RENO — A 39-year-old California man who pleaded guilty in Reno to drug trafficking and threatening a witness has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Reginald Miller of Stockton pleaded guilty in November to preventing or dissuading a witness from testifying at his pending trial on a charge of trafficking methamphetamine and heroin.
Washoe County District Judge Lynne Simons said at last week's sentencing he must serve at least four years in prison before he's eligible for parole.
Prosecutors say Reno police started investigating Miller in July. He later was caught in an undercover operations selling 10 grams of meth and 8 grams of heroin.
He was arrested and released on bail, but arrested again when detectives learned he tracked down a witness in the case, severely beat him and threatened him with more violence if he testified in court.
Deputy District Attorney Christopher Day argued for the maximum sentence because of Miller's pattern of criminal activity and violence toward the prosecution’s witness.