Storey County Sheriff: Investigation completed in Virginia City at Hot August Nights incident, sent to district attorney
An investigation by the Storey County Sheriff's Office into an incident where allegations of racist statements directed at a black man were made during Hot August Nights in Virginia City has ended with its findings sent to the county's district attorney for review, said Sheriff Mike Cullen via a social media release Monday.
The Storey County Sheriff's Office began the investigation into racial slurs that were allegedly directed at a black man during a Hot August Nights event in Virginia City on August 2.
A Tik Tok video, which has gone viral, is of a white man who allegedly told a black man that there is “a hanging tree,” and called him the N-word. See the video here.
The incident has brought widespread condemnation on social media and a statement from Virginia City tourism officials who called it "racist and hateful" and "abhorrent and inexcusable."
Storey County Sheriff Mike Cullen said the case, "just like any other investigation or call for service, is taken very seriously and thoroughly investigated. Investigators have been able to contact all parties involved, and have collected video and witness statements, and have been able to conclude the investigation."
Details of the sheriff's office findings were not made available in the statement.
Cullen notes the sheriff's office has been fielding hundreds of calls, social media posts and direct threats to both the Sheriff's Office, local business owners and its citizens.
"I would like to reiterate that neither the Sheriff's Office nor any of our staff were initially involved or witnessed the incident in question," Cullen wrote in the statement. "Virginia City is a small town and to be clear the Sheriff's Office is located a few doors down from the incident location but there were no uniformed deputies on scene or in the immediate area at the time of the incident. The subjects involved are not staff, associates or friends of the sheriff or associated with the Storey County government in any way."
Furthermore, the statement says "The Sheriff's Office does not tolerate hate or racist speech of any kind toward any person or group of persons, which includes the hateful and threatening messages and phone calls to the residents and businesses. Those cases are being independently investigated with the assistance of the State of Nevada.
"We appreciate the public's patience thus far and as we move forward with this case; we will continue to update the news and social media outlets with information," the statement says. "If you or anyone you know are the victim of/or if you witness any hate or racist activity, please contact the nearest law enforcement agency and report these types of crimes."
"The Storey County Sheriff's Office will always expend every effort and resource in ensuring the safety of our citizens, visitors and staff," Cullen wrote in the statement.
On Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, Hot August Nights released a followup statement:
"Regarding the incident in Virginia City on Friday, August 2, the individuals featured in the viral video have been identified, and their Hot August Nights registrations have been revoked. We want to clarify that there were no Hot August Nights representatives, volunteers, or staff present in the video or involved in the situation. The individuals wearing Hot August Nights badges are event participants.
"Following the event, Hot August Nights will further evaluate the Virginia City venue. We are committed to ensuring integrity and safety at all our events and will take action to remove individuals who diminish or harm others. We believe taking these steps is crucial to demonstrate to our participants, volunteers and our attendees that such behavior will not be tolerated."
We will update as more information becomes available.