That means he'll be over 100 years old before he could possibly be released. Then obviously, he must deal with the sentencing on the other conviction. It is not looking like he'll see the light of day outside of a Nevada jail or prison for a long, long time. Thoughts on his case?
It appears that on May 1, 2014, Shlacta was sentenced to consecutive life sentences in prison. The first sentence (according to online Las Vegas District Court records) showed that he is eligible for parole after serving 35 years.
That means he'll be over 100 years old before he could possibly be released. Then obviously, he must deal with the sentencing on the other conviction. It is not looking like he'll see the light of day outside of a Nevada jail or prison for a long, long time. Thoughts on his case? Each year more than five thousand inmates are released onto the streets of Las Vegas by the Nevada Department of Corrections. Most don’t have money, housing, transportation or a job.
Hope for Prisoners addresses the lack of programming and services for offenders who are in critical need of help to effectively relocate to their home community and, most importantly, to receive the educational, employment, personal, social, and emotional support that is necessary to reduce the likelihood of their returning to prison. Hope for Prisoners, conducts an intensive prevocational/life skills training course in the initial phase of participants enrolling in the program. Each participant is given training in the following areas:
Earlier this week, the Las Vegas Police Criminal Intelligence Section served warrants by raiding the Constable's Office currently run by John Bonaventura. Officials took away computers, phones, and electronic equipment as part of an ongoing investigation of possible criminal activity. An RJ story back in May is what preceded the warrants being served where possible illegal wiretapping occurred in a phone conversation between Bonaventura and Clark County Commissioner Tom Collins.
In Nevada, it is illegal to record phone conversations unless all parties give consent. Commissioner Collins maintained that he never consented to being recorded. In the conversation, Bonaventura shows some animosity toward officials who backed the abolishment of the Constable's Office back in March of 2013. The County ultimately ruled to abolish that office. As of June 5th of this month, a District Court Judge ultimately denied Bonaventura's lawsuit that tried to overturn this ruling. Online Las Vegas District Court records show an appeal has been filed now. As of Wednesday, it appears the Constable's Office is back up and running despite the confiscation of equipment. No arrests were made, and the investigation is ongoing. What do you folks think? Twenty five year old Rodrigo Tomax is in the Clark County Detention Center today after turning himself in to police. Last night a bit after 9pm, an 11 year old boy was injured after a vehicle Tomax was driving struck the child on the sidewalk. The accident occurred near the area of Bonanza and Eastern. He is charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident involving an injury.
Tomax is set to appear in the Las Vegas Justice Court tomorrow morning according to online justice court records. His bail bond amount has been set at $20,000 cash or surety. Meaning, if he chooses to hire a bondsman, he will be required to pay the 15% premium of $3,000 to post bail. No word is available on if he has negotiated bail or hired a private attorney. In yet another awesome show of police efficiency in Las Vegas, our police force has captured yet another out-of-state fugitive. This time, it's a fugitive that was reportedly convicted of manslaughter and multiple felonies in Kingman Arizona. According to an online news source, 17 year old Cody Raymond was killed on July 21st last year when the truck he was in was slammed into by an intoxicated man. On route 66 just outside of Kingman, 46 year old Delbert F. Brechler (then 45 years old) was driving at a high rate of speed when he collided into the back of Raymond's Ford Ranger pick up truck. The passenger and friend of the deceased boy survived the wreck without major injury.
In the online report, Brechler was just convicted on multiple felonies (DUI and Manslaughter among them) just last week, but he was absent from his trial. The jury deliberated for not even an hour before rendering the guilty verdict. Reports show he faces up to 36 years on prison when he's sentenced. He is not fighting his extradition back to Mohave County Arizona. This guy fittingly was arrested on Friday the 13th, but he did not need bad luck to get caught here in Southern Nevada. The deck was stacked against him just like many other fugitives hoping to blend in with the crowd end up finding out. It is our hope that the sentence is toward the maximum end of the spectrum. And don't worry, he cannot be bailed out of jail. There is no bail set by the Las Vegas courts on a fugitive warrant like this. No amount of a bail bond is appropriate for this guy. He obviously cannot be trusted to make his court appearances. There is still no word as to whether a man will be prosecuted for the June 5th shooting of a man who the homeowner insists was attempting to break into his home at approximately 2am on a Thursday morning. The shooting occurred on Wittig Avenue in the area of Fort Apache and Elkhorn in the northwest area of the Las Vegas valley.
After allegedly leaving a birthday party and returning a short while later, the man who was shot (I won't say he's a victim yet), accompanied by another man, started to bang on the door of a house they mistakenly thought was the party house. The men were likely confused as to why they were not being let back in. After exchanging argumentative words with the man inside the home, the homeowner fired one round through the door, striking the guy in his chest. He was taken to UMC and his condition is unknown at the time of this report. No names have been released officially and no arrest has been made. The shooting remains under investigation. There is a precedent with regard to the application of Nevada's "Stand Your Ground" law whereby a homeowner, in reasonable fear for his life or protection of his family, can use deadly force with no duty to flee. A 19 year old man was shot through a backyard window in March of 2012 and no charges were filed on the shooter. The deceased had a criminal history involving burglaries at the time. What do you think? Is this proper and reasonable to assume the homeowner was justified in his actions? What would you do if your loved ones were terrified after being awakened at 2am on a weekday, while being unsure of what may happen when aggressive men break down your door? Is it a person's obligation to ascertain a person's motivations, intent, or thought processes when they are practically breaking into your private home? I think not. It's easy to play a Monday morning quarterback and say the shooter should've done this or that, but my gut is telling me he was more-than reasonable here. I am glad however to see that the two men (likely in their 20s) will be okay. Friday night it was reported that a man was assaulted near the Circus Circus Hotel on the North end of the Las Vegas Strip. A Metro spokesperson said the man was likely hit over the head with a glass bottle.
He was found badly hurt on the ground. The male was transported to the hospital with a serious head injury. There is no immediate info on his status or identity. No motive for the assault is know now and there are no reported suspects at this time. It is rare that a crime like this is quickly reported by the media (especially when it occurs near the LV Strip), but it's refreshing to get this news story. So often, and likely for public relations reasons, many stories like this are not covered. Las Vegas is by no means a super dangerous city, especially in the main tourist spots, as Metro presence is good, and hotel security on whole, is efficient. However please be careful out there--locals and tourists alike. Four Henderson police officers were involved in a shooting on June 11th in Henderson off Horizon Ridge. Police Responded to a report of "shots fired" in Henderson at around 4:30am that morning. The suspect allegedly fired upon them, injuring veteran officer Timothy Donnelly, and the police subsequently returned fire. The suspect died at the scene. The wounded officer was treated successfully and released from the hospital. Donnelly has been a Henderson police officer since 1994.
One certainty is that this shootout has no link to the tragedy that occured over the weekend when 2 police officer were ambushed and murdered before another good Samaritan was gunned down in cold blood. Prayer for healing is needed though as many, many souls are affected by these two tragic events. What happens when the lights go off?
What happens when the wind blows and I have no jacket to keep me warm? What happens when I feel down and you're not there to make me feel up? What happens to me? What happens when at night I open my eyes just to see you're not there? I can feel you, but I just can't see, I just can't, so what happens? Michael Lockhart Michael Lockhart was 12 years old when he read this poem he had written for his father’s funeral. His father, known on the streets of West Philadelphia as MG (“Major Gansta”), had been shot 22 times with an AK-47. Nobody in his family, according to an article in the Philadelphia Daily News, was surprised when young Michael, accompanied by his brother, a friend, and a 9mm Glock robbed some Temple University students, a few years later. Michael’s family is no stranger to prisons. His father and three of his uncles have served time in prison. Michael’s brother is doing time as well. Violence, drugs, and imprisonment are what face many of today’s youth that are born to families that lack positive male role models. How important is a positive father figure in a young person’s life? Well, studies show that youths who grow up without a father in their life are more than 15 times more likely to end up in prison while a teenager. Michael’s mother puts it this way, “If you’re rich and you go to Harvard, your kid goes to Harvard. . . if your daddy hustles, your son gonna grind. In our family we call it the generational curse.” But there is a happy ending to this particular story. Michael has DECIDED (he made a conscious CHOICE) that he is not his father and that he can, and indeed is breaking that generational curse. In his words, “People use their childhood as an excuse. It’s not an excuse.” He insists that he will NOT become his father. After Michael was released from Glen Mills Schools, a reform school in Delaware County, he participated in a Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network. His mom and instructors convinced him that he could break the cycle of violence and end the generational curse. Michael has since acquired his GED and works as a landscaper for the city. He works with the Department of Behavioral Health speaking to groups about preventing gun violence. What can we do to create more stories or redemption like Michael’s? It’s simple: we, as individuals, can become involved with and invest in more programs such as the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network. I am reminded of the old man who walked the beach and threw random starfish back into the sea that had been trapped on the beach by the tide. He knew he couldn’t save them all, but was satisfied to save those he could—one at a time. To each starfish he was able to save he made a difference. Interested in making a difference right here in Las Vegas? I invite you to take a look at what is becoming a model for prison reentry: Hope for Prisoners. Hope for Prisoners strives to restore and reunite the family. Their focus is to break, once and for all, the generational curse and establish a new family tree going forward that will have God’s blessing. Would you like to play an important role in the life of a man or woman who is striving to break the generational curse and create a brand new family tree of joy, happiness and love? Please contact Hope for Prisoners today for information on how you can help to restore a family and play a significant role in changing a family tree. This may be the most rewarding decision you will ever make. You can check them out online at www.hopeforprisoners.org. I will be writing about Hope for Prisoners in future blogs. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this fantastic organization. Blessings, Jim Henry, Hope for Prisoners, Job Developer [email protected] 702 518-BAIL California Pastor Arrested for Involvment in Fatal Altercation Outside Las Vegas Bar & Restaurant6/7/2014 Thirty five year old Robert Cox, a youth pastor at The Place of Refuge Church in Manteca, California was arrested in Manteca and held in custody awaiting extradition to Las Vegas. The Clark County coroners office declared the cause of Link Ellingson's death a homicide due to internal abdominal bleeding and blunt head trauma due to assault. The decedent did not pass away until December of 2013, nearly six months after the fight.
Witnesses on scene, mostly made up of the defendant's group, maintain Cox was merely acting in self defense as Ellingson reportedly attacked Cox along with several interns in the church group. Witnesses report the deceased provoking the fight and punching multiple members of their party outside the sports bar around midnight on that fateful summer night. Reportedly, Cox has no criminal background and his wife maintains this type of trouble is absolutely new to him. Probable cause to charge Cox with the homicide was not found and charges were left unfiled until May of this year--about 11 months following the June 13, 2013 incident. According to online Las Vegas Justice Court records, Robert Cox posted a $100,000 cash bond to secure his release and avoid extradition to Las Vegas. Records show a warrant return hearing set for June 13th, coincidentally 1 year from the day of the altercation. Warren Gellar is the attorney-of-record for Pastor Cox. So what do you think about this case? At first glance and with review of the reports I've seen, I tend to believe this is a bit of a stretch to charge this man with murder. If the defendant's story is reliable and his church group's accounts are even remotely accurate, this is a case of self defense and the death is accidental and unfortunate. I try to think of what I would do if my loved ones, church family, or relatives were threatened by an aggressive, large man in a parking lot. It would be me in that pastor's shoes. Prayer is in order for all affected by this tragedy. |
AuthorA Hope Bail Bonds Archives
September 2018
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