Man waives hearing in elder exploitation case

Minglong Chen

Minglong Chen

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A man who was arrested in September while attempting to pick up $68,000 from an elderly woman will appear in Douglas County District Court on Feb. 12 after he waived his preliminary hearing.

Ming Long Chen, 46, who has been in custody since Sept. 9, appeared in East Fork Justice Court on Jan. 22.

Through a Mandarin translator, Chen said he would admit to exploitation of an elderly person and extortion when he appears in district court on Feb. 25.

•  A Wellington woman received a suspended 2-5-year prison sentence after admitting to burglary of a business.

Brandee Lynn Passey, 33, was ordered to remain in custody until she enters a treatment program and then go to transitional living.

She and Kimberly Troy Stallings, 29, were arrested Oct. 5, 2024, for loading up a cart at the Petco in the Carson Valley Shopping Center and trying to roll it out of the store.

• A couple faces possible prison time after they were arrested for stealing from the Jacks Valley Target.

Aaron Mallory and Katie Lynn Neal agreed to a deal where prosecutors would agree to suspended 12-30-month prison terms.

According to court documents, Mallory listened to a police scanner while Neal was inside the store.

They were both arrested on Nov. 8, 2024, when Mallory went into the store to alert Neal that the authorities were en route.

• A man with a long criminal history in Douglas County was given three weeks to come up with a treatment plan or go back to prison.

Mark Edwin Graham, 29, is facing a probation violation after he received a suspended 19-48-month sentence for drug possession back in January 2024. According to a violation report filed four months later, Graham failed to report to the department, maintain a residence or pay his financial obligations.

Attorney Mary Brown said Brian Filter, who represents Graham but was not in court on Tuesday, told her he’d talked to a probation officer who recommended Graham be placed back on supervision.

She said that an effort is in progress to get him a bed in an inpatient program.

“He did nothing to demonstrate to the court that he deserves another chance,” District Judge Tod Young replied.

Graham has served two stretches in prison, including one for embezzlement of $100,000 in ski passes he and two others sold. The second was for possession of a forged check in Washoe County.

• A man who admitted to selling drugs within 1,000 feet of a park and a school in Gardnerville was returned to Douglas County for a probation violation.

Sean Robert Klena, 24, has been in custody since Jan. 8 after he was picked up in Oregon, according to Parole and Probation.

District Judge Tod Young set a Feb. 11 date to determine whether Klena violated his probation.

He’s facing two consecutive 19-48-month sentences for selling fentanyl on Oct. 17, 2023, if his probation is revoked. 

• A man received probation after he admitted to possession of methamphetamine.

Richard Dustin Short said he will go to Ridge House and then Salvation Army and will be in a program for the next three years.

“If I went back to prison I’d fall back on old habits,” he said. “I’d like to turn the page.