Wolfson facing challenge in bid for re-election

A criminal defense and family law attorney is challenging the 10-year incumbent for Clark County district attorney in November’s upcoming general election.

Timothy Treffinger is the Republican nominee for the race after he ran unopposed in this year’s primary. Current Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson became the Democratic nominee after beating veteran criminal defense attorney Ozzie Fumo in June’s election.

Wolfson, 68, was first appointed district attorney in 2012 and was reelected in 2014 and 2018. Treffinger, 36, has worked for the Storey County district attorney’s office and the Nevada attorney general’s office before going into private practice in Las Vegas.

In 2015, Treffinger was arrested in Nye County after a SWAT team found heroin in his home, and he later pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance. The case was dismissed after he completed a three-year diversion program.

Treffinger said he was not aware that drugs were being sold out of his home, and that they came from an ex-girlfriend. Now that he’s running for district attorney, Treffinger said he believes voters will be understanding of his criminal history.

“Personally, if I was being prosecuted I would want somebody to have the understanding of both sides of the table,” he said. “Because it’s not about winning and losing, it’s about finding a just result.”

If elected, Treffinger said he would like to expand access to diversion programs that offer alternatives to traditional sentencing. At the same time, he said prosecutors need to take a stronger stance in cases where defendants have lengthy criminal histories.

“I’m all for kind of a softer approach on the front end,” he said, “but if people demonstrated that they’re going to continue doing these things, then a much harsher approach needs to be taken.”

COVID backlog

If re-elected, Wolfson said he would like to focus on resolving cases that are still lingering in the system from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as traffic citations, although he said prosecutors have made it through much of the backlog in jury trials.

“The first goal has been and always is to provide the best public safety I and our justice partners can provide to this community, because that is the most important thing to voters when it comes time to considering what the district attorney’s office does,” Wolfson said.

Wolfson said his office has been understaffed due to prosecutors leaving “for a variety of reasons,” but the office has recently hired 10 new attorneys after receiving funding from Clark County, and he would like to hire more attorneys in upcoming months.

Wolfson called the office “underfunded,” and said he would like to see the budget increase in upcoming years. The office’s current budget from Clark County is about $52.6 million, an increase of about 5.6 million from the prior fiscal year.

Budget cuts

Meanwhile, Treffinger said he takes a conservative stance when it comes to the office’s budget, and would like to see the budget reduced if he is elected.

“I think the office can be run more efficiently,” he said.

Treffinger also criticized Wolfson for not personally prosecuting a case during the 10 years he’s served as district attorney. If elected, Treffinger said he would be “prosecuting cases every month.”

Wolfson said he makes final decisions in “virtually every high-profile case.”

“If the right case with the appropriate circumstances at the appropriate time comes along — I’m not afraid to try a case,” he said. “If a case occurred right now I would be criticized for grandstanding because of the election.”

Although a main focus of Fumo’s campaign in the primary race was eliminating the death penalty, both candidates agree that it should continue to be pursued. Treffinger, however, said he believes prosecutors seek the death penalty too frequently.

Wolfson said he continues to pursue the death penalty because he believes the majority of Clark County residents are still in favor of capitol punishment.

“The vast, vast overwhelming majority of people that are convicted of murder deserve the punishment,” he said. “And the people where a jury determined should receive the death penalty should receive just that.”

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.