A Carson City man was sentenced to three to eight years in prison Monday for shooting a deputy in the hand during a warrant search in February.
Mark Daniel Fiddler, 51, pleaded guilty in May to battery with a deadly weapon in exchange for the prosecution's dismissal of an attempted murder charge.
"I want to convey my condolences to the deputy. It wasn't a deliberate accident. It was an unfortunate accident. I take full responsibility for it," Fiddler stuttered.
On Feb. 1, Carson City Special Enforcement Team members secured a search warrant for Fiddler's Fall Street home after receiving information from an informant that Fiddler's friend, Lillian Meyer, was selling methamphetamine there.
Patrol Deputy Josh Stagliano was called to assist with the 3 a.m. search and was the first officer inside the house after the door was knocked in with a battering ram.
Meyer and another male were found in the living room and ordered to the ground. When Stagliano went to secure a rear bedroom, Fiddler emerged from the darkness and fired a single .22-caliber rifle round, striking Stagliano in the wrist. No drugs were found in the home.
Meyer, 43, was recently sentenced to 12-34 months in prison for possession of a controlled substance relating to a drug deal with an informant, which led to the search warrant.
Fiddler's defense attorney, Angeline Gates, said a presentencing report on Fiddler prepared by parole and probation suggested her client was blaming Meyer for the situation.
"Mr. Fiddler completely accepts responsibility for this," she said. Fiddler acknowledges he has a substance abuse problem and regrets his involvement with Meyer, Gates said, "She was supplying drugs to him."
Stagliano, who was in court along with the sheriff's administration, his wife and fellow officers, declined to comment when asked by Judge Todd Russell. After the hearing, Stagliano said he was fine with the plea bargain.
Gates said she was OK with the outcome.
"The nature of the plea agreement is that neither side walks away totally happy," she said.
Fiddler was given credit for 179 days time served in jail and must also pay a $2,000 fine.
• Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.