Reno, Nevada Mayor Hillary Schieve is suing a private investigator after she found a GPS tracking device on her vehicle when it went in for maintenance, asserting that he trespassed on her private property and violated her privacy.

(Video Credit: NBC News)

According to the mayor, her mechanic found the device when the car went in for an oil leak, “Twenty minutes later they sent me a picture and said ‘We found a tracking device under your car.’ I couldn’t believe it.”

“I was shocked. I honestly felt sick to my stomach,” Schieve told The Nevada Independent. “I would never want this to happen to a family member, a young girl. It’s an invasion of privacy. It’s stalking. It’s just super alarming.”

Schieve, an Independent, was recently reelected as mayor of the Biggest Little City in the World for a third term. She has held the position since 2014 and won her re-election by approximately 16,000 votes over Independent Eddie Lorton who claims he had nothing to do with the device. She held her seat with 59% of the votes. The mayor previously served as an at-large council member.

She filed the suit last week which contends, “The tracking and surveillance of Schieve caused her, as it would cause any reasonable person, significant fear and distress.”

Here are a few photos of the GPS tracker Schieve found on her car (Courtesy: Hillary Schieve) pic.twitter.com/L043MS85xG

— Ben Margiott (@BenMargiott) December 15, 2022

“In a time of heightened political tumult, the recent revelation of Defendants’ actions still managed to shock the conscience,” the complaint claimed concerning the doxxing.

The private investigator is named David McNeely. The suit names him and 5 Alpha Industries as well as any third-party individuals or entities that paid for the GPS tracking device. McNeely was allegedly working for a third party who wanted the device put on Schieve’s car.

The lawsuit was filed in Washoe County’s Second Judicial Court. Schieve is seeking restitution for invasion of privacy, trespassing, civil conspiracy, negligence, and attorneys’ costs in the amount of $15,000.

Reno NV mayor Hillary Schieve is suing David McNeely, private investigator, & his biz, 5 Alpha Industries, after finding device on her auto capable of tracking its real-time location. Complaint says McNeely working for “unidentified 3rd party” whose ID she's been unable to learn.

— @297_Aruba_Lover (@297_ArubaLover) December 18, 2022

The mayor made a statement to 2 News Reno revealing that the discovery was made two weeks prior to the November election.

“Before the election, I found out that someone had been stalking me. A high-end GPS tracker was discovered on my personal vehicle. I went immediately to Sparks PD to investigate,” Schieve stated.

“I am publicly announcing this now and did not make any public statements at the time when it was discovered, to make clear that this is about one thing, and one thing only: it is not ok to stalk people. We have good reason to believe that other members of our community were stalked with this same GPS device. This is about standing up to the rampant harassment of our civil servants and community leaders and saying, this is NOT ok,” she angrily remarked.

“I truly cannot believe how ugly certain people have made our public discourse, and I will do everything in my power to push back. I am proud to have run a Clean Campaign, and I am also proud to be the one to take a stand with this lawsuit to say that stalking people is wrong,” the mayor declared.

The complaint also asserts that the company that put the tracker on Schieve’s car has “installed similar tracking devices on other vehicles of multiple other prominent community members.”

“We will aggressively seek to determine who hired the private investigators and will be amending our complaint to assert claims against them as well,” lead attorney Adam Hosmer-Henner said. “Further, we have been informed that the tracking and surveillance was not limited to Ms. Schieve and so potentially affected community members should inspect their vehicles and property for similar devices.”

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