WCDA Prosecution Result

Life Sentence in Child Sexual Abuse Case

District Attorney Chris Hicks has released the results of a case involving charges of sexual abuse of a child.  Richard Mark Kisner, 48, from Reno, was sentenced yesterday to a term of life in prison on one count of Sexual Assault, one count of Lewdness with a Child Under Age 16 and two counts of Possession of Child Pornography.  The case against Kisner stemmed from an October, 2016 investigation by the Reno Police Department (RPD) into a report of the possible sexual assault of young female victims at a downtown area motel.  The investigation was handled within the Washoe County Child Advocacy Center (CAC) and after his arrest, Kisner ultimately pled guilty in January of this year.  The sentence secured ensures the defendant must serve approximately 19 years in prison before parole eligibility even begins.

On October 4, 2016, RPD patrol officers responded to a report of sexual assault involving several young female victims at the Keno Motel.  A relative of one of the girls had reported that the victims had spent the night with a neighbor who supplied alcohol to the girls and sexually assaulted one of them.  Detectives with the RPD Family Crimes Unit were called in to investigate and were able to determine that Kisner had victimized several young females living in the area on multiple occasions.  A search warrant also located child pornography on several of Kisner’s electronic devices.  The Washoe County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force also assisted in the investigation of this case. Based on this, Kisner was arrested and this office filed formal criminal charges against him.

At sentencing, Chief Deputy District Attorney Nicole Hicks and Deputy District Attorney Peg Samples argued that the defendant’s actions shocked the conscious and affected the lives of multiple children in our community.

The Washoe County CAC’s Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) of WCDA prosecutors, local law enforcement, advocates, child protection workers, medical staff and mental health professionals worked together in the successful prosecution of this case.