Student facing attempted murder, sexual assault charges in attack on teacher
A 16-year-old student has been arrested on charges of sexual assault and attempted murder in a Thursday attack on a teacher at Eldorado High School.
Las Vegas police said they were dispatched at around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday to the school at 1139 N. Linn Lane, where they found medical personnel treating a woman in a classroom for multiple injuries.
Police said their investigation revealed that the student had gone into the classroom to discuss his grades with the teacher.
“At some point, the suspect got violent and began punching the victim and strangled her until she lost consciousness,” the Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement Friday. “After the attack, the suspect fled the classroom, and the victim was later found by another employee.”
The woman was taken to University Medical Center, where she was in stable condition Friday.
Police said the teen was arrested about a mile from the school on Cedar Avenue and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges of attempted murder, sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault, kidnapping and robbery.
His name has not been released.
“I am devastated, and the CCSD family hurts for the teacher assaulted at Eldorado High School,” Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara wrote in an email to staff Friday afternoon. “Our hearts are heavy because of the violence committed against her, and we pray for her full recovery.”
Jara said violence would not be tolerated in the district.
“While this incident is now in the hands of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, rest assured that this suspect will be held to account for his actions,” the emails states.
In a statement on Friday, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak called it an “absolutely tragic and horrendous situation.”
“We must ensure our educators remain safe as they do the important work of teaching our kids – their safety and well-being is a primary concern,” Sisolak wrote. “We must also provide the resources necessary for our students to have the mental health supports they need. I’ve made education a priority from the beginning of my administration and will continue to work with parents, teachers, students, and the community.”
Marie Neisess, president of the Clark County Education Association, was on campus Friday with Jara speaking to staff. She told reporters that teachers are scared after a number of students have come on campus with weapons or spurred fights. She did not reference any specific incidents on campus.
“We have been warning the district that this is going to escalate to a point of someone seriously getting injured, and that’s what has occurred to an educator,” she said. “They really feel unsafe.”
Neisess said the association is calling on the school district to reactive the disabled cameras on campus, consider a panic alarm in classrooms and hire more staff across the board. Friday was the last day of school before spring break for school district students, and Neisess said she hopes to see immediate changes after the break.
“We don’t have enough staff members,” she said. “We don’t have enough social workers. We do not have enough campus monitors or school police who are ready to respond to this.”
Denyla Green, 16, and Devon Watts 15, both sophomores at Eldorado, said rumors about a sexual assault had been flying across campus Thursday and Friday.
Watts said he saw an ambulance on campus after school on Thursday, and he learned of the sexual assault through social media posts.
“It’s very scary,” Green said.
Anyone with information may call Metro at 702-828-3421. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter. Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
