By Michelle Rindels
Associated Press
CARSON CITY, Nev. — It started with two bullets fired through his front door in the middle of the night in 2012.
In the three years since, Carson City Justice of the Peace John Tatro was left an ominous Christmas card with the words “YOU WILL DIE” in big block letters, and a burning device that fizzled in front of his house before causing any damage.
Officials have combed Tatro’s past court decisions for indications of a vendetta, offered a $5,000 reward and released surveillance footage containing a glimpse of a possible suspect. Still, detectives are stumped.
“I’ve got a stack of tips,” Carson City sheriff’s Detective Sam Hatley said Wednesday. “Nothing promising at all.”
The latest attempt to identify a suspect came this week, when authorities released an image of the envelope that contained the foreboding Christmas card.
The return address lists a “Jake Jacobsen” and the location of a real estate office in downtown Carson City where Tatro’s wife works. Officers, however, believe the name is a fake and nobody at the real estate office is responsible.
They are, however, looking into the sender’s unconventional flourish in writing addresses — a hyphen between the street number and street name.
“There is no such thing as a small detail,” said Sheriff Ken Furlong. “Those are the things that break open these cases ... Even something as small as a hyphen.”
Deputies hope it will crack the case that began about 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 11, 2012, when Tatro woke up to the sound of gunfire at his home. Investigators say two shots entered the front door, passed through the living room to a sliding glass door, with one bullet hitting a back fence.
Tatro and his wife were unharmed.
Last December, the Christmas card arrived. The pre-printed message wished “peace and happiness to you and your loved ones,” but the marker scrawl on the opposite side was not so pleasant.
The most recent incident was May 13, when the partially burned remains of an incendiary device were found near the garage.
“We don’t think he’s very smart — he put it next to a metal door,” Hatley said of the culprit.
Images from nearby surveillance equipment helped detectives with a description of the suspect. They think he drives a gold Mercedes-Benz sedan from the years 1980 to 1990.
But even with intervention from experts at the FBI, who helped fine-tune the security images, detectives can’t discern a number or state on the license plate.
And a motive remains unknown.
Tatro is a municipal court judge who handles cases in the earliest stages and is active in the community.
Hatley said officials ruled out any direct involvement from a fired state taxation employee who was charged last year with soliciting someone to kill Tatro. The case was later dropped.
Tatro and his wife remain in the home in spite of the threats.
“It’s been a couple years of looking over their shoulders,” Hatley said. “They’re taking precautions. They’re nervous.”
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press