Ex-felon David Gomez, who said he turned to methamphetamine to cope with the
loss of his house in a fire, was sentenced Wednesday to a suspended
six-month sentence in Douglas County Jail for eluding an officer.
Gomez, 26, tested positive for methamphetamine Wednesday, and East Fork
Justice Jim EnEarl ordered him to report to Carson City authorities on
Monday on a warrant.
Gomez and his family lost their Bodie Flats home to a fire on April 28.
"I don't want to use," Gomez told EnEarl. "It's the only thing I know to
turn to when my life goes the way it has. I'm living in a 14-foot trailer at
my mom and dad's with my wife and three kids."
Gomez asked to be placed under the supervision of the adult probation
department because he said it's the only way he can stay clean.
"The only time I do good is when I have supervision," he told EnEarl.
Gomez was arrested April 21 when he tried to run from deputies who pulled
him over for a traffic stop. He was captured when he tripped over sagebrush,
according to reports.
He told EnEarl he ran from the Douglas deputies because of the Carson City
warrant for a similar allegation.
He pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstructing a public officer, a misdemeanor.
"You've been running from cops your entire life," EnEarl said. "Why don't
you try being a dad instead of a crank addict?"
Based on Gomez's positive drug test Wednesday, Carson City officials asked
he be arrested. EnEarl told him to turn himself in Monday.
He warned Gomez he would go to jail if he violates the terms of his release.
In March 2006, Gomez was sentenced to up to four years in prison despite
claims that he had turned his back on a long history of drug use and sales.
Gomez's prior convictions for drug and alcohol offenses include two felonies
and being kicked out of Western Regional Drug Court.
- A 20-year-old Ruhenstroth man, accused of sexually assaulting a
13-year-old girl, is expected to plead to a charge of coercion Tuesday in
District Court.
Matthew Derek Lebo waived his right Wednesday to a preliminary hearing.
He has been in Douglas County Jail on $302,500 cash bail since his arrest
April 28.
Lebo's lawyer, Tod Young, said the charges would be changed from sexual
assault of a minor under 14 and lewdness with a minor under 14 to coercion.
"That's some negotiating," said East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl.
"There was a lot of stuff going on here," Young said.
According to a sheriff's office report, Lebo allegedly admitted that he knew
the girl was 13, and that he forced her to have sex.
The girl had been reported as a runaway, but she returned home about 1:30
a.m. April 28. While a deputy was counseling her about the dangers of being
away from home at that hour, she reportedly broke down in tears and told the
officer she had been assaulted, according to reports.
Lebo was picked up after a deputy saw him walking behind the Ironwood Cinema
carrying a skateboard, according to reports.
- If a 41-year-old New Jersey woman can prove by Wednesday she is leaving
Douglas County, she may not face a 90-day suspended jail sentence for
"huffing," or inhaling two cans of commercial duster spray.
Suzanne Williams pleaded guilty Wednesday to use of a chemical to induce
euphoria or hallucination. She was arrested on the curb outside a pizza
parlor after she reportedly inhaled a can of Innovera. Deputies found a
grocery store receipt for two cans.
"You're 41 and you're huffing?" asked East Fork Justice Jim EnEarl. "How
much brain damage have you done?"
Williams' lawyer Derrick Lopez said she had been in the area four weeks and
her mother had offered to pay for a ticket so she could return to New
Jersey.
"If she can return to New Jersey, she has a much better chance of success,"
Lopez said.
EnEarl delayed imposition of sentence until Wednesday.
"If you've got an airplane ticket, fax it to Mr. Lopez," he said. "If you're
not in New Jersey, come back to court."
