A 51-year-old man faces two felony charges after allegedly crashing a stolen truck into a State Farm insurance office in Fernley on Tuesday and then attempting to punch a Lyon County Sheriff's Office deputy.
Michael Shenkel of Fernley is being held on $25,500 bail. According to Lyon County Sheriff Sgt. Ryan Powell, deputies were called at 12:52 p.m. to the State Farm Office Building located at 79 Seventh Street for a report that a vehicle had struck the building.
Witnesses on scene advised that a pickup crashed into a fence then slammed into the building with Shenkel reportedly fleeing the scene prior to deputies arriving.
Deputies responded to the location and were speaking with witnesses when the Shenkel was seen walking back to the crash scene. Deputies tried to speak with Shenkel when he attempted to punch one of the deputies. After a brief struggle Shenkel was taken into custody, said Sgt. Powell.
As deputies investigated the incident, Shenkle was uncooperative and refused to provide any details about the incident. Deputies learned the truck was not his, rather registered to another person in the Fernley area, said Powell.
The registered owner was summoned to the scene and stated that it was their truck and Shenkle was not given permission to drive the truck. The resident went home to check on his house and found property damage to a fence where the truck was parked and discovered their home had been burglarized in addition to the truck being stolen.
Witnesses stated as Shenkle was driving westbound on Main Street when he struck a billboard on the side of the road, crashed through a fence and then into the back side of the State Farm Insurance building, said Powell.
The truck penetrated the building and caused substantial property damage to the building and neighboring fences. An exact dollar amount for the damage was not known, however it was estimated to be “tens of thousands of dollars” according to a representative from State Farm.
Shenkle was transported to the Lyon County Jail and booked on the following charges:
Possession of a Stolen Vehicle - Felony
Destruction of Property – Felony
Hit and Run – Misdemeanor
Assault on a Peace Office – Gross Misdemeanor
Resisting Arrest – Misdemeanor
Reckless Driving – Misdemeanor