A 20-year-old Carson City man was sentenced Tuesday to prison for driving at deputies as he tried to flee a parking lot.
"I think you're a danger to society," District Judge Bill Maddox said in sentencing Jamie Wise to 12 to 72 months in prison on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon - his third felony conviction.
"You really need to sit down and think of what you've done with your life. You've already got two felonies now. The state's going to get tired of fooling with you and say, 'Hey, this guy's a habitual criminal,' and put you in jail for the rest of your life."
According to court records, on Jan. 21, deputies were called to the Foothill Garden Apartments on Russell Way for a report of someone attempting to kick down an apartment door.
When deputies Brian Mays and Doug Speegle pulled into the rear parking lot of the complex, they saw a Chevy Cavalier with Wise behind the wheel pulling out from a parking space.
As they approached the car on foot, Wise drove at the men "at a high rate of speed.
"Deputy Mays had to move out of the way of the Chevy Cavalier, or he would have been struck by the front of it," Speegle wrote in his report.
While Mays was jumping out of the way, he left his handprint on the hood of the car. Wise then tried to drive out of the lot around the patrol vehicle, driving at Speegle, before striking the patrol car and becoming stuck.
"I'd like to apologize to the courts," Wise said Tuesday. "I'm sorry for putting the officers in danger."
Defense attorney Jason Woodbury said Wise's lengthy criminal history was due to his "rampant drug problem." Though Woodbury admitted probation was unlikely, he asked the judge to consider a drug rehabilitation program.
But Chief Deputy District Attorney Anne Langer argued for prison time, and Maddox obliged.
"Some people, if they're out of society, society is just better," Langer said.
In other cases before Maddox on Tuesday:
• Joseph Neil Wotisky, 36, was sentenced to 12 to 72 months in prison on a charge of attempted burglary. This is Wotisky's eighth felony conviction.
• Michael Ryan Beveridge, 25, was given five years probation with a suspended sentence of 12 to 48 months in prison on a charge of grand larceny. He must also pay $450 per month toward restitution of $12,000.
• Brian Carl Fowlkes, 45, pleaded guilty to felony third-offense drunken driving. He will be sentenced May 16.
• Juan Martinez Jr., 24, pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor conspiracy to violate the controlled substance act for bringing alcohol and drugs into the Stewart Conservation Camp.
• Ryan Keith Omalza, 30, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine. The hearing was continued to April 18 while Omalza is considered for drug court where his charge could be dismissed upon successful completion.
• Christina Selvidge, 30, pleaded no contest to gross misdemeanor conspiracy to commit embezzlement. Between April and October of 2004, Selvidge embezzled $17,764.45 from her employer, Impact International. She has since paid the money back. She faces one year in jail and a $2,000 fine when sentenced May 30.
• Troy Wahpepah, 41, was reinstated to probation for three years and given 60 days in jail for failing to pay child support. Wahpepah said he has been sober for the past year and intends to pay $29,578 in back child support.
• Patrina Olvera, 30, was given 100 days in jail and a dishonorable discharge from probation on an original charge of attempted theft. A dishonorable discharge from probation makes it unlikely Olvera will receive probation if she commits another felony.
• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.