Valley leader speaks on ongoing investigations
The Valley Electric Association Inc. board of directors will not be moving forward with releasing a report by an outside private investigator on Angela Evans, named CEO of Valley in October 2018, later arrested on suspicion of embezzlement, to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.
But, according to Dick Peck, the co-op’s interim chief executive, that report will be heading to the Nye County District Attorney’s Office. Peck was noted in an April 17, 2019 report in the Pahrump Valley Times stating that a summary of the outside investigator’s report would be sent to the sheriff’s office.
“At that time, it was my understanding, the board was going to release the redacted copy of the report to the sheriff’s office, period,” Peck said. “Unfortunately, that did not happen.”
On May 14, the sheriff’s office released a video stating that it hadn’t received it, pointing to the Times’ April 17 report with Peck’s previous statements on submitting a report to the sheriff’s office.
Peck said on Wednesday that decision not to send a report to the sheriff’s office was between the attorneys and the board.
“I don’t know why they didn’t send it, even though they said they were going to,” Peck said. “But I do note, that a copy of the full report is being released to the district attorney’s office. It will be done either this afternoon or the first thing in the morning. A full report will be given to the district attorney.”
The Nye County District Attorney’s Office was contacted for this report.
The private investigator’s report stems from Evans’ Feb. 26 arrest on suspicion of embezzlement of $3,500 or more over allegations that she billed the co-op some $75,000 worth of work on her personal residence n Pahrump. Evans’ arrest occurred during the execution of a search warrant by the sheriff’s office at Valley’s administrative offices at 800 E. Highway 372.
Evans was put on paid administrative leave from her CEO position following her arrest, pending the outside investigation.
Valley’s board did meet with Evans in early May and discussed the charges against her but no action was taken at that meeting.
According to a video release by the sheriff’s office on May 14, “The investigation of this case has been completed and charges have now been forwarded to the district attorney’s office.”
According to court officials at the Pahrump Justice Court, no formal charges have been filed against Evans in the case.
On the Evans outside investigation, Peck said, “I was in the board room when the special investigator went through the report on the timeline and on the line items, and he could find nothing in his investigation that would indicate any illegal activities went on in regard to the actions. She was not either directly or indirectly involved in the decision-making process. That’s all I can say. It was in the report, and that will be given to the DA.”
Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com
Valley response to ongoing investigation
The Nye County Sheriff's Office has been investigating an alleged financial cover-up of sexual harassment of a female employee at Valley, where allegations include that "hush money" was paid to former and current employees to keep quiet.
The leader accused of said sexual harassment was former Valley CEO Thomas Husted.
The sheriff's office executed a search warrant at Valley's administrate offices on Feb. 22.
"All other allegations against Valley Electric are still under investigation," a May 14 video release from the sheriff's office stated.
Dick Peck, interim CEO of Valley Electric Association Inc., responded to those allegations.
"One of the other things I'd like to state too that in 2018 was a forensic audit and the final audit was done this last February," Peck said. "There was nothing in that audit that caught my attention or the auditor's attention about any illegal activities by the prior manager Tom Husted."
Peck said that "there's nothing in the audit that would support any of the allegations of hush money paid."
An audit of Valley's 2018 financial was done by Texas-based accounting firm Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert and Moss in February.
Attempts by the Pahrump Valley Times to reach Husted for an interview have been unsuccessful.
— Jeffrey Meehan, Pahrump Valley Times
