District Attorney’s employee speaks at commission meeting about Watts investigation

Several Eureka County citizens called for Sheriff Jesse Watts’ resignation during Tuesday’s public hearing period. This came after the sheriff was accused of making false allegations against a local resident who allegedly assaulted a former Eurekan resident in 2019. Spencer Investigations, a private investigation firm based in Reno, was hired by the district attorney to investigate the complaint. If the investigative report is accurate and Watts did indeed make false allegations in an official capacity, he could face misdemeanor charges. If the sheriff called the woman who was allegedly assaulted five years ago by name or mentioned her picture, he could also face misdemeanor charges, jail time and fines.

Ashley Kemp, administrative counsel for the Eureka County District Attorney’s Office, spoke on her own initiative. She was one of the Eureka citizens who urged the county commission to demand Watts’ resignation.

“Aside from his blatant disregard for the rights of the actual victim of the crime, the sheriff abused his authority over a young, subordinate employee. His continued inappropriate behavior in the workplace toward female employees should be reason enough to call for his resignation,” Kemp said.

According to the investigation, the man Watts made the allegations against was dating one of Watts’ employees, a dispatcher. The investigation also revealed that Watts had discussed the alleged assault with the employee’s mother. Watts is said to have said that if he were his employee’s father, they would “never find the body” of the person she was dating.

Commissioners Marty Plaskett and Rich McKay did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the calls for the sheriff’s resignation. Last week, both men also declined to comment on the investigation, saying the situation was still unstable.

Watts also did not respond to a request for comment this week, but told the Eureka Sentinel last week: “As I said in my statement, I will not speak to the press or make any further statements due to potential litigation.”

The statement Watts was referring to was posted on Facebook, where Watts confirmed that the conversation took place between him and his employee. He also said he was never interviewed as part of the investigation.

“On the morning of July 2, 2024, I was informed of another investigation that was initiated by the District Attorney… The investigation is based on a conversation I had with an employee of the ECSO (Eureka County Sheriff’s Office),” Watts wrote in the statement. “To conduct a complete investigation, one must speak to all parties involved and get both sides of the story. I was never approached in connection with this investigation or even informed that it was being conducted.”

Under Watts’ Facebook post, commenters called the investigation a “witch hunt” and said “the small-town knitting club is at it again.”

Among those who participated in the public comment period at Tuesday’s meeting, no one spoke in favor of Watts.

Sean Brown, the father of Watts’ subordinate, called for the sheriff’s resignation.

“When my daughter was working at the sheriff’s office, I thought, ‘What better place could she be protected and cared for while fulfilling her dream of being a law enforcement officer?’ I was wrong,” Brown said.

Watts posted before the investigation was announced that the detectives and Beutel had not cooperated with him. But Amy Jensen, the mother of the resident Watts accuses of the alleged assault, said the feud between the district attorney and Watts played no role in this case.

“We all know the sheriff has his own issues with the Eureka County District Attorney, but that is completely irrelevant to this complaint. A citizen went to the district attorney to file a complaint against the sheriff, and the Eureka County District Attorney’s Office went to work on it,” Jensen said.

Eureka County District Attorney Ted Beutel told the Eureka Sentinel last week that several state agencies had been notified of the investigation.

Ross Armstrong, executive director of the Nevada Commission on Ethics, said he could neither confirm nor deny that specific complaints have been filed against Jesse Watts. State law requires that complaint records remain confidential until an ethics commission panel determines whether there is a valid and sufficient reason to refer the matter.

The Nevada Attorney General’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Although Beutel did not respond to the Sentinel’s request for comment on the alleged lack of cooperation with the sheriff, Kemp said Watts’ claims were untrue.

“The sheriff wants you to believe that the district attorney’s office is not working with his department. I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that I have a very good working relationship with the majority of the local police force,” Kemp said. “I trust every single police officer that sits behind me. I respect those police officers who have the ability to tell the truth, even when the truth is hard.”