When Transparency Takes a Vacation: Washoe County's Latest Cover-Up

Shana Bachman for Justice Court 13 billboard posted on her campaign Facebook page, September 23, 2016. Bachman lost the judicial election in Las Vegas. Bachman was working for the Washoe County Public Defender at the time of her arrest in Vegas on April 6, 2025.

Last week County Manager Eric Brown took a vacation and left one of his Assistant County Managers in charge - seems like lack of transparency has a trickle down effect at Washoe County.

In what has become Washoe County's standard operating procedure, deflect, deny, hide the facts, officials sat on news of a deputy public defender's Las Vegas arrest for four days—miraculously finding their voices only when the Las Vegas KTVN13 prepared to report the story. Apparently, the county's definition of "public information" is "whatever we can no longer hide."

Picon reached out to Commissioner Mike Clark to learn if he had heard about the public defenders arrest and he sent us this email from Washoe County on Thursday, April 10th.

This information blackout follows the familiar playbook used during the Sober 24 scandal and the quiet enabling of Human Services employees working remotely from outside county boundaries. The common thread? All these departments fall under the same Assistant County Manager—who reportedly shares a friendship with Judge Egan Walker, who inquired about the absent public defender on Monday, April 7th and received confirmation of the arrest. Too bad that is where the buck stopped, if it was not going to be reported on would the county have ever of fessed up regarding Bachman’s arrest and would Judge Egan Walker have been part of the cover up?

The public remained in the dark until Thursday's reluctant announcement. The county's selective amnesia about its obligation to transparency raises serious questions: What other incidents remain buried? How many other employees' situations are being concealed? And most importantly, how can residents trust a government that treats public information like a game of hide-and-seek?

When accountability requires the threat of media exposure, it's no longer accountability—it's damage control. Washoe County officials have once again demonstrated they prefer managing headlines to managing honest communication with the citizens they supposedly serve.

The court document below clearly shows the Second Judicial District Court knew of the arrest and we sort of, kind of, think someone from Department 7, if not the judge himself, would have reached out to the Assistant County Manager.

Judge Walker Arrested PD by documents on Scribd