The Sparks City Attorney’s Office says a prosecutor secured a conviction tied to a domestic battery case that began with a child calling 9 -1-1.
City Attorney Wes Duncan announced the office secured a conviction against Denise Hernandez for one count of Domestic Battery, Second Offense, tied to an incident reported on December 30, 2025.
Sparks Police dispatch received a 9-1-1 call that day from a child who said, "Get police, my dad said to send police." Dispatchers could hear a disturbance between a man and a woman after the statement.
When officers arrived, they contacted the woman outside the home. She was holding a television remote and showed signs of intoxication, including slurred speech, red watery eyes, and a strong odor of alcohol.
Hernandez told officers she and the victim had only argued and denied that anything physical had happened.
The man told officers he took their son from the living room to a bedroom to get away from Hernandez. He said the child later returned to the living room, where Hernandez began trying to play YouTube videos about child abuse to show their son he was not abused.
The man said he tried to stop her from showing the videos, which led to a physical confrontation. He said Hernandez kicked his left knee with her right leg, and he kicked her leg to get away.
He said Hernandez then tackled him, and he told their son to call 9-1-1. The man said the physical fight stopped once the child made the call, and he began speaking with dispatch.
Officers reported the man began sobbing while describing the incident. He said the argument had continued since the day before, after Hernandez called him a "bitch" and said he was "not a man."
The man told officers Hernandez had been drinking heavily and that when she drinks, he believes she becomes violent and hits him if she gets close enough.
He said that after she tackled him, Hernandez hit him multiple times while they were on the ground. Officers reported seeing red marks on the left side of his abdomen that were consistent with that account.
The child told officers Hernandez hit him across the chest, but said he did not know why. Officers reported the child did not have visible injuries.
The child also told officers his parents began arguing, and he saw Hernandez tackle the man, describing it as "not in a nice way."
On February 18, Senior Assistant City Attorney Ana Swanson represented the City of Sparks and secured the conviction in Sparks Municipal Court.
“The Sparks City Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively prosecute domestic violence in our community and will remain vigilant in protecting victims of crime in our community,” Duncan said.
A Sparks Municipal Court judge sentenced Hernandez to the maximum term of 180 days in the Washoe County Jail, with the sentence suspended for two years, consecutive to a previous conviction tied to an incident on August 4, 2025.
Under the sentence, Hernandez must serve 20 days in jail, complete 100 hours of community service, and pay a $500 fine plus administrative assessments. The court also ordered a $35 domestic violence fee, one year of domestic violence classes, and an eight-hour class on the effects of violence in the home.
She must also abstain from drugs and alcohol, undergo regular testing, and obey all laws while on formal probation.
Because of the new conviction, a previously suspended 180-day jail sentence from the earlier Sparks Municipal Court case was also imposed.
