Fourth arrest in Johnson Lane burglary

A third teenager has been arrested in connection with the theft of nearly $12,000 in cash and items from a Johnson Lane residence.

Garrett Alexander Cunningham, 19, of Gardnerville, was arrested March 17 on charges of felony burglary and conspiracy. His bail was set at $15,000 cash. He is set for a hearing Wednesday in East Fork Justice Court.

Charges in the case were filed earlier against Lynsey Fecteau, 18, of Gardnerville, and Richard Eernisse, 20, of Smith Valley.

An 18-year-old is being adjudicated as a juvenile because he was 17 when the alleged burglary occurred Oct. 9 at a residence on Kim Place in the Johnson Lane area.

The homeowner told deputies he and his family left on vacation Oct. 3 and returned Oct. 12 to discover someone had entered the residence. Nearly $10,000 had been stolen from a safe along with checks made out to the family business.

A neighbor told the homeowners that there had been a large juvenile party at the house while they were gone. According to reports, the party was held to cover up the burglary, so a guest could be blamed for the theft instead of the suspects.

Eernisse was accused of entering a crawl space to remove the money from a safe. Cunningham is accused of picking the lock, opening the safe and removing a money bag.

According to reports, Fecteau distributed the money, but was not accused of taking part in the burglary.

The suspects reportedly told investigators they had spent the money on clothing, marijuana, Ecstasy, video games, and a PlayStation.