Joshua Neely’s family is expressing extreme frustration at the slow churn of justice and the lack of a manslaughter charge in his death, after the 29-year-old father was killed in a vehicle on bicycle hit and run in late May in New Washoe City on Eastlake Blvd south of Reno.
Travis Smith was later arrested after turning himself in to face charges of failing to stop at the scene of a crash causing substantial bodily harm or death. He was listed as being 43 at the time of his arrest.
A community fundraiser helped pay for Neely’s memorial service and established a trust fund for his three-year-old daughter Arizona. A petition was also started asking for a manslaughter charge, with over 1,500 verified signatures.
The state of Nevada traffic report for this deadly crash indicates the 2019 Ford Ranger pickup Smith was driving crossed the centerline on May 28th into the northbound lane and then reentered the southbound lane before colliding with the bicyclist who was traveling southbound.
The report indicates the vehicle continued southbound on Eastlake, leaving the scene, while Neely who had been hit was left in the middle of the road, before being reported dead shortly after at a nearby hospital.
The family says the next court date is now November 13th but they say Smith’s defense attorney Joey Gilbert has caused delays due to his own reported scheduling conflicts.
They also fear Smith is having his multiple assets shielded with different mechanisms in anticipation of a future wrongful death lawsuit, including having a $600,000 plus valued Washoe Valley home moved into a trust as well as a homestead, according to public records from July.
The lawyer on the public document for that transfer as well as the establishment of the homestead is Kendra Jepsen. She is advertised on the Joey Gilbert website as an expert in estate planning working at the same Reno address as his offices.
For several delayed court proceedings, Neely’s family members say they had planned to fly to Reno from out of state, and had to change their plans on short notice costing them time and money.
By looking at multiple public records, the family has identified Smith as the co-owner with his brother Brandon Smith of the kayak and SUP renting Adventure Vending LLC at Rye Patch Dam as well as part of the BS Farms family business in Orovada, which is listed to Blaine Smith on a Nevada Department of Agriculture web page, and to Clay and Kelli Smith on a Humboldt County page. The farm is well known for selling alfalfa in our region.
A close friend of the family who lives in Washoe Valley told Our Town Reno he has been dismayed to see Smith’s pickup truck being driven around that area in recent weeks.
At the time of his death, Neeley was living with his mom, who helped him with child care, while he worked as a unionized carpenter with handyman and construction jobs on the side.
He had been living in the Reno area for about a decade, celebrating his Native American and Arizona roots by going archery hunting around Tahoe.
“He had a huge heart, and was too loyal and kind for this world,” a close friend wrote to Our Town Reno as a tribute. “Everything he did was for his daughter Arizona, who was his world. He watched my dogs and helped care for my property because he could bring his daughter here and it was safe. He loved the peacefulness of Washoe Valley.”
“Please be sure to hire an injury attorney immediately, with a private investigator who can start preserving and collecting evidence on the victim and their family’s behalf. Be prepared for a long fight for justice and for many months to go by before even getting a guilty or not guilty plea entered,” the family now advises to others who might find themselves in similar devastating situations of having to go through a long judicial process in cases of a deadly hit and run.