Man charged in kidnapping and rape faces new rape charges as well

Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999 | 9:56 a.m.

And it turns out William Jorgensen would have been in jail at the time of both attacks if not for a legal technicality that led to his release in September.

Jorgensen, 38, who has at least 20 criminal convictions over the past two decades, had been sentenced most recently to four to 10 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to car burglary.

But he was released from the Washoe County Jail in September in a bizarre chain of events after his lawyer filed a motion that showed the judge who sentenced him had represented him as a defense lawyer 11 years ago.

"The law did not allow me another option," Washoe District Judge Connie Steinheimer said. "I was not pleased that it happened."

Jorgensen was captured last week after an extensive manhunt following the kidnapping of a woman at a Sparks park on Nov. 22.

He was shot in the arm by a Sparks police officer who came upon him while he was sexually assaulting the woman.

On Wednesday, Sparks police also charged him with the sexual assault of another 18-year-old woman on Nov. 2. He allegedly dragged her off Prater Way at gunpoint and sexually assaulted in the bushes near the Interstate 80 overpass. The attack happened within a block of Jorgensen's residence.

The burglary case had been reassigned to Judge Steven Kosach, who sent the case back to justice court for a preliminary hearing and set Jorgensen's bail at $5,000. Jorgensen bailed out of jail on Sept. 16.

When Jorgensen appeared before her, Steinheimer told both lawyers in the case that the name sounded familiar and asked if she might know him. She said both the district attorney and the defense lawyer told her she did not. A list of her prior clients had Jorgensen's name spelled incorrectly.

"I did not recognize (Jorgensen) as a prior client until after the DA brought it to my attention and stipulated to my withdrawal," Steinheimer said.

"Obviously (Jorgensen) knew it and clearly thought he would get some benefit. That is why he didn't say anything. I knew that I had been taken advantage of."

Steinheimer had sentenced Jorgensen to the maximum penalty on recommendations from the state Division of Parole and Probation and the Reno police Repeat Offender Program detectives who presented her with Jorgensens conviction history.

That history includes 13 felony convictions and seven misdemeanor convictions. He has been to prison six times and to jail eight times.

Jorgensen remains in Washoe County Jail on charges of sexual assault, kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. His bail is set at $751,500.

Reno police Det. Curtis Kull, who is assigned to Jorgensens case, said he believes Jorgensen may have reached the end of the line this time.

"He won't get out again," Kull said. "He wont hurt anybody again."