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Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 12:11 PM

Fernley man sentenced to life in prison in child molestation case

Fernley man sentenced to life in prison in child molestation case
Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

A Fernley man has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 90 years for a total of 10 child molestation and pornography charges.

Ronald Engle


Ronald T. J. Engle, 57, of Fernley was sentenced Aug. 6 in Third Judicial District Court to life in prison on nine counts and 1-3 years on one count.

Engle must serve a minimum of minimum of 90 years in Nevada prisons before he would eligible for parole.

A jury returned the 10-count guilty verdict on May 23, 2018. The charges included sexual assault on a child, lewdness on a child under 14, attempted sexual assault, unlawful use of minor in production of pornography and possession of a visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of a person under 16.

Engle was convicted for molesting a child in Fernley over the course of two years and having a video on his phone depicting child pornography. He was arrested after an investigation led by the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division along with the Fernley Patrol Division.

“This sentence brings some justice and closure to the victim and the victim’s family in this case, and the sentence will protect society by guaranteeing that Engle will never be released to victimize another child,” District Attorney Stephen Rye said.

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Comment author: Jack & Nancy CookComment text: Wonderful man. Created a precious family with Linda. Will always respect and admire his contribution to teaching at FHS.Comment publication date: 4/18/26, 10:27 AMComment source: Howard David JacksonComment author: JeffDickersonComment text: Very well reported, even though our motion was denied.Comment publication date: 4/15/26, 11:05 AMComment source: Judge allows Fernley City Council to proceed with corrective agenda item in Lau expulsion caseComment author: Todd fossumComment text: Hi my name is todd fossum i'm clarence's stepson, I was wondering if he had any siblings. I think he said he had a sister that just survived cancer. If she can get ahold of me or any buddy, my number is 916. 3 4 3 1 1 7 7.Thank you have a blessed dayComment publication date: 1/16/26, 4:33 PMComment source: Clarence L Shields C Comment author: Carl HagenComment text: So just curious, what is the point of a franchise agreement if it is not exclusive?Comment publication date: 12/15/25, 4:18 PMComment source: Council approves non-exclusive franchise agreement for waste collection C Comment author: Christine S GleasonComment text: In the first photo, the woman in the middle, wearing the black shirt, is SaraH Jean Gleason. She is not an FHS Leadership Student but is the person who is responsible (with the help of her father) for starting the Fernley Community Thanksgiving Dinner in 2011. She attended this year's dinner while home from Arizona State University, where she is working on her PhD.Comment publication date: 12/8/25, 8:52 PMComment source: About 400 meals served at Community Thanksgiving DinnerComment author: SusanComment text: RIP Sean. Prayers to the family, sorry for your loss.Comment publication date: 9/25/25, 1:11 PMComment source: Sean Everett Turner
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