Henderson councilwoman indicted, ordered to have no contact with another councilwoman

Henderson Councilwoman Carrie Cox was indicted Wednesday on a felony charge after authorities accused her of hiding behind a curtain and illegally recording a conversation involving a fellow councilwoman.

Cox pushed back on the allegations in a brief phone interview, calling the case “a witch hunt.”

“This has come as a complete surprise to me,” she said.

Cox faces one count of monitoring or attempting to monitor a private conversation. Records show that attorney Josh Tomsheck is representing her.

“There is much more that will come to light throughout this process and Mrs. Cox very much looks forward to addressing these allegations through the appropriate channels in Court,” Tomsheck said late Wednesday in a text message. “My client has a long history as a contributing and dedicated citizen of her community, has absolutely zero criminal history, and is confident those things will remain true and she will be exonerated when all is said and done.”

In court earlier Wednesday, Chief Deputy District Attorney Colleen Baharav requested an order that Cox have no contact with Monica Larson, another member of the Henderson City Council, except during council meetings.

Chief District Judge Jerry Wiese granted the order. The two were at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Henderson City Council.

The indictment indicates that Larson is one of the people whose privacy Cox is accused of invading.

In Nevada, state law makes it a felony to intrude on the privacy of others by “surreptitiously” monitoring or trying to monitor their private conversations. The law also prohibits disclosing details about those conversations without permission.

Wiese issued a summons for Cox, who is due in court Nov. 20.

The city of Henderson declined to comment on the indictment.

“This is a criminal matter that does not involve the City and we are not aware of any way in which it would impact City operations,” the city said in an emailed statement.

Elizabeth Trosper, a public relations representative for Larson, said Larson would have no comment.

Trosper said her other clients, Councilman Dan Stewart and Mayor Michelle Romero, would also decline to comment. Councilman Jim Seebock declined to comment, as well.

The indictment states that the incident at the center of the case occurred “on or about” Jan. 9 and that the conversation Cox is accused of recording involved Larson “and/or” Michael Hiltz “and/or” Richard Smith.

Smith said in a phone interview that the conversation occurred at a retirement celebration for City Manager Richard Derrick.

He said he witnessed a dispute. He also said he had a conversation that had nothing to do with the dispute and that he did not give permission to be recorded.

Cox has had conflict with city leaders in the past.

Romero has accused Cox of spreading “spurious rumors” about an extramarital affair and threatened Cox with legal action, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported in January.

Through an attorney at the time, Cox denied defaming Romero.

In May, Larson posted a photo from a groundbreaking ceremony on her Facebook page that was apparently doctored to remove Cox, who was present at the event and included in a photo of the same scene that the city of Henderson shared on social media.

Larson also posted on Facebook that she was not affiliated with Cox.

“Her (Cox’s) continued actions and behaviors are not aligned with my values or morals,” Larson wrote. “In my opinion her disregard for truth and others is incorrigible. It is also my prayer and opinion may she find salvation, repentance and deliverance to restore her soul.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X. Staff writer Casey Harrison contributed to this report.