(Chris Woodward) – Some Clark County residents argue a commissioner needs to resign or be removed from office over deleted text messages and involvement in a development project.
Residents called on Jones to resign during a commission meeting this week, News 3 reported. The demands come after a federal judge ruled Justin Jones lied about missing text messages involving a proposed housing project in 2019 that overlooked Red Rock Canyon.
The project by James Rhodes and Gypsum Resources LLC on Blue Diamond Hill was denied in April 2019. That was after Jones took office and after county staffers had recommended approval of the project.
Prior to being elected a county commissioner, Jones worked as an attorney and represented a conservation group that opposed the housing project plan. While in that position, James has been accused of making a deal with the then-chair of the county commission to postpone the vote until he got into office to vote no.
In her opinion on the case, Judge Elayna J. Youchah wrote that the evidence left little doubt that that “disappearance of all texts from Mr. Jones’ phone was not an unidentifiable aberration of electronics or some other unidentified accident,” but was instead the result of a purposeful act that was also against county policy.
“The Court can find no logical – even if unlikely – explanation for what happened to Mr. Jones’ texts other than the disappointing explanation that Mr. Jones deleted his texts worried the disclosure would yield a negative or unfavorable outcome for him,” the order said.
Youchah went on to state that the messages would have helped Gypsum show the county’s breach of a good faith agreement in 2010 to have the county consider and process applications.
Jones responded in a statement saying he will continue “to remain focused on serving the needs of my constituents and working to make Clark County a better place to live, work and raise a family,” The Nevada Independent reported.
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Chris Woodward | The Center Square
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