Year in jail for sex with 14-year-old

A 20-year-old Gardnerville man was sentenced Tuesday to one year in Douglas County Jail for having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Zachary Haase has been incarcerated since his arrest 104 days ago.

According to reports, Haase said he didn't know how old the girl was.

"You say as everybody says - you didn't know how old she was. Then you found out, and went on having sex with a 14-year-old," said District Judge Dave Gamble.

Haase pleaded guilty to statutory sexual seduction.

Gamble urged the district attorney's office to investigate the victim's mother who, Haase said, was smoking marijuana with her daughter and her friends.

Haase said he had no high school diploma, but was working on earning his general equivalency diploma while in jail.

"You've been laying around, getting drunk, using drugs and having sex," Gamble said. "You're 20 years old, and so far, you've wasted 20 years of oxygen."

Prosecutor Tyler Altom said in his opinion, Haase was a high risk to re-offend. The defendant must register as a sex offender, but he is not subject to lifetime supervision because of the gross misdemeanor.

"This has got to be a time when you change, or you're going to be sitting in belly chains and wearing attractive jail clothing and sitting in front of a judge," Gamble said. "You can have a life or just be a schmuck."

Haase, who did not seek probation, said since he was jailed he had been attending church and 12-step meetings and working on his GED.

"It's going to be a time of change," he said.