North Las Vegas judge plans to retire

North Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Warren VanLandschoot has chosen retirement over a potential fourth term.

The former homicide detective, first elected in 1997, said he won't run again and plans to retire when voters choose a successor in June.

"It's time for me to scoot along to my cabin" in Duck Creek, Utah, VanLandschoot, 65, said. "I'll let somebody else come in and have some fun."

VanLandschoot has a reputation as a tough, no-nonsense judge at the Municipal Court, which handles misdemeanor cases and traffic violations. His previous, nearly 30-year career with the North Las Vegas Police Department has helped him quickly recognize and weed out any tomfoolery, Mayor Shari Buck said.

"He knows when these guys come in telling a story," she said. "He could remember arresting you 20 years ago." The city "will miss all the knowledge he has," Buck said.

VanLandschoot, who was born in Cedar City, Utah, has lived in Southern Nevada more than five decades and was a 1964 graduate of Rancho High School. He served in the Nevada Army National Guard before joining the police department in 1969. He was promoted to detective in 1978 and began working homicides in 1979.

"My life has been with the city and I've enjoyed it," he said.

Catherine Ramsey, a North Las Vegas deputy city attorney in the criminal division, last week confirmed her plans to run for the judge's seat. Ramsey, 46, previously worked as a deputy district attorney for Clark County.

VanLandschoot officiated at Ramsey's April 2008 wedding. His are "big shoes to fill," she said. "I hope I have the opportunity to do it justice."

VanLandschoot looks forward to spending quality time with his wife, three children and eight grandchildren, "hopping in the car and taking off with no real plans."