Today, nearly a dozen Nevada women’s and civil rights organizations called on disgraced Storey County Sheriff Gerald Antinoro to resign. In a letter to the Elko Daily Free Press, the groups expressed “shock and outrage” that an admitted serial sexual harasser and alleged rapist occupies the top law enforcement position in a Nevada county.
Meanwhile, Republican statewide candidates Adam Laxalt and Wes Duncan continue to tout Antinoro’s endorsement of their bids for governor and attorney general, respectively. Laxalt and Duncan have refused to publicly condemn Antinoro’s rampant sexual misconduct, to which he admitted in a legal deposition, and Attorney General Laxalt has failed to properly investigate Antinoro despite the fact that his behavior has been public knowledge for years.
Instead of seeking justice for victims and standing with Nevada women, Laxalt and Duncan continue to protect and support a known sexual abuser for their own political gain.
Elko Daily Free Press: Letter: Why is this man still in office?
May 2, 2018
Editor:
Imagine our shock and outrage when we learned that we have a sexual exploiter in our midst, hiding in plain sight and getting away with it! An investigation of Virginia City Sheriff Gerald Antinoro concluded that the Sheriff violated the county’s sexual harassment policy. Yet, he remains in office with no penalties for his actions.
The recent release of Sheriff Antinoro’s deposition taken as part of a sexual harassment lawsuit, describes behavior abhorrent for any individual, let alone the chief law enforcement official of a county. Indeed, the Sheriff apparently admits to this vile behavior in his own deposition. It also brings to light several instances of inappropriate sexual situations and even a prior rape charge that could not be pursued because the statute of limitations had expired.
Why is this man still in office? A recent recall effort in Storey County failed by some 200 votes. Sheriff Antinoro stated in his deposition, “My understanding of the legal aspects of it all is the county has no legal recourse. They cannot publicly – they can’t censure me as an official censure of the government. The law doesn’t allow for it. They can’t fire me because they didn’t hire me.”
The Nevada Women’s Lobby is committed to bringing legislation forward in the 2019 legislature to enact a remedy for this type of situation. Women everywhere are heartened by the #MeToo movement and the recent progress women are making in exposing sexual assault and harassment that has been imbedded in our society for far too long. We cannot tolerate a man so morally corrupt to be in a position of authority.
Sheriff Antinoro has brought shame to Storey County and the State of Nevada. He should resign immediately.
Nevada Women’s Lobby
Pam Roberts
League of Women Voters Nevada
Jan Browne
Nevada Coalition for Women’s Equity
Doris Dowden
AAUW
Bonnie Barber
Make It Work Nevada
Erika Washington
NARAL – Pro-Choice Nevada
Caroline Mello
Reno-Sparks NAACP
Patricia Y. Gallimore
Women of Washoe
Janice Flanigan
PLAN Action
Bob Fulkerson
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