OPINION: District Attorneys: Essential for Public Safety – That’s Why Washoe County Needs a New One

Washoe County District Attorney Chris Hicks recently used National Crime Victims Week (April 6-12) and a fervent op/ed to try and convince potential voters that his top priority is punishing criminals and protecting victims.  https://www.rgj.com/story/opinion/2025/04/06/a-commitment-to-crime-victims-through-reinforced-accountability/82780021007/

Don’t be fooled.

The example below proves that Hicks is just another politician who will say and do whatever it takes to keep his conviction rate high, and win re-election.

In his editorial, Hicks claimed a commitment to “communicating with,” “supporting,” and “comforting crime victims …” He added that he and his office’s prosecutors “work tirelessly to ensure that justice prevails,” disdain irresponsible plea bargaining, and “support significant prison time to reinforce community safety.”

Actions speak louder than words.

Described below is a recent criminal case that Hicks’ office weakly and severely mishandled. It proves that his claims to be tough on crime and compassionate with victims are insincere and self-promoting: nothing more than early campaigning for his next election cycle.

Last summer, I helped a property-manager friend clear dozens of illegal vagrant squatters off a large piece of privately-owned land in North Reno. All the vagrants left without incident…except one.

The remaining vagrant had illegally camped on the property for over a year: accumulating piles of garbage, and the remains of several dogs that County Animal Control said he’d tortured to death. Over a period of months, this repeatedly-convicted criminal refused several written and verbal requests from my friend to vacate the private land.

Finally, my friend drove to the illegal camping spot and told the man that if he refused to leave, his humanly uninhabitable trailer would be removed, and he’d be arrested by Reno Police.

Over a short period of time that followed, the illegal squatter responded to my friend’s request to leave the property by doing the following.

·      He directed his 3 large dogs to attack my friend.

·      He threatened to kill my friend several times.

·      He explicitly exposed himself sexually to my friend, twice.

·      The vagrant took his vehicle and smashed it into my friend’s truck while he was inside, doing over $20,000 worth of damage.

·      He smashed into my friend’s truck again – with him inside – trying to push it over a steep ravine on the property, which could have seriously injured or killed my friend.

The vagrant’s actions left abundant evidence of multiple felonies. The Reno Police were called and immediately took the man into custody. They wrote up a full report which they forwarded to DA Chris Hicks’ office.

The officers took photos, and confidently told my friend that the vagrant would unquestionably be looking at up to 10-years in prison for multiple felonies including: attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon, major destruction of private property, felony sexual exposure, and more.

But DA Chris Hicks apparently had no interest in protecting this victim.

The victim’s advocate assigned to my friend’s case did not fully communicate with him regarding the DA’s insanely lenient plea-bargaining plan for prosecuting the case.

By the time the case was heard in court, the prosecution team had decided that they would proceed as follows.

·      They would NOT call the key witness to testify.

·      They would NOT present critical pieces of evidence.

·      They would NOT attempt to prosecute ANY of the felony charges listed in the RPD report.

Instead, Hicks’ prosecution team offered the vagrant defendant the chance to plead guilty to one charge only: Misdemeanor Trespassing, a charge slightly more serious than jaywalking.

With a smile on his face, the defendant eagerly accepted the plea bargain and walked out of court a free man.

What about the $20,000 in damages the defendant caused to my friend’s truck? My friend did not receive one dollar from the defendant.

What about the emotional damage to my friend from the defendant’s lethal assaults on his life? They were not even mentioned in court. Nor were the dog attacks, the death threats, or the felony-level sexual exposures.

After hearing that the defendant would go free, my friend and I went to the District Attorney’s office and demanded to speak to the prosecution team that had handled the case.

Initially refusing to speak with us about the court outcome, they eventually agreed to a brief meeting. The prosecution team’s explanation for the unjust plea bargain was simple.

“It was all the judge’s fault,” they said.

The prosecuting team added the following details.

·      “The judge just didn’t like this case for some reason.”

·       “The judge didn’t want us to present the evidence or the primary witness.”

·      We didn’t want to push the issue because the judge would ‘get back at us’ on future cases.”

My friend and I were upset to hear that this judge would have violated their Oath of Office in this manner. I made an appointment to personally meet with the judge and shared everything the prosecution team had told us.

The judge immediately responded, “NOTHING they told you is true. Everything regarding how they handled the case was THEIR idea.”

Finally, we repeatedly tried to meet with Chris Hicks personally. He did not respond to our request, and has maintained this refusal for the past 9 months.

What did WE learn and what have you, the reader, also learned? District Attorney Chris Hicks needs to resign, be recalled, or be voted out of office at the soonest possible opportunity.

Every Washoe County voter should ask themselves, “Does District Attorney Chris Hicks have the integrity and moral courage that are requisite to deliver – in his own words:  “justice, safety, and accountability – so every individual in Washoe County can live without fear.”

Speak Up, Nevada! What’s on Your Mind? Send us your opinion!

Got the inside scoop on something happening in Nevada? Or the country? Do you have thoughts about life in Nevada that are too good to keep to yourself? Whether it’s a hot take on our politics, crime, education, or even the secret to surviving our summers, we’re all ears! Swing them our way at editor@thenevadaglobe.com. Come on, give us the scoop on what makes Nevada tick—or what ticks you off. Let’s make some noise and have some fun with it!

*************************

Legal Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this article, authored by Paul White, are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views or positions of Nevada Globe. This content is provided for informational purposes only and has not been endorsed by Nevada Globe. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the content contained on this site for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

Nevada Globe is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within the article. No guarantee is given that the information provided in this article is correct, complete, or up-to-date.

Although this article may include links providing direct access to other Internet resources, including websites, Nevada Globe is not responsible for the accuracy or content of information contained in these sites.

Links from Nevada Globe to third-party sites do not constitute an endorsement by Nevada Globe of the parties or their products and services. The appearance on the website of advertisements and product or service information does not constitute an endorsement by Nevada Globe, and Nevada Globe has not investigated the claims made by any advertiser.