Hearing May 14 in lewdness case

A hearing was continued to May 14 for a 52-year-old Gardnerville man accused of lewdness with a 6-year-old girl and possession of sexually explicit images.

John Michael Parks was arrested in November on the charge and has been out on $5,000 bail.

East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl asked why the case was taking so long.

Lawyer Ron Cauley said he was in "extensive negotiations" with the district attorney's office and approaching a possible plea bargain.

"I wanted to come in and talk to you because this case has been bumped several times," Cauley said.

In a letter to the court, Cauley pointed out that it took more than nine months for the district attorney to charge his client, and that he was securing additional evidence and expert opinions on Parks' behalf.

Parks is living with his parents and under the supervision of the Department of Alternative Sentencing.

He is charged with two counts of lewdness with a child under age 14 and three counts of visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of persons under age 16.

Confiscated material from his East Valley residence included sexually explicit images of children as young as 12 months, according to court documents.

The 6-year-old's mother filed a report in February 2007 against Parks, alleging the incidents occurred from January 2006 until Feb. 15, 2007.

The victim's mother said Parks was a family acquaintance. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies seized computer equipment which contained the images of the children.

n Probation was revoked Wednesday for a 21-year-old Gardnerville man who violated a suspended sentence by using drugs.

East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl ordered Ryan Wetzel to serve 120 days in Douglas County Jail stemming from a July 2007 arrest.

"You won't quit smoking dope," EnEarl said.

Wetzel asked EnEarl to reconsider.

"I haven't even told my mom, but I have a baby on the way," he said.

EnEarl told him he had to choose between being a father or a drug addict because he couldn't do both.

Last July, Wetzel was sentenced to 120 days on a drug charge and 90 days for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

He was ordered to serve the 90 days in October for a probation violation.

"Son, you need to do something or you are just going to continue to do life on the installment plan," EnEarl said.

n An April 30 hearing was set for a 48-year-old Gardnerville Ranchos man who has served two prison terms for felony drunk driving.

John Longden was arrested Tuesday on a charge of driving under the influence with a prior felony.

According to reports, an employee of Scolari's said Longden walked out of the store shortly after midnight Tuesday without paying for several items, including an 18-pack of beer.

He returned to the store and paid for the merchandise, but the clerk observed him drinking a beer as he sped away. She contacted deputies and followed him.

Deputies stopped him at Long Valley Road and Riverview Drive.

Records indicated he has had four driving under the influence convictions in the past seven years.

n A Gardnerville Ranchos man was fined $632 Wednesday for unlawful discharge of a weapon after he admitted firing a 9 mm handgun into the ground.

"How drunk were you?" asked East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl.

James Gallerani said he had two beers before firing the weapon into the ground at his property on Tillman Lane.

According to reports, Gallerani's blood-alcohol content was .181, more than twice the legal limit of .08 for driving in Nevada.

Gallerani said he owns four acres on Tillman and was "just making noise."

Deputies were called to the residence Feb. 16 on a report of gunshots. They found the weapon hidden in a garage.

n A 21-year-old South Lake Tahoe man was fined $892 Wednesday and ordered to serve three days in Douglas County Jail for driving under the influence.

Chase Ecklund told East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl he was moving to Mexico as soon as he resolves his legal issues. He has been arrested twice for driving under the influence in six months.

EnEarl denied his request for house arrest after Ecklund changed his story several times as to the last day he smoked marijuana.

Originally, he said it had been 25 days, but admitted it was two days ago when EnEarl said he would be tested.

n A hearing is set May 14 for a Gardnerville man accused of burglary and grand larceny in the disappearance of $21,000 in "high end" golf equipment.

Darrell Eddy is accused of taking equipment from Valley Golf Shops over six months and selling some of the items on the eBay Internet auction site.

According to reports, Eddy admitted selling nearly $7,000 worth of equipment. The owner alleged that the total was closer to $22,000.