Stalker in fair condition after attack in prison

Kim Smith

Friday, March 10, 2000 | 10:27 a.m.

A Las Vegas man convicted five years ago in a stalking case and who was due to be released from prison Thursday is in fair condition at University Medical Center after being attacked.

Stephen Szczepanik was found unconscious in a general population area of the Southern Desert Correctional Center in Indian Springs Tuesday afternoon, said Glen Whorton, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Prisons.

Szczepanik was flown to UMC suffering from head wounds and is improving, Whorton said Thursday.

Inmates were placed on lockdown status immediately after the incident, Whorton said.

"We don't have a motive, but we do have people we're looking at," Whorton said.

In 1994, Szczepanik, 36, was charged with attempted murder of Hans Aareskjold, his former wife's boyfriend. District Judge Sally Loehrer allowed him to plead guilty to the charge of firing a weapon from a car as part of a plea agreement.

The plea bargain called for Szczepanik to be placed on probation with the understanding that if he moved to Florida, completed counseling classes and didn't harass his former wife, the charge would be dismissed.

Szczepanik, however, continued to bother his ex-wife and even managed to submit a change of address form in Aareskjold's name, causing his mail to be forwarded to Houston.

In December 1995, Loehrer sentenced Szczepanik to two years in prison for stalking and six years in prison on the firearms charge.

Szczepanik's release from prison Thursday would not have ended the story, however.

Deputy District Attorney Conrad Claus said Szczepanik is scheduled to go on trial May 1 on charges of aggravated stalking and solicitation of murder -- charges stemming from incidents that occurred while Szczepanik was incarcerated and involving the same victims.

Claus said he doesn't believe there is a link between the pending case and the assault.

"I believe what we have here is an unhappy coincidence," Claus said.

Whorton said that when Szczepanik recovers from his injuries he will be booked into the Clark County Detention Center.

Szczepanik is represented by Las Vegas attorney William "Lew" Wolfbrandt.