Director at Southern Nevada women’s shelter arrested on domestic battery charge
A director at Nevada’s largest shelter for domestic violence victims was arrested Sunday night on a domestic battery charge.
Robert White II, 37, was hired Nov. 28 as The Shade Tree’s director of programs and education. His role, which entailed implementing new learning opportunities for women and children at the shelter, was announced on the nonprofit-organization’s website Dec. 12.
On Sunday, Las Vegas police were called about 8:30 p.m. to White’s southeast valley home on the 4100 block of Gibraltar Street, dispatch logs show.
White is accused of striking his live-in girlfriend multiple times during a confrontation, police said. White’s girlfriend was not taken to the hospital, but officers noted she had bumps on her head and a scratch on her neck.
When reached by phone Monday, Shade Tree officials released the following statement: “Robert is on leave without pay as of today. All components of his job have been reassigned.”
The organization’s executive director, Marlene Richter, later said:
“We have a very structured hiring process that includes an FBI background check. It isn’t something we do after the fact but rather before an offer can even be made. An offer would never be made if there were anything in the background check that would pose a threat to the vulnerable population we serve.”
Richter added that The Shade Tree repeats background checks every five years, or sooner “if we have cause for concern.”
No other details were available Monday afternoon. White’s arrest report had not been released, and he could not be reached.
“For the last 10 years I’ve been a public servant and a true steward of the community,” White said in December, when his job was announced. “This opportunity with The Shade Tree is only going to further my commitment to the underserved.”
The Shade Tree is a 24-hour shelter specifically for women, children and pets. The organization, established in 1990, is based in North Las Vegas.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @rachelacrosby on Twitter.
