Pair face child abuse, neglect charges in burn case
A parolee convicted in the 2009 killing of a Henderson senior is now one of two people charged in the case of a young child who suffered severe burns to her feet.
Marquell McAlister, 30, and Brittany Clark, 28, were arrested Tuesday on charges of child abuse/neglect after Las Vegas police said Child Protective Services received a report of a child being burned and not taken to a hospital for treatment. The exact age of the child was not disclosed in police reports, but the report indicates the youth was born in 2019.
Investigators located the child and discovered she had severe burns to her feet and ankles. An investigation showed that McAlister was caring for the child and acknowledged giving her a bath, but he said he did not know how the second-degree burns happened, according to arrest reports for McAlister and Clark.
A police investigation also showed that Clark did not take her daughter to a hospital because she was concerned that a lot of questions would be asked and that her children would be taken away.
Police and court records indicate McAlister served eight years in prison in the 2009 beating and robbery of 82-year-old Wesley Roberts of Henderson before being paroled.
Review-Journal archives indicate McAlister, another man and two teens were accused of killing Roberts at his home after he went on a shopping trip. McAlister claimed at the time that the female teens in the case set the senior up to be victimized.
McAlister is a registered felon for conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery victim over 60, and manslaughter victim over 60, a Las Vegas arrest report indicates.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.