Jerood Cruz

Lincoln County Sheriff deputies had to use a Taser to subdue a Henderson man in Pioche the night of Sept. 1, after he failed to comply with requests to stop on his ATV.

Sheriff Kerry Lee reported Jerood Cruz, 19, of Henderson, along with an unnamed male passenger, was attempted to be stopped about 11 p.m. in Pioche by a patrol officer for not wearing helmets.

Lee said the deputy at first only wanted to inform them about local OHV laws requiring helmets while riding ATVs. “When he tried to pull the vehicle over, it sped away from him,” Lee said a pursuit ensued through areas of Pioche, across U.S. 93 into the Vincent subdivision, onto a dirt road, and into some open ground.

In the meantime, Lee said, “because of the increased law enforcement presence for the Labor Day weekend, a backup was readily available, and he and another officer were able to get the ATV stopped.”

Lee said when the first officer made contact with Cruz, he was not compliant with orders to surrender and lie on the ground. “A minor altercation occurred,” he said, “and when the second officer approached the scene, Cruz continued to resist arrest and was subsequently tased. He was then handcuffed, but continued to resist verbally.” The passenger was not arrested and was released.

Cruz was booked into the Lincoln County Detention Center on charges of reckless driving, eluding, failure to yield, obstructing a peace officer, and possession of a dangerous drug without a prescription. He was scheduled to appear before Meadow Valley Justice Court Judge Mike Cowley.

Lee said he was glad to have had the extra Joining Forces DUI traffic enforcement available over the holiday weekend, a program administered by the Nevada Department of Public Safety – Office of Traffic Safety. “We don’t like pursuing vehicles, and I’m glad it was fairly short pursuit and that there were no injuries.”