Judge denies motion to dismiss felony charge against former Mesquite police chief 

A preliminary hearing is scheduled Nov. 4 in the criminal case against former Mesquite Police Chief MaQuade Chesley, who is accused of one felony count of secretly recording a conversation in Mesquite City Hall. 

Chesley is the second public official prosecuted by Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson for the alleged offense in the last year. 

Henderson City Councilwoman Carrie Cox, who is seeking reelection, faces trial in October for allegedly recording her colleague and others at City Hall. 

Chesley’s attorney, Tony Sgro, argued in July that the law his client is charged with violating is vague and antiquated in an age of smart phone ubiquity. 

Pro Tem Judge Christopher Laurent ruled Wednesday that the law “is not unconstitutionally vague” and that a judge’s order in a civil case involving Chesley and his former employer, the city, could not be mentioned at the preliminary hearing.  

In that case, Clark County District Judge Nadia Krall stated  that Chesley’s recording was not criminal, and that the city’s accusation against him amounted to “bad faith and harassment” on the city’s part, and “an ongoing pattern of bad faith defenses.” 

She found the accusations “are contrary to the facts” and that Mesquite “fabricated false charges… to relieve themselves of the due process obligations under the law.” 

Chesley is suing the city for wrongful termination. 

Deputy District Attorney Austin Beaumont argued that Krall’s ruling is inadmissible in the criminal case. Beaumont is currently campaigning for a seat on the Clark County District Court. 

Mesquite officials initially asked the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. to refer a criminal charge against Chesley to the D.A., but police declined, according to court documents.  

The city pursued the investigation of Chesley on its own when the former chief’s lawsuit against the city for wrongful termination “gained traction,” according to Sgro.

The city is already on the hook for a $1.425 million settlement with Chesley approved by the council in April to resolve wrongful termination cases he filed with the state Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and in District Court.