District Attorney of Clark County (Nevada)

The Office of the Clark County District Attorney is the legal branch of local government in Clark County, NV. Some of the major cities the District Attorney represents in Clark County include: Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Mesquite and Bolder City. The District Attorney is an elected official who represents Clark County in criminal matters.
The Clark County District Attorney's office is divided into four different divisions: Criminal, Juvenile, Family Support, and Civil. The office employs close to 700 people, consisting of approximately 170 attorneys and more than 500 support staff. 
The current Clark County District Attorney is Steven B. Wolfson.
== History ==
Clark County, Nevada was founded in 1909 by Senator William Andrews Clark. Senator Clark established the railroad that connected Los Angeles, CA with Salt Lake City, UT. The railroad often made stops in Las Vegas, NV which was founded in 1905 after Senator Clark purchased land in downtown Las Vegas, NV.
The Clark County District Attorney's office was founded on July 3, 1909. W.R. Thomas, a former judge, was the first appointed Clark County District Attorney.
On January 1, 1910 O.J. Van Pelt was the first ever elected District Attorney to represent the county. He and former law partner, Mr. Frank Stevens, specialized in Corporation and Mining Law.
A.B. Henderson, the 3rd Clark County District Attorney served from 1916-1920.
Harley A. Harmon, the 5th District Attorney was elected in the years: 1920, 1922, 1926, and 1930. He served a total of fourteen years and is regarded as the longest serving Clark County District Attorney. He was a trial lawyer, ran for governor, and was one of the founding fathers of the county. Under his term, the length of total time in office changed from two to four years. Today, there is an elementary school named after him located in Las Vegas.
Roger Foley, Sr. served as Clark County District Attorney from the years 1934-1938. The Foley’s were a very prominent and well known family of law in Las Vegas, NV. Roger T. Foley had five sons, two of which would also later serve as Clark County District Attorney. He received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School. 
Robert E. Jones served as Clark County District Attorney from the years 1946-1950. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1938 and began to practice law in Las Vegas, NV in 1945. 
Roger D. Foley, Jr. served as the Clark County District Attorney from the years 1950-1954. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Fransisco Law School. Roger’s younger brother, George Foley, was elected as the Clark County District Attorney in 1958. His term ended in 1960. George was in the Navy for four years during World War II and worked as an aviation radio operator for the Pacific Fleet in Hawaii and Guam. In private practice, he handled family law and criminal defense. He died in 2010.
George Franklin was the Clark County District Attorney from the years 1966-1970, but did not attend law school nor complete college.
Roy Woofter was the Clark County District Attorney from the years 1970-1974 and is regarded as a founding father of Las Vegas who practiced law for over 50 years. He was the driving force behind the bringing in the first minor league baseball team, the Las Vegas Stars. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno and Juris Doctorate from Georgetown Law School where he worked under the administrations of former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Stewart L. Bell was the Clark County District Attorney from the years 1995-2002. He graduated from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada where he specialized in criminal, business, and domestic law. He later obtained his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles. 
David Roger was the 22nd Clark County District Attorney. Mr. Roger obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Las Vegas, NV and Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law. He was elected in 2002, then re-elected in both 2006 and 2010. As District Attorney, he prosecuted O.J. Simpson who was then convicted for committing armed robbery at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino. In the middle of his 2010 term, he resigned from office. 
Mary-Anne Miller was appointed as the interim Clark County District Attorney when the previous District Attorney, David Roger, resigned. She was the first woman to ever hold the position. Mary-Anne Miller served as District Attorney for a total of 49 days from January 2012 to February 2012. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Eastern Oregon State College and Juris Doctorate from Willamette University College of Law. 
Steven B. Wolfson was appointed in 2012 as the 24th Clark County District Attorney. Mr. Wolfson was selected by the Clark County Board of County Commissioners to serve as District Attorney for the remaining three years of David Rogers’ term. In November 2014, he was then elected into the position and started his first 4-year term in January of 2015. He was then re-elected in 2018 and began his second full, four year term in January of 2019. He obtained his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from San Diego State University and a Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Boyd Law School.
== Clark County Court House ==
The former Clark County Courthouse was built in 1914 and was located next to the Golden Nugget Hotel on the southeast corner of Second and Carson. The architectural design of this building was constructed by the Nevada architect, Frederick J. DeLongchamps. In 1958, a new Clark County Court Courthouse was designed by local architects, Walter Zick and Harris Sharp. The original structure was located next to the newly built courthouse, but was shortly torn down after. In 2009, the current Clark County Courthouse was constructed and is known as the Regional Justice Center, “RJC.” The RJC houses four different court systems: District, Justice, Municipal, Supreme Courts and a future Appellate Court as well as the offices of several attorneys and support staff.
== Office structure ==
The Clark County District Attorney's Office is composed of four different divisions: Criminal, Family Support, Civil, and Juvenile. 
1. Criminal Division 
The Criminal Division of the Clark County District Attorney's Office is responsible for the prosecution of felony cases within Clark County, NV and misdemeanor cases within unincorporated Clark County, NV. The mission of the Criminal Division is to hold criminals accountable for their actions while ensuring the rights of victims are exercised correctly. In the courtroom, they provide legal representation for the community. The Criminal Division is organized into general litigation teams and speciality litigation teams. 
The general litigation teams deal with the prosecution of felony and misdemeanor cases not handled by speciality teams. They are typically assigned to cover specific courtrooms instead of specific cases. 
The speciality litigation teams consist of:
* Support Services Unit: This unit focuses on reviewing all cases submitted for prosecution.
* Major Violators Unit: This unit focuses on homicide cases, gun crimes and gangs. 
* HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area)
* Financial Integrity/Elder Abuse Unit: This unit focuses on fraud and forfeitures. 
* Special Victims Unit: This unit focuses on sexual and physical abuse, domestic violence and vehicular crimes (i.e. DUI). 
* Criminal Appeals Unit: This unit focuses on preparing all pleadings filed with the Nevada Supreme Court.
2. Family Support Division 
The Family Support Division (DAFS) enforces court ordered child support. The job of the family support division is to 
locate parents, establish paternity, enforce child support and understand child support issues. 
3. Civil Division 
The Civil Division is responsible for providing the defense of all civil cases brought against the County and against 
former officers and employees in civil actions. The Civil Division is accountable for prosecuting the recovery of debts 
previously given to the County and all other civil actions by the County. They give legal opinions to all County, 
township, and district officers in correspondence with their administrative office and duties. Their role in attending 
meetings of the Board of County Commissioners serves to provide certain opinions on legal questions and to oppose claims 
that are regarded as unjust.
4. Juvenile Division 
The Juvenile Division is headed by an Assistant District Attorney and the Chief Deputy District Attorney with two teams 
who specialize in Delinquency and Child Welfare. 
The Juvenile Division aspires to decrease juvenile crime, the prevalence of child abuse, and child neglect while 
promoting leadership and personal development. In court, their responsibilities consist of prosecuting frequent 
offenders and those who victimize children as well as crimes committed by children under the age of eighteen.
== Landmark cases/celebrity cases ==
Landmark Cases
Year 	Apellant(s) 	Respondent 	Outcome
2003 	Richard Bennett Tabish and Sandra Renee Murphy	The State of Nevada	Richard Tabish and Sandra Murphy were convicted and found guilty of first degree murder of former casino mogul, Lonnie Theodore “Ted” Binion, conspiracy to commit murder and robbery, and robbery of Binion's numerous types of currency located in his Las Vegas home. David Roger was the Distict Attorney who prosecuted Mr. Tabish and Ms. Murphy.
2005 	Timmy J. Weber 	The State of Nevada	Timmy J. Weber “T.J.” was arrested in April of 2002 and charged with 17 felony counts, including murder with the use of a deadly weapon, sexual assault, rape, use of a minor in producing pornography, burglary, and first degree kidnapping. T.J. Weber lived in Las Vegas and had a long term girlfriend named Kim. Kim had three young children who Weber became affiliated with. He was subjected to ongoing sexual assault with Kim’s youngest child and only daughter. On April 4, 2002 he was convicted of the murder of Kim and one of her sons. On the day of Kim’s funeral, he attempted to kill her other son and another person. He was arrested two weeks later and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In 2010, the Nevada Supreme Court had rejected Mr. Weber's latest appeal for review of the death sentence. Christopher J. Lalli, a current Assistant District Attorney had worked on this case.
2007-2008	Orenthal James Simpson 	The State of Nevada	On September 13, 2007 a group of men guided by Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson broke into the hotel room of a sports memorabilia dealer at the Palace State Hotel and Casino. The sports dealer was held at gunpoint as the group of men stole the memorabilia O.J. Simpson believed was previously stolen from him. O.J. Simpson was convicted and found guilty on all 12 counts against him including robbery, burglary, conspiracy, kidnapping with a deadly weapon, and assault. This conviction occurred exactly 13 years after he was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison on December 5, 2008 with the possibility of parole in 9 years. On July 20, 2017 he was granted parole and was freed in October. David Roger was the District Attorney who prosecuted O.J. Simpson.
Celebrity Cases
Year	Defendant 	Outcome
2010	Bruno Mars 	On September 19, 2010 Bruno Mars was arrested at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV after a bathroom attendant told security he saw someone with a bag of white powder. Police then approached Bruno Mars where he then took 2.6 grams of cocaine out of his jeans pocket. The Clark County District Attorney at the time, David Roger, told officials Mr. Mars accepted a plea deal instead of facing time in jail. Mr. Mars had to pay a $2,000 fine, finish 200 hours of community service, go to drug counseling, and remain on probation for a year.
2012	Floyd Mayweather	On June 1, 2012 Floyd Mayweather was arrested for domestic violence charges in Las Vegas, NV against ex-girlfriend and mother of their two children. The assault occurred in 2010. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail, but was released 30 days early for good behavior and work time.
== List of district attorneys ==
No.	District Attorney 	Dates in Office
1 	W.R. Thomas 	Appointed in 1909
2 	O.J. Van Pelt 	First Elected DA from 1910-?
3 	? 	?
4 	A.B. Henderson 	1916-1920
5 	Harley A. Harmon 	1920-1934
6 	Roger Foley, Sr. 	1934-1938
7 	Roland H. Wiley 	1938-1942
8 	V. Gray Gubler 	1942-1946
9 	Robert E. Jones 	1946-1950
10 	Roger D. Foley, Jr. 	1950-1954
11 	George M. Dickerson 	1954-1958
12 	George Foley 	1958-1959
13 	Jack Cherry 	Fall 1959
14 	John Mendoza 	1960-1962
15 	Edward "Ted" Marshall	1962-1966
16 	George Franklin 	1966-1970
17 	Roy Woofter 	1970-1974
18 	George Holt 	1974-1978
19 	Bob Miller 	1978-1986
20 	Rex Bell 	1986-1994
21 	Stewart L. Bell 	1995-2002
22 	David Roger 	2003-2012
23 	Mary-Anne Miller 	January of 2012 to February of 2012
24 	Steven B. Wolfson 	2012-Present
== External relationships ==
Hope for Prisoners
* Hope for Prisoners is a nonprofit organization that has been located in Las Vegas, NV since 2009. This organization strives to equip men, women, and young adults exiting the judicial system with the skills and services necessary for the reintegration of every day life into society. In 2012, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) partnered with Hope for Prisoners. In 2019, Hope for Prisoners unanimously elected current District Attorney Steven B. Wolfson to serve on the Board of Directors. 
Prosecutors Against Gun Violence
* Prosecutors Against Gun Violence is a non-partisan group of prosecutors who gather to discuss gun violence prevention strategies as well as advocate for improved enforcement of laws. In early October of 2019, The Prosecutors Against Gun Violence Summit was held in Las Vegas, NV. Current District Attorney, Steven B. Wolfson, spoke at the summit as well as District Attorney's from all over the country. 
== References ==
==External links==
* 
* District Attorney - Clark County
* 
* ContactUs - Clark County
* District Attorney - Family Support Division - Clark County
* Info For The Clark County Nevada District Attorney's Office
* DISTRICT ATTORNEYS IN NEVADA
* Clark County District Attorney's Office - LinkedIn
* Clark County deputy district attorney facing drug charges resigns
* clark county district attorney | Nevada Public Radio
Category:1909 establishments in Nevada
Category:Government agencies established in 1909
Category:County government in Nevada
Category:Clark County, Nevada
Category:District attorneys
Category:Counties of the United States