A Las Vegas man now faces two arrests in the same case, and FLOCK cameras played a role in tracking him down.
What Happened
A 72-year-old Las Vegas man named David Lawrence Smith Jr. has now been arrested twice in the same case.
Police first picked him up on Monday, August 24. Then he skipped his court date that Thursday.
A judge issued a bench warrant, and Smith was arrested again. He appeared in court Monday morning, this time in a wheelchair, for his second time facing Judge Eric Goodman.
The judge set Smith's preliminary hearing for Monday, September 14, at 9 a.m.
Police say he spray-painted swastikas over the face of California Governor Gavin Newsom and vandalized at least 60 campaign billboards around the Las Vegas valley.
Metro's Counter Terrorism Section opened an investigation after getting reports about the defaced signs. Detectives spotted Smith's vehicle on surveillance cameras, including FLOCK license plate reader cameras, near several of the vandalized locations.
That helped them build the case that led to his first arrest, and after he missed court, the same trail of evidence backed up his second one.
ALERT: 62-year-old man on the run after allegedly spray-painting a swastika on Gavin Newsom's face and skipping court.
David Lawrence Smith Jr. was arrested by the Las Vegas Police Department in connection with an ongoing political campaign sign vandalism spree.
The Las Vegas… pic.twitter.com/0nvVo0xXWN
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) August 27, 2026
The signs belonged to the Better Nevada PAC. That group has put money behind several Republican campaigns in Nevada, including Governor Joe Lombardo's.
According to the arrest report, the PAC says the damage cost them $6,373.43. That breaks down to $4,573.43 for reprinting the signs and $1,800 in labor to replace them.
Why This Matters to Conservatives
Conservatives believe in property rights. That means your stuff is your stuff, whether it is your car, your home, or a campaign sign you paid good money for.
When vandals target political speech they do not like, they are trying to silence the other side instead of beating them with better arguments and better votes.
That should bother anyone who believes in a free and fair political process, no matter which party they support.
This case also shows why accountability in the justice system matters. Smith did not just get arrested once and walk away. He missed his court date, and the system caught up with him anyway.
That is the process working the way it should.
Tools like license plate readers played a supporting role here, helping detectives connect a vehicle to multiple crime scenes.
Reasonable people can debate how much surveillance technology like FLOCK cameras should be used and how the data should be protected, but in this case it helped identify a suspect accused of a real crime.
What Critics Say
Court records so far focus on the property damage and the alleged vandalism itself, not on Smith's motives or any political statement from his defense.
Some privacy advocates across the political spectrum have raised concerns about license plate reader networks and how long that data gets stored. Those questions are worth watching as this technology becomes more common in Nevada communities.
As Smith's case moves toward its September 14 hearing, more details may come out about why he missed his first court date and what his defense plans to argue.
What You Can Do
If you see a political sign, yours or anyone else's, getting torn down, painted over, or destroyed, report it to local police right away.
Cases like this one often get solved because ordinary people speak up and because detectives follow the evidence trail.
Free political speech only survives if people are willing to defend it, sign by sign if necessary.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
