Being a Criminal in Elko County pays
Being a burglar in Elko county is a high paying job with little or no personal risk.
Ya, there might be a risk of having a landowner/homeowner shoot you, but being caught by law enforcement does not appear to be a risk at all.
Recently some of my family members had their shop broken into and during the burglary a vehicle was set on fire and a pistol was stolen along with a side by side, a 4-wheeler, and countless tools.
They called the Sheriff's department and requested an officer to come out and take a statement, begin an investigation, and follow up with attempting to catch the criminals. We were all assuming that meant getting fingerprints, doing an arson investigation, investigate possible suspects, and protect the victim. They collected a statement, nothing else.
The suspects are known to the officers/detectives, yet they have done nothing to interview, question or obtain search warrants for their residence. The way these type of cases work from the Sheriff's office point of view is "We will have to wait until we catch them redhanded". That is a scary proposition. What if next time they accomplish their goal and burn the entire house down with victims inside?
Crime is on the rise, drug activity is on the rise, victims are on the rise in large numbers across Elko County, and from where I sit, not much is being done to get these criminals off the street. All the while the victim sits alone and scarred waiting for something to happen. They have now armed themselves to protect their pursuit of life, liberty and happiness while the criminal walks free without fear of being held accountable.
I get up every day to go to work to earn a paycheck, medical benefits for me and my kids, and pay taxes for a sense of security and community. Maybe it's time to quit my job, get on government subsistence, get free health care and take what I want when I want it. Then maybe I will have the freedom that the criminals in this county get handed to them.
-Scott Stewart
[Published in the Opinion section of the Elko Daily Free Press 8/30/14]
