Officer charged with child abuse

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1997 | 4:22 a.m.

Officer Steven Larrabee, who works as a patrol officer in the Northwest Area Command, also faces an internal investigation, said Sgt. William Minor, a Metro spokesman. Larrabee, 33, was on paid administrative leave pending the investigation, Minor said.

Neighbors called police Saturday morning after hearing a child screaming inside Larrabee's apartment, a source told the Las Vegas Sun.

When officers arrived, they found "a child who complained of injuries that were (allegedly) caused by the biological father (Larrabee)," Minor said.

Larrabee has three children ages 7, 10 and 11, with his estranged wife, 32-year-old Tammy Larrabee, according to the police report. The children live with the mother, police said. Larrabee had separated from his wife several months ago.

The child's injuries weren't released because of the ongoing investigation, Minor said.

Officers then went to the mother's apartment to pick up clothing for the children and found only box springs for them to sleep on, clothing strewn on the floors, no running water, cockroaches, maggots and allegedly "filthy conditions," according to the police report.

The kids had lice, the report said, and the mother had dyed their hair in an attempt to rid them of the lice. The mother, who was home at the time, was arrested for child neglect because of the condition of the home, police said.

Tammy Larrabee and Steve Larrabee were booked into the Clark County Detention Center and released Saturday on their own recognizance, a jail spokeswoman said.

Their children, whose names were not released, were taken into protective custody.