In April, two of six defendants were convicted of charges stemming from the 2014 standoff at Bundy Ranch in Bunkerville. The jury was deadlocked on charges brought against four other defendants, and U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro declared a mistrial and ordered a new trial, which is scheduled to take place in July.
But before that trial began, a couple of defendants made a plea deal. Gerald DeLemus was one of them. The 62-year-old New Hampshire resident was never at the actual standoff. He was driving across country. But he did take up "security" at the ranch after the standoff, and prosecutors, says John L. Smith, charged him with conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S. and for traveling across state lines with weapons in order to aid extortion.
Judge Navarra called DeLemus, and ex-Marine, a "bully vigilante."
Last week, Navarra sentenced DeLemus to 87 months in prison. Six years of that sentence was the result of the guilty plea. The rest was punishment because DeLemus - no doubt heartened by the mistrial of his compatriots - tried to get out of the plea deal he had already made. Navarro saw that as a lack of remorse.
State of Nevada contributor John L. Smith attended DeLemus' sentencing.
"Some would argue that it shows that Navarro has stopped listening, I don't believe that is the case," Smith said, "I do however think once a person has entered a guilty plea if they're not wise enough, they don't take the advice of competent counsel and accept the fact that this is the choice they've made they're in for a pretty rough ride."
We had a debate last week on KNPR's State of Nevada between City Councilman Bob Beers and his challenger Steve Seroka.
"Clearly, Beers is a CPA. He has a lot of experience in government. He was a legislator. He entertained a run for the U.S. Senate. But he's also a policy wonk and he reads his material. He's a CPA he's also fiscally conservative. So, he's not going to come ill prepared or lacking a certain depth of knowledge that comes with that experience."
"By resume and public appearance [Seroka] should be a real contender. He looks like a good candidate. And taking nothing away from him. He is clearly very sincere and he's been spending a lot of time on these issues. There's a big learning curve in municipal government. It's easy if you attend a council meeting to think you could do as good a job as those shlubs on the dais."
John L. Smith, contributor
