Former Metro detective pleads no contest to attempted libel charge

A retired Metropolitan Police Department detective pleaded no contest Thursday to one count of attempted libel after being accused of harassing his former supervisor.

As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Christopher Lange, 51, will have to stay out of trouble; pay $500 to Metro Lt. Richard Meyers, the recipient of the 16 letters Lange allegedly sent him designed to cause personal and professional harm; and attend impulse control classes, according to Jess Marchese, Lange’s attorney.

The defendant initially faced a gross misdemeanor charge of libel and a misdemeanor charge of stalking before the prosecutors “knocked the charges down” to attempted libel, a misdemeanor offence, Marchese said.

Criminal libel is usually associated with countries that lack First Amendment-style protections, leaving some — Marchese included — shocked to find out that the charge had been leveled against Lange.

Experts such as Eric P. Robinson, associate professor at the University of South Carolina’s law and journalism schools, argue that the Nevada statute does not live up to constitutional standards.

“I wanted to fight it,” Marchese said. “But it’s not about me, it’s about him.”

The lawyer said that Lange has “moved on with his life” and is looking to put the case behind him.

Lange’s no contest plea means that he accepted the conviction without admitting guilt.

Police documents said that Lange had been removed from his role as a detective in Metro’s sex assault unit due to allegations of neglect of duty, standards of conduct and criminal case management, records show. The documents did not contain any details as to what Lange had done to warrant the allegations.

Lange was recommended for firing in September 2020 but retired in February 2021 before a hearing on his termination, ending a career with Metro beginning in 2002. Meyers, Lange’s supervisor, filed the statement of complaint against Lange with Metro’s Internal Affairs Bureau, police documents show.

Anonymous letters that dated back to a month before Lange’s retirement made allegations that Meyers had created a hostile work environment, shared sexual memes and had sex at work, among other claims. Police documents say Lange was behind the three years worth of letters.

Police investigations into each claim in the letters determined that they were not true. Meyers was investigated internally with every letter sent, records show. Meyers felt “terrorized and harassed,” police documents said.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estelleatkinsonreports on Instagram and @estellelilym on X.