Dayton man receives probation in sex trafficking sting

A Dayton man arrested in an underage prostitution sting last year is scheduled to be released from a 45-day jail sentence on July 8.

James Ryen Markwardt-Abrigo, 30, was ordered to serve the jail time as a condition of probation after he admitted to felony sexual conduct and sexual exploitation of a child less than 16 years old.

He received an underlying combined sentence of 6-15 years on the two counts should he fail probation.

Markwardt-Abrigo contacted an officer, who was posing as an underage teenager, through social media in an attempt to draw her into a liaison.

According to an evaluation he was at low risk of reoffending. As part of his probation, he was ordered to six months of house arrest after his release from jail, register as a sex offender and pay $1,528 in fees. He was sentenced on May 24.

• A man, who attempted to elude deputies, on Rancho Drive in Gardnerville on Aug. 21, 2021, admitted to the charge and possession of a controlled substance Tuesday.

According to court documents, Travis Benjamin Brantmeyer, 40, sped away from deputies after a traffic stop. He was found with 14-28 grams of Fentanyl.

Prosecutors agreed to recommend Brantmeyer receive simultaneous terms of up to six years for the eluding charge and five years for possession at a July 26 sentencing.

• A Wellington man who forcefully entered a Holbrook Highlands business and drove a Razor all-terrain vehicle ATV off the lot on Dec. 4, 2021, admitted Tuesday to burglary of a business in district court.

According to court documents, Sampson Lucio Nigra, 22, was seen on a surveillance camera entering the property by driving straight through and causing damage to the perimeter gate in a Chevrolet pickup truck.

He was arrested Dec. 14, 2021, based on probable cause detailed in the investigation.

He faces a maximum of five years in prison at his Aug. 9 sentencing.