Tahoe man arrested with stolen Harley will get ride to prison

A South Lake Tahoe man who was arrested at gunpoint after being stopped on a brand-new Harley Davidson motorcycle was sentenced to 20-50 months in prison on Tuesday.

John Robert Liska, 42, was arrested May 22 on Highway 50 in Round Hill at Lake Tahoe.

Attorney Kris Brown sought probation and drug court for Liska who admitted to possession of a stolen vehicle in July.

She acknowledged Liska’s long felony record.

“This is one of those cases where we think how much prison time he’ll get this time,” she said. “I don’t think prison is an automatic thing. For an addict treatment is always a day away.”

Brown also argued against $4,000 restitution to restore from the Sonoma Harley dealership where the motorcycle was taken.

Liska didn’t admit to taking the motorcycle, which his attorney said he admitted he should have known it was stolen after he paid far too low a price for it.

Prosecutor Matthew Johnson said Liska admitted to being a member of a gang.

“He doesn’t have a drug problem, he has a stealing and a gun problem,” Johnson said.

Liska has five felonies on his record, including two in Douglas County that sent him to prison in 2017, Johnson said.

District Judge Tod Young said he thought Liska had a severe drug problems.

“But you clearly have stealing problem, too,” Young said.

Liska was given credit for 109 days time served. A Sept. 21 date has been set for a restitution hearing to determine how much Liska will owe when he gets out of prison.

• A South Lake Tahoe woman whose attorney said her father injected heroin into her arm when she was 16 was sentenced to prison on Tuesday.

Jodi Lynn Owens, 30, who was arrested June 9 for having false identity, is on parole in Missouri and has eight prior felonies, according to court documents.

Owens said she was legal to be in California on an interstate compact in 2019. She said she never used the ID, and that when she was contacted she gave her accurate information to deputies.

She was sentenced to 19-48 months in prison for possession of documents establishing a false identity and given credit for 91 days time served.

• A trial for a South Lake Tahoe man accused of possession of a stun gun by an ex-felon was vacated on Tuesday.

Terrence David Vickers, 55, did not appear in court on Tuesday and an order to show cause was issued for a Sept. 21 hearing.

According to attorneys in the case, the issue has been negotiated down from a felony to a gross misdemeanor. He was arrested on Feb. 1 during a Minden traffic stop.

• A Minden man who admitted to selling a gram of methamphetamine in the parking lot of a Gardnerville grocery store will seek diversion.

Taylor Frederic Brockway, 31, admitted to one count of felony sale of a controlled substance on Tuesday.

Attorney Bill Cole said his client intends to seek to defer judgment in the case, which is up for review on Oct. 5.

Brockway is free on bail in connection with his Dec. 11, 2020, arrest. He faces up to 1-5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine should it be determined he’s not eligible for treatment.