Former deputy DA to face one drug charge

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A felony cocaine possession charge was to be filed today against former Clark County Deputy District Attorney Steven Hill, who allegedly had drugs and a prostitute in his car when stopped by Metro Police in mid-October.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said there is sufficient evidence to support the prosecution and that any citizen, caught under similar circumstances, would face comparable charges.

Hill has since resigned from the district attorney's office. If convicted, he faces a prison term of up to four years.

The case was given to the state attorney general's office to avoid a possible conflict of interest if the Clark County district attorney's office handled the manner.

The case raised immediate questions after Hill was not arrested when he told officers he was with the district attorney's office.

Metro Officer Sara Yohnka saw a known prostitute talking to a man in a white Corvette at 14th and Fremont Streets. Yohnka followed the vehicle to 15th Street and Stewart Avenue, where she stopped the driver at 1:54 a.m. on Oct. 16.

Rock cocaine was allegedly found in an ashtray in the Corvette. Yohnka called her supervisor, who then called Hill's supervisor. Hill was not arrested or cited at the time.

The unidentified prostitute, who gave police a written statement, was not cited either.

Deputy Attorney General Victor Schulze, who is prosecuting the case, said about one gram of cocaine was found in the car by a drug-sniffing dog.

Hill, Schulze said, voluntarily entered a drug rehabilitation program, where he has been for the last four weeks.

"He realized he had a problem and he's taking care of it," Schulze said. "He's dealing with it in the right way."

Schulze said this wasn't a "Hugh Grant" type of thing, referring to the arrest of the actor in Hollywood with a prostitute during a sexual act. "They (Hill and the prostitute) were not doing anything," he said, explaining why no charges would be filed in regard to the prostitute.

The deputy district attorney said he "can't fault" the police for not making the arrest. Hill was released to the custody of his supervisor.

"This guy was always findable because of his job," Schulze said. "There is nowhere that the guy could go that he couldn't be found."

After the charge is filed, a date will be set for Hill's first appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court.