Cop Cleared For Free GNR Flight

Metro Captain David O’Leary was criticized for arranging a ride for Ashba to propose to his girlfriend in 2013 after news broke that the flight was free. He was later asked to resign.

“There’s nobody more loyal and honest than him and that’s why it was just horrifying what they were saying about us, you know,” Ashba told KLAS-TV. “They made it seem like we, you know, jumped a fence at midnight and stole a helicopter.”

But it turns out offering a civilian a ride in the police helicopter is perfectly acceptable in Las Vegas. The Nevada Employee Management Relations Board found the ride didn’t fall outside the scope of the police department’s policy and advised that O’Leary should be reinstated to his job with back pay, the station said.

The board also noted that O’Leary’s forced resignation came at a time when the department was seeking funding through a new tax, suggesting Metro had discriminated against the captain for political reasons fearing that negative media attention would affect funding.

“When you know you’re innocent for almost two years, it couldn’t be a better day,” Ashba added. The department reportedly plans to appeal the decision.