The Sparks City Attorney’s Office says a late-night argument inside a casino room ended with visible injuries, a hurried drive to a friend’s home, and months later, a conviction in court.
Officers were called on September 20, 2025, to follow up on a domestic battery that happened the night before at the Nugget Casino.
They spoke with the reporting party and a woman who said she had been staying in a room with her fiancé, Jose Medina-Medina.
The woman told officers the argument began after the man found a text message on her phone and accused her of infidelity. She said he threw her phone, shattering it, then grabbed her by the throat and pulled her toward him. At the same time, a bag on her right shoulder became tangled in his grasp, causing the strap to wrap around her right bicep and leave a bruise.
She told officers the man punched her on the right side of the head, in her right eye, and in the ribs, and pulled her hair. Officers noted dark bruising on her head and right eye, along with dark purple bruising on her upper eyelid. The woman described one blow as “ringing her bell” and said it caused her to “kind of black out”.
After getting away, she retrieved her car from the valet and drove to a friend’s home.
Officers later documented additional injuries, including red bruising with a yellow border on her neck, a U-shaped red mark on her left shoulder, two dark purple bruises on her ribs, and dark brown and red bruising on her left forearm and arm.
Officers contacted Medina-Medina by phone, and he agreed to meet with them. He admitted arguing with the woman in their room on September 19, 2025, and said he yelled at her about suspected infidelity. He also admitted to grabbing her by her bag and pulling her while yelling. He denied other physical contact and claimed the woman caused her own nose to bleed. Based on the totality of the circumstances, officers arrested him.
On December 8, 2025, Senior Assistant City Attorney Ana Swanson represented the city of Sparks and secured a conviction for one count of Domestic Battery against Medina-Medina.
City Attorney Wes Duncan said, “This violent abuse is not tolerated in our community, and our Office will continue to seek justice on behalf of domestic violence victims.”
A Sparks Municipal Court judge later sentenced Medina-Medina to 180 days in the Washoe County Jail, suspended for two years on conditions.
Medina-Medina's conditions include serving two days in jail, completing 48 hours of community service, paying a $200 fine plus administrative assessments, paying a $35 domestic violence fee, completing 26 weeks of domestic violence counseling, and entering the court’s compliance program with drug and alcohol testing twice a week. The sentence also requires no drugs or alcohol, $999.99 in restitution for the damaged phone, no contact with the woman, and obeying all laws.
