NEVADA CITY, Calif. – Nevada County District Attorney Jesse Wilson filed felony charges against Jamie Jones, executive director of the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County, and Chris Wackerly, Jones’ former partner and former director of operations for the organization.

The indictments allege 29 counts of fraud, grand theft, money laundering, embezzlement, perjury and forgery against each defendant. The indictments list embezzlement allegations dating from 2018 to early 2025.

Wackerly was arrested on Friday, May 1st, and booked in the Nevada County Jail. Jones has not been apprehended at publication time.

YubaNet reached out to DA Wilson late Friday after seeing Wackerly’s arrest in the jail media log.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

May 3, 2026 at 12:17 PM An update to this developing story has been posted.

Background

Concerns about the Fire Safe Council surfaced publicly as early as July 2021, when local media stories documented complaints from former employees.

A June 2022 Civil Grand Jury report identified deficiencies in the organization’s internal processes, drawing on public records, staff testimony and a whistleblower account. The FSCNC’s board response was deemed inadequate, prompting the 2023-24 grand jury to reinvestigate.

The Board of the non-profit came out strongly against any allegations and in their response to a finding wrote, in part, “that the grand jury’s statements were “an opinion, not a finding” and calling the accusations “outrageously inappropriate, inaccurate and unfounded.”

The FSCNC has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing after the second Grand Jury report questioned its handling of grant funding. The organization attributed its financial difficulties to being designated a high-risk vendor by Nevada County – a designation that took effect April 12, 2024, one day before the FSCNC suspended operations and furloughed staff, citing a lack of available funding.

Despite that suspension, the FSCNC announced grants from Cal OES and FEMA in July and September 2024.

On Oct. 23, 2024, search warrants were executed at the FSCNC’s office and at the home Jones and Wackerly shared. Wilson said at the time that the warrants were part of an investigation into potential violations of penal codes covering embezzlement of public funds, but stressed that no arrests had been made and no charges filed.

Jones said the warrants also covered all electronic devices and that the organization “fully cooperated.”

TriCounties Bank filed a notice of default against the Fire Safe Council on Jan. 17, 2025, for $806,301.30, including a business loan with an outstanding balance of $373,534.58. The council subsequently sold or returned equipment to the bank.

A criminal indictment contains charges that are only allegations against a person. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Recent reporting on Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford’s 420 days of out-of-state travel raises serious and reasonable questions about the level of transparency his office has provided.

As a lifelong Democrat who believes in good government and accountability, I’m troubled by the lack of information on the purposes of these trips all over the world. Many on the right are making this a political talking point, but my concern as an average Nevada voter is simpler — we should expect transparency from our elected officials, regardless of party affiliation.

Public service is a public trust. When officials spend significant time away from the state they were elected to serve, taxpayers have every right to understand why. What was the purpose of these trips? What concrete benefits did they bring back to Nevada? How did travel to places such as Martha’s Vineyard, Hawaii or Ghana advance our state’s interests?

I’m not suggesting that all travel is inappropriate. Our attorney general may well have legitimate reasons to represent Nevada at conferences, build important partnerships or address legal matters that benefit our state. But 420 days is substantial, and the lack of detailed explanations makes it impossible for voters such as me to assess whether this travel served Nevada well.

This is where transparency matters most. A comprehensive accounting of these trips, their purposes, outcomes and benefits to Nevada, would address these concerns and effectively. If Mr. Ford’s travel delivered real value to our state, he should be proud to share those accomplishments. If some trips were less essential, acknowledging that would also demonstrate the kind of honest leadership we need.

Democrats have long championed government transparency. We’ve criticized Republicans when they’ve fallen short of this standard. We cannot apply different rules to our party. Good government principles don’t have a political affiliation.

The solution here is straightforward: Mr. Ford should provide the public with detailed explanations of this travel. Until that happens, this issue will continue to damage public trust and distract from the important work our attorney general should be doing for Nevada families.

We can and should do better.

Susan Brager is a member of the Nevada Board of Regents. She previously served on the Clark County School Board.