Officer who killed Stanley Gibson faces criminal charges in unrelated incident

Jesus Arevalo, the Las Vegas police officer facing termination for the 2011 shooting death of Stanley Gibson, is also facing criminal charges for a domestic incident earlier this year.

Arevalo was charged with assault and disturbing the peace, both misdemeanors, for a Feb. 2 incident at Canyon Ridge Church with his ex-wife, Catherine Arevalo, and her boyfriend Steve Delao, according to court documents.

Delao later sought a temporary restraining order against him, telling police Arevalo threatened him.

An officer with knowledge of the case said Arevalo took off his shirt and challenged Delao to a fight in the church parking lot.

“He is just an embarrassment to the agency,” said the officer, who asked for anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak about the case.

Arevalo’s court date was set for Sept. 10.

Chris Collins, executive director of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said he knew of the February incident but was unaware that charges were filed.

Arevalo’s union will probably not represent him on the criminal case, Collins said.

“We’re only obligated to represent officers if it stems from an on-duty incident,” he said.

An internal review of the matter closed earlier this year. The complaint against Arevalo was sustained, but it was unclear what discipline the officer received.

Jesus and Catherine Arevalo divorced last year, but the split was contentious and spanned two years. In addition to a custody battle for the couple’s child, Catherine accused Jesus of abusing alcohol and belittling her, and Jesus accused Catherine of being mentally unstable.

At one point, Jesus filed a restraining order against his estranged wife because he feared she was taking their child out of Nevada. His allegations were not substantiated and the order was dissolved, records show.

Prosecutors filed charges against Arevalo in June, documents show.

Arevalo was slated for termination in May by the department’s internal Use of Force Review Board, which harshly criticized Arevalo and his supervisors involved in Gibson’s Dec. 12, 2011 shooting.

A pre-termination hearing was set for August, Collins said. No matter what the pre-termination board decides, Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie will make the final determination.

Arevalo remains suspended with pay.

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Follow @blasky on Twitter.