Stolen plates part of case against officer

The investigation into credit card fraud by a North Las Vegas police officer also turned up allegations that he took the license plate from a woman's car during a traffic stop and used it as his own, according to an arrest report.

When detectives ran a records check on officer Benjamin Miles Cordova's 2005 Chevrolet pickup, they found a license plate belonging to a 2001 Chrysler car.

The car owner told detectives that her license plate was taken by a North Las Vegas officer during a traffic stop because her plates were suspended. Cordova's truck had not been registered since 2005. His driver's license expired in 2007.

Cordova, 39, has been with the department for six years and was arrested Tuesday on six felony counts of credit card fraud.

He is alleged to have used the department's credit card to refuel his pickup. He is on paid administrative leave during the investigation, which was launched after an officer inspected a patrol vehicle on July 10 and found the fuel card missing.