So here we are — Washoe County is preparing to dissolve its Department of Alternative Sentencing (DAS), a program once hailed as a model of innovation and rehabilitation. But as federal investigators circle, the public is left asking: where did it all go wrong — and where, exactly, is Justin Roper? And when is someone going to answer some question for residents and not hide behind an open investigation so no one can talk.

Roper, the program’s now-missing executive director, is reportedly under investigation federally. You’d think that alone would warrant a press conference or at least a few public words from the people who built this house of cards.

If leadership is about vision, strategy, and cohesion — then Washoe County Republicans are proving once again that they’ve got none of the above. Their so-called leader, Bruce Parks, seems more like a stagehand than a director: taking cues, following scripts, and letting others ghostwrite the footnotes, easier to point a finger after failure.

Back in April 2021, then-Washoe County Assessor (now Commissioner) Mike Clark stumbled upon a manila envelope mysteriously left on his office chair. Inside? A hodgepodge of public documents involving elected officials, lobbyists, and one particularly eye-catching photo: a bikini-clad assistant county manager lounging poolside, back tattoo and all, marked as a federal court exhibit. Naturally, Clark thought the envelope was compelling enough to share—so he mailed copies to roughly 160 of Washoe County’s “movers and shakers.”

That’s when things blew up.