Judge postpones trial in sexual assault case until August

The trial of a Topaz Ranch Estates man accused of sexually abusing children has been postponed until August 26, a judge ruled Monday.

If convicted, 39-year-old Ryan Todd Nelson faces a prison sentence of up to four life sentences.

He appeared at a special hearing with attorney Martin Hart. Hart said one of the witnesses was unavailable for the trial, which was originally scheduled to begin on July 8, due to a medical procedure.

“I don’t want to have to try this case twice,” said District Judge Tod Young.

Nelson has been in custody since July 12, 2023.

A Reno man faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine after admitting to using a computer to lure a child for sexual purposes.

Matthew Ryan Hall, 26, appeared in Douglas County District Court with attorney Martin Hart on June 18, where he pleaded guilty to felony assault.

Hall has been in custody since March 29 after making online contact with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

In order for probation to be possible, a doctor must determine that the person in question does not pose a high risk of reoffending.

He has to register as a sex offender.

The verdict is scheduled for August 13.

• A trial has been scheduled for February 19-25, 2025, in the case of a man accused of groping a young actor in a haunted house.

Jason Michael Breidenbach, 46, denied the charges of lewdness with a child and child abuse by sexual assault.

Breidenbach was reportedly under the influence of alcohol when he touched a 13-year-old girl and tried to remove her mask.

• A rehearing is scheduled for July 3 in the case of a China Spring Youth Camp counselor accused of sexually assaulting two 17-year-old residents.

Daryan Banka, 25, is scheduled to attend a preliminary hearing in East Fork Justice Court on July 18 that could last all day.

• A former volleyball coach who was found guilty by a jury in 2021 on four counts of sexual assault with a minor appeared in Douglas County District Court on June 11, claiming problems with his attorney led to his conviction.

Richard Alexander Jenkins, 52, is serving a prison sentence of 16 to 40 years and has already lost an appeal of his conviction in the Nevada Supreme Court.

He claims that, among other things, his lawyer did not inform him of the maximum sentence he could face if convicted.

Jenkins is being held at the Northern Nevada Correction Center.