Rick Marshall, assistant sheriff and interim assistant county manager, will now be wearing two more hats, supervising emergency communications and project manager for the new jail. Advertisement

TONOPAH -- Rick Marshall, an assistant sheriff who was named interim assistant county manager in March, will now be wearing two new hats.

The Nye County Commission Tuesday named him project manager for construction of the new jail and supervisor of the sheriff's department communications project.

Both votes appeared as a rebuke to Sheriff Tony DeMeo, who had wanted to continue supervising both projects.

Commissioner Candice Trummell made the motion to nominate Marshall for both positions.

The sheriff's department has a project pending with Motorola and a $2 million project with Harris Microwave to extend a new communications system countywide. Communications projects have been the subject of arguments in the past between Trummell and the sheriff.

Trummell said lapses in frequencies need to be resolved before funding is approved for a sheriff's department communications system.

DeMeo complained the proposal should've been presented to his department first. "I thought this commissioner would've brought this to my attention earlier," he said.

"I've been asking questions for over a year. This is the first time a schedule has been presented to this board," Trummell said. She said the communications project hasn't been properly managed and the commission and taxpayers haven't been properly informed.

DeMeo said the infrastructure for one aspect of the communications project -- two towers at the north and south ends of Pahrump Valley -- was previously purchased at taxpayers' expense before the system was operational.

"The previous administration made a handshake deal with the NHP (Nevada Highway Patrol)," DeMeo said. The NHP had embarked on a new radio system, then walked away from it.

Commissioner Joni Eastley asked DeMeo to state whom he referred to specifically in that statement. DeMeo said, "That would be the former sheriff."

Former Sheriff Wade A. Lieseke Jr., DeMeo's opponent again in this election, was livid. DeMeo's accusation of a handshake deal was "a bald-faced lie," Lieseke said while sitting in the audience during Tuesday's meeting. Lieseke said he's tired of DeMeo blaming everything on his previous administration.

Eastley reminded DeMeo, "Assistant Sheriff Marshall is still a member of your staff."

Marshall said during a break in the meeting that there would be no major change. As interim assistant county manager, he said, he'll facilitate the plan and invite county commissioners to discussions by a committee working on the communications project.

Commissioner Patricia Cox cast the only vote against authorizing Marshall as the project manager for the detention center.

Commissioners are thinking of building a new adult detention facility and juvenile detention center on the east end of Mesquite Avenue. Estimates put the cost at over $28 million.

The initial discussion by county commissioners revolved around picking Undersheriff Bill Weldon as project manager.

DeMeo replied, "I'm the one that has more knowledge of detention facilities than Bill Weldon does."

Eastley then asked Marshall if he was the training officer for the sheriff's department. He replied yes.

When Eastley asked if Weldon has undergone training, Marshall said he had, but that was some years ago.

DeMeo said Weldon is in charge of internal affairs for the sheriff's department, which includes programs like the anti-gang GREAT program and the anti-drug DARE program.

"I don't think he's going to be able to give the time and attention to this project that is required," DeMeo said. "I'm the manager of the sheriff's office; I'm the one in charge."

Commissioners then adopted Trummell's motion to appoint Marshall as project manager.

Cox asked whether Marshall had the training to take on the project.

"I'm very concerned about the associated costs with this detention facility," Eastley said. "We need to look at staffing. We're looking at opening a new juvenile facility for which we have no staffing.

"We thought we were going to walk into this turn-key operation for $18 million when I think it's going to cost us substantially more than that," she said.