A man convicted three years ago of indecent liberties against a child has asked the presiding judge to recuse himself.
Joe Louis Stewart has been appealing his convictions from 2018, and part of the current appeal was to ask Lyon County District Judge Lee Fowler to step aside in favor of another judge, either from Lyon County or from another county. Additional details about Stewart’s request have not been released.
Fowler said he does not plan to recuse himself, but he will let Chief Judge Merlin Wheeler make that decision. Defense attorney Paul Dean will file formal paperwork within two weeks.
Stewart was convicted after an incident in 2016 and sentenced to 25 years in prison with no chance of parole. He has alleged ineffective legal counsel, improper jury instructions and prosecutorial misconduct.
