Criminal charges in Dayton teen fight depend on district attorney

DAYTON - Charges may be forthcoming in a June 10 fight that ended with several Dayton teenagers hospitalized, one requiring surgery.

According to Lyon County Sheriff Sid Smith, approximately 20 Dayton High School students were celebrating graduation with a campout near Eldorado Canyon when a fist fight allegedly broke out between one of their party and a Carson High School student.

When the fight subsided, the Carson City student reportedly left the area and came back with between 10 and 20 teenage boys wielding baseball bats, metal pipes and BB guns. Some witnesses said they saw knives.

When the melee ended one student had a fractured skull, another a damaged eye and several others suffered bumps and bruises.

The student with the head injury required surgery and was released earlier this week from Washoe Medical Center. As many as five other students were treated and released from Carson-Tahoe Hospital.

"We got a lot of conflicting statements," Smith said. "By the time we got there, a lot of kids had scattered."

Smith said a patrolling deputy learned of the incident when he pulled over a car containing an injured student being taken to the hospital by family members.

By the time law enforcement officers arrived at the campsite, teenagers were walking out by foot. In addition to the physical injuries, several cars were damaged.

Chuck Steele, Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for Lyon County, said detectives have come up with a list of suspects and intend to send that information to the District Attorney's Office for review. "We can't release the names at this point," he said.

The district attorney will examine the evidence and decide what charges, if any, can be prosecuted.

Terri Schlizt, mother of a Dayton girl, said she has been helping an effort to raise money to help pay the injured students' medical bills.

Her daughter was not at the scene when the alleged fight occurred, she said.

"Not even parents in Carson City know what their kids have done to these Dayton kids," she said. She said a rivalry between students at the two schools may have contributed to the charged atmosphere.

Smith said the sheriff's department is trying to make Dayton students aware that retaliation will not be tolerated. "That's the last thing we need," he said.