LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A Metro police sergeant’s try and get a choose faraway from overseeing two felony circumstances in opposition to him has failed.
Attorneys for Kevin Menon, 43, filed a movement to disqualify Clark County District Court docket Choose Ron Israel, citing allegations of abuse from his daughter. Clark County District Court docket Choose Mark Denton denied Menon’s movement in an order Wednesday.
Menon is charged in three separate felony circumstances.
In his first case, the Clark County District Lawyer’s Workplace alleges Menon abused his energy by creating faux eventualities that resulted in residents, primarily Black males, being detained on the Las Vegas Strip.
LVMPD Sgt. Kevin Menon seems in courtroom throughout a grand jury return listening to. (KLAS)
Detectives mentioned once they seized Menon’s digital gadgets for the investigation, they discovered youngster sexual abuse materials, also called youngster pornography. This resulted in a second felony case in opposition to Menon for youngster pornography-related expenses.
Because of an extra search warrant, police mentioned they discovered hidden cameras in loos Menon’s dwelling. This resulted within the third felony case.
Israel is overseeing the primary two felony circumstances.
“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 doc on March 10 arguing for Israel’s disqualification.
“Judge Israel is publicly accused of criminal conduct by his daughter,” they wrote.
The movement included hyperlinks from YouTube and TikTok the place a girl, recognized 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 lady claimed. “I am scared. I am scared, beyond belief.”
Israel responded in a courtroom submitting on March 11, stating he shouldn’t be disqualified, he doesn’t have any private bias or prejudice towards Menon, and he was unaware of any energetic investigations relating to 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 courtroom paperwork that he tried to show racism throughout the police division, and he’s being retaliated in opposition to.
In keeping with the movement to disqualify Israel, Menon tried to report his superior for being “overtly racist and using the ‘n-word’ freely,” however a detective and sergeant turned the investigation in opposition to Menon and accused him of being untruthful and refused to take a look at textual content messages to confirm his allegations.
The 8 Information Now Investigators obtained a sequence of movies on the heart of a felony case in opposition to a police sergeant accused of orchestrating faux arrests on the Las Vegas Strip. (KLAS)
The movement included copies of textual content messages in regards to the particular person Menon reported.
“I do believe he’s playing the system to get you fired,” one textual content, which seemed to be from one other officer, learn. “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, in accordance with the courtroom submitting.
Menon is presently in custody after Clark County District Court docket Choose Mary Kay Holthus, who’s overseeing the third felony case, elevated his bail to $500,000 money on April 14.
A jury trial within the third case was scheduled for June 2. A jury trial within the second case was scheduled for Aug. 18.
Hearings with Holthus and Israel are scheduled for Could 5 to handle Menon’s “indigent status,” which has been filed beneath seal, in accordance with courtroom information.
