Prosecutor challenges veteran judge in Justice Court Department 9

A judicial veteran is being challenged by a Clark County chief deputy district attorney in the race for Las Vegas justice of the peace, Department 9.

Incumbent Joe Bonaventure, 45, has been elected to the post three times already. He was first elected in 2004, ran unopposed in 2010 and then won re-election in the 2016 primary, collecting 60 percent of the vote.

Bonaventure is a graduate of the inaugural class of Boyd Law School in 2001, and worked as an attorney for two years before his first term in Justice Court.

“I believe I have a reputation for both fairness and efficiency, “ Bonaventure said.

Bonventure touts his role in helping create the initial appearance court which brings defendants before a judge in person within 48 hours of arrest, allowing the judge to make more timely decisions about whether to set bail, release or detain a defendant.

Although there are those who have criticized him for releasing some defendants accused of violent crimes without having to post bail, Bonaventure stands by the decisions he’s made.

“In our society, release before conviction is the norm, and pre-trial detention is the carefully held exception,” he said.

Among those who question some of Bonaventure’s decisions is his opponent, Chief Deputy District Attorney Danielle “Pieper” Chio.

Chio, 50, is in charge of a team of attorneys prosecuting crimes involving gang members.

“To me, I think that he doesn’t fully comprehend sometimes the decisions that he’s making and the impact they have on the parties, and the impact they have on this community,” Chio said.

Chio grew up in Hawaii and graduated from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2003. She started as a prosecutor for the city of Las Vegas in 2003, and joined the district attorney’s office in 2005.

If elected, Chio says she would try to create a program similar to the specialty courts in District Court, specifically tailored for young defendants accused of violent crimes.

“I want to be able to help people who I think want to make a change, they just don’t know how because they don’t have the resources,” she said.

Contact Glen A. Meek at gmeek@reviewjournal.com or 602-380-8951. Follow @GlenMeekLV on Twitter.