Latest news with #ClarkCountyDistrictAttorney'sOffice
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Las Vegas police sergeant could serve up to 10 years in prison on oppression, porn charges
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A suspended Las Vegas Metro police sergeant has agreed to serve at least four years in prison — and as many as 10 — as part of a plea deal involving arrests on the Las Vegas Strip and the possession of child pornography, documents said. Metro police arrested Sgt. Kevin Menon, 43, in August. In his first case, the Clark County District Attorney's Office alleged Menon abused his power by creating fake scenarios that resulted in citizens, mainly Black men, being detained on the Las Vegas Strip, the 8 News Now Investigators first reported. When detectives investigating that case seized Menon's electronic devices, they said they found child sexual abuse material, also known as child pornography. This resulted in a second criminal case against Menon for child pornography-related charges. In his third case, Menon was accused of setting up recording devices in bathrooms in his home, prosecutors said. Natasha Menon and Tamara Russell, who live with Kevin Menon, have insisted they are not victims and submitted affidavits stating they were aware of the recordings. Menon agreed to a plea deal Wednesday following a settlement conference between his attorney, Robert Draskovich, and prosecutors. Menon agreed to plead guilty to charges including oppression under color of office, subornation of perjury, possession of child pornography and capturing an image of the private area of another person, the agreement said. As part of the agreement, Menon could serve up to 10 years in prison. He would become parole eligible after serving four years. Since August, Menon has been in and out of jail, meaning he earned credit for time served. A judge most recently increased his bail to $1 million. Menon will be sentenced on Aug. 4. In court documents, Menon claims he tried to expose racism within the police department and that it is retaliating against him. Investigators within the department believe Menon orchestrated fake arrests by instigating situations with the public without probable cause, documents said. In one case, Menon ordered the search of a car without any reason, police said. In another, the sergeant, who often worked in a plain clothes capacity, intentionally collided with a person on a pedestrian bridge, leading to their arrest, police investigators allege. After his initial arrest, the department placed Menon on leave with pay and suspended his police powers pending an investigation. The department has since stopped paying him, and it was unclear what his employment status would entail post-plea. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘That's it?' Proposals to toughen Nevada's DUI laws stall as families question minimum 2-year penalty
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Two proposals to toughen Nevada's DUI laws have stalled in the Nevada Legislature with just weeks left in this legislative session. Senate Bill 304 would amend the state's vehicular homicide law to kick in after a person's first DUI conviction should they then drive impaired and kill someone — right now, it's three strikes and you're out. A second proposal, Senate Bill 457, which is part of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's crime bill, would charge DUI drivers who kill with second-degree murder. Nevada prosecutors, including the Clark County District Attorney's Office, have tried to charge DUI drivers who kill a person and who speed and who drive with no care for another person's life, with murder, but the Nevada Supreme Court has ruled the DUI with death law is more appropriate. Nevada's DUI-with-death law carries a potential prison sentence of 2-20 years. However, a bipartisan 1995 law requires a judge to sentence a person to a minimum and maximum sentence, meaning in cases of DUI with death, the maximum amount of time a defendant will spend in prison without a parole hearing is eight years. 'How do you explain to a 9-year-old that the person they look up to and admire so much in life is only worth two years?' Kayla Padgett asked. Padgett's longtime boyfriend, Joshua Yokley, 43, died in April after police said a suspected DUI driver crashed into him. Yokley was riding a motorcycle on Lone Mountain Road near Rainbow Boulevard when Edward Dukes, 28, drove out of a Sante Fe Station parking lot and collided with the bike, police said. Dukes told police he had 'a few drinks inside' the casino before the crash, documents said. 'A very mischievous man with a very intimidating size who had a heart of gold,' Padgett said of Yokley. 'He was taken to the hospital, where they tried to save him for about three hours.' Padgett and Yokley's longtime friend, Mike Bracke, said the minimum two-year penalty is laughable. 'Why should we have to pay that burden of knowing that that person could literally go to jail for two years, and that's it?' Padgett said. 'How many families have to suffer before lawmakers finally pull their heads out of the sand and are like, 'Hm, something has to give,'' Bracke said. Nevada's vehicular homicide law, which Senate Bill 304 would amend, carries a potential prison sentence of up to 25 years. Its sponsor, Republican State Sen. Jeff Stone, previously said he wanted a minimum penalty of up to 30 years. However, lawmakers amended the bill to change the possible penalty to 2-20 years, the same as the current DUI-with-death law. 'You can't make that make sense to me,' Padgett said. As of Wednesday, Senate Bill 304 was stuck in a finance committee because the Nevada Department of Corrections estimates it will add more than $2 million to its budget due to the additional time offenders could serve in custody. The governor's proposal had yet to have a hearing, and there were no hearings scheduled for it as of Wednesday. The legislative session ends June 2. Lawmakers will not reconvene, except for special circumstances at the request of the governor, until February 2027. 'There is no conscionable reason for you to take physical control of an automobile while you are inebriated,' Bracke stressed. Yokley was an organ donor, Padgett and Bracke said. A spokesperson for Senate Democrats, who control that legislative body, said both proposals remain under consideration. 'Both of these measures remain under consideration, as we assess both the policy and the fiscal impact in light of the state's reduced budget situation,' a spokesperson for the caucus said. 'We're fully committed to passing strong public safety measures this session and both will be given fair consideration.' Representatives for Assembly Democrats, who also control that chamber, and for Lombardo did not return requests for comment. During Dukes' probable cause hearing on April 8, Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Suzan Baucum set bail at $250,000, records said. Dukes posted bond, and Baucum ordered him not to drive and to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet. A preliminary hearing in justice court was scheduled for May 22. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Las Vegas police sergeant fails in effort to get judge removed from cases
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Metro police sergeant's attempt to get a judge removed from overseeing two criminal cases against him has failed. Attorneys for Kevin Menon, 43, filed a motion to disqualify Clark County District Court Judge Ron Israel, citing allegations of abuse from his daughter. Clark County District Court Judge Mark Denton denied Menon's motion in an order Wednesday. Menon is charged in three separate criminal cases. In his first case, the Clark County District Attorney's Office alleges Menon abused his power by creating fake scenarios that resulted in citizens, mainly Black men, being detained on the Las Vegas Strip. Detectives said when they seized Menon's electronic devices for the investigation, they found child sexual abuse material, also known as child pornography. This resulted in a second criminal case against Menon for child pornography-related charges. As a result of an additional search warrant, police said they found hidden cameras in bathrooms Menon's home. This resulted in the third criminal case. Israel is overseeing the first two criminal cases. 'The court cannot find the defendant has met his burden to establish actual or implied bias or lack of impartiality warranting disqualification of Judge Israel,' Denton wrote in his order. Menon's attorneys, Dominic Gentile and Austin Barnum, filed a 644-page document on March 10 arguing for Israel's disqualification. 'Judge Israel is publicly accused of criminal conduct by his daughter,' they wrote. The motion included links from YouTube and TikTok where a woman, identified as Israel's daughter, Sarah, claimed Israel abused her. 'My dad has stalked me and terrorized me at my house to the point where I developed agoraphobia, because, like the last time I saw him at his house, he tried to pull a gun out on me, and I had to run for my life,' the woman claimed. 'I am scared. I am scared, beyond belief.' Israel responded in a court filing on March 11, stating he should not be disqualified, he does not have any personal bias or prejudice toward Menon, and he was unaware of any active investigations regarding his daughter's claims. 'If an agency wants to investigate the matter, they are welcome to; I am unaware of any facts that would even remotely create any bias,' Israel wrote. 'I cannot comment on my daughter's mental health issues based on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.' Menon has claimed in court documents that he tried to expose racism within the police department, and he is being retaliated against. According to the motion to disqualify Israel, Menon tried to report his superior for being 'overtly racist and using the 'n-word' freely,' but a detective and sergeant turned the investigation against Menon and accused him of being untruthful and refused to look at text messages to verify his allegations. The motion included copies of text messages about the individual Menon reported. 'I do believe he's playing the system to get you fired,' one text, which appeared to be from another officer, read. 'None of us will lie to protect him.' 'He targeted me, he spread lies about me, and he said racist, offensive about Indians, and black people (knowing my wife is black),' Menon texted, according to the court filing. Menon is currently in custody after Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus, who is overseeing the third criminal case, increased his bail to $500,000 cash on April 14. A jury trial in the third case was scheduled for June 2. A jury trial in the second case was scheduled for Aug. 18. Hearings with Holthus and Israel are scheduled for May 5 to address Menon's 'indigent status,' which has been filed under seal, according to court records. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
Las Vegas police sergeant faces new pornography-related charges
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The police sergeant accused of abusing his power while on the job, and also installing cameras inside bathrooms in his home, faces new child pornography-related charges, prosecutors said Friday. A Clark County grand jury voted Thursday to indict Kevin Menon, 43, on new charges of possession of child pornography and capturing an intimate image of another person, prosecutors said. Menon remained in custody Friday on $500,000 bail connected to his three ongoing criminal cases. The charges Friday were part of a superseding indictment and not a new criminal case. In his first case filed last year, the Clark County District Attorney's Office alleges Menon abused his power by creating fake scenarios that resulted in citizens, mainly Black men, being detained on the Las Vegas Strip. Detectives said when they seized Menon's electronic devices for the investigation, they found child sexual abuse material, also known as child pornography. This resulted in a second criminal case against Menon for child pornography-related charges. In his third case, Menon allegedly set up recording devices in bathrooms in his home, prosecutors said. In court earlier this week, Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus said Menon abused his trust while given the opportunity to be out on bail. If Menon were to post cash bail of $500,000, he would be forced to be on high-level electronic monitoring. After his initial arrest, the department placed Menon on leave with pay and suspended his police powers pending an investigation. The department has since stopped paying him. Natasha Menon and Tamara Russell, who live with Kevin Menon, insist they are not victims and submitted affidavits stating they were aware they were being recorded. Holthus said she does not believe Menon's wife and sister-in-law knew they were being recorded while using the toilet. In court documents, Menon claims he tried to expose racism within the police department and is being retaliated against. Defense attorney Dominic Gentile filed a motion to disqualify Clark County District Court Judge Ron Israel from handling the first two cases due to allegations of abuse by his daughter. The judge responded that he is unaware of any active investigations regarding his daughter's claims. Clark County District Court Judge Mark Denton scheduled a hearing for April 21. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Las Vegas sergeant pleads not guilty in alleged bathroom ‘fetish' case
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Las Vegas Metro police sergeant pleaded not guilty and invoked his right to a speedy trial in his third criminal case on Wednesday. Kevin Menon, 43, appeared in court to plead not guilty to 28 counts of capturing the image of a private area of another person. Las Vegas police sergeant set up cameras in bathrooms to fulfill 'fetish,' prosecutors say Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus set a trial date of June 2. Menon allegedly installed two cameras in his home bathroom, according to Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Hamner. Police found 96 recordings of women using the restroom, Hamner said. The victims, who included Menon's wife and sister-in-law, were unaware they were being recorded, according to Hamner. A Clark County grand jury indicted Menon after reviewing evidence, which included videos of Menon appearing to install cameras. Hamner noted Menon was out of custody on bond at the time on his two ongoing criminal cases. Hamner said Menon appears to have a 'fetish' and a 'sickness,' and detectives found Menon's searches for images of teenagers urinating. Las Vegas judge says he should remain on case against police sergeant despite daughter's claims of abuse In his first case, the Clark County District Attorney's Office alleges Menon abused his power by creating fake scenarios that resulted in citizens, mainly Black men, being detained on the Las Vegas Strip. Menon had been leading a team of officers on the Las Vegas Strip. Body camera and surveillance videos showed Menon dressed in plain clothes while officers were dressed in uniform. Detectives said when they seized Menon's electronic devices for the investigation, they found child sexual abuse material, also known as child pornography. This resulted in a second criminal case against Menon for child pornography-related charges. Police first arrested Menon on Aug. 30. A Clark County grand jury later indicted him for 13 charges related to the alleged abuse of power and then four felony sex crimes charges in the second case. Videos show alleged illegal Las Vegas Strip arrests; sergeant charged In court documents, Menon claims he tried to expose racism within the police department and is being retaliated against. Menon remains out of custody after posting bond in all three cases. After his initial arrest, the department placed Menon on leave with pay and suspended his police powers pending an investigation. The department has since stopped paying him. Prosecutors have filed a motion to increase Menon's bail. Holthus scheduled a hearing for Monday. Menon's legal team filed a motion to disqualify Clark County District Court Judge Ron Israel from handling the first two cases due to allegations of abuse by his daughter. The judge responded that he was unaware of any active investigations regarding his daughter's claims. A hearing is also scheduled for Monday. To reach investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email vmurphy@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
