“My wife finds out about what happens with the sheriff’s office by reading the paper,” he said. That shouldn’t be a problem, Tony DeMeo said, because he doesn’t bring his work home with him. Kuehn predicted that any judge who reviews the DeMeos’ situation will order them to refrain from discussing work or collaborating professionally in any way. In the end, Lane had to excuse himself from a few cases. The defense attorney described the process as “collegial and professional,” and everyone involved seemed grateful to have the issue put to rest. Kuehn filed a similar challenge a few years ago, when former Nye County prosecutor Robert Lane was elected district judge, raising questions about his ability to preside over cases that were pending in the district attorney’s office while he was working there. Just to be sure, though, the defense attorney will seek a second opinion if Linda DeMeo should win.ĭuring her first week on the job, Kuehn plans to file what he described as a “friendly” challenge of the new judge, just to have the conflict question answered once and for all. She should be able to serve the court without conflict, so long as the sheriff “keeps his fat hands” out of cases that come before her, Kuehn said. One person with reason to worry is Harry Kuehn, who has worked as Nye County’s principal public defender off and on for 15 years.īut Kuehn said Linda DeMeo’s quest for the bench is “not that big a problem.” That’s the fact of the matter,” said Tony DeMeo, who plans to run for a third term in 2010. “I will probably never appear in front of my wife’s court. He rarely makes arrests or becomes directly involved in investigations, she said. She said her husband’s role as sheriff is mostly administrative. It doesn’t matter that she is married to the sheriff, Linda DeMeo said, because every criminal case must go through the district attorney’s office before it arrives in Justice Court. She was peppered about it by audience members at a recent candidates’ forum. The conflict question has dogged Linda DeMeo throughout her campaign. The top two finishers will advance to the Nov. Linda DeMeo, a cashier at a car dealership, is one of 13 candidates for justice of the peace in Pahrump’s Department 2, a newly created post to serve the growing community 60 miles west of Las Vegas.Įarly voting for the Aug. “I have my own mind, and I have always used it.” “What it boils down to is: Can I be fair and impartial?” she said. Linda DeMeo dismisses all that as politically motivated nonsense. Which, in Pahrump, is just about every criminal case. Some see that as a conflict of interest, one that could require her, if elected, to excuse herself from all criminal cases investigated by her husband’s department. Linda DeMeo is running for justice of the peace on a platform that includes plans for Pahrump’s first night court, but all some people seem to want to talk about is the man she’s sleeping with.ĭeMeo’s bunk mate, and husband of 32 years, is Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo.
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