Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Answers: Clark County:

Closure to come for DA candidates, family of police shooting victim

District Attorney Interviews

Sam Morris

Drew Christensen answers a question during the interview process for a new District Attorney Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 during a meeting of the Clark County Commission.

Last week, commissioners questioned the three district attorney candidates for 41/2 hours. They’ll meet at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to appoint one of the three to complete the final three years of former District Attorney David Roger’s term.

Drew Christensen, the least known among the three, saw his stock rise sharply after the session. But there’s an issue that could hurt his candidacy.

What kind of issue?

A potential conflict of interest. Christensen is director of the Clark County Office of Appointed Counsel, which selects private attorneys to represent indigent defendants. According to county officials, 34 cases are being handled by lawyers picked by Christensen’s office.

So what happens if Christensen suddenly goes to work for the other side — the prosecution?

Defense attorneys working those cases might argue that Christensen has inside information about their defendants. If a judge agreed, those 34 cases would have to be farmed out to independent lawyers who would act as county prosecutors. It could cost the county thousands, maybe millions of dollars in legal fees. That could tip the scales against Christensen.

Did he have a chance at the appointment anyway, given that he is facing two better-known candidates?

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Steve Wolfson answers a question during the interview process for a new District Attorney Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 during a meeting of the Clark County Commission.

Going in, most people thought Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Wolfson had an upper hand. He has prosecutorial experience. He’s polished.

Some thought another known quantity, John Hunt, former head of the Clark County Democratic Party, was a strong candidate. People turned out in droves to support Hunt during the hearing. While that turned off some commissioners, others felt it showed his ability to create a more trusting relationship with the public.

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John Hunt, center, and Drew Christensen talks to the media while Steve Wolfson waits his turn during a break in the interview process for a new District Attorney Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012.

Christensen got little consideration before the hearing. Afterward, most commissioners said they were still undecided but that Christensen had done himself a world of good. He was knowledgeable. He demonstrated familiarity with how the DA’s office and county departments work, and he has worked in the Public Defender’s Office. Commissioners talked repeatedly about the need for a district attorney who is more “congenial,” as Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani put it.

•••

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Developer Jim Rhodes smiles on Blue Diamond Hill on Monday, May 5, 2003. Las Vegas can be seen in the background.

It appears that commissioners are likely to vote on a waiver to allow developer Jim Rhodes use of State Route 159 during the construction of a proposed 4,700-home development on a hilltop between the tiny community of Blue Diamond and the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

Commissioners say privately they expect the developer to ask that the vote be postponed.

Will commissioners do that?

Commissioner Susan Brager, whose district includes the proposed development, said: “They may pull it for a year, but I do not want another postponement. That’s not fair to the community.”

The issue will be heard at the commission’s Feb. 8 zoning meeting.

•••

Metro’s Fiscal Affairs Committee will this week consider a proposed $1.7 million settlement from Metro to the family of police shooting victim Trevon Cole.

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Trevon Cole's fiancee Sequioa Pearce listens to a question during a coroner's inquest at the Regional Justice Center Friday, August 20, 2010. Cole was shot and killed by Metro Police in June.

Steve Sisolak, one of two county commissioners on the five-person committee, said it’s the largest settlement he’s seen. (Fiscal Affairs approved a $1.5 million settlement in July, after a crime lab miscue led to the wrong man being incarcerated for four years.)

Does that mean Sisolak will vote against the Cole settlement, in essence telling the police department to fight it in court?

No. “I think it’s obvious Metro and our lawyers felt it’s in the best interest to settle the case,” he said.

Cole’s family filed a civil rights lawsuit in April, seeking $10 million in damages. In June 2010, Cole, 21, who was unarmed, was shot in the head by narcotics Det. Brian Yant, in Cole’s apartment, which he shared with his pregnant fiancee. Cole was allegedly flushing marijuana down the toilet when police raided the apartment.

Testimony later revealed that an affidavit for the search warrant contained an inaccurate criminal history for Cole, confusing him with a man of the same name with previous arrests in Los Angeles and Houston.

Does this mean Sisolak thinks Metro should look at changing how they train police officers?

Sisolak said he has the “utmost respect” for Sheriff Doug Gillespie, who must answer to voters as an elected official.

But he offered this: “I think they need to look at all use-of-force training and officer-involved shootings.”

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