Reward offered in attack on Las Vegas woman

Keith Paul

Friday, Nov. 17, 2000 | 10:39 a.m.

Everyone in the neighborhood knows Essie Oten. A woman who lives by the neighborhood bus stop even left her porch light on so Oten would have some light while waiting for her morning bus ride to work.

It was while the 57-year-old grandmother was sitting on the bench at D Street and Paul Avenue about 5:50 a.m. on Oct. 10 that a man pulled gun on her and demanded money. Oten gave him the meager amount of cash she had in her purse, but the robber then pulled her behind a house.

The gunman tried to sexually assault her and then, failing that, shot her in the face, leaving her in a coma with little chance of recovery. No suspect has been arrested for the assault.

The Black Tavern Owners Association and the Sheriff's African-American Advisory Council want to change that and offered a $2,500 reward Thursday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Oten's attacker. Secret Witness is also offering a $1,000 reward in the case.

"She is someone's grandmother, someone's mother, someone's aunt. Let's all step up and resolve this crime," said Mujahid Ramadan, chairman of the advisory council. "We've got to let everyone know that we are going to be watching."

Metro Sheriff Jerry Keller stood with the community leaders urging anyone with information about the case to come forward.

The gunman rode a bicycle up to the bus stop where he found Oten. He then got back on the black mountain bike and rode away after the attack. Oten was able to go back to her house less than a block away and call for help.

"She gave us a description as best as she could, and then slipped into a coma and has been on life support," said Detective Sheila Hartung of Metro's sex crime unit. "She's sat on that bench everyday for 15 years to go to work."

Maybe it was the randomness or the viciousness of the attack or because so many people thought highly of Oten, but calls expressing outrage and concern soon started coming in to community leaders.

"My mother lives down the street (from the attack) and at least four people called her and said 'What is your son going to do about this?' " Ramadan said. "We are trying to bring the community together to solve this crime and then that would just be the starting point."

Business owners donated money for the reward and promise more money will follow for rewards when crime occurs.

"Things like this are killing this community," said Louis Conner, chairman of the Black Tavern Owners Association. "We can't just sit back and let things like this take place."

The suspect is described as a man about 5 feet 8 inches tall weighing about 150 pounds with braids in his hair. He was seen on Oct. 10 wearing a yellow striped shirt and khaki-colored pants.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's sex assault unit at 229-3421 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.