A political drama in Northern Nevada has reached a resolution as GOP activist Robert Beadles has stepped forward, admitting his role in hiring a private investigator to monitor Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve. This disclosure concludes a prolonged legal effort to reveal the mystery client behind the surveillance operation.
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve and ex-Washoe County Commissioner Vaughn Hartung had initiated legal action over the use of tracking devices on their vehicles, citing privacy violations. In a recent statement to The Nevada Independent and various media outlets, Beadles maintained that he did not instruct private investigator David McNeely to conduct surveillance but rather to verify certain claims against the officials.
“I didn’t direct the investigator’s methods, and no laws were broken by me or the investigator,” Beadles stated, defending his actions as a pursuit of accountability for public officials. “I’m being painted as the villain for believing public officials should be accountable to the people they serve. I stand by that principle, and I won’t apologize for seeking the truth.”
In recent years, Beadles has been a vocal advocate of election fraud theories, using his resources to question the integrity of Nevada’s election process. He has supported efforts to replace officials who oppose his views and backed candidates aligned with his perspective on the 2020 election results. Read more about Beadles’ political influence here.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to review lower court decisions mandating the disclosure of the “John Doe” who financed the GPS tracking of Schieve and other Northern Nevada officials, compelling Beadles to reveal himself.
Mayor Schieve initiated the lawsuit in 2022 after discovering a GPS device on her vehicle. Hartung later joined the case, which sought to have the private investigator disclose his client.
An investigative collaboration between The Nevada Independent, KUNR, and APM Reports revealed that Schieve, Hartung, and Washoe County Commissioner Mariluz Garcia were subjects of private investigations in 2022. Learn more about the investigation here.
At the time of these events, Nevada law did not explicitly prohibit the use of GPS trackers on vehicles. However, legislation was later enacted, making it a misdemeanor to unlawfully install a mobile tracking device, a measure that faced no opposition during the 2023 legislative session. The bill’s sponsor, Assemblymember Jill Dickman, noted the widespread surprise that such actions were not already illegal. “Everyone I talked to was shocked that it wasn’t already illegal,” she remarked.
Attempts to reach McNeely, Hartung, and Schieve for comment by The Nevada Independent have so far been unsuccessful.
