Judge EnEarl to appear before committee

MINDEN -- Noel Manoukian talks about a "total miscarriage of justice" when he talks about his son Joseph Manoukian.

Noel Manoukian, a Gardnerville attorney, said Wednesday that Justice of the Peace Jim EnEarl held an inappropriate court hearing May 21, 2001, by not informing his son's attorney of that hearing.

The probation violation hearing resulted in Joseph Manoukian, 27, having his probation revoked and being put in jail for six months.

He had been convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia and writing bad checks.

Noel Manoukian said his son's attorney, Mike Roeser, could not follow up in court the following week because his son hanged himself in jail on May 25, 2001.

"I will say it was a great mistake to proceed without my son's attorney," he said.

Mary E. Boetsch, special prosecutor with the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline, agrees.

She filed formal charges with the commission against EnEarl on April 3, 2001.

In her statement, she says EnEarl violated the Nevada Code of Judicial Conduct.

She alleges EnEarl required Joseph Manoukian to appear before him without notifying the man's attorney; that during that hearing he did not allow Manoukian to "fully speak for himself"'; that he refused to allow Manoukian to obtain evidence from his possessions at the jail; and that EnEarl conducted the hearing "permitting unsworn statements as evidence."

Additional charges allege EnEarl engaged in "ex-parte," or one-sided, "communications," that he carried out the probation revocation hearing in a "discourteous" and "impatient" manner, and that he did not excuse himself from the case despite his display of "bias."

EnEarl will appear before the commission at 10 a.m. Sept. 3 in the Nevada Attorney General's Office in Carson City.

EnEarl said Wednesday he had not been notified of the charges.

He added he may comment in the future, but "I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment right now."