Inquiry of Nev. candidate criticized

[Ron Burgundy]

Inquiry of Nev. candidate criticized

By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 17 minutes ago

The lawyer for a woman who accused the Republican gubernatorial candidate of assault said Friday that police have treated his client unfairly and were conducting the criminal probe like "Keystone Cops."

Chrissy Mazzeo, a 32-year-old single mother, was required to come to the police station for an interview, while Rep. John Gibbons was interviewed the day after the incident at his hotel, her lawyer, Richard Wright, said.

"The interview was accusatory, it was unpleasant, it was unfriendly and is in contrast to the way they treated Congressman Gibbons," Wright said.

"This is Keystone Cops," he said, referring to the inept police of silent film.

Las Vegas police did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Mazzeo, a cocktail waitress, has accused the Reno Republican of pushing her up against a wall in a parking garage on Oct. 13 and making an aggressive sexual advance. Gibbons, 61, denies any impropriety and has described Mazzeo's account as "absolutely false."

Wright made the statements a day after Gibbons' attorney released surveillance tapes from the garage to the media. The Associated Press' partial review of the tape from the time when the incident could have occurred does not show either Gibbons or Mazzeo inside the parking structure.

Wright received the tapes but said Friday he not watched them because they required out-of-date equipment to view properly. He said it was the job of police investigators, not lawyers, to authenticate and view the 16 hours of video.

Gibbons campaign spokesman Robert Uithoven said the married, five-term congressman has not been interviewed by police since Mazzeo asked for the investigation to be reopened Monday, after dropping the complaint two weeks earlier.

Gibbons' lawyer, Don Campbell, said he would issue a statement but would not answer questions.

A Las Vegas Review-Journal poll last week showed Gibbons in a tight race with Democratic state Sen. Dina Titus. Gibbons was up by four points, within the margin of error.