Operation Falcon swoops down on 10,000 felons

Jen Lawson

Friday, April 15, 2005 | 10:56 a.m.

A nationally coordinated fugitive task force that rounded up more than 10,000 wanted felons in the past week nabbed nearly 70 fugitives locally, including a 31-year-old man who was allegedly manufacturing methamphetamine at his mother's Las Vegas home day-care center, authorities said Thursday.

Stephen Craig Sage was arrested April 8 at the home of his mother, Mae Sage, who ran a licensed day care center out of her house near Torrey Pines and Alta drives.

None of the dozen or so children who were under Mae Sage's care were present when Stephen Sage was arrested, but his 9-year-old daughter was there, Acting U.S. Marshal for Nevada Fidencio Rivera said, and she and the other the children could have been exposed to dangerous chemicals.

"It's important to commit to apprehending fugitives -- they also harm innocent kids," he said.

Sage's arrest was a part of Operation Falcon, which ran from April 4 to 10 to coincide with Crime Victims' Rights Week.

U.S. Attorney Daniel Bodgen said it was the largest fugitive apprehension effort in American history, with 960 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies taking part.

The dragnet caught a total of 10,340 people, and 70 percent of them had histories of violence.

Previous coordinated roundups resulted in arrests in the hundreds, but did not involve as many officers or agencies, officials said.

Local, state and federal law enforcement in Southern Nevada arrested 68 fugitives and cleared 112 warrants.

Twenty-nine percent of the local warrants were issued by Metro Police; 25 percent were issued by the state probation and parole department; 12 percent were issued by North Las Vegas and DEA, respectively; 7 percent were issued by Henderson Police and the ATF, respectively; and 2 percent were issued by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Most of the local offenses -- 44 percent -- were drug-related.

In the Sage case, a warrant for his arrest was issued April 4 by North Las Vegas Police for manufacturing a controlled substance.

Law enforcement working on Operation Falcon went to his mother's house shortly before 8 p.m on April 8 with a warrant for his arrest.

Mae Sage told police, "I knew you guys were coming. I almost called you myself," according to the arrest report.

Her son, who was sleeping, awoke and tried climbing out the window but was quickly apprehended, police said.

Police found an array of equipment including glassware and hot plates as well as toxic chemicals used to make methamphetamine.

The U.S. Marshals released a police photograph of the equipment, along with a contrasting picture of cribs, playpens and toys in a different room of the house.

Though only Stephen Sage's 9-year-old daughter was there when he was arrested anywhere from four to 14 children were cared for at the home on any given day, the report says.

"The worst part is the third-party children," Rivera said. "They (the parents) thought this was a safe place to bring their children."

Mae Sage is no longer permitted to care for children in the City of Las Vegas: Her work card was immediately revoked, and the city is in the process of pulling her business license, officials said.

At the time of her son's arrest she complained of chest pains, authorities said, and she was admitted to University Medical Center the next day. She was released Tuesday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

City licensing officials have been monitoring her house every day to serve her with paperwork indicating her business license is being revoked, Jim Ricketts, the city's acting business services supervisor, said. Without the work card she cannot operate a day care center.

However, she has not been home and her whereabouts aren't known, Ricketts said.

She hasn't been charged with a crime; police are continuing their investigation.

Drugs were the only issue with Operation Falcon targets, however. Twelve percent of the offenses allegedly committed by the Operation Falcon targets were frauds; 11 percent were weapons violations; 10 percent were assaults; 9 percent were robberies; 2 percent, respectively, were sex offenses, murders and attempted murders; and 1 percent involved escape.

In another case, Operation Falcon officials arrested two alleged gang members, 22-year-old Antonio Hines and 25-year-old Carlos Kirk, wanted by Metro on charges of robbery, weapons violations and conspiracy including carjacking. Both have prior arrests and are suspects in other crimes throughout the valley.

A raid of one home in Henderson on April 7 yielded three arrests: Carla Baldwin, 41, for a felony probation violation stemming from prior meth charges; Kelly Mengarelli, 32, for a felony probation violation relating to a stolen car; and Timothy Wilkerson, 43.

Police found three firearms, a half-ounce of methamphetamine and a half-pound of marijuana and two stolen vehicles.

The task force team also nabbed 20-year-old Brandon Taylor Scott, wanted by Henderson Police for the September 2004 attempted murder of Billy Don Sherman. Police said Sherman was beaten and stabbed by Scott and an accomplice, who was already in custody.