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Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 3:43 PM

Man charged with threatening to run over school district employee

Man charged with threatening to run over school district employee

A man was arrested Monday on an assault charge related to an incident that happened Sept. 5 at Fernley Intermediate School.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said 47-year-old Mark Soto was arrested by the School Resource Officer after a second altercation on Monday.

The Sheriff’s Office says the man was involved in an altercation at the school on Sept. 5. They say Soto threatened a school district employee who was assigned to monitor parking lot traffic. The employee stopped traffic to allow school buses to pass through a congested area. LCSO charges that Soto, who was waiting in his vehicle, started to yell at the staff member and threatened to run the employee over. The Sheriff’s Office said Soto’s vehicle nearly struck the staff member when he quickly drove away.

Deputies later tried to locate Soto but were unsuccessful.

On Monday, the Sheriff’s Office said Soto was in a conference room with school administrators when he became angry and another confrontation occurred. One of the School Resource Officers assigned to Fernley tried to talk to Soto, but the Sheriff’s Office says Soto refused to identify himself and became argumentative and combative when the deputy tried to detain him. During a subsequent altercation, the deputy used his Taser to subdue and arrest Soto. LCSO said the SRO sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.

Although no students were present when the altercation took place, the school was placed on a short lockdown while deputies responded and arrested Soto. Once he was in custody the lockdown was lifted and the school resumed normal operations.

Soto was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a protected person (school employee), resisting arrest and disturbance of school. His bail was set at $26,780.


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Comment author: Alan ReederComment text: Great guy, laughed easily, had fun with his students, enjoyed our time together at FHS!Comment publication date: 4/23/26, 10:23 PMComment source: Howard David JacksonComment 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 Dinner
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