The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office announced that a Carson City man was sentenced to prison as a habitual criminal following 40 years of criminal history.Â
Officials say 57-year-old Keith Leonard Turner, Sr. pleaded guilty earlier this year to robbery and was sentenced last Wednesday to a maximum term of life in prison. The sentence ensures he will serve a minimum of ten years in prison before being eligible for parole.Â
The DA’s Office says it filed a notice of intent to seek habitual criminal status based on the defendant’s lengthy criminal history spanning several decades.Â
The investigation into the case against Turner began on May 11, 2015. On that date, the Sparks Police Department responded to a report of a robbery that had just occurred in Downtown Sparks. Authorities say a woman reported she had been robbed of her purse and rental car by a man later identified as Turner. They say the woman reported Turner was armed with a Taser style device, which caused her to fear for her safety. Â
Sparks officers located the rental car in the parking lot of a downtown Reno casino by working with the company’s security officers and tracking the use of the victim’s credit cards. Authorities say a short time later Turner was taken into custody after he was seen getting into the stolen car. They say when Turner was searched, officers found the Taser, a ski mask and items belonging to the victim, including the rental car keys.
(The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office contributed to this report.)
