A Democrat judge in Charlotte let a violent repeat offender walk free who stabbed a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee to death on her commute home from work.
That was 2025, nothing changed.
Now Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill is drawing a line – and every cop in America is watching to see if he gets punished for it.
A Career Criminal With 35 Arrests and a Judge Who Wanted Him Free on an Ankle Monitor
36 year old Joshua Sanchez-Lopez has been arrested 35 times. His rap sheet includes involuntary manslaughter, drug sales, a stolen vehicle conviction, and a 2020 incident where he fled from officers while armed with a gun – then bragged about it on Snapchat while wearing an ankle monitor.
Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Eric Goodman looked at that record and decided a $25,000 bail and an ankle bracelet were perfectly adequate.
Sheriff McMahill said no.
His department reviewed Sanchez-Lopez's history – the bench warrants, the court no-shows, the prior monitoring failures, the armed foot chase – and concluded that putting this man back on the streets posed an unreasonable risk to the public and to the officers assigned to supervise him.
Goodman's response was to threaten the department with contempt sanctions.
Judge Eric Goodman Has a Dynasty Behind Him and a Criminal Defense Past
Here is what you need to know about Eric Goodman.
His father is Oscar Goodman, who served as mayor of Las Vegas from 1999 to 2011. When Oscar's term ended, his wife Carolyn took the seat – serving as mayor until 2024. Las Vegas officials called it the only known instance of a husband and wife successively holding the same mayoral office in American history.
Then their son became a judge.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal noted the nepotism plainly when Eric first sought a court post in 2008, headlining the story: "Goodman's son seeks court post." Before taking the bench, he worked as a criminal defense attorney.
When McMahill refused to comply, Goodman didn't ask questions or call a hearing where the sheriff could explain his reasoning.
He issued a second order demanding release within 24 hours. When that was ignored, he moved to hold the sheriff in contempt. LVMPD wasn't even notified about the February 5 hearing before Goodman signed the order.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill Faces Contempt Threats and Gets Backed by Everyone Who Matters
On March 9, LVMPD filed a petition with the Nevada Supreme Court asking the justices to block the Justice Court from forcing Sanchez-Lopez's release and from pursuing contempt action against the department.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo backed McMahill publicly.
"Sheriff McMahill and the men and women of Metro are doing exactly what they're sworn to do: protect the public," Lombardo wrote. "When repeat violent offenders are ordered back onto our streets, law enforcement has a duty to speak up and push back."
The FOP's Nevada state president, retired LVMPD detective David Moody, said it plainly: "When someone has dozens of prior arrests and a history of violations, that raises serious concerns about whether they can safely be released into the community. From a law enforcement perspective, public safety has to come first."
U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah – the top federal prosecutor in Nevada – called McMahill "my sheriff" and praised the stand publicly.
The entire Nevada Republican Club weighed in: "That's our Sheriff. We stand behind him all day long."
A Clark County District Court judge, Erika Mendoza, already sided with Metro in a related case – ruling there was "no information to suggest LVMPD's decision was arbitrary or unreasonable."
Bail Reform Built This Revolving Door and a Sheriff Just Slammed It Shut
Soft-on-crime judges have been releasing dangerous repeat offenders for years.
In New Orleans, a judge's ankle monitor program was so poorly run that a juvenile killer was noncompliant for months – hundreds of missed check-ins – while no one was actually watching. The contract with the monitoring firm had lapsed. A bagel shop owner visiting from Tacoma got shot dead in the French Quarter anyway.
In Charlotte, Decarlos Brown Jr. had a long history of violent crime and still walked free. He allegedly stabbed 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska to death while she was commuting home from her pizza job.
Senator Tim Sheehy introduced the JAIL Act in response – legislation that allows civil lawsuits against judges who release habitual violent offenders who then harm someone else.
It happens everywhere. And it always has a body count.
What makes Las Vegas different is that a sheriff finally said enough. Not a politician. Not a pundit. The man whose officers have to go out and find these people when they cut off their ankle monitors and grab a gun.
McMahill isn't defying the law. He's citing it. Nevada statute gives the sheriff authority over who qualifies for the department's electronic monitoring program.
Sanchez-Lopez already proved he couldn't be trusted with an ankle bracelet – he was selling drugs, had access to a firearm, fled officers, and mocked them on social media while wearing the monitor.
No judge gets to force law enforcement officers to supervise someone they've determined is too dangerous to supervise. The Nevada Supreme Court needs to say so out loud.
Goodman is up for re-election this year. Las Vegas voters have a primary in June and a general election in November to answer the only question that matters: do you want a judge who threatens your sheriff with contempt for protecting you, or one who doesn't?
Sources:
- "Vegas Sheriff Refuses Judge's Order to Free 35-Arrest Repeat Offender," Fox News, March 16, 2026.
- "Las Vegas Police Asks Nevada Supreme Court to Block Ankle-Monitor Release for Man Arrested 35 Times," Fox5 Vegas, March 16, 2026.
- "Judge Rules in Favor of Las Vegas Police in Dispute Over Jail Release," 8 News Now, March 16, 2026.
- "Lenient Judges Ignore Red Flags, Cave to Soft-on-Crime Pressures as They Release Repeat Offenders," Fox News, December 8, 2025.
- "Sheehy Introduces Bill to Hold Soft-on-Crime Judges Accountable," Senator Sheehy Press Release, November 20, 2025.
- "Louisiana AG Calls for Probe of New Orleans Juvenile Court Judges in Latest Salvo Over Ankle Monitors," NOLA.com, February 2026.