Teen gets public defender in case of deadly crash

Kim Smith

Friday, June 16, 2000 | 10:15 a.m.

A 14-year-old arrested following a high-speed crash that killed two of his friends will be represented by the Clark County public defender's office.

Family Court Judge Robert Gaston appointed the public defender's office to the case Thursday.

The teenager faces reckless driving, evading police and stolen vehicle possession charges stemming from a May 29 incident on U.S. 95. He also faces a grand larceny auto charge from an unrelated incident.

According to authorities, the teen was arrested for stealing a car on May 27 and was released from the juvenile detention center within hours.

On May 29 an officer saw two stolen Honda Civics near Smoke Ranch Road and Rainbow Boulevard. The officer followed the cars onto U.S. 95 and tried to stop them near Decatur Boulevard.

Both cars sped up, reaching speeds of around 100 mph, police said. One of the Hondas, carrying Cedric J. Tiffith Jr., 16, and Miguel A. Munoz Jr., 15, crashed into a concrete barrier near the Casino Center Boulevard exit, careened across three lanes and hit the center barrier and a light pole.

The car broke into three pieces, and the two boys were thrown from the car and killed.

A police car started to slow down after the wreck, and the other Honda, driven by the 14-year-old boy, rear-ended it.

The officer received minor injuries and the teen was initially arrested and charged with felony murder, possession of a stolen vehicle and evading police.

Prosecutors later, however, decided not to pursue the murder charge, saying there wasn't enough of a link between the fatal car crash and the teen.

As a result of that decision, the boy was transferred back into the juvenile justice system, and Chief Deputy District Attorney Frank Ponticello filed the existing charges against him.

The boy's next hearing is June 20.