A private investigator positioned a GPS monitoring gadget on Reno Mayor’s car – The Nevada Independent

After a tracking device placed by a private investigator was discovered on Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve’s private vehicle, attorneys on Schieve’s behalf filed a complaint to find out who hired the investigator, demanding a refund for invasion of privacy, trespassing and civil conspiracy.

Lawyers filed suit against private investigator David McNeely and 5 Alpha Industries in Washoe County’s Second Judicial District Court Thursday. The complaint alleged that McNeely and 5 Alpha Industries invaded Schieve’s property to install a sophisticated GPS tracking device in their vehicle for an unnamed customer and then received up-to-the-minute updates of Schieve’s location.

“At a time of heightened political unrest, the recent disclosure of the actions of the defendants has still shaken conscience,” the complaint reads, adding that that person will be added to the complaint once the name of who hired the private investigator is known .

McNeely and 5 Alpha Industries did not immediately respond to a voicemail and email asking for comment.

Image of the GPS tracking device found on Mayor Hillary Schieve’s vehicle (courtesy of Hillary Schieve).

In the complaint, the attorneys wrote that installing the device was an invasion of privacy and caused Schieve “significant anxiety and distress.” They determined that tracking Schieve’s whereabouts was an invasion of privacy, and similar tracking devices may have been attached to vehicles owned by other members of the Reno community.

In an interview Thursday, Schieve told The Nevada Independent that auto mechanics found the tracker during routine vehicle maintenance almost two weeks before the election. After discovering the device, Schieve took it to the Sparks Police Department, who identified McNeely as the buyer.

“I was shocked. To be honest, I had a bad stomach,” Schieve said. “I would never want this to happen to a family member, a young girl. It’s an invasion of privacy. It’s stalking. It’s just great alarming.”

She said she waited to file the legal complaint because she didn’t want a court case to disrupt the 2022 election, when she won a third term as mayor. The complaint comes from Schieve as a private individual and not in her capacity as mayor.