Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo said he was furious to learn AnnJet Switzer, who is accused of leaking information while working for the district attorney's office, was released on her own recognizance last Friday.

The sheriff also charged Switzer isn't the only mole in the district attorney's office who is leaking information.

Nye County District Attorney Bob Beckett hotly disputed those allegations, saying he wants to see any evidence DeMeo may have.

Switzer, a legal secretary at the district attorney's office, was booked on misconduct by a public officer, possession of a controlled substance and conspiracy to violate the Uniform Controlled Substance Act.

An initial hearing has been scheduled for Switzer at 9 a.m., Nov. 26. She was allegedly trading information from the office to drug traffickers in return for illicit drugs

Defense attorney Tom Gibson said a deputy district attorney present at the bail hearing didn't present a case for a bail amount. Switzer wasn't a flight risk, Gibson said, as she had family locally, was a lifetime Pahrump resident and had been gainfully employed before her arrest.

"The least someone from the DA's office could've had enough anger to see the betrayal that occurred in their office and asked for an appropriate bail," DeMeo said. "I find that a slap in the face to the deputies that were part of it."

The district attorney will have to request a special prosecutor, probably from the state attorney general's office, to handle the case, due to a conflict of interest.

DeMeo complained the district attorney's office didn't launch an internal affairs investigation into the leaking of information. Beckett countered it would be up to the sheriff to ask for such an investigation, not his office.

"I told him way before I ran for office, I said I'm getting information from the street. It's a rumor, if there's any evidence to this, she's leaking information to the public, to the bad guys," DeMeo said of the district attorney. "I told a highly placed person in his office this person" -- Switzer -- "was leaking information."

"I just want to make sure we have a clear-cut, truthful investigation of the case. I don't think she was the only one leaking information from the DA's office," DeMeo said. "Even after she was arrested, someone from his office released information that was confidential."

In his response to DeMeo's allegations, Beckett emphasized his office is required to deal with evidence, not rumors. Beckett said he's scheduled to meet with DeMeo this morning, Friday, when they would try to find out what information leaked out. During a follow-up conference call late Thursday afternoon, both Beckett and DeMeo pledged to resolve the situation and voiced support for their respective departments.

"We can't do anything unless we have evidence. We can't take action on rumors, and I told him that," Beckett said. "Right now we're being presented with rumors and, again, the sheriff is being told, 'Bring us some real evidence and we'll take action.' We cannot take action on rumors, and he hasn't brought any real information."

Beckett said the sheriff needs to present evidence following his statement in Wednesday's newspaper that Switzer's case "is the tip of the iceberg."

"If there is an additional problem, do you want to start advertising that? Doesn't that compromise your investigation?" Beckett asked.

When it came to the bail hearing before Beatty Justice Gus Sullivan Friday, Beckett said Switzer had a right to a fair bail hearing under the 8th Amendment to the Constitution.

"The judge is an experienced judge, he heard the facts, he made a decision," Beckett said.

Beckett also took offense to DeMeo's previously published comments that made it look like the district attorney's office didn't know what was going on.

"She was a secretary, her access to information was limited. The information we have in this office is all discoverable by the defense (attorneys). We have to give them everything," Beckett said.

In the more conciliatory conference call with Beckett, DeMeo indicated the sheriff's department has a symbiotic relationship with the DA. "Both offices can learn from this to make sure this doesn't happen again," DeMeo said.

"Bob Beckett is going to have to find a way of ensuring us that his office is secure," the sheriff said.

DeMeo said he transferred a deputy once for speaking out of turn. If the incident had been more serious, the deputy would have been terminated, DeMeo said.

"We took immediate action, but it's a private, personnel matter. So I can't discuss it," Beckett said of Switzer. Switzer called in sick the day she was arrested; she was terminated immediately after her arrest, Beckett said.