Former Nye County chairman William Carns arrested on child pornography, weapons charges

William "Bill" Carns, a former chairman of the Nye County Republican Central Committee, was arrested by the Nye County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, January 31, 2026, on multiple felony counts that include allegations of child pornography and several weapons-related offenses; bail was set at $45,000 and Carns was released on bail the same day while the investigation remains open. The sheriff has declined further comment while detectives continue work on the case.

Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill said the arrest followed an arrest warrant obtained by an NCSO detective and approved before Carns was located and taken into custody. “This [Carns’ arrest] was a result of an arrest warrant that was obtained by a detective. The arrest warrant was approved, and Mr. Carns was located over the weekend and placed under arrest for that warrant,” McGill said, adding, “We cannot provide any further comments, as it is an open case.” The NCSO reports the arrest occurred at approximately 11:28 a.m. on Jan. 31.

The Nye County Sheriff’s Office arrest summary lists five counts against Carns described as: “Preparing, advertising or distributing materials depicting pornography involving minor”; “Use of Internet to control visual presentation depicting sexual conduct of person under 16 years of age”; “Possession, manufacture or disposition of short-barreled rifle or short-barreled shotgun”; “Manufacture, importation, possession or use of dangerous weapon”; and “Manufacture or assembly of a firearm without issued serial number.” Other coverage paraphrased the weapons allegation as possessing a "sawed-off shotgun" and likewise reported that Carns faces five charges combining child pornography-related offenses and weapons allegations.

Carns issued a statement denying knowledge of the evidence against him, saying, “I am unaware of the evidence regarding the charges against me as I am absolutely baffled as to these accusations.” He also suggested the allegations may stem from an ongoing custody dispute with his son’s mother.

Community reaction in Pahrump included calls for clarity and swift legal action. Resident Edward Bevilacqua said, “I’ve known him for about four years, and it’s devastating,” and called the allegations “horrific.” Bevilacqua added, “We want law enforcement. We want the court system to do their job and not prolong it, hide it, or sugar coat it.” Leo Blundo, current chairman of the Nye County Republican Party and a former vice chair under Carns in 2015, said, “I can’t believe the sheriff would do something to this gravity without evidence, without going through the procedures, and I think the charges speak for themselves,” and noted the party “chose to stand by any American innocent before proven guilty in a court of law” while stressing the official Nye County GOP has no current association with Carns.

Multiple news outlets used a mugshot from a 2015 arrest of Carns, a case in which he was arrested for impersonating a metro police officer. Beyond the arrest summary and the statements cited, public records provided to date do not include a probable-cause affidavit, the text of the arrest warrant, names of alleged victims, a court docket number, confirmation of which prosecutor will handle any charges, or a scheduled court appearance; those items remain outstanding as the investigation proceeds.