Fake disappearance deserves worse

Writing off the saga of Milo John Reese's disappearance with a check is less than satisfying.

The 54-year-old anti-brothel activist staged his own disappearance Nov. 7, after breaking his car window and leaving blood inside to make it look like he had been murdered.

After finding Reese's car, Washoe County Sheriff's Office searchers scoured the countryside looking for him. They even brought in a bloodhound and a helicopter.

Two days after finding the car, Reese's plan to appear as though he had been killed for his anti-brothel stance began to unravel.

He was seen getting money from his bank account in Sacramento. His wife told investigators that she finally received a call from him a week after the disappearance and that he was in Las Vegas.

Reese returned to Reno and met with investigators where he told them his disappearance was a publicity stunt.

Sheriff's investigators were not amused and handed Reese a bill for $8,761.06 after learning there was no crime they could charge him with.

Reese has paid $500 of the bill and promised to pay the rest.

But, frankly $8,761.06 was cheap for the amount of attention Reese received for his cause.

If there is no such thing as bad publicity, then Reese received a ton of it. His story appeared on every television station and in several newspapers.

Reese intentionally led people to believe he had been killed, and he did it to smear the brothel industry. If he had bothered to go to the bank before his trip, people might never know he was still alive somewhere.

Something that hurtful should be against the law, so that the next time an activist decides to stage a fake crime, they get more than just a bill.

They get a record.