Man given 20 years to life in assault

A Carson City man was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison Monday for the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl.

Daniel Sanchez, 39, pleaded guilty to the charge of sexual assault of a child under 14 in May.

According to the arrest report, the girl's mother called police March 26 after she learned that Sanchez, a relative, had assaulted her 13-year-old daughter an hour earlier at her home where he was babysitting.

The girl told police she and Sanchez were watching a movie when he pinned her on the couch and assaulted her. Her 7-year-old sister was in the room at the time, according to the report.

The victim then ran to a neighbor's home and called her mother.

Detective Craig Lowe said Sanchez admitted in an interview to touching the victim.

The victim later reported that Sanchez had also assaulted her 18 months earlier.

An investigation into Sanchez's criminal history revealed that he was previously convicted in 1996 of lewd acts with a minor in Pittsburg, Calif.

District Attorney Neil Rombardo was pleased with the sentence.

"This man is a sexual predator and has proven that he cannot live as a free person in our society," Rombardo said. "I am relieved that he will be off our streets for at least the next 20 years."