Domestic violence sentence hits former Goodman aide

Kim Smith

Monday, Dec. 10, 2001 | 9:46 a.m.

William Cassidy, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman's former top aide, was convicted Friday on a domestic violence charge.

Justice of the Peace William Jansen placed Cassidy on seven months' probation and ordered him to attend domestic violence counseling and perform 48 hours of community service. In addition, Cassidy must pay a $315 fine, Deputy District Attorney Giancarlo Pesci said.

If Cassidy fails to fulfill any of the requirements, he could receive a 30-day jail sentence, Pesci said.

Cassidy was arrested by Metro Police June 1, and he resigned his position with Goodman's office immediately.

According to Metro, security guards at the China Town Plaza, 4215 Spring Mountain Road, heard a woman screaming for help in the parking lot. The guards followed the car the woman was in and saw her being beaten by a man while another woman drove.

When the car stopped at a red light at Decatur Boulevard and Desert Inn Road, the guards separated the two and called police.

The 34-year-old woman told police that Cassidy, her live-in boyfriend, had beaten her, and police noted that they saw bite marks, scratches and bruising on her arms, neck and face.

The driver of the car told police that Cassidy, 50, was upset with his girlfriend for going out with her friends.

The girlfriend and her friend testified Friday, but they told a different story than the one they told police, Pesci said. Cassidy's conviction likely stemmed from the testimony of the two independent witnesses, he said.

Cassidy's attorney, Lamond Mills, said Cassidy and the woman remain romantically involved.

"She was called by the state, but I think her testimony was favorable to us; she just tried to tell what happened," Mills said.