A 40-year-old Minden man who left a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old alone in his vehicle as he tried to elude deputies was sentenced Wednesday to two suspended sentences in Douglas County Jail.
Curtis Peterson pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and eluding a peace officer in connection with the Aug. 25 incident.
East Fork Justice Pro Tem Paul Gilbert gave Peterson credit for time served and ordered him to pay fines, attend a victim impact panel and DUI school, or face two jail terms.
He was arrested after deputies chased him from Hamdog's, across Highway 395, over an 8-foot fence and found him hiding in an irrigation ditch.
When Peterson ran, he left the two children unattended in his vehicle.
Child endangerment charges were dismissed in exchange for the guilty plea.
Peterson told Gilbert he thought he was sober, but admitted smoking methamphetamine 12 hours earlier.
n A 26-year-old house painter is to appear in District Court Sept. 15 on a charge of child abuse or neglect.
David Springer has been in jail since he was arrested March 10 and charged with sexually and abusing an 11-year-old girl.
He has been through several court-appointed lawyers and retained attorney Tod Young.
Springer waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday in East Fork Justice Court and is to enter a plea in District Court.
The alleged victim told investigators Springer kicked her in the back and punched her in the stomach in November, and sexually abused her a dozen times over several months.
At the time of the alleged incidents, Springer lived in Gardnerville.
A previous lawyer, Matthew Ence, claimed the charges were fabricated by the girl's mother in retaliation for Springer's plan to break up with her.
Ence said the woman made similar allegations against Springer in Carson City but recanted her story.
n A hearing is set Sept. 10 for a 33-year-old Carson City man accused of selling methamphetamine in an undercover sting.
Brett Jeffery Davenport was accused of selling 1.8 grams of methamphetamine to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Street Enforcement Team.
He reportedly was accompanied by a woman and a 3- to 4-year-old child when the transaction took place.
Davenport was released on his own recognizance Wednesday after being jailed on $15,500 bail.
