Nye County DA appoints special prosecutor to investigate political corruption

One day after his arrest on a bevy of public malfeasance charges, Nye County District Attorney Bob Beckett on Thursday appointed Leslie Mark Stovall as a special prosecutor to "investigate charges of political corruption and abuse of power" by public officials in Nye County.

"Mr. Beckett has not been charged with a crime," wrote Stovall in a press release. "It appears he was arrested by a deputy sheriff based upon that deputy's interpretation of a statute without the guidance or assistance of a prosecuting attorney."

The statement continues, "The rush to arrest is inexplicable. I have accepted the appointment as a special prosecutor to investigate the circumstances of Mr. Beckett's arrest ..."

In layman's terms: It's an election year in Nye County, where you can smell the treachery from a mile away. Only time will tell if Beckett is the victim of stumbling and bumbling Nye County politics, or if something more nefarious is going on in the office he has led since 1994.