A 19-year-old Carson City man was granted diversion in a theft case Tuesday morning in district court.
If Anthoney Harris completes mental health court — a condition of diversion — he will avoid having a felony on his record. He pleaded guilty to attempting to stealing $740 worth of goods from Walmart and told the judge he understood it was wrong.
Harris’ defense attorney, Mihaela Neagos, told Judge James Wilson Jr. that the root of her client’s problems involved his being off his medications. She asked for diversion so he could apply for grants and scholarships to go to school.
“Sometimes persons (with mental illnesses) fall prey to other individuals,” she said. “He’s not in touch with those individuals anymore. At only 19, a felony is going to stain his way to a bright future.”
Deputy District Attorney Melanie Porter disagreed.
“He got a break on the grand-larceny charge,” she said. “Now he’s asking for a further break. He shouldn’t be afforded diversion with this behavior.”
ALSO IN DISTRICT COURT:
Miranda Jones, 28, was sentenced to up to six years on one count of using personal information to defraud and a maximum of four years each on two counts of obtaining more than $250 under false pretenses.
Jones already is serving time in federal prison, and the sentences will run concurrently with her federal sentence.
She told Judge Wilson that, since she’s been in the federal prison system for five years, she has forgotten many of the specifics of crimes she has committed.
“I can’t tell you half of the things I did,” Jones said. “I feel bad for those people I hurt. I’m sorry.”
She also was ordered to pay restitution.