Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo's Traffic Stop and Campaign Sign Vandalism Raise Questions

[00:00:00]Well, the fallout continues from a traffic stop where Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo was pulled over by Metro Police for a red light violation and not cited after the video went viral. Well, a complaint was filed with the Nevada Commission on ethics and a Reno man stated Lombardo's behavior was unbecoming of a public official and he violated state law to intimidate the officer and he used his position to get special treatment. Now, more concerns are surfacing in connection with the campaign sign in 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears explains.

[00:00:34]>> Campaign sign vandalism is not uncommon during election cycles, but when one of Governor Lombardo's signs was recently vandalized, it prompted a police investigation. 13 Investigates received this photo from a source close to Las Vegas law enforcement. It's been posted on multiple social media accounts in the past 24 hours. The photo shows the defaced campaign sign on a wall at the top of a rocky slope along the 215 near Flamingo. It appears to show six people from both Metro and the Clark County Fire Department using a ladder to dust the sign for fingerprints where a vandal posted the words, "Come on, man." Those words stem from this now viral body camera video from a May traffic stop.

[00:01:19]>> Good. Sergeant Chega, Metro Police.

[00:01:20]Reason I'm stopping you is for the >> Joe Lombardo.

[00:01:23]>> I'm aware. For the red light violation back there.

[00:01:26]Your right turn onto Giles here.

[00:01:29]So, you're good to go, sir. Appreciate you. Have a good day.

[00:01:32]>> Though Lombardo's campaign and the police union have denied any ethics violation or favorable treatment, the governor has faced criticism for the interaction, with some saying he used his position to get out of a citation.

[00:01:46]Now, he's facing similar criticism online for the campaign sign vandalism investigation. Social media comments on X say more favorable action from LVMPD at taxpayer expense. Call it a waste of our tax dollars. And one wrote, "Fingerprints for a misdemeanor at best?

[00:02:07]How many unsolved crimes is the sheriff currently sitting on?" We reached out to Lombardo's campaign, to Metro, and to the Clark County Fire Department, and here are the questions we asked. Why did this particular vandalism spark an investigation? Who requested the investigation? How often does Metro dust vandalized political signs for fingerprints? Who requested assistance from the Clark County Fire Department, and why? Can other candidates for public office who have their campaign signs or billboards vandalized expect a similar investigation? And has Metro identified a suspect or made any arrests? In response to my questions to Clark County Fire, a county spokesperson responded, thanking me for bringing this to their attention, and saying they're looking into it. Governor Lombardo's campaign responded, saying Lombardo did not ask Metro to investigate the vandalism. He has not spoken with anyone at Metro about it, and that Metro independently started the investigation. We did not get a response by our deadline from Metro. Darcy Spears, 13 Investigates.