Man surrenders after Ranchos confrontation

A confrontation between two bail agents and a Gardnerville Ranchos man was resolved peacefully on Wednesday evening.

The incident began shortly before 5 p.m. when Douglas County Sheriff's officers responded to a home in the 600 block of Long Valley Road.

According to the sheriff's report, the bail agents had paperwork to find someone named Abe Best on a misdemeanor petit larceny case.

The agents told deputies they knocked on the front door of the residence and then one agent went into the backyard to check there. The agent then confronted a man with a rifle. The agent said he identified himself and told the man to put the gun down.

Instead the man ran back into the house.

The man, later identified as George Best, 27, said he became frightened when he saw the agent walk into his yard, so he grabbed a .22, made sure it was unloaded and walked into the backyard.

Upon their arrival about a dozen officers took up positions around the house. Best surrendered within 10 minutes of their arrival. Deputies located the .22 Marlin with a spent shell casing in the chamber. The gun was otherwise empty and there was no indication it was fired during the incident.

Best admitted he used his brother's name when he was arrested in Reno on the two offenses that generated the warrants.

He is being held in Douglas County jail in lieu of $3,500 bail.