Escapees get more time behind bars

Two prison escapees, one on the lam for years and one gone just days, will spend more time in prison, Judge Bill Maddox determined Tuesday in Carson City District Court.

Alfredo Soto, 39, was sentenced to 12 months in prison for escaping from the Nevada Department of Corrections. Soto was on the lam for 13 years before being picked up in Clark County on a grand larceny charge. He was given credit for 40 days served.

Tommy Bridges, 36, was sentenced to an additional 12 to 30 months in prison for escaping from the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in March 2006. He was found hiding in his mother's Silver Springs garage four days later.

"I know I messed up. I was just concerned about my mother," Bridges said.

He had been serving 12 to 31 months on a burglary charged when he walked away from the Carson City conservation camp.

Also before Judge Bill Maddox on Tuesday:

• Patrick Lyle Gleason, 51, pleaded not guilty to third-offense drunken driving. A trial was set for April 13.

• A no-bail bench warrant was issued for Fidencio Gonzalez, 33, for failing to appear for his sentencing on a charge of drug trafficking.

• Michael Douglas Lowe, 55, was sentenced to probation for two years, with a jail sentence of one year suspended, on a charge of unlicensed gaming and conspiracy to engage in unlicensed gaming. He worked for an illegal sports book.

• Nichola Kay Neese, 45, was given probation for up to three years, in lieu of 12 to 32 months in prison, on a charge of possession of a controlled substance.

• Edward Scott Cater, 44, was sentenced to 12 to 48 months in prison and a $2,000 fine. Assistant District Attorney Gerald Gardner noted this offense was Cater's fourth conviction for drunken driving.

• Donnie Ray Johnson, 23, was sentenced to 12 to 36 months in prison on a charge of third-offense drunken driving. "I have a serious problem with alcohol, and I need to control it," Johnson said.

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