Henderson constable defends his two jobs

David Kihara

Saturday, April 15, 2006 | 7:35 a.m.

Defending himself against an ethics complaint that alleged he was embezzling by working two full-time jobs, Henderson Constable Earl Mitchell said his elected position is part time with an annual salary of about $2,400 a year.

The state Ethics Commission threw out the complaint filed by Ron Hilford, his challenger in this year's election, saying the allegations "appear frivolous, they are without merit, and they have absolutely no factual basis."

But Mitchell, who is also a Henderson police officer and runs the constable's office in his off hours, receives the small county salary and makes another $30,000-$40,000 a year from fees.

Under state law, constables are allowed to keep fees collected from serving evictions, summonses and handling other duties.

The Henderson constable collects about $160,000 in fees, according to county records, and Mitchell says he gives about two-thirds of the money to his four deputies and also pays for uniforms and training. He wouldn't say exactly how much and said he didn't have to turn over that information.

"Do I get something out of it? Yes I do," Mitchell said. "But I don't consider it a salary."

Hilford, though, accuses Mitchell of misleading the public.

"He forgot to tell everyone else about the other money," Hilford said. "He's lied to the public for his terms in office."

Some would say that taking down Mitchell has become Hilford's passion. Hilford filed the ethics complaint accusing Mitchell of violating ethics rules by essentially working two full-time jobs and by failing to disclose his full salary.

Stacy Woodbury, the commission's executive director, said Hilford's claims were "curiously imaginative allegations," and the ethics commission found nothing wrong with Mitchell's actions.

Under state law, most constables collect fees with some base salary. The North Las Vegas constable, Herb Brown, also gets about $2,300 in salary but collects money from fees. The county previously placed a cap on the fees the North Las Vegas constable gets at $53,000, but rescinded that order about five years ago.

The Las Vegas constable, Robert "Bobby G" Gronauer, doesn't receive any fees but gets a yearly base salary of $91,138.

Mitchell said that the fees are part of the business of running the constable's office, and therefore he and his office is afforded them.

"In a sense, it's a business. Anyone who has a business is entitled to earn a profit," he said.