Conviction in Felony Eluding Case

District Attorney Announces Reno Man Found Guilty Of Eluding Involving Injury to Sparks Police Officer

September 23, 2016

Reno, Nevada

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office announces the conviction of a Reno man on felony eluding charges stemming from a December, 2015 incident that resulted in a crash that injured a Sparks Police Officer.  The defendant will be sentenced in November and faces up to 20 years in prison.

John Jerimiah Simmons,21 from Reno was found guilty of one count of Eluding a Police Officer Causing Bodily Injury in Washoe County District Court on Wednesday evening after a three day trial that began Monday.     

The case against Simmons began around 11:00 p.m. the evening of December 18, 2015, when Simmons fled from a Sparks Police Department (SPD) patrol officer who was attempted to initiate a traffic stop for expired vehicle registration.  Simmons, who was driving a Ford truck, failed to stop and led the initiating officer and other responding SPD officers on a chase through a residential neighborhood in the vicinity of Wabash Circle.  During the pursuit, Simmons rammed into police vehicles and stopped briefly on two separate occasions along his route before fleeing again. During those brief stops, Simmons was placed at gunpoint, but ignored commands to stop and show his hands.  Simmons also drove over yards, and ignored numerous traffic control devices before colliding head-on into one of the involved SPD patrol units.  At the time of the collision, Simmons was rounding a blind curve and his truck was entirely in the oncoming lane occupied by the officer he ultimately hit.  The SPD Officer involved in the crash suffered a broken leg and additional minor injuries. Following the crash, Simmons was arrested and this office ultimately filed criminal charges against him.       

During trial, Deputy District Attorneys Travis Lucia and Paul Young provided the jury with testimony from numerous eyewitnesses to the crime and introduced video of the collision collected from the officer’s dashboard camera.

Sentencing is set for November 22, 2016 in Department 1 of District Court.  Simmons faces from 2 to 20 years in prison for this conviction and is eligible for probation.