Carson man’s trial continues in Fallon

FALLON — Distance and self-defense were the focus Wednesday in the Tenth Judicial District Court during the third day of Keith Alan Thomas’ trial on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and battery with a deadly weapon causing substantial bodily harm.The trial of the Carson City man is scheduled to continue at 9 a.m. today and is expected to conclude on Friday, with a verdict coming in the hours after the case is submitted to the jury.Thomas shot Michael Gallardo of Fernley on Aug. 16, 2011, in the parking lot of Carpet Connection, which Thomas owns. How far apart the men were figures into claims of self-defense raised by Thomas’ attorney, Steve Evenson.According to testimony from Gallardo and his girlfriend Savahanna Kelley, Gallardo came to the Fallon business to fight Thomas due to his relationship with Kelley. Gallardo said Thomas pressured Kelley into a sexual relationship, and he confronted Thomas about the situation.On Wednesday, Evenson continued his questioning about the distance between the two men, spending considerable time asking Churchill County Deputy Ronald Bell and Investigator Lee Orozco about their participation in the investigation.Bell was one of the first deputies to arrive at the scene and drew diagrams of the scene. He said one of the maps showed a distance of nearly 186 feet between Gallardo’s position and a spent shell casing on the ground, although he didn’t know if the casing may have been kicked or moved prior to the arrival of deputies.CCSO Deputy Todd Keller, the first officer at the scene, said he searched Thomas and placed him on the curb and then attended to Gallardo’s injury. Keller said Gallardo told him Thomas was about “40 feet, maybe more” from Gallardo.Orozoco was questioned by Evenson why no CCSO official searched Kelley’s Chevy Silverado, since her truck was in the crime scene. Orozco said he was not the lead investigator in the case and couldn’t answer that question. In addition, Kelley, who had blocked Gallardo’s car in the parking space, moved her truck after the shooting. Evenson asked Orozco and Bell if any measurements were taken based on Kelley’s representations of the incident, and both said no.