Policeman challenges Henderson judge

Douglas Hedger believes he has done enough inside the courtroom and out to earn a second, six-year term as Henderson municipal judge in Department 2.

Henderson police Sgt. and fledgling attorney E. Matthew Zobrist thinks the city deserves a judge with a law enforcement background who will be tough on crime.

The two men are competing for the chance to preside over Henderson's traffic and misdemeanor cases, including drunken driving and domestic battery cases. The election will be held Tuesday. Early voting concluded on Friday.

Hedger is a third-generation Southern Nevada resident who moved to Henderson in 1990, the same year he became an attorney. He was elected as Henderson municipal judge in 2003.

Hedger said he has presided over about 230 cases as a judge and thousands more as a defense attorney, including a three-year stint as chief deputy public defender for Clark County.

"I think experience is important as a judge," he said.

In January 2004, Hedger launched "Legal Minds," an educational program that allows Henderson students to learn about court operations and observe actual proceedings.

In May, he started a special program aimed at defendants habitually charged with trespassing, public intoxication and other misdemeanors commonly associated with homelessness and addiction.

He said the program uses a combination of regular drug testing, counseling and life skills education to try to snap repeat offenders out of their destructive cycles.

Zobrist joined the Henderson Police Department in 1998 and was promoted to sergeant in 2006.

He said he was encouraged to run for judge by some of his fellow officers who think Hedger is "soft on crime."

"He'd rather be someone's friend and help them than give them a punishment that I think they'd learn more from," Zobrist said.

Zobrist earned his law degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2006 by attending evening classes before the start of his graveyard shift and spending his Saturdays in the law library.

Because he works full time, he has had only a handful of law clients, most of them fellow officers he helped with estate planning.

Hedger said he has received endorsements from numerous groups "covering the entire political spectrum," including the Henderson Police Supervisors Association of which Zobrist is a member.

"I'll say I'm honored to have that endorsement," Hedger said.

Zobrist countered that the organizations endorsing Hedger have "one thing in common: None of them have to appear in his courtroom."

By contrast, Zobrist said he has won the support of the associations representing rank-and-file police officers in Henderson, North Las Vegas and with the Clark County School District.

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.