Las Vegas police seek more victims of 4 sexual assault suspects

Las Vegas police on Wednesday urged any additional victims of four sexual assault suspects, described as “violent predators,” to come forward.

The four men, who have been arrested, targeted sex workers or other women in areas known for sex work, Metropolitan Police Department sex crimes unit Lt. Richard Meyers said Wednesday during a news conference.

The men were identified as Michael Nickson, 26, Jamarr Reed, 37, Luis Moreno, 36, and Jorge Perez, 32.

“Each of these men is considered a violent predator, and we suspect that there are additional victims and we’re asking them to come forward with information at this time,” Meyers said.

Investigations indicated the suspects had an “increase in violence” from the start of their “criminal activity” to when they were arrested, he said.

“Each of these investigations has led us to learn that many times, once a suspect is arrested for a sex crime, it’s not the first time they’ve committed it,” Meyers said.

The most recent arrest happened Dec. 13, when a woman reported Perez raped her at gunpoint two days prior, after they had agreed to have sex in exchange for money, according to an arrest report.

The woman told police she was hesitant to report the crime because “she was scared that she would get in trouble because it was prostitution related,” but she was persuaded to go to a hospital after calling the Rape Crisis Center, the report said.

Daniele Staple, executive director of the Rape Crisis Center, said volunteers often get calls from people worried about reporting.

“Generally speaking, in our experience, law enforcement is more concerned with the crime that was done to that person and what they experienced as a victim than getting them in trouble for anything they may have been doing that was illegal at the time.”

Staple said sexual assault perpetrators frequently target victims who are vulnerable, easily accessible and who will be least likely to report the assault. If someone has had negative interactions with police, they become even less likely to report.

“They become an even greater target for perpetrators because they know those odds,” Staple said. “They’re playing the odds just like they’re playing a slot machine.”

Perez is charged with five counts of sexual assault with a deadly weapon and kidnapping with a deadly weapon, court records show. He remained in the Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday with a $100,000 bail, and a preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 6.

Meyers on Wednesday urged anyone who had been a victim of sexual assault to come forward, and said that detectives follow the victim’s lead while investigating.

“Sex crimes is different than any other crime we investigate in the LVMPD,” he said. “The victim controls the tempo of that investigation.”

Other assaults

Police have identified more than one victim in the other three cases highlighted Wednesday, according to arrest reports.

The first investigation began in November 2018, when a woman reported she was strangled and sexually assaulted at a central Las Vegas home near C Street and Monroe Avenue. A DNA sample led police to Reed, who was arrested April 6, according to his arrest report.

Police identified two other victims, who were assaulted in the same area, the report said.

Reed has been indicted in District Court on two counts of sexual assault of a person 60 or older, battery with intent to commit sexual assault, battery by strangulation to commit sexual assault, and kidnapping of a victim 60 or older, court records show. A jury trial in the case is scheduled for Jan. 11.

From January to March, three woman reported they had been assaulted by Nickson in areas surrounding a Siegel Suites near Tropicana Avenue and Valley View Boulevard, where Nickson lived, according to his arrest report.

Two of the women said Nickson assaulted them at knifepoint or gunpoint, and a sex worker told police Nickson threatened to shoot her, the report said. Nickson was arrested March 31.

He is been charged with 15 different counts, including sexual assault, battery to commit sexual assault against a victim 16 or older, kidnapping, burglary and robbery, court records show. He remained in jail on Wednesday with a $50,000 bail, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7.

Moreno was arrested in a series of assaults and kidnappings that happened Oct. 11, according to his arrest report.

That morning, a sex worker reported Moreno assaulted her at gunpoint near Desert Inn Road and Eastern Avenue, the report said. At 4:40 a.m., a different woman reported Moreno had offered her a ride home from the Sahara Las Vegas, then raped her at gunpoint.

Another woman told police that at about 7 a.m., Moreno pointed a gun at her from a four-door sedan and told her to “get in the car” near Tropicana Avenue and McLeod Drive. He drove away when she screamed for help.

Less than two hours later, a man at the same intersection reported seeing Moreno holding a handgun against a “young female,” the report said. Police found the car and arrested Moreno, but the victim reported by the man was not found.

Moreno has been charged with 26 felonies and a gross misdemeanor, court records show. His charges include sexual assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping with a deadly weapon, attempted kidnapping of a minor and battery to commit sexual assault on a victim 16 or older.

He remained in custody on Wednesday and was ordered last week to undergo a competency evaluation, court records show.

After Wednesday’s news conference, Metro announced another suspect, Darrell Wallace, 23, was arrested Friday on charges of sexual assault and robbery. In a statement, police said that Wallace was involved in at least two robberies and an assault on the Strip and that they are seeking additional victims.

Anyone with information about the sexual assault cases or who may have been a victim can contact Metro’s sexual assault section at 702-828-3421. Anonymous tips can be left with Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.