A woman who drove a van with 11 children " none wearing a seat belt " was sentenced Thursday to one day in jail for each passenger who was riding illegally.
Visiting Judge Richard Glasson sentenced Stacy Nauyoks to 11 days in Douglas County Jail, suspended for one year on the condition she violate no laws.
She also was convicted of driving with a suspended license.
Glasson told Nauyoks she has until Feb. 8, 2010, to produce a valid drivers license. Until then, she cannot drive.
Nauyoks was arrested Oct. 17 when Deputy John Meyer observed her driving on Pinenut Road. He said she was driving 50 mph in a 35-mph zone.
He testified Thursday he could see at least four heads above the rear vehicle seat and seat belt latch plates hanging that indicated they were not being used.
He stopped the Nauyoks vehicle and observed two adults and 11 children in the blue Dodge Caravan, none of whom was wearing a seat belt.
Nauyoks testified Thursday that she was at home in Gardnerville when her son called. She said he had been walking from their Stodick Park apartment about 6 p.m. to the Douglas County Fairgrounds for a middle school dance.
"He said it was too dark and he was scared he would get hit by a car," Nauyoks said.
She said she took her four other children, a friend, and the friend's child in the van to pick up her son and three of his friends.
"We found the children on the side of (Pinenut) Road, get them in my car to take them to the dance," Nauyoks said.
She disputed the deputy's claim she was speeding.
"It's not a safe road. You can't go 50. We looked at the speedometer. We were going 38 or 39 miles per hour.
Nauyoks claimed there were 11 people in the car, but the deputy said he counted 13 in the seven-passenger van.
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