Storey County, Where the Wronged Go to Jail

There is a peculiar way of handling justice up in Storey County, and if you ain’t familiar with it, let me explain: it’s a system so finely tuned that the innocent can be locked up before they’ve finished explaining themselves while the guilty strut about unbothered, tipping their hats to the sheriff as they pass.

Take the case of Melanie Lindsley, who, upon seeking protection from her soon-to-be ex-husband, Bryce Lindsley, was suddenly acquainted with the inside of a jail cell. You might reckon this was because of some compelling evidence against her, but you’d be sorely mistaken.

No, Melanie’s misfortune came courtesy of the Storey County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney Anne Langer, who have turned the scales of justice into a most amusing seesaw—one that only tips in favor of whomever they please. Melanie, armed with sworn statements, evidence, and the testimony of multiple witnesses, reported nine years’ worth of stalking, harassment, and violence at the hands of her husband.

According to any reasonable observer, this would warrant an arrest. And it did—only the arrest was hers. Bryce Lindsley, meanwhile, who by the sheriff’s admission meets the legal criteria for stalking and harassment, remains as unburdened as a coyote with a chicken coop key.

You might think that once her felony charges got dismissed—on account of being built upon a foundation of thin air–it would be all over. But no, dear reader, that would imply a desire for fairness in Storey County, and there is little evidence to support such a notion.

Instead, DA Langer has elected to pursue a misdemeanor charge against Melanie with the enthusiasm of a hound on a butcher’s trail. Some say this is because she aims to preserve her perfect conviction record, but I suspect she merely enjoys a good lost cause, provided it ruins the right sort of person.

And what of Sheriff Michael Cullen? A man elected on the promise of reform appears to have misunderstood his role, thinking “reform” meant refining the art of indifference. His office, fully aware of the laws, has opted to ignore them, proving that legal statutes in Storey County have all the weight of a feather in a strong breeze.

Meanwhile, Judge Eileen F. Herrington, in keeping with the local tradition, denied Melanie’s most recent attempt at a protection order—despite the evidence, despite the police report, despite common sense itself.

“This is not just about me,” Melanie has said, and she’s right.

It is about every woman who has sought justice only to find herself staring at it from behind iron bars. It is about every victim forced to prove their suffering while their abuser enjoys the comfort of impunity.