Monday, March 1, 1999 | 11:16 a.m.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Douglas Smith will have his own day in court March 31 on charges he abused his powers by tossing a woman into jail on a contempt charge.
The formal hearing before the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline will be held at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority Board.
Commission prosecuting attorney Phillip Bartlett filed a complaint alleging Smith "failed to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary" as a result of his actions in a landlord-tenant case in 1997.
Smith was the judge in a case in which Suzette Davoult attempted to recover her personal property from the apartment she had been evicted from for failing to pay rent.
According to the complaint, Smith threatened the landlord, Ruby Simon-Anderson, with jail time unless she returned Davoult's property.
Outside the courtroom in that 1997 case, a third person -- Jack Ruggles -- allegedly told Davoult and her lawyer that he had taken the property from Simon-Anderson and would not return it.
Smith then reconvened court and cited both Ruggles and Simon-Anderson for contempt. Both spent a day and a half in jail.
However, Simon-Anderson said she never took part in the discussion outside the courtroom.
"Your decision to jail Simon-Anderson was improper and an abuse of your authority," the complaint said.
If Smith is found guilty, he could face penalties of a public reprimand to ouster from office.
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