By Martin Griffith, The Associated Press
RENO, Nev. (AP) - A Humboldt County sheriff’s deputy committed suicide after he was accused of sexual assault, authorities said Sunday.
Brent Holloway hanged himself with rope in his house Saturday, two days after a woman lodged the complaint against him in Winnemucca, 165 miles northeast of Reno, Sheriff Gene Hill said.
Holloway was under a police investigation at the time but was not arrested or charged.
“The entire sheriff’s office is in shock about this,” Hill said in a phone interview from Winnemucca. “It (accusation) was obviously more than he could handle. No one had an inkling that this would happen.”
Holloway, whose age was not immediately available, was found at the house by his father and a brother. Efforts to revive him failed.
The alleged victim, believed to be in her 20s, told police she and a friend were walking in Winnemucca early Thursday when a deputy offered them a ride in his patrol car.
The women accepted the offer. The deputy allegedly drove the friend home, then took the other woman to the Water Canyon area, where she claims the assault took place. She phoned police after the deputy dropped her off near her friend’s home.
Hill said Holloway had an excellent record and the allegations shocked him. Holloway was with the force about two years.
“This was the first time he had any trouble or any kind of charges alleged against him,” the veteran sheriff said. “He always seemed to be a straightforward deputy and never in any trouble.”
A Winnemucca police dispatcher said no one was available Sunday to discuss the investigation. Police Chief Bob Davidson has an unlisted home number and could not be reached.
Hill said he thought the investigation would continue, despite the suicide. The sheriff’s office was cooperating in the probe.
“If it was not sexual assault, then his name needs to be cleared,” Hill said. “I know what my personal feelings are about the case, but I wouldn’t want to prejudge it.”
Holloway is survived by his wife and four children, the sheriff said. Memorial services were pending.