Gaule lands in jail over city complaint

Bill Gang

Friday, Jan. 22, 1999 | 11:26 a.m.

The Las Vegas homeowner indicted on charges he illegally gunned down an intruder at his home after pursuing him 500 feet down a street was thrown into jail today, although it wasn't on the voluntary manslaughter count.

Thomas Gaule had not taken care of misdemeanor charges in Las Vegas Municipal Court of failing to remove refuse from his yard and had missed court appearances. Five warrants had been issued and when he was in court today on the felony charge, city marshals took him into custody.

Gaule is free on his own recognizance on the manslaughter charge.

His arraignment on the felony charge was postponed until Jan. 27 after the Clark County public defender's office was allowed to withdraw from the case because it had represented one of the men Gaule had shot to death.

Private attorney Peter Christiansen Jr. was appointed by District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski to handle the defense.

Gaule, 35, was indicted only in the shooting of the man he had chased down a street and not the other intruder at his house. A Clark County grand jury found no criminal wrongdoing in that act because it occurred at the home.

The voluntary manslaughter indictment was handed down Dec. 11 after the grand jury heard two days of testimony in its quest to determine whether the shootings of Jason Lamb, 26, and Rick Tripp were justified or illegal retaliation.

The shootings occurred after Gaule said he arrived home on the morning of Oct. 25 to find the two men in the home at 400 Lakehurst Road near Alta and Buffalo drives.

Gaule told police he was beaten and disabled with an electronic stun gun but finally broke away from his attackers, grabbed a gun from his house and opened fire, hitting both men.

Lamb's body was found on the driveway of the home. Tripp died of multiple shotgun wounds at the corner of Lakehurst and Pinedale Avenue about 100 feet from Helen Marie Smith Elementary School and 500 feet from Gaule's home, police said.

Tripp is said to have been owed money by Gaul.