Former Mesquite Police Chief Joseph MaQuade Chesley is now facing criminal charges after allegations that he made improper recordings at Henderson City Hall, according to authorities. The accusations surfaced this week after several people reported the situation to the Mesquite Police Department, which in turn passed the case to prosecutors.
The Mesquite Police Department said the Clark County District Attorney’s Office filed the charges after those reports came in and confirmed that MPD turned its investigation over to the DA for review, according to KTNV. The department told the station that the city of Mesquite is not prosecuting the matter, and in a public statement MPD added that it “remains committed to the fair administration of justice.”
Chesley was removed from his job by the Mesquite City Council in March 2025 amid allegations of misconduct, including threats to officers and retaliation, and he has since taken the city to court, Nevada Current reported. A judge issued sharply critical findings about how the council handled his firing, and the dispute has since evolved into a drawn out legal and public battle.
What the law says
Nevada’s rules on recording are a bit of a patchwork. In person conversations generally fall under a one party consent standard, while telephone and other wire communications are covered by tighter interception laws. Surreptitious monitoring can move a situation from awkward to criminal. For a plain language breakdown of those differences, see RecordingLaw.
Legal implications
Under state law on wire communications, interception is allowed only if “the interception or attempted interception is made with the prior consent of one of the parties to the communication,” language that appears in the Nevada Revised Statutes. Unlawful interception or secret monitoring can be charged as a felony and carries potential prison time and fines, with the exact stakes depending on how prosecutors choose to charge the case and how any recordings were allegedly made and used. For the statutory language, see the Nevada Revised Statutes.
Next steps
Officials have not yet released the specific criminal counts or clarified whether Chesley has been arrested, details that usually appear in formal charging papers or at an arraignment in Clark County court. Court dockets and future filings from the district attorney, along with any additional statements from prosecutors or city officials, are expected to shed more light on the case as it moves forward.
