Clark County Sheriff Defies Judge in Refusal to Release Repeat Offender with 35 Arrests

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill is standing firm against an order from Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Eric Goodman to enroll a career criminal with 35 prior arrests in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s (LVMPD) electronic monitoring program, prioritizing public and officer safety amid contempt threats and a looming Nevada Supreme Court review.

The defendant, Joshua Sanchez-Lopez—a 36-year-old convicted felon with prior convictions including involuntary manslaughter and drug offenses—was arrested in January on grand larceny of a motor vehicle charges. Judge Goodman set bail at $25,000 and mandated release to high-level electronic monitoring (described as akin to house arrest) upon bond posting. Sanchez-Lopez posted bond, but LVMPD reviewed his extensive history—including evading police and social media activity—and declined to participate, deeming electronic supervision an “unreasonable risk.”

An LVMPD spokesperson, through assistant general counsel Mike Dickerson, defended the stance: “The safety of our officers is paramount. The safety of the public is key, and Sheriff McMahill will not violate the law to appease the Las Vegas Justice Court and let out people who he deems to be dangerous.”

The dispute highlights separation-of-powers tensions, with the court asserting judicial authority over release conditions and LVMPD invoking statutory discretion under laws like NRS 211.250, which requires the sheriff to determine no unreasonable risk before implementing electronic monitoring. The case is advancing to the Nevada Supreme Court after LVMPD’s March 9 petition challenging enforcement of the order.

For background, the Nevada Supreme Court in its 2020 landmark ruling in Valdez-Jimenez v. Eighth Judicial District Court held that bail may only be imposed when necessary to ensure court appearance or community protection, requiring individualized hearings, clear and convincing evidence from the state for monetary conditions, consideration of financial ability, and on-the-record findings—curtailing presumptive cash bail in favor of the least restrictive alternatives. This decision spurred Democrat-led reforms like 2021’s Assembly Bill 424 and Senate Bill 369.

Together, these reforms—building on the Supreme Court ruling—shifted Nevada’s pretrial system toward risk-based, individualized decisions rather than routine cash bail. Proponents (including civil rights groups like the ACLU of Nevada) argue they prevent discriminatory detention of the poor and promote fairness. Critics, including some sheriffs and prosecutors, have blamed them for complicating operations and contributing to public safety challenges, such as repeat offenses by released individuals.

Judge Eric Goodman, presiding in Las Vegas Township Justice Court Department 11 since his 2008 election, is the son of former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman (who served from 1999 to 2011 and was a prominent criminal defense attorney known for representing mob figures) and former Mayor Carolyn Goodman (who succeeded her husband and served from 2011 to 2024). Judge Goodman previously practiced criminal defense in his father’s firm before ascending to the bench.