Law proposed to punish those who stand by during crimes

Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998 | 10:52 a.m.

In a spinoff from the Strohmeyer case, Assembly Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, is proposing a law to punish those who stand by during crimes instead of trying to stop them.

Strohmeyer's friend, David Cash, 19, saw the beginning of the alleged attack in a women's restroom but walked away without alerting anybody. Later, when Strohmeyer told Cash what happened, he didn't go to the police. He eventually told a grand jury about his conversation with Strohmeyer.

Under Nevada law, Cash cannot be charged with any crime. But Perkins, commander of the investigations division in the Henderson Police Department, said he wants to close that loophole.

"It's one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard," Perkins said. "This young man could have easily gotten a security guard or another adult and prevented this whole thing from happening or saved hundreds of man-hours that were spent tracking Strohmeyer down if he had just come forward. Cash is as responsible for her death as Strohmeyer."

The victim's mother, Yolando Manuel, is spearheading a drive that has collected more than 20,000 signatures on petitions in Southern California demanding that the Clark County district attorney's office prosecute Cash.

But there's no law in Nevada requiring a person standing by to intervene in a crime.

Residents in California say they are lobbying Nevada lawmakers to enact "Sherrice's Law," which would make it a crime for an adult not to report a sexual assault on a child. Massachusetts and Minnesota have laws that make such inaction a misdemeanor.

Perkins said details of the proposed law need to be worked out.

"Obviously if someone's life is threatened, you can't expect them to come forward. But in a case such as Cash's, the new law would make it pretty clear. If a child is involved and you know something, you'd better come forward."

Perkins continued, "I think people are outraged that someone could know about such a heinous act and not report it. In the future we need to make sure they don't have a choice. If they don't report it, then they're going to be punished."