Nye County official, wife face theft, other charges

Charges of theft, forgery and misconduct of a public officer were filed on Oct. 28 against the public administrator for Nye County and his wife, but the two remain at large, the Nye County sheriff's office said.

Public Administrator Robert "Red" Dyer and Jeanette Vivian Dyer are accused of stealing the possessions of deceased Nye County residents through use of the public administrator's office.

The charges include the theft of a utility trailer from Donald M. Murray after his death, according to a criminal complaint against the pair. When Murray died the trailer was received by the Nye County public administrator in Pahrump. The trailer was used by the Dyers and then sold to Jeff Glover of Pahrump for $600, the complaint says. The Dyers kept the money, Nye County Sheriff Wade A. Lieseke Jr. said.

A complaint also charges the Dyers with forging Murray's signature to sell the trailer as well as stealing and selling for $600 a 1992 Mercury Topaz belonging to Joyce M. La Brash after her death.

Lieseke said the Dyers were under investigation for three months. When the complaint was filed on Thursday, the sheriff's office tried to arrest the Dyers, but they had left the county, Lieseke said. His investigators believe the Dyers are in Clark County, Lieseke said.

"Their attorney has been in contact with the marshal," Lieseke said. "They say they will turn themselves in to Clark County, but not to us because we are after them. That's ridiculous, Clark County will just send them back here."

An attorney for the Dyers was not available for comment this morning.

Red Dyer remains the public administrator for Nye County, an elected position, Lieseke said. As public administrator, Dyer is responsible for dealing with the estates of people who die without wills or trusts.

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