Ex-Heavenly employee sentenced to 15 years

Stephan DeGraffenreid

A former children’s ski instructor at Heavenly Mountain Resort is going to prison for 15 years.

Stephan DeGraffenreid, 26, of Gardnerville was sentenced Nov. 29. In September he pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation.

Upon release he must be supervised for life. DeGraffenreid faced a maximum of 45 years in prison.

According to court documents, DeGraffenreid had pictures of naked girls on his phone that he had downloaded. Photographs he personally took were of toddlers in a bathroom at a daycare center.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report