Construction worker, Marines arrested in shooting of wild horses

RENO, Nev. - Police arrested a Reno construction worker Tuesday and also planned to charge two Marines in California in the slaughter of 34 wild horses that were shot with high-powered rifles.

Anthony Jon Merlino, 21, of Reno was arrested Tuesday at his work site in nearby Sparks, Washoe County Sheriff Richard Kirkland said.

Merlino was booked into the county jail on charges of grand larceny, grand theft and maiming, poisoning or killing another person's animal.

Arrest warrants on the same charges, which carry combined maximum penalties of more than 10 years in prison, have been issued for the two Marines being held Tuesday night at U.S. Marine Corps bases in California.

Lance Cpl. Scott William Brendle, 22, of Reno was being held at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Lance Cpl. Darien Thomas Brock, 21, also of Reno was being held at Twentynine Palms east of Los Angeles, Storey County District Attorney Janet Hess said.

"It's sad but true," said Maj. Lenny Ryan of Camp Pendleton.

Both are members of the 1st Marine Division. Both Reno area residents were home on leave when the free-roaming mustangs were shot to death on Dec. 27, Storey County Sheriff Pat Whitten said.

"The seriousness of the case has led us to charge them with both felonies and gross misdemeanors," he said.

Hess said it was not clear if some form of extradition would be necessary, but that prosecutors intended to return the soldiers to Nevada for prosecution.

The sheriffs were mum on details of what led to the arrests. Although Kirkland said a relative of a sheriff's office employee overheard a conversation that proved helpful.

"There were hundreds and hundreds of pieces of leads," Kirkland said.

"We had one lead that was a little better than the others that actually started with an employee of the sheriff's office's granddaughter who was at a party who heard a certain thing being said," he said.

"All the detectives took that and began to run that around, and it all started springing from that," Kirkland said.

Law officers said they did not believe military-issue weapons were used in the shooting.

The shootings rocked the local community. Animal protection groups helped raise a $35,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Some of the horses were maimed and at least one was blasted with a chemical fire extinguisher on the rugged hillside about one mile south of Interstate 80.

Maj. Ryan said the Marine Corps was working with Nevada authorities in the case.

"The Marine Corps condemns this type of abhorrent behavior, which is clearly contrary to the values and principals of the Marines Corps and will not be tolerated," Marine authorities said in a prepared statement.

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