The Las Vegas Sheriff’s refusal to release a dangerous repeat offender with an extensive rap sheet in defiance of a judge’s order has set up a legal showdown that will ultimately be decided by the Nevada Supreme Court.
The standoff was set in motion after Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Eric Goodman ordered the release of 36-year-old Joshua Sanchez-Lopez to the electric monitoring program, allowing him to be freed from jail while wearing a GPS ankle bracelet.
But police balked at the idea that Sanchez-Lopez, a felon who has been arrested 35 times, should be allowed back into the community, where he could be a threat to public safety and is too dangerous to supervise. According to records cited by KLAS, he has recently served prison time on drug and involuntary manslaughter charges.
NEVADA SHERIFF FACES CONTEMPT FOR REFUSING TO RELEASE VIOLENT CAREER CRIMINAL
Joshua Sanchez-Lopez is a convicted felon with 35 prior arrests
Judge Eric Goodman ordered him relased with an ankle monitor
But Sheriff Kevin McMahill says he is NOT releasing Sanchez because he’s… pic.twitter.com/2rHrd3V3Hr
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 15, 2026
“We have to take a look at that and say, ‘Is this somebody who our electronic supervision program can monitor safely in the community?” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department assistant general counsel Mike Dickerson told KLAS.
“This is an issue of public safety,” he added.
Sanchez-Lopez was arrested in January on a warrant for a charge of grand larceny of a motor vehicle. Judge Goodman set bail at $25,000 during a bench warrant return hearing, ordering that he be placed on ankle bracelet monitoring if he posted bond.
But on January 29, Las Vegas Metro told Goodman that it was declining to release Sanchez-Lopez, citing prior failure to appear in court and violations of the monitoring program.
“In their letter, Metro points to a 2020 arrest where they said Sanchez-Lopez ran from officers armed with a gun. He later posted on Snapchat, showing his ankle monitor, and said he ‘got chased again,’ according to documents,” KLAS reported.
The refusal to release the thug drew a stern response from Goodman, who ordered the police to comply or potentially face sanctions, including contempt charges.
Las Vegas Metro believes that state law gives the sheriff approval, while the court and the public defender say that it’s up to the judge.
“Metro’s argument is flat wrong,” said P. David Westbrook, Sanchez-Lopez’s public defender. “It is the job of the elected judge to decide whether someone charged with a crime should be released and under what conditions. The idea that a Metro employee can overrule a judge’s release order and keep someone locked up should worry anyone who believes in the Constitution and the rule of law.”
“There’s absolutely competing narratives about public safety occurring in our community,” Dickerson said, according to KLAS. “There’s different approaches too.”
The sheriff’s office has asked the Nevada Supreme Court to get involved, arguing that Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill – the head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department – has the authority to make the decision if someone is a risk to public safety.
“Sheriff McMahill will not violate the law to appease the Las Vegas Justice Court and let out people who he deems to be dangerous,” the department said, according to Fox News.
“Statutorily, it’s very clear the sheriff decides whether someone can be placed on supervised monitoring,” Las Vegas Police Protective Association President Steve Grammas told Fox News.
“It’s his jail and his supervision, so that decision rests with him,” Grammas added.
According to KLAS, “Goodman was scheduled to hear further arguments from Metro and Sanchez-Lopez’s public defenders regarding his case and custody status, but postponed the hearing due to illness.”
“When someone has dozens of prior arrests and a history of violations, that raises serious concerns about whether they can safely be released into the community,” David Moody, a retired LVMPD detective and state president of FOP in Nevada, said. “From a law enforcement perspective, public safety has to come first.”
“The safety of our officers is paramount,” Dickerson said. “The safety of the public is key, and the key here is Sheriff McMahill will not violate the law to appease the Las Vegas Justice Court and let out people who he deems to be dangerous. We have a system that’s set up so people can get out of jail quickly, and sometimes, there just needs to be a little bit more thought given to it because lives are on the line.”
The state Supreme Court has not yet scheduled a hearing. The case is set to return to Goodman’s court on Thursday, March 19.
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