Minden woman charged with writing bad checks to DMV

The owner of a vehicle registration and title service has been charged with theft for writing 60 bad checks to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Melanie Collins-Freeze was arrested at her Minden home on New Year's day after an investigation by the Nevada Division of Investigations.

She faces eight counts of theft for writing bad checks totaling more than $20,000 between September 1997 and June 1998. If convicted, she could receive up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count.

Freeze, a former DMV employee, operated Vehicle Registration and Title Service, an Incline Village company that handled vehicle registration, titling and other motor vehicle issues for people who don't have the time to wait through the lines at DMV themselves.

Collins-Freeze's customers paid her the amount of fees they owed and a fee to cover her services.

NDI Detective Sgt. Jenine Davis said Collins-Freeze did register the vehicles as promised. But Davis said the checks the woman wrote to DMV to pay for the customer registrations, plates and titles were all returned by the bank due to insufficient funds.

There has been no move by DMV to go after the individuals who used Collins-Freeze's service.

Collins-Freeze is scheduled for arraignment in Douglas County court Feb. 6. Until then, she is free on $5,000 bail.