Teen denies probation violations

Jimmy Holman, convicted in the beating death last summer of a 54-year-old man, denied Tuesday several probation violations in his second run-in with law enforcement since he was sentenced last fall.

District Judge Dave Gamble set a hearing April 7 on the allegations. Holman, now 16, is being held in Douglas County Jail.

If his probation is revoked, Holman faces up to four years in Nevada State Prison.

He was 15 when he and three others were convicted in the June 22, 2009, death of Terrence Joe Howell.

Holman's codefendants - including another 15-year-old and Holman's stepfather - were sent to prison, but he was judged the least culpable and sentenced to probation.

He was arrested Feb. 28 after the car in which he was a passenger was stopped for failing to maintain a travel lane.

The three people in the car - including Holman - tested negative for alcohol. Deputies searched the vehicle after identifying Holman and driver Reynaldo Hernandez as being on probation.

Searching the back seat where Holman was sitting, deputies found a large black knife with "N14" on both sides, a small plastic bag containing 1-1/2 tablets of Naproxen, a square piece of foil and burned or smashed Naproxen tablet, and a clear cylinder-shaped tube with ground-up pill residue similar to Naproxen.

The three subjects denied ownership of any of the items.

The deputy said Holman was wearing white tennis shoes with gang writing and a red faded Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey. He also had his name written in gang-style writing on his left hand.

Holman denied any gang involvement at his arrest and on Tuesday.

He denied possession of weapons, violating any laws or being out after his 10 p.m. curfew.

"Were the clocks lying?" Gamble asked, noting the arrest was after 11 p.m.

"They said if I was with a responsible adult, I could be out later," Holman said.

He said one of his companions was his sister's caretaker and qualified as responsible.

He admitted failing to make restitution or paying fines, but said he was waiting until he turned 16 and could get a job.

Holman turned 16 on March 13 while he was in custody.

He blamed his failure to obtain a substance abuse evaluation on the juvenile probation office.

"JPO was going to help us, but they never followed through on their part," he said.

Holman said he didn't know that Hernandez was on probation.

Terms of Holman's release included a regulation that he not associate with anyone on probation or with a felony conviction.

He was arrested for probation violations in January that included drinking, using controlled substances and wearing gang colors to school.

Holman admitted those allegations and spent a week in Douglas County Jail before Gamble reinstated his probation Feb. 2.

Holman pleaded no contest in November to involuntary manslaughter. He was tried as an adult because of the nature of the crime.

He was sentenced to a suspended 4-year prison term and placed on five years probation.

Holman's stepfather, Anthony Gomez, was sentenced to eight years in prison with the possibility of parole in 28 months.

The four were accused of confronting Howell on June 21, 2009, after an alleged argument between Howell's and Gomez's young daughters at their Gardnerville apartment complex.

According to reports, Howell was kicked, punched and shoved in a brief altercation with the four assailants. Witnesses said the victim walked home after the fight and showed no outward signs of trauma to deputies or medical center personnel.

The next morning, June 22, his daughter found Howell in the bathroom with labored breathing. He was taken to Carson-Tahoe Regional Medical Center where he died after surgery to remove his spleen. An autopsy revealed Howell bled to death when his ribs punctured his spleen.