Overview
- Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman said Thursday he would not hold Metro in contempt for refusing to place Joshua Sanchez‑Lopez on electronic monitoring, citing a similar ruling by District Judge Erika Mendoza.
- Sanchez‑Lopez, 36, was arrested again Wednesday on allegations that include stealing mail, with detectives reporting an apparent fraud lab and narcotics found in his residence.
- Goodman had previously set $25,000 bail in a vehicle theft case and ordered high‑level electronic monitoring, but Metro declined, calling Sanchez‑Lopez an unreasonable public‑safety risk.
- Metro maintains that state law gives the sheriff discretion over who is accepted into the department’s monitoring program, a position public defenders say unlawfully overrides judicial release decisions and violates due process.
- The dispute has drawn political attention as Gov. Joe Lombardo and U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah back Metro, and the matter is now before the Nevada Supreme Court.