Woman in court on child neglect charge

A 42-year-old Johnson Lane woman was back in court Wednesday on a similar child neglect charge that earned her a suspended six-month sentence in Douglas County Jail in 2005.

Rebeka Haelsig appeared without an attorney Wednesday before East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl who strongly urged her to hire counsel. She said she couldn't afford a lawyer, but EnEarl pointed out that she owned her own home, therefore did not qualify for a court-appointed attorney.

"You need an attorney," he said. "You are charged with serious crimes, and you can't afford to proceed without one. You are extremely foolish if you don't."

Haelsig said she understood what the judge said, but chose not to retain counsel.

EnEarl continued her arraignment to June 11.

Haelsig was arrested Jan. 21 when deputies were called to her Johnson Lane home by her husband who claimed she was passed out and failed to care for their 5-year-old son.

According to the sheriff's report, Haelsig allegedly was "in a state of voluntary intoxication and left the 5-year-old unattended."

The boy told deputies he didn't know where his mother was, but he had fed himself and seemed fine. According to reports, Haelsig's husband found her passed out at a desk in their home office with an alcoholic beverage.

Haelsig was arrested under similar circumstances in 2005 when the child was 22 months old. She was placed on three years probation and ordered to abstain from alcohol and controlled substances.

n Bail was set at $15,000 cash for a 38-year-old man accused of breaking into his ex-wife's home in violation of a temporary protection order.

Donnie Swafford was arrested Monday after the woman called a friend who was housesitting to alert him that the suspect was trying to enter the house.

The woman was vacationing in Hawaii with her children. Swafford reportedly told deputies that he had joined her there and spent time with the children and was checking her house on his way home from the airport.

He was charged with felony invasion of the home and violation of an extended protection order.

East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl appointed lawyer Tod Young to represent Swafford.

n Probation was revoked Wednesday for an Indian Hills man after multiple probation violations.

East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl ordered Richard Denny to serve a year in Douglas County Jail for the most recent arrest that involved drunk driving.

Denny had told the judge at a prior court appearance he was preparing to move to Alaska.

Prior arrests include driving violations and discharging a weapon in public.

Denny was placed on house arrest in August because of diabetes complications, but after his last violation, EnEarl ordered him jailed.

He was arrested May 13 for driving with a suspended or revoked license. His preliminary blood-alcohol content was .230, nearly three times the legal limit of .08 for driving in Nevada.

According to court records, Denny spat on two deputies who attempted to restrain him while he was being booked in jail.

n Dawn Miley, accused of causing a head-on collision last summer that wiped out a California family of four, is to appear June 2 in District Court as her lawyer seeks funds to hire an expert.

Miley, 43, appeared Wednesday before East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl, and temporarily waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Lawyer Derrick Lopez said he was not authorized to say what type of expert he hopes to hire.

Miley was charged with reckless endangerment causing death or substantial bodily harm in the July 14, 2007, deaths of the Calevro family of Torrance, Calif., on their way to Lake Tahoe for a vacation.

According to the criminal complaint, Miley self-medicated her diabetic condition without supervision of a physician. That resulted in driving while her level of consciousness was altered by low blood sugar, causing her to lose control of the vehicle.

Witnesses said Miley was driving southbound on Highway 395 at a high speed, passing several vehicles before her 2002 Suzuki sport utility vehicle left the roadway surface along the right, overcorrected, and struck a pickup truck in the northbound lane near Leviathan Mine Road.

Killed at the scene were Jerome Calevro, 58; his wife, Maria Amelia, 52; daughter Bernadette, 23, and son Jerome Daniel, 15.

Miley is out on $2,500 bail.

A conditional waiver permits her to return to East Fork Justice Court for further proceedings.