Lyon administrator sentenced for stealing from deceased

A former Lyon County administrator was sentenced to a suspended prison term of one to four years behind bars, 120 days in jail and 200 hours of community service by a Lyon County Judge on Monday.

Judge David Huff also sentenced Jason McLean, 35, to up to five years' probation, ordered him to write a letter of apology to the community and pay $16,000 in restitution to the three separate estates he was initially charged with stealing from.

McLean, an economist with the State Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation, pleaded guilty in April to a felony charge of embezzlement.

He was elected to the office of public administrator in 2006 and within months of taking office, allegations arose that he was stealing from the estates he was overseeing.

The charge to which McLean pleaded relates to the theft of $9,900 from the Dayton estate of Diane Ashe. Court documents indicate McLean used the money as a partial payment on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Lyon County District Attorney Bob Auer said he was most pleased with the fact that McLean is now a felon and cannot run for public office again.

"It does take away a lot of his rights. This was, in my view, so egregious," said Auer. "He was supposed to incite trust and confidence and instead he was secretive, uncooperative and just the opposite of what he was supposed to be. And further, he gives all elected officials a black eye by doing this."

McLean must also notify all employers of circumstances of the conviction and abide by any curfew set by Parole and Probation.

- Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.