Eric John Cook
A man who has not paid child support for 16 years was sentenced to prison Monday.
According to a victim impact statement given during open court, Eric John Cook, 51, stopped making payments in 2008.
Chelsea Mazza said Cook had several chances to pay the child support, including reduced payment plans, garnished paychecks, and he was even extradited from Louisiana, but Cook continued to make no effort to comply.
He was sentenced to 2-5 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution in child support back pay of $100,281.54. He was given credit of 98 days.
• A woman who didn’t pay while staying at hotels in Tahoe faces up to four years in prison.
Stacie Renee Gonzales, 49, admitted attempting to defraud an innkeeper Monday.
According to court documents, Gonzales stayed at the Harveys and Harrah’s casinos at Stateline in April where she enjoyed more than $2,000 in food, lodging, and merchandise without paying.
She is being held without bail due to two warrants out of Washoe County.
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 18.
• A New York man entered a guilty plea to mid-level possession of fentanyl.
John James Damianos was arrested with 28-42 grams of the drug Sept. 11, 2023, in East Fork Township.
Prosecutors won’t oppose probation, though he faces a maximum of up to a decade in prison and a fine of $50,000 at his sentencing on Nov. 19.
A part of his plea agreement, Daminaos will forfeit an AR-15 seized by the Sheriff’s Office.
• A former Indian Hills man was granted a diversion on two drug felonies.
Nicholas Joseph Piasentin, 39, was arrested after he was reported looking into mailboxes. He was found with a variety of illegal substances when deputies took him into custody.
“Being in Douglas County is a danger to his sobriety,” attorney Ken Stover said of Piasentin’s move to Ojai.
“I’m grateful to be granted the opportunity for treatment,” Piasentin said.
• A man admitted he battered a fellow inmate in the jail but said he didn’t actually kick him.
Philip Paul Heers entered a guilty plea to battery by a prisoner in exchange for a recommendation of a 19-48-month cap on his sentence.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of six years.
• A man connected to a Stateline casino check kiting ring is serving a sentence in Pelican Bay State Prison in California.
Logan Matthew Schwartz, 36, was not able to connect last week after attorney Mary Brown tried to arrange for him to appear virtually from the prison.
“Their system is old and couldn’t communicate with the courts here,” she said.
Schwartz is accused of being involved with cashing fake payroll checks in March 2022 at two Stateline casinos including $1,850 at Bally’s Lake Tahoe and another $1,050 at the former Hard Rock.
There was a plea agreement in October where he would have admitted burglary of a business in the Hard Rock case in exchange for a 12-32-month sentence. The charge carries a maximum of 1-5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
However, District Judge Tod Young said the county would have to wait for the two $75,000 warrants issued for his arrest to come through, unless the California prison can figure out some other means for him to appear.
