Mesquite police chief on leave, union says

According to a lawyer for the city’s police union, Mesquite Police Chief MaQuade Chesley has been placed on administrative leave.

Mesquite City Attorney Mike Branum would not confirm or deny the decision, citing that it was an “active personnel matter.” A public information officer with the Mesquite Police Department, Captain Tracey Sails, also declined to speak with the Review-Journal.

The development follows a vote of no confidence held against the chief in late November. Andrew Regenbaum, executive director of the Nevada Association of Public Safety Officers, told the City Council in its Nov. 26 meeting that the Mesquite Police Officers Association had held a vote of no confidence and that a “strong majority” had voted against Chief MaQuade Chesley’s ability to lead the Mesquite Police Department.

Regenbaum alleged to city leaders that Chesley had displayed a pattern of nepotistic and retaliatory behavior, imploring them to act.

According to Regenbaum, the city had placed Chesley on administrative leave as of Thursday.

Over the years, Chesley has also come under fire for his role in mayoral campaign mailers that ultimately led to the identification in the community of a survivor of sexual assault. In 2021, public corruption detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department opened an investigation into a series of political letters distributed by Mesquite officials. These mailers included details of an alleged sexual assault involving a then 16-year-old girl.

A third-party investigation later found that city resources — including on-the-job knowledge police obtained through their work — were used to create and edit the letters. Emails received by the Review-Journal also showed that Chesley had forwarded a draft of one of the mailers to Councilman George Gault, who is no longer in the role.

That same year, Chesley filed a defamation lawsuit against the city of Mesquite, the city manager, and Barbara Ellestad, who ran the Mesquite Citizen Journal publication. The federal lawsuit stemmed from an April 2021 article Ellestad published about an investigation by the Nevada attorney general’s office into claims that Chesley had exchanged inappropriate messages and photos with underage girls while he was a police captain years prior.

Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a letter that a preliminary investigation had turned up no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. By 2022, Ellestad and Chesley had settled for an undisclosed amount, according to court records.

During the city council meeting in November, Chesley said that he has always been committed to the police department and, aware of the union’s concerns, shared a five-year “plan for improvement.”

“This has definitely been the toughest day of my life. It’s been a rough month,” Chesley said. “I just want you to know, as your chief of police, it’s both an honor and privilege to serve this incredible community. I am deeply committed to the safety, wellness and overall experience of our officers, dispatchers and professional staff.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com