District Attorney

It's a little late for Ground Hog Day, but the Carson City Board of Supervisors will have to redo the two votes required for raising the sales tax by 1/8 cent they approved two weeks ago.

According to District Attorney Neil Rombardo, they could not find the documentation to prove that notices were posted in City Hall two weeks prior to the two board meetings on Feb. 20 and March 6.

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners approved moving forward with approaching Larry Werner, retired Carson City Manager and resident of Douglas County, as a possible Interim County Manager. The Interim County Manager will serve over the next several months during the recruitment process for a new County Manager.

The Board discussed several options for interim management at its meeting at Lake Tahoe on Thursday, March 20, 2014, including appointment of qualified individuals from within and outside the organization.

Carson City voters will go to the polls twice this year to decide who they want representing them for the contested office of sheriff.

With the filing period closed, four are running for city's top law enforcement job. The decision will be narrowed to two in the June 10 primary election. Alphabetically those who have filed are: Ken Furlong, Don Gibson, Daniel Gonzales and Lorne Houle.

In the Nov. 4 general election the contested races are as follows:
District Attorney: Mark Krueger and Jason Woodbury.
Supervisor Ward 1: Karen Abowd and Lisa Helget

Jason Woodbury filed Friday as a candidate for Carson City District Attorney. This marks Woodbury’s first run for office and he says he’s looking forward to it.

“The folks I’ve talked with have a keen sense of their local government, and they’ve shared a number of concerns with me already. I have been encouraged by the positive reception from the public,” Woodbury said. “In the coming months, I hope to hear more about the service they expect from their District Attorney’s office.”

Here is the video of the Feb. 27 candidates forum hosted by the Carson City Republican Central Committee.

The candidates who participated (in order of their appearance):

Mark Krueger, candidate for Carson City District Attorney (0:00)
Jason Woodbury, candidate for Carson City District Attorney (8:54)
Adam Laxalt, candidate for Nevada Attorney General (18:45)
Dan Schwartz, candidate for Nevada State Treasurer (28:18)
Ken Furlong, candidate for Carson City Sheriff (34:55)
Don Gibson, candidate for Carson City Sheriff (43:23)

Mark Krueger, Carson City Assistant District Attorney, officially filed to run for Carson City District Attorney on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. The seat is being vacated by current Carson City District Attorney Neil A. Rombardo.

“I have extensive experience working with city government and the criminal justice system,” he said. “Carson City needs an experienced prosecutor, civil litigator and team leader to fill the important role of District Attorney and I bring that to the table.”

The Carson City Republican Central Committee will hold a candidate forum Feb. 27., 6:30 p.m. at Silver State High School, 788 Fairview Dr. Carson City.

Featured at the forum will be declared Candidates for:

Assistant District Attorney Mark Krueger on Saturday announced his candidacy for Carson City District Attorney.

As Assistant District Attorney, Krueger has been second in command at the Carson City District Attorney’s Office since 2012 and leads a team of 22 professional and support staff.

“I have extensive experience working with city government and the criminal justice system,” he said. “Carson City needs an experienced prosecutor, civil litigator and team leader to fill the important role of District Attorney and I bring that to the table.”

David Michael Grimes, 33, was sentenced in Carson City District Court Tuesday to the maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter in a Feb. 3, 2013 shooting outside a Washington Street home following a Super Bowl Sunday party.

As part of the lawsuit to decide marriage equality in Nevada, the plaintiffs filed suit against the State, Carson City, Clark County and Washoe County. Clark and Washoe counties refused to defend the lawsuit. The State and Carson City prevailed at the Nevada Federal District Court level. As a result, the plaintiffs appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Former Deputy DA Jason Woodbury says he's running for Carson City District Attorney.

“Being elected District Attorney of Carson City would fulfill a dream I have had since I first set foot in a courtroom,” said Woodbury, 41, in a news release.

Carson City District Attorney Neil A. Rombardo and Assistant District Attorney Mark J. Krueger of the Criminal Division, warn of a potentially misleading solicitation for land deed processing from Property Transfer Services.

The District Attorney’s Office received information from local attorneys that Property Transfer Services has been sending solicitations to new property owners in and around Carson City recommending “all Nevada homeowners obtain a copy of their current Grant deed as evidence that the title to the property was in fact transferred to the new owner.”

Judge Jim Wilson filed for reelection as district court judge. His campaign committee includes: Roger Williams, Mary Pierczynski, Frank Flaherty, Bill Brewer, Ryan Russell, and Daniel Gonzales.

Judge Wilson was elected to the First Judicial District Court, which serves Carson City and Storey County, in 2008.

Carson City resident Joshua Grow was convicted Monday of trafficking 28 or more grams of methamphetamine by a jury of his peers, the Carson City District Attorney's Office announced.

Grow faces the maximum sentence of 10 years to life imprisonment or the minimum sentence of 10 to 25 years and a mandatory fine up to $500,000. He will be sentenced Feb. 3, 2014.

Douglas County District Court Judge Michael Gibbons faces a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter following a fatal bicycle accident this summer, according to charges filed Friday by District Attorney Mark Jackson.

On August 20, 2013, cyclist Joseph Longo, 61, was killed in an accident near Pinenut and East Valley roads in the Carson Valley. Charges state Gibbons, 57, failed to exercise due care when overtaking or passing Longo who was traveling in the same direction. Gibbons is accused of failing to pass at a safe distance and not using due care to avoid a collision.

A 30-year-old Carson City man was arrested early Wednesday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and going too fast for conditions, among other misdemeanor charges.

According to the arrest report a deputy patrolling the area of Koontz Lane in Carson City spotted a green Geo traveling at a high rate of speed shortly before 2 a.m. The back of the vehicle was fish tailing and the tires, spinning.

Ty Robben, who is facing charges he libeled and tried to intimidate Justice of the Peace John Tatro, on Monday lost his bid to disqualify the district attorney from prosecuting him.

Jason Bender, 29, received a life sentence Monday with a possibility of parole after serving 10 years in prison for lewd acts upon a 6-year old child, according to the Carson City District Attorney's Office.

Bender, who was recently released from prison for an unrelated drug charge, groped a six year old female while her family and other adults were in a nearby room. The child later disclosed the fondling to her mother and Bender’s sister who in turn reported the crime to authorities.

Capital Crossfire hosts Shelly Aldean and Karl Neathammer discuss the death penalty in Nevada with Nancy Hart, an attorney with the Nevada Coalition Against the Death Penalty and Mark Krueger, assistant district attorney for Carson City.

“Capital Crossfire” can be viewed on Charter Cable 210 Sundays at 7:30pm, Tuesdays at 8pm or Saturdays at 2pm.

Justin Carrigan was sentenced Monday to a minimum of five and maximum of 15 years in the Nevada Department of Corrections prison after a jury in September found him guilty of child neglect with substantial bodily after a 3-year-old suffered brain damage under his care.

This is the second time a jury convicted and Judge James T. Russell sentenced Carrigan of this crime. On September 29, 2011, a jury found Carrigan guilty of child neglect with substantial bodily harm but acquitted him of child abuse with substantial bodily harm.

Former Carson High School teacher Jennifer Dalton, 36, was sentenced Tuesday in Carson City District Court to a maximum of 30 months in prison on one felony count of sexual conduct with a student.

Dalton pled no contest on August, 20 to having a sexual relationship with a 17 years old male student.

Assistant District Attorney Mark Krueger argued that the court should send a clear message that teachers, who are in a position of trust by parents, families, and communities, should be sent to prison for violating that trust.

Judge Jim Wilson will seek re-election as district court judge. Judge Wilson was elected to the First Judicial District Court, which serves Carson City and Storey County, in 2008.

Judge Wilson graduated from Carson High School, the University of Nevada, Reno, and McGeorge School of Law. He was a deputy district attorney and then Elko County District Attorney. He was in private practice in Carson City for 22 years before taking the bench.

A Carson City man faces a felony charge of possessing stolen property, a laptop computer, and five misdemeanors after he was arrested Sept. 14 in the 2800 block of Carmine Street.

Eduardo Reyes, 43, was jailed with bail at $27,469. According to the arrest report, officers went to the residence of the man who had a confirmed warrant out of Carson City Justice Court for obstructing and driving without a valid license.

A three-day trial in Lyon County ended with the conviction of a man accused of stealing property in Mound House and selling it for scrap.

James Vincent Golden, 54, of Reno, was found guilty on Sept. 13 on two counts of grand larceny, a category C felony, and one count of attempted grand larceny, a category D felony, at the Third Judicial District Court in Yerington. Jeremy Reichenberg, Senior Deputy District Attorney, and Orrin Johnson, Deputy District Attorney, prosecuted the case for the Lyon County District Attorney.

Justin Carrigan was convicted by a Carson City jury on Thursday of child neglect with substantial bodily harm. The Jury deliberated for approximately 45 minutes before returning a verdict of guilty.

This is the second time a jury convicted Carrigan of this crime. Allegations arose in this case from an incident on September 27, 2010, when Carrigan was the sole caregiver for Rochelle Ellis, a three year old at the time, according to a news release from the Carson City District Attorney's Office.

Lyon County Commissioner Virgil Arellano formally has proposed an ordinance that would use zoning laws to prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries, and District Attorney Bob Auer said his office is prepared to defend that action.

Carson City District Attorney Neil A. Rombardo will not seek a third term as the District Attorney of Carson City.

“I want to thank the people I work with in the District Attorney’s Office. They are an impressive team of professionals dedicated to making Carson City a better place. I also want to thank the voters of Carson City for giving me the opportunity to serve the community. It has been an honor to act as their District Attorney for the last seven years,” said Rombardo in a released statement.

The District Attorney’s response to concerns about his indecision on the death penalty in the McCune murder prosecution is deeply disappointing.

The August 29, 2013 "opinion" questioning the District Attorney's decision-making in a pending death penalty case reveals a lack of understanding of the criminal justice system.

A 25-year-old Reno man was found guilty of three felony counts of lewdness with a child under the age of 14, Lyon County Assistant District Attorney Stephen Rye said.

The four-day trial in the Third Judicial District Court in Yerington concluded with the verdict on Friday, June 21. The case was prosecuted by Rye and Damian Sinnott, deputy district attorney for Lyon County.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, Fernley Patrol Division and Detective Division, made the arrest and handled the investigation in the case. The crimes occurred in July 2012.