Tahoe man receives 35 years to life for child molestation

A Lake Tahoe man was sentenced to the maximum of 35 years to life in prison for sexual abuse of a child on Monday.

Zachary R. Nance, 35, was sentenced by District Judge Tom Gregory after he heard four victim impact statements, two for each victim.

Nance was sentenced for sexual assault against a child under the age of 16 and lewdness with a child under the age of 14.

Gregory set the charges to be served consecutively, according to prosecutor Chelsea Mazza.

Mazza said one of the survivors provided her with a written statement and one made a statement in court. The mother of one survivor and the grandmother of the other both also testified.

Nance admitted to the felony charges just before Christmas 2023 and was ordered taken into custody.

Nance was arrested Dec. 15, 2022, after a search warrant was served on his Round Hill address in connection with allegations of lewd acts with a child dating back to 2017.

During the search authorities allegedly found information Nance planned to contact underage children.

Nance was represented by Thomas E Viloria.

As a result of his conviction, Nance will be required to register as a sex offender.

• A Lake Tahoe man who fled to Mexico almost seven years ago and was brought back to Douglas County in October waived a preliminary hearing in Tahoe Township Justice Court on Tuesday.

Ricardo Serrano-Perez will face a charge of sexual assault of a minor in connection with the case. Serrano-Perez appeared in court from the Douglas County Jail with an attorney and an interpreter.

A preliminary hearing determines whether probable cause that a crime was committed and the crime was committed by the accused.

Serrano-Perez may still deny the charge when he appears in Douglas County District on Feb. 20.