The Reno River Inn and the Police Standoff Over an Easement
Here's why the neighbors rallied to stop the owner of the River Inn, Lawrence McNutt from accessing the easement and his property over the river from the River Inn.
Apr 04, 2026
A legally valid access route passes almost within reach of 45 homes in a 180-home neighborhood. A confrontation brought the police.
On March 27, Lawrence McNutt, the owner of the Reno River Inn, posted on Facebook, congratulating the Reno Police.
He described that what began as a routine property access attempt turned into a standoff along the Truckee River, that required 10 Reno police officers and more than an hour to resolve, after 16 - 20 neighbors blocked him.
At first glance, the situation appears simple: a property owner exercising a legal right, neighbors objecting, and police stepping in to clarify the law and de-escalate the situation.
But when you examine the physical layout and the neighborhood surrounding it, the reality becomes more complex. This wasn’t just a disagreement. It was a conflict shaped by geography, proximity, and the expectations of an established community.
Lawrence McNutt, owner of the Reno River Inn, posted on Facebook, seemingly to simply support the Reno Police, but there is much more to the story. Click the image to read the post and comments.
The Property Parcel Layout
The properties involved are west of downtown Reno at 9400 W. 4th Street. This easement is not a conventional road.
The easement is a narrow strip of land that:
runs more than half a mile
passes directly alongside approximately 45 homes
sits between the backyard fence lines and the river system
is, in many places, only wide enough for an off-road vehicle
The River Inn has been dormant for more than 40 years. The easement has not been used for more than 40 years. There is no buffer. No separation. No visual cue that this is shared infrastructure. To the people who live there, it feels like the edge of their property, not a corridor for through access.
Here is a parcel map. APN 038-160-04 is the 15.82 acre parcel that Lawrence was trying to get to, but it extends as a narrow parcel down to White Fir St. to the lower right of the map as seen by the red outline. APN 038-160-03 is the River Inn property with the abandoned casino. APN 038.160-20 is owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. Lawrence leases this parcel and needs it to get to APN 038-160-03 with the River Inn building. He also has an easement from UPR to cross over the tracks. There is a rumor that UPR wants to end both agreements.
Here is the GIS map view of the area in the parcel map above with the outline of the property owned by the River Currents, LLC. They have also bought large undeveloped adjacent parcels using Sasquatch, LLC. They need the easement to get to all of them. Parcels owned by Sasquatch, LLC: 038-160-18, 038-530-15, 038-530-14, 038-530-13. You can click on the image to access the GIS mapping system and see the locations.
The Neighborhood Across the River
Those 45 homes are not isolated. They are part of a broader residential development of about 180 homes, built around 1994. Today, those properties are valued between $700,000 and $850,000.
This is a stable, established riverfront neighborhood where residents expect:
quiet surroundings
predictable use of nearby land
and a clear boundary between private space and public activity
The easement challenges all three.
Here is the view of the community of about 180 houses. The white line along the right of the row of houses is the route the McNutt takes. The first part of it is easement. It is barely wider than Lawrence’s 2X2 and his route goes for over 3000 feet. River Currents, upper left, is the River Inn that owns the strip of land along the river.
The Police Incident on March 27
According to a public Facebook post by property owner Lawrence McNutt, he attempted to access his land via the easement using a side-by-side vehicle. He was met by 16 to 20 neighbors who blocked his path.
For roughly 40 minutes:
residents confronted him
Access was physically denied
tensions escalated
McNutt called 911, informing dispatch that:
He was being blocked
He felt threatened
and that he was legally carrying a firearm
Reno Police responded with a significant presence:
10 officers arrived on scene
individuals were separated
The situation was de-escalated over approximately an hour
The police confirmed that Lawrence had a valid easement
That level of response reflects the information dispatched:
a multi-person confrontation
an armed individual
escalating tension
The outcome was managed. In doing so, they prevented a situation that could have gone in a very different direction. But what will they do if this keeps happening.
Here is a view of the community across the river from the River Inn. The easement and the long silver of land is located along the river in front of the row of houses. These people never expected the River Inn to be renovated. It has been abandoned for over 40 years. Accessing the easement and this land means traffic between the houses and the river.
Why This Was Predictable
The confrontation wasn’t random. It was built into the land’s structure.
1. A Legal Right That Doesn’t Look Like One
The easement predates the homes. It might be over 100 years old.
Legally, it exists.
Physically, it resembles:
a narrow dirt strip
running directly along backyard boundaries
running within reach of the fences
There is no visual distinction between:
This is access and This is private space.
That gap between legal definition and lived experience creates friction.
2. A Scale Mismatch
The easement may have once supported limited use.
It connects to:
a 15.82-acre parcel that is undeveloped
four parcels totaling 155 acres that were just bought
with potential for future activity
directly across from the River Inn
There is no bridge to gain access
That raises a question among residents: What happens if this path is used regularly?
3. Visibility and Proximity
This is not a hidden route.
It is:
directly adjacent to homes
fully visible
immediately felt
Every vehicle passing through is:
seen
heard
interpreted
At that distance, use is not abstract. It is personal.
4. A Community, Not Just a Few Homes
While roughly 45 homes sit directly along the easement, they are part of a broader 180-home neighborhood.
That expands the issue from a narrow access dispute to a community-level concern involving:
safety
traffic
property values
and future land use
The March 27 confrontation involved fewer than two dozen residents. But it may represent only the first visible response. About 400 people live in the neighborhood.
The Reno River Inn Illusion: The Dream that Never Seems to Happen
This article is a follow up my previous article explaining the situation with the River Inn. That article links to further articles explaining the history of lawsuits with neighbors, the alignment with Eddie Lorton who supports the redevelopment, and other interesting details.
What Comes Next
The March 27 incident resolved the immediate question:
The easement is valid
Access is permitted
But it did not resolve the underlying issue because this easement is not incidental. It is the only continuous ground access to a 15-acre parcel across the river and the 155 acres that Sasquatch recently bought.
There is no bridge. There is no standard roadway. The easement is an intrusion.
This type of confrontation could happen over again. What will the police do when they keep getting called?
Even with legal access, practical questions remain:
Can the corridor support regular traffic?
Can it handle construction activity?
Can emergency services reliably use it?
Will residents tolerate ongoing use within feet of their homes?
These are not abstract concerns. They are the conditions that determine whether access can be exercised, not just claimed.
This situation illustrates a familiar tension:
Legacy land rights meeting modern residential expectations
The easement reflects a former land-use configuration, granted 100 years ago. The neighborhood reflects a different vision, one built on stability, separation, and predictability. Now those two realities occupy the same space.
Lawrence and his sons are dirt bike racers. I imagine that the neighbors are concerned that they might use the easement to get to their vast open land holdings.
Closing Thoughts
Lawrence McNutt has a legal right to use the easement. The Reno Police confirmed it. But the events of March 27 make something equally clear:
A right that runs along 3,000 feet of narrow corridor, almost within reach of 45 homes in a 180-home community, will not be exercised in isolation. It will be seen. It will be questioned. And it will be challenged. Because what exists on paper as access on the ground, feels like something else entirely for the people who live alongside it.