A man’s actions inside a Sparks home, captured on video, led to a domestic battery conviction.
The Sparks City Attorney’s Office says its prosecutor secured a conviction for Domestic Battery against Cory Boteler stemming from an incident that occurred in May of 2024.
On May 11, 2024, Sparks police were dispatched to a home in Sparks on a report of a physical altercation between a husband and a wife. Dispatch was advised that Boteler had placed his hands on his wife, and she had used pepper spray against him in self-defense.
The woman told officers she had just finished her shift as a cocktail waitress when Boteler called her and yelled at her, using profane language. Because of his behavior, she activated her cell phone video recording before walking into the home.
As soon as she entered, her 7-year-old son told her, "Daddy said he's going to beat you up." Officers said that the statement was corroborated by the video recording.
The woman said that during the argument, Boteler grabbed a kitchen knife. When she asked why he had the knife, she said he responded, "Why? Are you scared?" She reported that he then stabbed the table, countertops, and a cutting board with the knife. Officers on scene documented significant damage consistent with stab marks.
According to the woman, as she tried to retreat into a room, Boteler continued yelling and lunged at her. She warned him that if he continued, she would use pepper spray in self-defense and called friends for help. She said he lunged at her again and wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to take her phone.
The woman then used pepper spray in self-defense, exposing herself and two children to airborne particles. She took the children onto the balcony to help them with the exposure. Boteler left before the police arrived.
Officers attempted to contact Boteler by phone several times without success. Police said they established probable cause to issue a warrant for his arrest for Domestic Battery. He was arrested on November 10, 2025.
On Jan. 13, 2026, Senior Assistant City Attorney Ana Swanson represented the City of Sparks and secured a conviction for Domestic Battery against the defendant.
“The Sparks City Attorney’s Office will continue to hold offenders accountable, especially when they commit acts of violence in the presence of children,” said Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan.
A Sparks Municipal Court judge sentenced Boteler to 180 days in the Washoe County Jail, suspended not to exceed two years. As part of the sentence, he must serve two active days in jail, complete 48 hours of community service, pay a $200 fine plus administrative assessments, pay a $35 domestic violence fee, complete 26 weeks of domestic violence classes, attend an eight hour class on the effects of violence in the home, abstain from drugs and alcohol, obey all laws and have no contact with the victim except to discuss their child custody status.
