Sex Crimes

Sparks man sentenced to 105 years for sexually assaulting child

Washoe County Courthouse (Getty)

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The Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

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The Associated Press

August 2, 2018 - 8:11 am

RENO — A 44-year-old Sparks man has been ordered to spend 105 years in prison before he’s eligible for parole after he was found guilty of child sexual assault and lewdness involving a young relative.

A Washoe County district judge sentenced Mario Lemus on Tuesday for his May convictions on three counts of sexual assault and one count of lewdness with a child under 14.

County prosecutors say Sparks police began investigating in July 2016 after a Reno hospital reported the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl who was concerned she might be pregnant.

Detectives later determined she’d been sexually assaulted by Lemus at various locations since she was 7.

Lemus fled the area but was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in March 2017.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Nicole Hicks praised the courage of the victim for speaking out.

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