Trail of marijuana leads to arrest in Las Vegas home invasion

Las Vegas police followed a lengthy trail of marijuana baggies to help solve a violent home invasion and robbery in the central Las Vegas Valley this month.

The home invasion unfolded April 4 at a residence on Wisteria Avenue, near Alta Drive and Jones Boulevard, at 11:02 p.m.

Police said in an arrest report that a man and a juvenile broke into the home and attempted to rob a person in the residence, resulting in the juvenile being shot. The adult intruder, identified by police as Jose Jaimes-Paz, 18, suffered a broken hand during a struggle inside the home, police said.

Jaimes-Paz and the juvenile were found injured on nearby Yosemite Street and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Police said when they were initially called to the neighborhood, they found a trail of bags containing marijuana on Yosemite, near where Jaimes-Paz and the juvenile were located. The trail of pot bags, stretching for more than 200 yards, led police back to the residence on Wisteria where the home invasion occurred.

“They located numerous small Ziplock-type baggies containing a green leafy substance they recognized as marijuana on the ground at multiple locations,” police wrote in the arrest report.

At the home, police found evidence of the break-in and a large amount of cash and drugs. The stash included $11,968 in cash, 971 grams of marijuana, 9.5 grams of Ecstasy, 19.5 grams of THC wax, THC vape pens, a shotgun and a handgun, all of which were confiscated.

Jaimes-Paz is facing felonies including home invasion, robbery, burglary and conspiracy in the incident. It was not clear Thursday if anyone else was arrested or charged in the case.

The juvenile survived the shooting.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.