Judge revokes bail for Stanley Rimer in child death case

A district judge on Thursday revoked bail for a man convicted of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse and neglect charges after he was found with a stash of jewelry as he was booked into jail.

Stanley Rimer and his wife, Colleen, were convicted Tuesday after a two-week trial for the death of their disabled son, Jason, 4, who was left in a hot SUV for 17 hours in 2008. They also were convicted of child abuse and neglect for physically abusing five of their eight children and letting them live in squalor.

At the conviction hearing, Stanley Rimer, who was free on his own recognizance during trial, appeared with a briefcase. Jail officers later opened the briefcase and found jewelry that Stanley Rimer said was worth $250,000. An appraiser later told authorities the jewelry is worth about $10,000.

Judge Douglas Herndon, who had set Stanley Rimer's bail at $500,000 after the verdict, said it appeared the defendant might have considered using the jewelry to flee if he was released pending the sentencing hearing set for May 31.

Stanley Rimer's defense attorney, deputy public defender Tim O'Brien, said his client brought the jewels with him to give to a family member.

O'Brien reminded the court that Stanley Rimer hasn't missed a court date and after an unsupervised trip to San Francisco to attend his mother's funeral, he returned.

But Herndon remained suspicious, asking why wouldn't Stanley Rimer have turned the briefcase over to a family member before the verdict.

Meanwhile, Herndon kept Colleen Rimer's bail amount at $250,000. Both Rimers remain in the Clark County Detention Center.

The two are eligible for probation, but Stanley Rimer could face two to 54 years in prison, and Colleen Rimer could face two to 36 years in prison.

Jason was left in a Ford Excursion about 2 p.m. on June 8, 2008, after returning home from church with his mother and several siblings.

The boy suffered from myotonic dystrophy, a genetic muscular disorder that crippled his body and mind, and he was unable to unlock car doors.

Jason died from heat stress, which could have taken three to five hours in the estimated 130-degree temperature in the car.

Stanley Rimer maintained that he was unaware Jason was still in the car. He said he was ill that day and left church before his family, spending the rest of the day in his bedroom. Colleen Rimer told Las Vegas police that she was solely responsible for the disabled boy.

Four Rimer children testified during the trial that the family home was filthy and cluttered, the children had a constant lice infestation, and their father hit them with boat oars as punishment.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.