Washoe County DA Sentencing Result

Defendant Convicted on Attempted Lewdness with a Minor Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office (WCDA) has announced that Travis William Bish, age 32 from Reno has been sentenced to a maximum term of 20 years in prison, with parole eligibility set by the court to begin after a minimum of 8 years has been served. Bish previously plead guilty in May to one count of Attempted Lewdness w/ a Minor Under the Age of 14 years old. The victim in the case was 9 years old at the time of the offence. In addition to being sentenced to the maximum prison term, Bish will be subject to lifetime supervision and must register as a sex offender upon release.

The case against Bish began on August 22, 2020 when the Sparks Police Department (SPD) responded to a report of a sex offense involving a child. The case was investigated by SPD detectives working with the multi-disciplinary Child Advocacy Center (CAC) team. The subsequent investigation determined that Bish, who claimed his actions were accidental, had sexually molested a female relative while the child was in his care. Bish was arrested and this office filed formal criminal charges against him.

At sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Brittany Bishop argued that the defendant’s act wasn’t a “mistake”, but rather a crime of opportunity against a young child who had put their trust in him. The child was so confused and upset by the defendant’s crime that she thought it could have been a dream, but it turned out to be her worst nightmare.  A relative of the child provided a victim impact statement,  urging the Court to give the child justice in the form of the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Washoe County District Court Judge Scott Freeman noted that even after pleading guilty, the defendant still was unwilling to take ownership of what he had done, and followed the State and victim’s recommendation for twenty years of prison.