5 in jail following robbery, kidnapping of store clerk in Mesquite

Stock image of Mesquite Police patrol vehicles, Mesquite, Nev., date not specified | Photo courtesy of the Mesquite Police Department, St. George News

MESQUITE, Nev. — A clerk was reportedly kidnapped during an armed robbery in Mesquite, Nevada, over the weekend during a string of crimes that sent five suspects to jail. The clerk was later found unharmed.

Stock image | St. George News

The arrests stem from an incident reported shortly after midnight Sunday when officers were dispatched to a convenience store on West Mesquite Boulevard on a report of an armed robbery and kidnapping that took place in Mesquite. 

Officers arrived to learn that a male suspect armed with a handgun entered the store armed with a handgun. He pointed the gun at the clerk as he demanded all of the money in the register, according to a statement released by the Mesquite Police Department.

The statement also said when the clerk complied and handed over the cash, he was ordered out of the store at gunpoint and then forced into a car parked nearby.  The suspect drove off with the clerk in the car, heading west on Mesquite Boulevard, and shortly thereafter, the suspect pulled over near the Casa Blanca Casino and released the employee. 

The report also states that immediately after, the employee called 911 to report the incident and later was found unharmed. 

Meanwhile, officers established a containment area surrounding the store, while patrol officers conducted a neighborhood canvass to determine if there were any shops affected by similar criminal activity. Authorities determined there were no other businesses affected, and they continued scouring the area in search of the suspect – efforts that continued throughout the night without success.

In the interim, officers processing the robbery scene gathered all available security footage that may have captured the suspect or the vehicle involved in the early morning incident.

L-R: Kyle Dynes, 34, of Urichsville, Ohio, Cody Jones, 35, of New Philadelphia, Ohio, and David Eugene Jones Jr, of Mesquite, booking photos taken in Clark County, Nev., July 25, 2022 | Booking photos courtesy of the Mesquite Police Department, St. George News

As officers continued to search for the suspect, the Mesquite Police Department received a call involving what appeared to be an unrelated vehicle theft reported at one of the area casinos.

Officers responded and while viewing the security footage, identified one of the suspects reportedly involved in the car theft, and investigators also obtained information on a motel room possibly registered to one of the suspects as well. 

As the investigation into the vehicle theft continued, detectives discovered security footage that captured parking lot images that revealed a vehicle that matched the car used in the armed robbery-kidnapping incident reported hours earlier. 

In the meantime, officers responded to the hotel where the suspect reportedly was staying, which is when they noticed a man that matched the suspect involved in the armed robbery leaving the business.

Mesquite Police Sgt. Wyatt Oliver told St. George News the suspect was identified as Kyle Lewis Dynes, 34, of Uhrichsville, Ohio. Dynes was accompanied by Tabbetha Perez, 36, of Canton, Ohio, Oliver added.  

As the pair walked towards a vehicle that matched the description of the car reportedly used in the robbery, they spotted several approaching officers and attempted to flee on foot. 

The foot pursuit ended quickly, however, when the pair was apprehended and taken into custody by police, while search warrants were obtained for the motel room and both of the vehicles.

L-R: Tabbetha Perez, 36, of Canton and Nicole Dessecker, 33, of New Philadelphia, both from Ohio, booking photo taken in Clark County, Nev., July 25, 2022 | Booking photos courtesy of the Mesquite Police Department, St. George News

When officers entered the hotel room where one of the suspects was staying, they found three other individuals inside who later were detained by police. The three suspects were later identified as David Eugene Jordan Jr., 32, of Mesquite, along with Cody Jones, 35, and Nicole Dessecker, 33, both from New Philadelphia, Ohio, located approximately 85 miles south of Cleveland. 

During one of several searches, officers recovered a revolver, as well as the key and registration of the stolen vehicle, which was later found abandoned in a residential area in Mesquite. Officers also determined it was not the same car reportedly used during the armed robbery.

Following Sunday’s arrests, four of the suspects were transported to the Clark County Detention Center and booked into jail on multiple charges.

Dynes faces first-degree felony kidnapping, along with second-degree felony robbery with use of a deadly weapon. He also faces one misdemeanor count of obstructing an officer. 

Jordan faces three felony charges, including one count each of conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon, grand larceny of a motor vehicle and possession of a stolen vehicle. 

Jones faces one felony count of possession of a stolen vehicle, while Desseker faces one gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to possess a stolen vehicle. 

Perez, meanwhile, was transported to the Mesquite Detention Center facing one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia and was released shortly after her arrest.  

Later, Oliver said, a fugitive arrest warrant for Perez was located and confirmed by authorities, and on Monday morning, he said, she was arrested for a second time and transported to the jail in Las Vegas where she is being held on the nationwide fugitive warrant, as well as drug charges that were filed in connection with additional evidence found during the search of the hotel room. 

Mesquite Police Chief MaQuade Chesley attributed the rapid identification and arrests of the “extremely violent” suspects involved to the proactive mindset of the officers serving under his command, and their tireless efforts resulted in the arrest of all five suspects that would have likely “continued their assault on our citizens,”  he added.  

Chesley went on to state that Mesquite, like many cities across the country, is seeing a rise in violent crime, and while the town may have appeared to be an easy target for criminals, including the five arrested on Sunday, they soon realized they were “sorely mistaken and picked the wrong town.”

All five suspects remain in custody as the investigation into the string of alleged crimes continues.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!