Petty pleads guilty to child porn

A Fernley man pleaded guilty Tuesday in District Court on lewdness and pornography charges.

Dally Ty Petty, 27, entered the plea on one count of lewdness with a child under 14 and one count of unlawful use of a minor less than 14 in producing pornography. Both charges carry sentences of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years.

Petty, though, agreed to the plea deal after negotiations with the Churchill County District Attorney’s Office. The deal will drop at least one filed charge and another possible 10 counts in Lyon County, according to Petty’s attorney, Jesse Kalter.

A joint investigation between the Churchill County and Lyon County sheriff’s offices began after authorities were notified of the crimes by Petty’s ex-girlfriend.

In court, Petty attempted to send a letter to Tenth Judicial District Court Judge Tom Stockard to urge him to step in to assist negotiations, Kalter said.

Kalter, though, advised Petty not to send the correspondence, as the court would not read the letter nor intervene in suggesting a “lighter deal.” Stockard affirmed Kalter’s statement when Stockard said the letter would be admitted to the record but sealed.

Stockard told Petty he has the right to plead not guilty if he wished.

Investigators, meanwhile, discovered 99 date-stamped items, digital recordings and other incriminating evidence, Churchill County Chief Deputy DA Lane Mills said.

The sheriff’s departments, meanwhile, jointly investigated the case as Petty’s lewdness and pornography charges that originated in Churchill County and discovered other suspected crimes in Lyon County. Petty was arrested in Fernley and transported to the Churchill County Jail where he remains in custody.

According to Kalter, Petty engaged in a lewd act with a child under 14 on June 24 in Churchill County. Petty also recorded the crime on his cellphone.

As a result, the plea deal recommended Lyon County drop its case. The 10 unfiled charges in Lyon County, according to Kalter, could have added an additional 60 years to Petty’s sentence.

Lyon County had filed one charge of possession of child pornography, Kalter said. The evidence, meanwhile, was examined “forensically,” he added.

Although he faces life in prison, Petty is eligible for parole but would be under lifetime supervision if it were ever granted.

He must undergo a psychosexual evaluation before he is sentenced on March 3.