Pahrump Justice of the Peace Ron Kent to resign

Pahrump Justice of the Peace Ron Kent has agreed to resolve his disciplinary proceedings by resigning.

In a Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline filing dated March 16, Kent agreed to step down from the bench by March 31. The stipulation and consent order forbids Kent from taking any other positions as a judge in Nevada and from appealing the matter to the state supreme court.

Questions about Kent arose last year after a number of defense attorneys sought his removal. The attorneys complained that he had failed to meet the continuing education requirements as directed by the Nevada Supreme Court, according to the Pahrump Valley Times.

All justices of the peace and judges are required by the state’s high court to complete what is called the Mandatory Ethics Course at the National Judicial College in Reno within two years of taking the bench.

Kent, who was elected in 2012 to serve on the bench in Pahrump Justice Court, never took that course.

In the March 16 filing, Kent said he has not been hearing cases because of health reasons.

The judge was admitted to the intensive care unit at UCLA Medical Center late last year for surgery for what was described as a life-threatening abdominal aortic aneurysm, the Pahrump Valley Times reported.

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl