Failure to appear results in prison term

A Reno man was sentenced to prison after being one of the few people in Douglas County to be convicted by a jury of felony failure to appear.

Jacob Angelo Massey, 38, received 12-30 months and is currently serving his term at Northern Nevada Correctional Center.

Massey was arrested Nov. 2, 2022, for slapping a woman and pushing her into a bookcase while she was talking to dispatchers.

Massey’s Oct. 16, 2023, trial resulted in a mistrial, and he was released from custody with a Nov. 6 hearing date. He failed to appear and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

He was taken into custody on Jan. 30 in Reno and was brought back to Douglas County.

According to prosecutors, Massey violated a no-contact order with the woman and was sentenced in East Fork Justice Court to 12 days in jail.

Massey has a history of violent conduct, failure to show up to court, and substance abuse.

One of his previous felony domestic violence convictions was the topic of regional media coverage after a January 2020 trial. In that case he was sentenced to 2-6 years in prison and was paroled Jan. 3, 2022.

On July 16, Massey asked for probation.

“I just want a chance to complete probation, I can do it,” he said at his sentencing.

Douglas County District Court Tod Young said he had several chances to address the case, including the warrant against him and any other issues.