The Washoe County District Attorney's Office has secured guilty verdicts for two people charged with domestic battery and a sentence for one of them.
Christopher Wheeler, 47, was found guilty by a jury of domestic battery with a prior felony conviction for domestic battery, dissuading a witness from calling 911 and false imprisonment.
Reno Police initially responded to Wheeler's apartment following a report of a physical fight, after the victim’s 11-year-old daughter called 911.
When law enforcement arrived on scene, they found the door to the apartment had been barricaded by Wheeler. After eventually gaining entry, the victim told police that she and the defendant had woken up and gotten into an argument, which quickly escalated to Wheeler grabbing the victim and slamming her head onto the ground.
The woman’s daughter was able to escape the residence with two other children and place a call to 911 for assistance, said the DA's Office in a press release.
Wheeler had been previously convicted of a third offense of domestic battery and domestic battery causing substantial bodily harm.
His sentencing is set for January 11, 2024.
In another case, 57-year-old Anthony Haller of Reno was sentenced to 20 years in prison with eligibility for parole after 8 years after previously being found guilty of domestic battery causing substantial bodily harm where the victim was an older person.
The case against Haller began in January of this year when Reno Police officers responded to a stabbing near Kings Row.
When officers arrived, they found the victim suffering from multiple stab wounds. The 69-year-old woman told police she was in a dating relationship with Haller and that the defendant had become angry and attacked her.
After stabbing the victim, Haller began choking her before dragging her outside their residence into a parking lot. At that time, the woman was able to escape and ran to a good Samaritan who called 911.
Officers were able to track Haller’s footsteps in the snow to the back of the residence, where he appeared on the back balcony. Police conducted a forced entry and Haller was eventually detained.
