Teen gets prison in Carson City Wal-Mart beating that left victim with brain injuries

One of two men charged in the February beating of a man in the Carson City Wal-Mart parking lot was sent to prison Tuesday by District Judge Michael Griffin.

Gregory Allen Kelly Jr., 19, was sentenced to two to six years in prison for his part in the February assault on Michael Hamilton, 27.

According to the arrest report, witnesses told investigators they went to Wal-Mart to pick up Kelly and co-defendant Kyle Louis Shannon, 18, of South Lake Tahoe, when they saw the men striking and kicking Hamilton.

When police arrived, the suspects were gone, and victim Michael Hamilton, 27, was found unconscious and face-down in a pool of blood.

According to his father, Hamilton suffered a serious brain injury that affects his motor and speech skills.

Hamilton's sister, Gwynn Heiser of Scottsdale, Ariz., said she is disappointed her brother's attack wasn't more severely punished.

Battery with intent to commit robbery carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

"It was a little bit lower than we would have liked. My brother has injuries that are going to follow him for the rest of his life," she said, explaining that since the beating, Hamilton walks with a limp.

She said her brother spent two months recovering in the hospital and then was discharged without rehabilitation. He's living in a Reno homeless shelter.

"I've learned more about how the justice system works in the past three or four months than I ever wanted to," she said. "And I'm disappointed."

Kyle Shannon will be sentenced in August.

In other cases before Judge Griffin on Monday:

• Aileen Lavern Aiello, 41, will be tried July 17 on a charge of felony third-offense drunken driving.

• Lora Sue Bell was sentenced to 18 months probation with a suspended sentence of 20 days in jail on a charge of conspiracy to commit forgery.

• Kimberly Foxon, 25, was sentenced to three years probation with a sentence of 12 to 34 months in prison on a charge of possession of a controlled substance. If she successfully completes probation, the charge will not go on her record.

• Jose Max Hernandez, 39, pleaded guilty to gross-misdemeanor indecent exposure for a 2003 arrest in which he called a woman over to his vehicle and showed her his genitalia. Hernandez was originally charged with a felony. He will be sentenced Aug. 10.

• Arturro Navarro, 37, was sentenced to 18 to 60 months in prison and a $2,000 fine on a charge of felony third-offense drunken driving.

• Albert Lee Polfus, 46, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. He will be sentenced Aug. 10.

• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.