The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office has announced that a conviction in a case involving the sale of narcotics in the presence of a child has resulted in a 20 year prison sentence. The defendant was found guilty in May of three drug related charges including having sold heroin from his vehicle with his 18 month old son in the back seat. The sentence received ensures the defendant will serve a minimum of 8 years in prison before parole eligibility begins.

Orville Samuel Curtis, 38, from Reno was sentenced last Wednesday on one count of Unlawful Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Presence of a Child, one count of Unlawful Sale of a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Sell a Controlled Substance, third Offense, in Washoe County District Court by Judge Barry Breslow.  Curtis was arrested in April, 2015 when detectives with the Regional Street Enforcement Team (SET) began an investigation into narcotics sales being carried out in the Reno area.  Curtis was subsequently arrested selling heroin in the parking lot of the Walgreens located on North Virginia.  When SET detectives contacted Curtis, they found that he had brought his 18 month son to the drug sale.  A subsequent search of the car Curtis was driving located an additional 2 grams of heroin and .4 grams of methamphetamine. Curtis was arrested and the case proceeded to trial after a delay due to the defendant absconding for close to a year.

At sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Nathan MacLellan highlighted Curtis’ lengthy criminal history that included 4 prior felony convictions involving drug offenses and argued that “this was not just one act, this act stemmed from a lifetime of dealing drugs and attempting to make fast money.  His decision to bring his child to the drug sale thrust an innocent child into a life of crime.”