ELKO COUNTY, Utah, Sept. 9, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The Elko County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday said that one of its own deputies has been taken into custody.
Richard Lespade was arrested Wednesday on two counts of sexual assault, battery with the intent to commit a sexual assault, and sale or transportation of a controlled substance, said a news release. His bail has been set at $770,000.
The sheriff’s office was made aware that an arrest warrant was issued for Lespade, and worked in cooperation with the Elko Police Department on the arrest, the news release said.
“Upon learning of the initial allegations, the Elko County Sheriff’s Office immediately placed Deputy Lespade on administrative leave,” the news release said. “Further, the Elko County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a separate internal affairs investigation into the incident.”
The initial offenses are alleged to have occurred in 2014, officials added.
“The Elko County Sheriff’s Office understands that these are very significant allegations against a member of this office and will work diligently to discover the facts surrounding this case,” the news release said.
“Sheriff Aitor Narvaiza will not tolerate this type of behavior from a member of this agency and would like to assure our community that he fully supports both the criminal and administrative investigations. Sheriff Narvaiza also fully supports the Elko County District Attorney’s Office in their decision to charge this case.”
The sheriff’s office will provide full cooperation with the criminal investigation, as well as ensure that the administrative investigation is completed in a thorough and timely fashion, the news release said.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information is made available.
