$4 mil. bail for suspect in fatal car crash

Kim Smith

Friday, May 19, 2000 | 11:02 a.m.

A 24-year-old Las Vegas man accused of causing a wreck that killed four people last week will remain in the Clark County Detention Center on $4 million bail.

Justice of the Peace Jennifer Togliatti set Michael Pickett's bond after learning from Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker that Pickett has failed to appear in court on past charges at least 10 times.

Booker told Togliatti that shortly after the accident Pickett had a blood alcohol content of 0.22 and traces of marijuana in his blood.

Pickett appeared to be fighting back tears throughout this morning's hearing.

Pickett will likely face four counts of driving under the influence of a controlled or prohibited substance, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, four counts of reckless driving and four counts of leaving the scene of the accident, Booker said.

According to police, Pickett rear-ended a car occupied by Mary Lynn Sargent, 46, James Burton Hendren, 59, and Michelle Jamieson, 22, May 10 while they were stopped at a red light at Main Street and Washington Avenue.

Hendren and Sargent died at the scene and Jamieson, who was eight months pregnant, died several hours after undergoing an emergency Caesarean section. The baby, Julius, died Tuesday.

Booker asked for the $4 million bail, saying that Pickett is a "menace to society" as evidenced by the accident.

On the day after the wreck, Pickett was supposed to appear in North Las Vegas Justice Court on a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a drunken fight Pickett got into at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Booker said.

According to court documents, many of Pickett's failure-to-appear citations stem from traffic violations, such as not having proof of insurance or driving an unregistered vehicle.

Deputy Public Defender Shane Emerick told Togliatti that Pickett, a husband and father of two small children, can't afford any amount of bail.

Booker said he intends to present the case against Pickett to the grand jury next Thursday.