Around 8:50 p.m. on Oct. 20, Deputies and Detectives from the Nye County Sheriff's Office began investigating a kidnapping of an 82-year-old man.
According to official reports, NCSO dispatch received a call from two women who had driven from Las Vegas to Pahrump. They were traveling with their elderly friend, a 7-year-old child belonging to one of the women, and a young man who they had reportedly just met in Las Vegas.
The group arrived at a Pahrump gas station when the second man suddenly took off with the car, along with the elderly man inside.
During the investigation, it became apparent that the women were under the influence of narcotics. Identified as 46-year-old Alice McCoullum and 50-year-old Erica McCrury, both women were arrested and booked at the Nye County Detention for being under the influence of a controlled substance. McCoullum was also charged with child endangerment. Her child was placed in the custody of the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services.
Meanwhile, Nye County detectives tracked down the elderly man at a Siegel Suites Motel in Las Vegas through a coordinated investigation with the Nevada Highway Patrol. NHP troopers discovered that the man was dropped off by the younger man at the motel. The 82-year-old appeared to be suffering from a diminished mental capacity but was otherwise uninjured. He was taken to the hospital for an evaluation, and Elder Protective Services were contacted to take protective custody of him upon release.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was also contacted for assistance and officers eventually located the stolen vehicle near downtown Las Vegas. The driver, Dimitrios Vlahopouliotis, was taken into custody for an outstanding arrest warrant from California for a probation violation. He was eventually identified as the suspect responsible for stealing the car and kidnapping the elderly man.
Anyone with information about this investigation is urged to contact the Nye County Sheriff's Office at 775-751-7000, attention Sergeant Michael Eisenloffe.
