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Wednesday, November 27, 2024 at 3:30 PM
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Court News - 10th Judicial

The Tenth Judicial District convened on August 25th in Churchill County with Judge Tom Stockard presiding
Court News - 10th Judicial

Michelle Leann Paul failed to appear for a scheduled status hearing. A bench warrant was issued with a no-bail hold as Paul made no contact with her defense attorney, David Neidert, or with the court regarding the scheduled hearing. Paul is also wanted on a felony warrant in an unrelated matter from earlier this year.

Lynnda Victoria Seelye had entered into a criminal settlement conference earlier this summer, in which no resolution was achieved. In some instances, a defendant may elect to enter into such a conference in lieu of a jury trial. The matter then is settled by a senior or district court judge from another jurisdiction with the aid of both the prosecution and the defense. If there is no resolution, the case is returned to the court.

Since no agreement was reached, Judge Stockard continued the proceedings for one week. Seelye was arrested last winter by Churchill County Sheriff’s Office on alleged charges of battery with a deadly weapon.

Aaron Benjamin Rives entered a guilty plea on charges of non-support of a minor child. At the time of the complaint, Rives was in arrears of $29,000. He was ordered to make support payments in the amount of $315 for one year. Sentencing was deferred until September of 2021 giving Rives an opportunity to demonstrate compliance in the matter.

Justin Buster Kyte entered a not-guilty plea on charges of alleged possession, manufacture, or disposition of a short barrel rifle or shotgun, a category D felony, which carries a potential penalty of 1-4 years in prison. Judge Stockard presented an option for a criminal settlement conference in an effort to resolve the matter. Both the State and defense counsel, Jacob Sommer, Esq. agreed. Should no agreement be reached during the conference, a jury trial will commence on April 14th, 2021.

Amanda Allsop was arraigned on charges of misdemeanor indecent or obscene exposure, which carries a potential penalty of 364 days in county jail. According to Charles Woodman, Esq., on April 1st, at 390 W Williams Avenue, Allsop did make an indecent exposure of her person. Further hearings will be scheduled at a later date.

James Lewis Greene plead guilty on two counts of fraudulent use of a credit or debit card, a category B felony. According to Charles Woodman, Esq., defense counsel for Greene, his client used a credit card without the permission of the cardholder. Each charge carries a potential penalty of 1-4 years in prison. The court deferred arraigning Greene on a third count for the alleged embezzlement of a person over 60 and over $3,500. The charge, which carries 1-20 years in prison, could be enhanced by an additional 20 years, as the crime was committed against a vulnerable person. According to Priscilla Baker, Assistant District Attorney, the alleged victim was 70 years of age.

Thomas Allen Gerten entered a guilty plea for attempting to fail to stop on the signal of a peace officer. Jacob Sommer Esq., defense for Gerten, reported that he had been signaled to stop by law enforcement on November 17th, 2020, in which he failed to immediately pull over. Sentencing proceedings were suspended and Judge Stockard placed Gerten in the diversion program with Western Regional Drug Court. Gerten, who has been sober since December, apologized to the court, stating, “I was intoxicated and made a really bad decision. ”

Shawn Daniel Lee Underwood entered a guilty plea for allegedly attempting to commit burglary. According to his defense counsel, Jacob Sommer, Esq., Underwood did attempt to enter a storage building on Taylor Place with the intent to commit petty larceny. The Category C felony carries a potential penalty of 1-5 years. Lane Mills, Chief Deputy District Attorney, called to the court’s attention Underwood’s criminal history of theft crimes and his issues with substance abuse. Mills asked the court for a suspended sentence of 12-48 months in prison, 150 hours of community service, and a substance abuse evaluation stating, “We don’t tolerate thieving in this community.”

Underwood addressed the court, “It’s a shameful reason why I am here and I am very embarrassed. I am most sorry to the people I have done this to," stated Underwood, "I hope you can give me the chance to prove to you that I will never be in this court again. I am deeply ashamed and I'm sorry.“ Judge Stockard handed down a suspended sentence of 12-48 months in prison and a required Underwood to obtain a substance abuse evaluation and to follow all recommendations therein.

Timothy Grant Edwards Appeared for sentencing with Jacob Sommer, Esq., representing him. Judge Stockard, for the second time in two weeks, noticed a defendant slurring his words during the proceedings. He then ordered Court Services to administer a breathalyzer test to Edwards who then registered a blood alcohol level of .347. The hearing was continued for one week to ensure Edwards' sobriety during court proceedings.

Marcus Orlando Raoul Leyva, Jr., appeared for sentencing on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. According to his attorney, Charles Woodman, Esq., Leyva had an altercation in an alley with someone he had prior issues with and a small pocket knife was the weapon at hand. Woodman also reported that Leyva’s criminal history appeared to be fueled largely by the use of alcohol. He notified the court that he had been in residence at the Salvation Army program in Reno getting treatment for his addiction. Being Leyva’s first felony offense, Woodman argued for a suspended sentence and continued alcohol treatment. Judge Stockard sentenced Leyva to 19-48 months on a suspended sentence and the requirement that he obtain a substance abuse evaluation and follow all included recommendations.

 

 

 

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Stanley B 08/29/2020 02:27 PM
Don’t agree with all of the suspended sentences for people blaming their crimes on drugs. Look at Nicole Dattke, who murdered a man in Sparks while on probation from Churchill County. She had prior felonies in Utah and Nevada, but instead of 10 years incarcerated, she was on probation, stealing a gun and murdering a man in Sparks. Churchill County courts trust drug addicts, people you should never trust, to be free to commit escalating crimes. It makes no sense. A criminal is a criminal, whether they use drugs or not.

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