Reno Casino Robber Sentenced to Over 17 Years

Posted on: January 22, 2025, 03:39h. 

Last updated on: January 22, 2025, 03:39h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A man who robbed an employee at the Circus Circus Reno Hotel & Casino recently was ordered to spend 17 years and six months behind bars.

Nevada TV station KTVN reported that the convict, Clyde Buckley III, will be eligible to apply for parole after spending seven years in prison. The parole board may consider his behavior in prison, before deciding whether to release him.

In October 2024, a jury found him guilty of robbery with a firearm for the January 24, 2024 armed holdup at the Reno, Nev. gaming property.

Forced Down Two Flights of Stairs

The victim was dragged down two flights of stairs in the casino’s parking garage during the holdup by two masked suspects, one of whom was Buckley, prosecutors said.

Initially, the duo approached the victim as she was walking back to her parked car. The bandits pulled out a firearm and then forced the victim into the garage’s stairway. After she was dragged down the stairwell, the robbers stole her purse, cell phone and lunch bag, according to Nevada TV station KOLO. Police didn’t release details on what was inside of the purse. It’s not clear if any cash was stolen.

The two robbers then fled in a vehicle driven by a third suspect.

The victim wasn’t identified, but was described as a casino cage manager. It’s unclear if she was tailed while she was inside the gaming property, or initially followed as she walked in the parking garage.

The conviction in October was the third time Buckley was found guilty of a weapons-related charge, prosecutors added.

Robbery Took Place 11 Days After Jail Release

The robbery also happened 11 days after Buckley, 26, was released from jail for a being a felon in possession of a firearm, the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office told KTVN.

Reno police used surveillance video at the casino to identify Buckley. There’s no word from Reno police if the other two suspects have been charged.

The victim wasn’t seriously injured from the robbery, according to initial news reports.

The Circus Circus Reno is located near Reno’s Riverwalk District.