Two men who were originally charged with kidnapping and burglary were sentenced Wednesday after pleading no contest to burglary.
Roger Hillygus was sentenced to up to five years in prison for burglary but had his sentence suspended in place of three years probation.
Stewart Handte was sentenced to up to four years in prison but also had his sentence suspended in lieu of three years probation.
If he completes that successfully, the court will allow him to withdraw his plea for burglary and accept a plea for conspiracy which is a gross misdemeanor.
The court ordered both men not to have contact with the people involved in the case.
As we've reported, Hillygus originally was accused of kidnapping his 80-year-old mother, Susan Hillygus from a care facility and taking her to Southern California.
Handte was alleged to have helped him.
The district attorney dropped the kidnapping charges as part of the plea deal.
Update, September 22, 2023:
Roger Eugene Hillygus and his alleged accomplice, former Mineral County Sheriff Stewart Evans Handte, appeared in court on Friday.
A judge was set to hear a possible Change of Plea, but after the plea did not happen, the judge ruled the case would go to trial.
The alleged kidnapping happened in 2019.
Original Story, October 2, 2022:
The U.S. Marshals Service says a kidnapping suspect wanted out of Reno was arrested in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday.
On October 3, 2022, the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office, Division of Investigation, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) located and arrested Roger Eugene Hillygus.
In February of 2022, a bench warrant for Failing to Appear was issued by Washoe County District Judge Barry Breslow.
Hillygus failed to show up for a hearing relating to the crime of Conspiracy to Commit 2nd Degree Kidnapping, Burglary, 2nd Degree Kidnapping of an Older or Vulnerable Person.
Investigation revealed Hillygus was in the Kansas City area.
Hillygus was located by Kansas City USMS personnel and taken into custody with the assistance of the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Interstate Highway 35. Hillygus was booked into the Clay County Jail as a Fugitive from Justice and will await extradition back to Reno.
District of Nevada U.S. Marshal Gary Schofield stated, “I want to thank all the agencies involved with apprehending these fugitives. This is a good example of how law enforcement agencies in Northern Nevada work together to help keep our community safe”.
(U.S. Marshals Service)
