Anti-prostitution zealot charged for probe of his faked death

RENO, Nev. - The anti-prostitution crusader who faked his own death near a brothel then turned up 10 days later will be billed for the cost of the investigation into his disappearance and still could face criminal charges.

Milo John Reese, 54, abandoned his car just east of Reno nearly two weeks ago after he broke out a window with a rock and stained the seat with his own blood.

His charade was "reprehensible and created a dangerous and time-consuming ordeal for our deputies," Washoe County Sheriff's Lt. Doug Gist said.

Sheriff's deputies are referring the case to Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick for consideration of criminal charges, Gist said.

"At this point we are still exploring what the charges would be, or could be," Gist said today.

"It is the sheriff's intention to submit a bill to Mr. Reese to compensate Washoe County taxpayers for the cost of investigating this hoax," he said.

Reese surfaced on Wednesday and admitted he was trying to bring publicity to his accusation that prostitutes are leaving their legal brothels in rural counties to work illegally in Las Vegas and Reno.

"Reese's willful and premeditated actions ... for the full purpose of drawing attention to his own personal agenda placed deputies, search and rescue members and others at risk," Gist said.

Search volunteers looking for Reese in the rugged hills near Mustang, Nev., nearly stumbled into an abandoned mine shaft, he said.

"These types of dangers experienced by sheriff's volunteer units makes Mr. Reese's acts all the more reprehensible," he said.

There was no immediate estimate of the cost, Gist said. It is probably more than an earlier estimate of $5,000 to $10,000, he said.

Reese already has agreed to reimburse sheriff's deputies for the cost of an airline ticket they purchased for his return to Reno from Las Vegas.

Police launched an extensive search after Reese's car was found Nov. 8 just east of Reno along Interstate 809 near the defunct Mustang Ranch brothel.

Police had been searching for days before Reese was spotted on a videotape at an automated teller machine in Sacramento last week while withdrawing money.

He turned himself in to police in Las Vegas on Wednesday after contacting law officers in Washoe County earlier in the day. Las Vegas Metro police accompanied him to the airport and he flew to Reno, in Washoe County, where sheriff's deputies met him at the airport. Reese was not arrested.

He told reporters Wednesday night that he pulled the stunt to draw attention to illegal prostitution.

"It is very evident these girls at these brothels - all over Nevada, not just here - are doing a lot of business where prostitution is not legal," he said.

Reese told a newspaper he believes prostitutes in rural Storey County brothels are being sent to neighboring Washoe County hotels to work.

Prostitution is legal in many rural Nevada counties but not in the counties encompassing Reno, neighboring Sparks or Las Vegas.

Reese has performed stunts before to draw attention to his crusade, including chaining himself to the door of the Carson City building that houses the state Health Division.

Several years ago, he applied for a license to open a gay brothel, then said he was doing it to bring attention to the evils of prostitution.

"I'm sorry I put everybody up to this, but I thought it was the only way to do it," Reese said.

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