The Tenth Judicial District Court convened Tuesday, August 11 with Judge Thomas Stockard presiding.

The Tenth Judicial District Court convened Tuesday, Aug. 11, with Judge Thomas Stockard presiding.

Clayton Shelby Reynolds pleaded no contest to Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), a Category E Felony which carries a potential penalty of 1-4 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

Senior Deputy Public Defender Jeffrey Weed asked that Reynolds be provisionally placed in the Western Nevada Regional Drug Court Program.

Judge Stockard provisionally admitted Reynolds to Drug Court with Court Services supervision and set sentencing for Oct. 13.

Jacob Andrew Goldie was not present for his arraignment. A $25,000 cash-only warrant was issued.

Gonzalo Diego Nunez appeared for sentencing on Attempt to Commit Grand Larceny of Personal Goods or Property of a Value of $1,200 to $5,000, to which he pleaded guilty on July 21.

Churchill County Public Defender Jacob Sommer said his client was before the court “for conduct that he looks back upon in embarrassment and shame.” Sommer added that Nunez has handled himself “in the way that we would want to see from every single defendant.” Well before he was required to do so, Sommer said, Nunez “paid every penny of restitution.”

Sommer asked that the “wobbler” be sentenced as a Gross Misdemeanor, as opposed to a felony, with Nunez placed on probation on a suspended sentence under the maximum penalty.

“I am confident, as confident as I have been, that we will not see Diego back in the system again; and that he will learn what needs to be learned from his behavior,” Sommer said.

Nunez told the court he is very embarrassed and has learned several important lessons, the first being that this is not what he wants to teach his children. He said he wants to continue giving back to the community through his service at the animal shelter.

Judge Stockard sentenced the offense as a Gross Misdemeanor and imposed a suspended sentence of 364 days in jail. Nunez was placed on probation and fined $1,500, to be paid at $200 per month.

Steven Glenn Baltazar, in custody, pleaded guilty to the Category B Felony of Discharging a Firearm at or into an Occupied Structure, Vehicle, Aircraft, or Watercraft, which carries a potential penalty of 1-10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Deputy Public Defender Kenneth Tedford provided the factual basis, stating that his client discharged a firearm into an occupied home.

Tedford then addressed provisional placement in the Western Nevada Regional Drug Court Program, saying it “has become abundantly clear to him that if he doesn’t solve his alcohol problem it is going to impact the rest of his life …”

Chief Deputy District Attorney Lane Mills told the court, “I think everybody here agrees that Mr. Baltazar has a serious alcohol issue.” Mills also expressed concern about Baltazar's access to firearms. “We think we have all his firearms, but frankly, we don’t know.”

Mills noted that if Baltazar is placed on probation, the Division of Parole and Probation would have the ability to verify whether he has additional firearms. He also addressed the seriousness of the underlying offense, saying the bullet went over the homeowner's headboard.

“A couple of inches another way, we'd be here on a murder case. And so we are concerned,” Mills said. He noted that probation and Drug Court work together and could provide additional safeguards for the community.

Tedford said that after speaking with his client, Baltazar did not object to remaining in custody. He said Baltazar recognizes that he has an alcohol problem and wants to address it.

Judge Stockard placed Baltazar under Court Services supervision and provisionally placed him in Drug Court, noting that any violation involving possession/access to firearms prior to sentencing will be addressed by the court. He ordered a Pre-Sentence Investigation and set sentencing for Oct. 13.

Brandon Michael Wilcox, in custody, pleaded guilty to the Category B Felony of Lewdness with a Child Under the Age of 16, which carries a potential penalty of 1-10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. The offense is not eligible for probation. Upon conviction, Wilcox will also be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to lifetime supervision by the Division of Parole and Probation.

The factual basis given by Wilcox was that he inappropriately kissed and touched a 15-year-old child.

Wilcox was arrested last August and initially charged with Sexual Assault on a Child Under 16, Not Causing Substantial Bodily Harm, a Category A Felony punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years; Lewdness With a Child Under 16 (Age 14-15), a Category B Felony punishable by 1-10 years in prison; Sexual Assault, a Category A Felony punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years; and Possession of Visual Pornography of a Person Under 16 Years of Age, a Category B Felony punishable by 1-6 years in prison.

Judge Stockard ordered a Pre-Sentence Investigation and set sentencing for Nov. 10.