Reno Construction Anthony Jon Merlino Worker Arrested and Charged With the Alleged Killings of 34 Estray Horses 

Nevada Jan. 13, 1999- Washoe County Sheriff Richard Kirkland, Story County Sheriff Pat Whitten and Administrator Paul Iverson of the Nevada Division of Agriculture   announced the arrest of three suspects in the slaughter of 34 estray horses in Storey County during a 5 p.m. press conference today at 5 p.m.

Anthony Jon Merlino, 20 was arrested at his construction job site in Sparks, Nevada and transported and booked into the Washoe County Detention Facility.

Darien Thomas Brock, 20 of Reno was arrested at Camp Pendleton Marine Base in California. He is currently fighting Extradition and will be returned to Reno after these proceedings, possibly within a few weeks.

"During the investigationdetectives from all three agencies received information from numerous sources, including Secret Witness and individuals that called in." reported Lieutenant Janice Lee. "As a result of the community’s involvement and extensive research by the detectives, enough information was pieced together to identify the suspects."

The investigative work will continue for several weeks and will culminate in Story County District Attorney Janet Hess prosecuting the case. A court date has not been set at this time.

The Storey County Sheriff’s Office will provide Secret Witness and the Virginia Range Wildlife Protective Association the information provided to the Washoe County Sheriff's Office that helped solve this crime. They will be responsible for determining who will receive the $35,000 reward. Both Sheriff’s Officers will not participate in the actual process to determine who receives the reward.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division has confirmed that the Estray Horse killings are not related to the arrest of Christopher Merrit for the sniper attack on I-80.

WCS Update Jan. 6
HR Home Page | News Directory
For further inquiries the following numbers have been provided: