Involved attorneys and Judge Billy Sipe agrees that mystery clouds the case of a Las Vegas man who claimed to be on a religious pilgrimage when discovered completely naked on a Chloride hillside more than a year ago. Mohave County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the naked subject report on February 20, 2018.
A sheriff’s office report said that 39-year-old Nicholas Lash did not comply with directives and struggled during an attempt to detain him. It said he made religious references when he told deputies they should not interfere.
“He was the son of God and (deputies) had no right to stop him on his pilgrimage to Kingman where the next man Gold will be born,” Lash told deputies.
A pre-sentence report said that deputies turned Lash on his side before a paramedic introduced a sedative spray into his nose. Lash reportedly kicked the paramedic squarely in the chest when he tried to complete the treatment.
Defense attorney Nathan Best said Lash told the paramedic he did not wish to be treated before the kick occurred.
“Don’t touch me,’’ Lash said to the paramedic, according to Best. “God did not want him to have medication.”
Lash was transported to Kingman and spent ten days in jail after he was evaluated at Kingman Regional Medical Center. Lash later explained his behavior occurred because he spent 5 or 6 days on a religious fast that left him malnourished and dehydrated.
“It is clear to me that the defendant was not in his right mind,” Judge Sipe said. But he said the Court is unable to determine what prompted his illegal conduct. Sipe found Lash guilty of aggravated assault during a March 22 bench trial. Sipe ordered no further jail time and one year probation for Lash.
