A former Carson City deputy public defender who pleaded no contest to two counts of lewdness with a child under 16 will be sentenced Oct. 24 in Carson City after the hearing was continued in late August.
Adam Lawson Woodrum, 47, entered his no-contest pleas on June 30 and was remanded to jail without bail to await sentencing.
Ninth Judicial District Judge Thomas Gregory of Douglas County has presided in Carson City due to conflicts tied to the defendant’s prior employment in Carson City’s justice system.
Each count carries a mandatory prison term of four to 10 years and a fine of up to $10,000. Gregory can order the sentences to run together or back-to-back, for a total term of eight to 20 years and up to $20,000 in fines. Probation is not permitted under state law. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to win at trial.
The case is being prosecuted by Douglas County Chief Deputy District Attorney Chelsea Mazza.
Woodrum is accused of molesting a child related to him on multiple occasions when the victim was 14 or 15 between August 2023 and August 2024.
As part of the plea agreement, Nevada prosecutors agreed not to pursue additional charges including sexual assault of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material, and authorities in Mono County, California, agreed not to proceed on related allegations stemming from a September 2024 incident.
The investigation began after a child related to Woodrum disclosed in December 2024 that he had inappropriately touched them on several occasions, prompting a report to the Carson City Sheriff’s Office and a forensic assessment at the Community Assistance Center in Reno.
A criminal complaint was issued Jan. 21. Woodrum was arrested Jan. 22 outside a Carson City store. The arrest initially drew scrutiny after jail staff released him on bail with limited conditions; within hours, he sent push notifications to the victim and family, court records show.
A temporary protective order was granted the next day. In early March, a Carson City justice court judge declined to raise bail but added supervision by the Department of Alternative Sentencing and ordered GPS monitoring when Woodrum was in northern Nevada.
During the June 30 arraignment, prosecutors urged custody pending sentencing, citing potential flight risk after the recent sale of Woodrum’s home and the prospect of significant prison time. Defense counsel argued Woodrum had complied with court orders, maintained contact with supervising authorities and was living with family in Tempe, Arizona. Gregory said it is routine to revisit release after a plea and ordered Woodrum held without bail. Woodrum asked to remain at the Carson City Jail rather than be transferred to Douglas County while awaiting sentencing.
Woodrum worked as Carson City’s supervising deputy public defender from April 2024, until his arrest. He also served as a deputy attorney general from Feb. 2023, to April 2024 with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office.
