A 25-year-old man was sentenced to up to three years' probation for stealing a truck in December so he wouldn't miss a Lake Tahoe court appearance for drunken driving.
Juan Carlos Huerta-Sanchez, 25, was given a suspended prison sentence of 12 to 30 months by District Judge Bill Maddox during Tuesday's court appearance.
Maddox also ordered Huerta-Sanchez to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The Mexico-native is slated for deportation.
Huerta-Sanchez was arrested after he took a pickup truck left idling outside a Carson City repair shop while the owner, Jack Vaughn, was inside paying.
Vaughan and his mechanic chased the suspect down in separate vehicles.
According to police, Huerta-Sanchez acknowledged he stole the truck because he had to go to Lake Tahoe for traffic court and no one would give him a ride.
"He just knew he would be in trouble if he didn't make it to court," said his defense attorney Marcie Flygare.
Also before Maddox on Tuesday:
• Six men pleaded guilty to charges they were operating an illegal sports pool on California Street.
• Matthew Cote, 30; Frank Emiston, 32; James Glon, 62; Leslie McElroy, 52; Timothy Payne, 50; and Darrel Bret Williams, 38, each pleaded guilty to unlicensed gaming activities and conspiracy to engage in unlicensed gaming activities. The men will be sentenced June 12.
• A trial date of Aug. 27 was confirmed for a Carson City man charged with supplying drugs to a minor and for another man on charges he falsified records. Christopher Ralph Burnett, 24, pleaded not guilty to two counts of supplying marijuana at a recreational facility for minors or a public park. The trial is expected to take four days.
• Randy Potts, 35, is charged with theft and falsifying public records. That trial is expected to take three days.