Las Vegas Criminal Defense Blog

Last month a twenty-three year old Washoe County man was arrested by federal authorities on a probation violation and charged with additional criminal counts of being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm. The arresting agency was Nevada FIST, short for Fugitive Investigative Strike Team. Last year Nevada FIST arrested nearly 250 people wanted on felony charges.

A Nevada probation revocation hearing is a court hearing to determine whether a person who's been convicted of a crime has violated their probation. Also called a "revo hearing" or "probation violation hearing," a Nevada probation revocation hearing affords defendants the rights to testify, to be represented by a lawyer, to cross-examine witnesses, and to present evidence. If you win the hearing, your probation will be reinstated. Otherwise, the judge will usually revoke the probation.

If someone loses their Nevada probation revocation hearing, the judge considers several factors when determining the final sentence. These include how serious the violation was, the person's criminal record, how long you've been on probation, and what the Department of Probation recommends. Typical punishments include prison and fines.

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Last week, a judge in Washoe District Court revoked the probation of a Reno man for allegedly assaulting his former wife with a knife. The judge then sentenced the sixty-year-old to up to six years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon. The defendant originally fled, but detectives of the Northern Nevada Repeat Offender Program found him.

When issuing an order granting probation, the court may fix the terms of probation, require that the probationer dispose of his weapons, and mandate any other reasonable conditions that would ensure the health, safety or welfare of the community. The probationer may also be ordered to stay within a certain state or county or to refrain from contacting or seeing a certain person. Probationers are under the supervision of the Chief Parole and Probation Officer.

Nevada probation violation law is taken very seriously by judges. Sometimes, just the slightest misstep can cause a judge to deem that you’ve broken Nevada probation violation law. People on probation may find themselves back in jail for the smallest things like jaywalking, not reporting to their officers, or failing a drug or alcohol test.