Bail raised in Strip pedestrian injuries

Kim Smith

Friday, May 5, 2000 | 3:16 a.m.

A Las Vegas woman accused of driving into four pedestrians on the Strip while allegedly being under the influence of drugs is back in jail with a higher bail amount.

Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo increased Juanita Kim McDonald's bail from $40,000 to $100,000 after learning the man who put up her original bail no longer wanted to be responsible for her.

Deputy District Attorney Bruce Nelson asked Abbatangelo this morning to increase McDonald's bail to $1.5 million, arguing that Department of Motor Vehicles records show the state made attempts to suspend McDonald's license more than 20 times for failing to appear in court and for driving without insurance. Nelson also told Abbatangelo that the man who bailed McDonald out of the Clark County Detention Center no longer wanted the responsibility of making sure she showed up for court because she left his home for three days, and he couldn't locate her.

Deputy Public Defender Violet Radosta, who took over the case after John Moran Jr. withdrew Thursday, argued that McDonald left her friend's home because he placed unreasonable conditions on her.

However, rather than running, McDonald tried to re-finance her bond, Radosta said. McDonald also continued working.

Radosta said McDonald's friend wanted her to quit her job, stop seeing her friends and live with him.

Prosecutors have said McDonald is an exotic dancer.

As for the failures to appear in court, Radosta said she has no way of verifying if the DMV records are accurate because they don't indicate dates or which judges reportedly issued the arrest warrants.

Abbatangelo said he doubted McDonald failed to appear more than 20 times, but noted that one of the pedestrians she hit is still in a coma with an uncertain future.