Oct. 28
Paul Lynn Steele pleaded guilty to battery. Sentence: Fine $640.00. Serve 30 days in jail with credit for 4 days time served. Balance of 26 days suspended for 12 months under the conditions that there be no violation of laws other than minor traffic offenses and that the defendant complies with sentencing requirements. The additional charges of convicted person to register with sheriff or police within 48 hours was dismissed by DA.
Nelson Wade Bonta pleaded guilty to petit larceny. Sentence: Fine $890.00. Defendant is to serve 10 days with credit for 10 days time served. Balance of 5 days is suspended for 12 months under the conditions that there be no violation of laws other than minor traffic offenses, no similar offenses, and that the defendant complies with sentencing requirements.
Oct. 30
Sonny Happy Gannett pleaded guilty to obstructing a public officer. Sentence: Defendant is to serve 10 days in jail with credit being given for 10 days time served. The additional charge of criminal contempt was dismissed by DA.
Nov. 4
Abel Henriquez pleaded guilty to possession of drug paraphernalia. Sentence: Fine $640.00.
Nov. 5
Cristal Flores Paredes pleaded guilty to driving without a valid driver’s license. Sentence: Fine $195.00
Nov. 8
Justin James O’kelley pleaded guilty to violation of temporary protection order. Sentence: Serve 14 days in jail with credit being given for 3 days time served. Balance of 11 days is to be served.
Chelsea Breanna Turner, 26, pleaded guilty to possessing a controlled substance, methamphetamine.
Turner hopes to apply for the 453 diversion program and complete the Pershing County Drug Court.
Kyle Swanson addressed his client’s custody status.
“Miss Turner has been in jail for almost two months now,” he said. The judge released the defendant on her own recognizance. She’ll return to court on Jan. 22 for a sentencing and eligibility hearing.
Steve Cochran asked for a continuance on behalf of Justin James O’Kelley. The defendant faces charges of possessing a controlled substance. He’ll return to the 11th Judicial court on Dec. 2.
Samantha Renee McPherson, of Wyoming, was not present for her fee review hearing. She owes the court an outstanding balance of $865. If McPherson has not paid the balance in full by Feb. 19, 2020, she must appear in court.
By choice, Steven Perry did not appear at his sentencing hearing. He’s currently incarcerated at Lovelock Correctional Center, doing time for murder with a deadly weapon.
In May 2019, Jessica Lynn Perry, 31, pleaded guilty to furnishing methamphetamine to her husband in the correctional center’s visiting room. She faced up to six years in prison. In July 2019, Judge Shirley granted her probation.
The judge gave Steven Perry 24-72 months on each of the two counts, to run concurrently. The sentences will run consecutively with Perry’s current sentence.
Maggie Kathleen Gallagher came to court from jail for a probation violation hearing. She admitted to several allegations, including fleeing a Dayton, NV, halfway house with two other residents. Days later, after experiencing a possible overdose, she turned herself in.
Both sides of the bench asked the judge to reinstate the defendant on diversion. They agreed that in group settings, Gallagher tends to follow the crowd, often to her detriment.
The judge ordered Gallagher held in jail for two weeks. In the meantime, the drug court panel must devise a plan tailored to her special needs.
The judge gestured toward Gallagher’s parents, seated in the back of the courtroom.
“It’s not fair to keep bringing them here,” he told the defendant. “Their hearts ache to see you here. You need to quit this lifestyle. You have people who love and care about you, and you have the capacity to change.”
Gallagher will return to court on Nov. 18 for a sentencing and eligibility hearing.
Ray Allen Wharff, 58, came to court from jail for a probation violation hearing. Kyle Swanson represented the defendant.
In July 2019, Wharff was released from prison. But the pull of his meth addiction was too strong. On Monday, he was back in court, facing the possibility of reincarceration.
The judge explained the possible outcomes if the State proved its allegations. They included reinstatement on probation, violation with prison time or dishonorable discharge. If a defendant reoffends, a dishonorable discharge makes probation unlikely.
On Aug. 22, the Division of Parole and Probation, responding to a call from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, drove to the home of a person under court supervision, an acquaintance of Wharff.
They recognized both men pulling away from the residence in a white pickup truck. The passenger, Wharff, threw a baggie out of the window. It contained a white crystalline substance, later identified as methamphetamine. Officers found more meth in the truck. Both men tested positive for the drug.
The judge imposed the underlying sentence of 12 – 32 months with 74 days credit for time served.
“I’d hoped we’d be able to get you some help when you got out of prison and make it so you didn’t use anymore,” said the judge. “But that’s on your shoulders. As much as I want it, you have to want it more.”