Two former Nye County officials will stand trial

Sunday, July 16, 2000 | 1:24 a.m.

After hearing testimony from 73 witnesses over 15 days - the longest preliminary hearing in Nye County's history - Pahrump Justice of the Peace Margaret Whittaker on Friday bound the couple over for trial on 30 counts each.

Robert Dyer, 59, and Jennette Dyer, 52, are out on $60,000 bail. They will be arraigned Aug. 8. Mrs. Dyer acted as her husband's deputy.

"It is an extremely complex case, probably the most diverse case Nye County has every dealt with," said District Attorney Bob Beckett. "The complexity of each and every one of these 30 counts .... it is mind-numbing how detailed each count is."

The criminal complaint alleges the couple took vehicles and other items, including televisions and refrigerators, from the estates of people who had died and then sold the items to third parties.

The public administrator is responsible for protecting the property of decedents who do not have any known heirs or a will, but the Dyers are alleged to have stolen and sold the property of decedents who had known heirs and/or a will.

Dyer was recalled from office by voters on Jan. 18. Mrs. Dyer, who is listed on the criminal complaint as having 13 aliases, had resigned about three months earlier.

The couple turned themselves in to the Clark County Detention Center on Nov. 3 after evading authorities for a weekend.

They maintained that the charges against them had been fabricated by Nye County Sheriff Wade Lieseke.

Lieseke said the motive for the arrest was a response to public complaints about criminal activity, and any mention of motive beyond those complaints "is a bald-faced lie."