Man gets suspended maximum of 4-15 years in meth case

Saying he didn’t see any reason Nevada taxpayers should support a man who admitted he had 96 grams of methamphetamine, District Judge Tod Young ordered probation with an underlying sentence of 4-15 years in prison for a Hawaii man.

Eric Alexander Hartmann, 54, said he’s never been in a better position, including a pitch for a show about his dog to Cartoon Network and $11,000 in federal compensation for the loss of his home in last year’s Lehaina fire in Hawaii.

Attorney Mary Brown said Hartmann was triggered by the loss in the fire to start using methamphetamine again.

Hartmann and another person were traveling to Stateline when they were pulled over. Deputies found paraphernalia in the vehicle and cited Hartmann, who left the scene before a search warrant was approved. The methamphetamine was found in Hartmann’s property. Hartmann claimed he was on his way to deal with the citation when he was taken into custody on June 13.

In addition to the sentence, Young ordered Hartmann to remain in custody until Dec. 15, which should give him time to apply to parole and probation for a transfer of supervision to Hawaii and arrange to fly back there.

Hartmann was ordered not to enter any business in Nevada.

• A man who said he’d been using methamphetamine since he was 12 received probation on a maximum sentence.

Jared Joseph Hall, 36, admitted in July to selling an ounce of methamphetamine on Feb. 23, about five months after he was paroled in a Carson City case.

Attorney Mary Brown said Hall had done well in treatment and has a bed at another program, should he be released.

“He doesn’t have an ideal history,” she said.

The judge pointed out that Hall’s behavior indicated that he wanted to be a criminal.

“He’s not very good at it, but he is consistent,” District Judge Tod Young said.

Hall failed out of Western Nevada Regional Drug Court, because he wasn’t ready for it, Brown argued.

Hall said he started using Adderall at age 6 after being diagnosed and when he was taken off the drug, he started using methamphetamine.

Prosecutor William Murphy argued Hall should go to prison for 2-5 years because he was selling methamphetamine. However, Murphy said that if the judge was going to give Hall probation, he should get the maximum underlying sentence.

Young agreed and ordered Hall to both undergo treatment and participate in the drug court program while he is on probation.

• A $50,000 warrant was issued on Tuesday for a woman who earlier admitted to writing $1,725 in bad checks to Sharkeys and failure to appear.

Leonna Lynn Mortimer faces up to four years in prison on the two counts,

An agreement where prosecutors won’t oppose diversion if she completes Western Nevada Regional Drug Court might be void.

According to court documents, Mortimer wrote the checks between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30, 2023.