Hit-and-run suspect arrested at hotel

Jace Radke

Thursday, April 26, 2001 | 11:01 a.m.

A hit-and-run suspect who refused to surrender to police was in the Clark County jail this morning after he was found in bed with his girlfriend Wednesday night in a luxury hotel.

Nevada Highway Patrol troopers and Metro Police gang detectives tracked 35-year-old Mitchell Dettloff to the Rio after getting a fax that stated Dettloff was known to frequent the hotel, Highway Patrol Lt. Chris Perry said.

"We got a lot of help from the community with tips about where he might be," Perry said. "We got a tip about the Rio, and found that there was a room registered under his girlfriend's name."

Authorities obtained a search warrant and arrested Dettloff about 8 p.m. Wednesday on three charges of involuntary manslaughter and four counts each of leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.

Three Las Vegas residents, including an 8-year-old boy, were killed in the accident on U.S. 95 near Craig Road Sunday. "They checked in on Monday, and they were just upping it one day at a time," Perry said. "For the most part he was cooperative, once we took him into custody."

Dettloff was held out of the general population because of the notoriety his case has received, jail officials said. Dettloff will be held without bond until he sees a judge. A bail hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Dettloff's attorney, Mace Yampolsky, told authorities that his client would appear in Justice Court on Friday, but police continued to search for Dettloff after a warrant was issued for his arrest, saying that they weren't going to wait for him to show up in court.

"He's a fugitive and he was a flight risk. We weren't going to wait and see if he decided to show up for court," Trooper Alan Davidson, a Highway Patrol spokesman, said. "If he is going to leave the scene of an accident, he could leave the area."

Yampolsky said his client understands the severity of the charges but says there has been misinformation from witnesses.

Troopers went to Dettloff's house in the 5900 block of Oakton Street, near Ann Road and Jones Boulevard, Monday night with a search warrant and found a black Lincoln with damage on the front of the driver's side.

Dettloff talked to authorities via cell phone Monday night but said he wouldn't turn himself in and wanted to negotiate, Davidson said.

The accident occurred about 6:30 p.m. on U.S. 95 north of Craig Road near Santa Fe Station. Witnesses told NHP investigators that a black car lost control as it headed south, and hit a pickup also headed southbound. The collision forced the pickup, driven by James Barton, across the center median into northbound lanes, where it struck another pickup head-on, Davidson said.

Barton remains in serious condition at University Medical Center this morning. His wife, 33-year-old Holly Barton, and his 8-year-old son, Benjamin Barton, died in the accident. The driver of the second pickup, 30-year-old Brian Lee Cooper, also died in the accident.

Sun reporter Keith Paul

contributed to this report.