A nurse volunteering her time at the 2022 Burning Man festival in northern Nevada is alleging in a lawsuit that she was unlawfully detained while trying to help a festival attendee.
When Hannah Hoekstra, a registered nurse, was paged to help a woman who was requesting help after what the lawsuit described as “a discomforting encounter” with a male festival-goer in his private tent, Hoekstra ultimately found herself placed in handcuffs by deputies from the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Aug. 31.
“There’s just no excuse for something like this to happen, and while it would be fortunate to believe that this is a rarity, it is in fact all too common,” said Nathan Lawrence, Hoekstra’s attorney.
Hoekstra, a forensic nurse who had previously collaborated with the sheriff’s office, was a seasoned volunteer at the festival, according to the lawsuit. As a volunteer nurse, she wore a yellow shirt with the words “EMERGENCY SERVICES” on it.
Deputy told to handcuff her, lawsuit says
On Aug. 31, 2022, Hoekstra was speaking privately with a woman who had asked for help when a plain-clothed deputy from the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office named Donna Robinson requested to come into the tent where the pair were speaking, the lawsuit said.
When the woman indicated to Hoekstra that she didn’t wish to speak with Deputy Robinson, Hoekstra left the tent to explain the situation to Robinson.
The lawsuit said that Robinson told Hoekstra that if the patient did not want to speak with law enforcement, she would have to “tell me that herself on my [bodyworn] camera.”
Robinson then told Hoekstra that if she and the patient didn’t tell her what was “going on right now,” Hoekstra would be “arrested for obstruction of my investigation,” according to the lawsuit.
When Hoekstra requested to speak with her own supervisor, Robinson instructed another deputy, only named as Deputy Boyer in the lawsuit, to detain and handcuff her.
As Hoekstra was being “dragged away,” the patient she had been helping reportedly called out “What are you doing? That woman was helping me!”
A Bureau of Land Management officer identified in the lawsuit only as Ranger P. Zoltovetz reportedly assisted in detaining Hoekstra. Bystanders filming the event were allegedly told by officers, according to the lawsuit, that the sheriff’s office would need the video for Hoekstra’s “prosecution.”
After nearly 40 minutes, Hoekstra was eventually released without any criminal charges or citations, the lawsuit said.
Constitutional rights ‘disregarded’
“Violation of a constitutional right is not a small thing,” Lawrence said, “particularly when, as a society, we are compelled to put our trust into law enforcement for our protection and for protection of our civil rights.”
According to Lawrence and the lawsuit, since the incident, Hoekstra has been diagnosed and treated for PTSD.
While still working as a nurse, Hoekstra no longer works in forensic nursing because of the “mental anguish and emotional distress” from the alleged unlawful detention.
Changing the scope of her work to exclude forensic nursing “detrimentally affected her career trajectory,” the lawsuit said.
Lawrence said that rather than supporting a fellow first responder, officers from the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Land Management “completely disregarded” Hoekstra’s constitutional rights in an “entirely unnecessary event.”
There was no probable cause or reasonable suspicion existing that would have allowed officers to detain Hoekstra, Lawrence said. Neither the sheriff’s office nor BLM responded to requests for comment.
“At least anecdotally, there is evidence of this type of behavior increasing somewhat, particularly in the state of Nevada, across a variety of law enforcement agencies,” Lawrence said.
In Southern Nevada, Metropolitan Police Department Sgt. Kevin Menon was arrested Aug. 30 on suspicion of a “pattern of unlawful detentions,” according to an arrest report.
Lawrence said that unlawful detention not only harms the individual victim, but “it’s a harm to society, and that’s a big part of what we’re trying to resolve.”
Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estellelilym on X and @estelleatkinsonreports on Instagram.
Mojave (Nev.) head football coach Wes Pacheco announced on Sunday morning that he’s stepping down from his position, according to a social media post.
Pacheco announced his resignation after six seasons at the helm of the Rattlers, putting together a 29-22 overall record from 2020-2025.
“I have officially stepped down as Head Coach of the Mojave Football Program,” Pacheco said in his social media post. “Thank you to Principal Cole for giving me the opoortunity make an impact on the lives of Mojave Student-Athletes. I am grateful and blessed to have labored through a 6-year journey of successes, failures, life lessons, character building and growth with the student-athletes myself and my coaching staff have served. I will forever love my Mojave Family, the Mojave Community and believe in the notion that SUCCESS can be attained by showcasing character, treating everyone with respect, and always have the courage to dream big and trust that “ATTACKING THE HARD WORK” & “HIGH MOTORING EVERYTHING” can yield SUCCESS that you want to achieve in life!”
During Pacheco’s half dozen seasons leading Mojave, his best record came in the 2024 season when the Rattlers finished with a 12-1 record. Located out of North Las Vegas, Mojave had to compete against the likes of national high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman during the regular season.
Mojave ended the last season with a 4-6 record and as the state’s No. 23rd ranked team, according to the final 2025 Nevada High School Football Massey Rankings.
Mojave High School, located in North Las Vegas, NV, is a dynamic public high school that fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and community involvement. Home of the Rattlers, MHS offers a wide range of academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities. With a strong commitment to student success, Mojave emphasizes leadership, college and career readiness, and a supportive school culture that prepares students for life beyond graduation.
For Nevada high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Silver State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across Nevada.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
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Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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