High-speed chase ends in fake ID arrests

David Kihara

Wednesday, March 23, 2005 | 9:23 a.m.

Metro Police on Tuesday arrested two men suspected of operating a small, fake ID lab from their home in southwest Las Vegas after one of the suspects led police on a high-speed chase.

Jason Simpson, 30, was held on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle while Gregory Aguayo, 34, is being held on a previous arrest warrant, said Detective Paul Ehlers with Metro's Forgery Detail.

Ehlers said he did not know for what the previous arrest warrant was issued.

The two men have not yet been charged with any fraud or forgery-related crimes because the police are continuing to gather evidence against them, he said.

He said any charges of fraud could take up to two weeks to file because police need to examine computer files and examine other evidence to establish that identity thefts had taken place.

What police found in the house, in the 7000 block of Cedar Ridge Street, could have been used "to make fake checks, steal money from bank accounts and establish a line of credit (in someone's name)," Ehlers said.

When police arrested the two men in the house near Tenaya Way and Flamingo Road they discovered five counterfeit Nevada driver's licenses, a computer with software for making fake IDs and a printer.

The five driver's licenses had the same photo but different names and addresses printed on them, Ehlers said.

Police also found mail believed to have been stolen and fake checks at the residence, leading the authorities to believe that the suspects had previously used the fake IDs to cash bogus checks, he said.

Police had previously found false-ID making material at the home when police had served a search warrant there in October, Ehlers said.

At this point, Simpson and Aguayo are not believed to be involved in the as yet-unsolved March 7 burglary of the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles office in North Las Vegas, Ehlers said.

Paul Masto, U.S. Secret Service Assistant Special Agent in Charge in Las Vegas, also said that the authorities had established that the two suspects were likely not involved in the DMV burglary.

Simpson allegedly led police on a high-speed vehicle chase at about 1:30 a.m. before stopping near Cedar Ridge Street.

Police tracked Simpson to a house on that street and found him hiding in the attic. After a background check on Aguayo, who was inside the house as well, police discovered his outstanding arrest warrant.

Ehlers said police were searching for the owner of the house.