LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Holding the powerful accountable is part of our promise to the community here at Channel 13.
Attorneys wield considerable power. They can even hold your fate in their hands. We count on them to make sure the law is followed.
But recently, a few local lawyers have been charged with breaking the law.
WATCH: Former Clark County Public Defender facing multiple charges in Las Vegas
An attorney who once asked for your vote to sit on the Justice Court bench now finds herself in the criminal hot seat, facing multiple charges, including four misdemeanors and a felony.
Attorney Shana Bachman, who ran a failed campaign for Las Vegas Justice Court Judge in 2016, is currently listed as a Deputy Public Defender with the Washoe County Office.
However, according to a police report that I obtained, she lives here in Las Vegas near Rainbow and Alta, where she was arrested earlier this week.
The report says that just after 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 6, Metro patrol officers saw Bachman's car swerving. Police say she was "flailing her arms", driving erratically, and ran a stop sign.
The report goes on to say when they pulled her over, they found two open beer cars in the center console cup holder as well as several ecstasy pills and cocaine in a plastic baggy.
According to the report, Bachman was slurring her words, failed all field sobriety tests, and a breath test confirmed her blood alcohol level was over the legal limit.
"During the process, Bachman acknowledged she had been drinking and did not pass the test but was wondering if there was any officer discretion due to her result being close [to the legal limit]," the report reads in part.
She was arrested for DUI and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and several traffic violations.
We found that before her run for Justice of the Peace in 2016, Bachman worked for years in the Clark County Public Defender's Office. She is the second former Clark County Public Defender on the wrong side of the law in recent months.
You may remember the case of Gary Guymon, a criminal defense attorney and former Clark County Public Defender who's currently facing charges of using his clients for a prostitution ring and plotting to have a woman killed.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arrest report claims Las Vegas attorney used clients for 'prostitution ring'
Bachman did not respond to any of my requests for comment.
The Washoe County Public Defender's Office tells me it recently became aware of the arrest and charges and they take this matter seriously. However, they have no comment due to the ongoing legal proceedings and related personnel matter.