesses described the woman, and watched her as she began to walk in front of a casino from the field. She was stopped by an officer and agreed to be searched. During a pat down she made the statement "I don't have a lighter" without any questions being asked regarding one, the arrest report states.

She was read her Miranda warning and deputies explained they were investigating the fires in the field. The woman said she did not wish to speak to the officer or anyone else regarding the investigation. She placed her arms straight up and palms up and rested them on her knees. She told the officers she was praying and speaking to God, the arrest report states.

Two separate independent witnesses identified the woman and observed her being near the flames at the time the fires were set. Witnesses said she then walked to a sidewalk and threw something into the bushes. Witnesses said no other subjects were in the field at the time.

The woman was placed under arrest for suspicion of third degree arson. Bail: $5,000.

In other bookings:
— A 26-year-old Carson City man was arrested early Thursday for suspicion of third DUI, assault with a deadly weapon, failure to stop for a police officer and other offenses.

Richard Vallier Tompkins was taken into custody at 2:13 a.m. following a foot pursuit with a CCSO sergeant in which the suspect had crashed his vehicle into a tree near Fleischmann Way.

According to the arrest report, a CCSO sergeant was parked in the area and could hear a vehicle screeching its tires, with sounds similar to tire "burn outs." The officer advised he realized the noise was coming from the parking lot area near Carson Tahoe Specialty Medical Center. He arrived to the parking lot and saw a black sedan spinning circles and creating a large amount of smoke from the tires.

The sergeant activated his lights. The suspect vehicle was 40 to 50 yards away. The suspect vehicle then headed directly at the sergeant's patrol vehicle, swerving at the last second to avoid impact, then crashing into a nearby tree.

Tompkins attempted to escape by climbing out of the passenger side door of the vehicle. The sergeant detained the man and asked him how much he had to drink. The man replied "too much," the arrest report states.

As part of the investigation, officers spoke with nearby witnesses who advised the man was doing burnouts in the parking lot at 775 Fleischmann Way, according to the arrest report.

The suspect was taken to the hospital, complaining of arm pain. He informed CCFD he was not wearing a seatbelt. There were no lacerations consisted with wearing a seatbelt. There was airbag deployment. Due to the circumstances, the arresting officer could not perform field sobriety tests. He asked Tompkins if he would provide a voluntary preliminary breath test and the man refused, the arrest report states.

Officers observed Tompkins had a heavy odor of alcohol coming from his person and his speech was slurred, and eyes bloodshot. He was arrested for suspicion of DUI. He was read the "implied consent" and he advised he would voluntarily submit to a blood draw.

Tompkins was arrested for suspicion of the following: Felony third DUI, gross misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon, failure to stop upon signal of a police officer, also a gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor reckless driving and failure to wear a seatbelt. Bail: $20,000.

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.