Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo didn’t show up to a Nevada Athletic Commission on October 18 after being called to appear and speak on the death of UNLV student Nathan Valencia during an unsanctioned charity boxing match in 2021.
The Nevada Athletic Commission asked to receive the gloves from the fight, but they are still missing. Chairman Stephen J. Cloobeck asserted that Lombardo’s lack of presence and his response via an attorney to the previous inquiry is directly related to his run for Nevada State Governor. A few weeks ago, he was prominently part of a Trump-election-denier dog-and-pony show in Northern Nevada.
“That’s not the way this State operates. We’re a purple state,” Cloobeck told the commission. “I don’t get it. If you hear anger from us, yes, we’re angry because a young man died. It’s not right. Not right. We can’t even get the gloves from the attorney of the young man that hit Valencia. We don’t even know what was in those gloves. We don’t know the weight of those gloves. Not right. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck. It’s a duck.”
The gloves have been the great question mark since the question was raised back in August. “Where are the gloves, Joe?”
Why won’t Metro go get them and do their job?
Public outcry says that the fault lies with Lombardo.
“Show us you can lead instead of ducking, bobbing, and weaving,” Cloobeck said in the open forum. “This has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with human decency. I mean, are we going to just sit here and just hash this over? When a young man dies? That’s what we come to? What about protecting and serving?”
Perhaps this is the direct result of a Sheriff who has become radical Red in a run for the state’s top seat and who is trying to stay far away from any trouble in the final days of the election.
“You’ve got a sheriff that’s now partisan. That should be nonpartisan. You’ve got commissioners who aren’t doing their job. You’ve got the City Council and County Commission not doing its job in oversight of the Sheriff. They oversee Metro. Why aren’t they up in arms over this? They took a code of ethics, just like we have. We’re trying to bring everyone’s attention to this. So that’s all I have to say. I’m very disappointed in the sheriff’s leadership skills.”
