Felon faces prison after drug sale while on probation

Kurt Hildebrand / The Record-Courier
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A man who admitted making off with $1,700 in tools from a casino in 2022 admitted violating probation on two separate cases by being arrested on a subsequent charge of possession of methamphetamine for sale.

Thomas Andrew Pedroli, 37, is probably going to prison when he’s sentenced on Jan. 31, 2024. He appeared in Douglas County District Court on Tuesday.

Thomas Andrew Pedroli
Provided

As part of a plea agreement, Pedroli faces consecutive four-year sentences in his previous cases involving the tools and a drug charge after his probation was revoked.



The sales charge involved being in possession of six 1-gram bags of methamphetamine when he was arrested on Halloween at Lake Tahoe.

As part of his plea agreement, he must admit he was previously convicted of a sales charge in El Dorado County.



He faces sentences from the probation violations.  All parties are recommending Pedroli serve 2-5 years concurrent to the other charges.

• Determining that showing up to court under the influence of opiates and methamphetamine was sufficient proof of a man’s addiction, District Judge Tod Young ordered him into treatment.

Kurt Gunther Buttstadt will remain in custody until he appears in Western Nevada Regional Drug Court next week.

The drug court judge will determine whether he should be released.

Buttstadt was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl on April 23 t at Lake Tahoe.

He admitted a count of possession of a controlled substance on Sept. 19.

When he arrived late to court for the second time in a row on Nov. 21, Young ordered him to test.

The results were positive for the drugs, and he was held in contempt.

“I need you to see the Kurt worth saving,” Young said. “Go look for that guy.”

His sentencing was deferred pending completion of a diversion program.

• A man who failed drug court and absconded to California where he was arrested, admitted he violated his probation.

Mark Edwin Graham, 27, admitted possession of heroin in November 2020 and was ordered to drug court. The charge carried mandatory probation.

While out on probation he committed a crime in Washoe County and was sentenced to probation, there, too. He’s also up on a paraphernalia case in Carson City.

His diversion was revoked and the disposition on the probation violation will be determined on Jan. 9.

Graham was one of three men convicted in 2017 for selling more than $100,000 in fake ski passes. Graham went to prison in 2018.

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