Charges pending in Dayton teen fight

DAYTON - Charges are pending for an number of teenagers suspected of assaulting Dayton High School students and graduates during a campout June 12.

John Schlegelmilch, chief deputy district attorney for Lyon County, said his office "is not quite there in terms of charging" suspects in the case. He said sheriff's department investigators are still putting together a sequence of events.

"We are still talking to people to get the story straight," he said. "People's perceptions are different."

Schlegelmilch said from a list of about 20 teenagers believed to be involved in the melee he cannot disclose how many will be charged.

According to sheriff and witness accounts,about 20 Dayton High School students and graduates were camping in Eldorado Canyon, near Dayton High School, when a fight broke out between one of their party and a Carson High School student.

The student reportedly left soon after and returned with 10 to 20 teenage boys wielding baseball bats, metal pipes and BB guns. Some students reported seeing knives.

Investigators are piecing together the events that followed. A few days after the incident, Lyon County Sheriff Sid Smith said children scattered in the confusion, which adds to the inconsistency of the alleged events.

When it was over, at least five Dayton teenagers were sent to Carson-Tahoe Hospital with a variety of minor injuries. One boy suffered a serious head injury and spent a week in Washoe Medical Center where he underwent surgery.

Deputies discovered what had transpired when a patrolmen pulled over a car carrying one of the injured children.

The Dayton youth allegedly involved in the original fistfight was not present when the Carson teenagers arrived.

When officers finally did arrive at the canyon in the early morning hours, many of the students had already scattered. Several cars were damaged with apparent blows from baseball bats. The property damage was noted in reports.

Schlegelmilch said he could not expound on details his office has learned since the investigation started. "It's very difficult to follow these things up without tainting the evidence," he said.