Nevada justices uphold firing of NHP trooper
CARSON CITY — A Nevada Supreme Court panel has upheld the firing of a state Highway Patrol trooper for failing to disclose a 1995 incident during which illegal steroids were confiscated at the Mexico-U.S. border.
Eddie Dutchover failed to disclose the incident when he applied to become a trooper with the Highway Patrol in 1998.
Dutchover made headlines in 2006 when he arrested Warren Jeffs, the leader of a controversial religious sect that practices polygamy. Jeffs had been hiding from authorities for more than a year before the routine traffic stop nabbed him.
Jeffs was in the back seat of a new red 2007 Cadillac Escalade, and the temporary license plates weren’t visible. Dutchover pulled the vehicle over on Interstate 15 near Apex. Jeffs was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list at the time.
But the 1995 incident led to Dutchover’s dismissal for “committing fraud in securing employment.”
The six different types of steroids were hidden in a compartment under the dashboard of Dutchover’s vehicle. He was not arrested but the steroids were seized and his vehicle was impounded. He paid $500 to retrieve the vehicle.
The incident came to the attention of Dutchover’s superiors in 2009 and he was fired. He appealed that decision to the state Department of Personnel, but a hearing officer upheld the termination.
The hearing officer determined Dutchover intentionally concealed the incident during the application process. A district court upheld the hearing officer decision, and Dutchover then appealed to the state Supreme Court.
In an order dated Wednesday, a panel of three justices upheld Dutchover’s termination.
“This court has previously recognized that honesty is fundamental to a law enforcement officer’s ability to effectively perform his or her job,” the court said. “Because NHP officers are often called upon to testify in court, Dutchover’s dishonesty may allow his credibility to be impeached, thus rendering him a liability on the stand and unable to perform a vital function of his duties as a law enforcement officer.”
Contact Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801.
