Deputies endorse Trotter, Johnson for justice of the peace

Douglas County Sheriff’s Protective Association members voted to endorse Laurie Trotter for East Fork Township Justice of the Peace and current Tahoe Township Justice of the Peace Michael Johnson.

Association President Justin Fricke said the association interviewed the candidates and gave them an opportunity to speak before picking Trotter and Johnson.

“I am honored to receive DCSPA’s endorsement,” Johnson said. “These Douglas County deputies and sergeants are vital participants in the judicial system and have been in a position to observe and evaluate my performance as judge, so I accept this endorsement as an affirmation of my judicial service, past and future.”

Trotter thanked the association for the endorsement.

“I am delighted and honored to receive this endorsement from the dedicated and hardworking deputies and sergeants of DCSPA. Receiving the endorsement of the DCSPA is an acknowledgement of my record as both a criminal prosecutor and a defense attorney in our county,” said Trotter. “My entire 20-year career as an attorney I have made justice for all a top priority.”

Trotter is facing Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Schemenauer while Johnson is running against Lake Tahoe attorney Rick Gardner on the general election ballot in November.

The association represents more than 100 sworn deputies and sergeants of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. It is a member of the Public Safety Alliance which consists of nearly 100 law enforcement organizations and nearly 10,000 officers throughout Nevada.

Filing for nonjudicial office opens on Monday with a majority of seats on the Douglas County School Board and the Douglas County Board of Commissioners on the ballot.

Also up for election are more than 60 different town and district board seats across the county.

Also on the ballot is Assembly District 39 seat held by Dayton resident Ken Gray.

Filing is at the Douglas County Clerk-Treasurer’s Offices in Minden and Stateline. State offices file with the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office in Carson City.