Suspects to enter pleas in Johnson Lane burglary

Two suspects in the theft of $12,000 in cash and other items from a home in Johnson Lane have agreed to plead guilty and pay restitution in exchange for reduced charges.

Richard Eernisse, 20, is to plead guilty April 5 in district court to grand larceny.

He was released on his own recognizance Wednesday from Douglas County Jail so he could return to his father's home in Yerington and start earning money toward restitution.

In exchange for his plea, the district attorney dropped charges of felony burglary and conspiracy.

Garrett Cunningham, 19, is to enter a plea to burglary on April 6.

Lawyers will be recommending drug court and if he is successful, the charges could be dismissed and records sealed.

East Fork Justice Pro Tem Paul Gilbert declined to release Cunningham on his own recognizance.

His bail is $15,000 cash.

A hearing for Lynsey Fecteau, 18, of Gardnerville, was continued until April 7. She is out of custody after posting $10,000 bail. She was charged with possession of stolen property.

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 $12,000 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.

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