Las Vegas police arrest 3 in connection with staged accidents
Las Vegas Police arrested three women in connection with a string of staged auto accidents used as a ruse to rob people.
Detectives arrested Barbara Miller, 38, Amanda Miller, 19, and Sophia Nicholas, 28, on Aug. 13 in connection with the crimes. Barbara Miller faces eight charges, Amanda Miller faces six and Nicholas faces three, including burglary, grand larceny, and conspiracy, according to booking records.
Police began receiving reports of the staged accidents in December 2016, according to a Metropolitan Police Department news release.
Several of those reports said a vehicle carrying multiple people would pull up next to a vehicle and signal the driver to pull over. When they did, the group would claim the person hit their vehicle and say they needed to exchange information.
From there, the crimes varied, according to police. Sometimes one suspect would distract victims while others stole valuables from the person’s car. Other times they would coerce the person into giving them cash as a settlement for the fabricated damage.
Police said they believe at least three as-yet-unidentified people participated in the crimes. The vehicles used in the crimes include a 2016 dark-colored Nissan Versa, a 2007 white Dodge Charger, a blue Ford Mustang and a tan Toyota Sequoia, according to the release.
Anyone with information or who thinks they may have been a victim of this type of crime should call Las Vegas Police’s Spring Valley Area Command at 702-828-2640. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at www.crimestoppersofnv.com.
Contact Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Follow @ColtonLochhead on Twitter.
