River shooter get prison

The Carson City man who shot a woman and left her for dead at the Carson River in June was sentenced to up to 20 years in prison Monday.

Judge Todd Russell sentenced Miguel Barajas-Zarate, 31, in Carson City District Court.

On June 12, Barajas-Zarate drove friend Ashley Fortune, 21, to the river off Brunswick Canyon Road saying he wanted to dump old tires, according to court records.

Once there he shot her in the back and beat her with a rock, fracturing her skull. Investigators surmised the assault was revenge for a small amount money Barajas-Zarate believed Fortune stole from him.

A passerby happened upon a bloodied Fortune trying to crawl out of the brush two hours later.

Fortune survived but is still recovering from the skull fracture, said Assistant District Attorney Gerald Gardner.

Barajas-Zarate fled in Fortune's vehicle, which he discarded in the parking lot of the old Kmart on North Carson Street before making his way by bus to Wenatchee, Wash., where his brother lives.

He was arrested there after officers stopped a vehicle and found him hunkered down in the back seat.

Barajas-Zarate pleaded guilty to attempted murder in December.

Also before Judge Russell on Monday:

• Glenn Ware, 60, is expected to plead guilty to three counts of possession of child pornography and one count of manufacturing a weapon on Feb. 11. He waived his preliminary hearing Jan. 22.

Each porn charge carries a penalty of one to six years. The weapon charge carries a penalty of one to five years.

Ware has been in and out of jail since March 2009 on 32 counts of possession of child pornography and three counts of manufacture or possession of a dangerous weapon. He remains in custody at this time.

• Joel Alcaraz Gonzales, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking in methamphetamine. Each charge a penalty of two to 15 years in prison. He will be deported once he serves out his prison term.

• Matthew James Stevens, 28, pleaded guilty to possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms. He will be sentenced April 12.