Court briefs for June 1, 2001

Friday, June 1, 2001 | 10:58 a.m.

Sexual assault case to be retried

A mistrial was declared Thursday in the trial of a Las Vegas man accused of sexually assaulting a mentally disabled woman and hiring a hitman to kill her.

Defense attorney Robert Draskovich said he asked for a mistrial after the jurors heard potentially damaging information about his client -- information which he argued should have been discussed prior to trial.

The alleged victim's mother testified that marijuana was found in John Bowyer's home, and the jurors learned from prosecutors that Bowyer's brother was going to refuse to testify from the stand, Draskovich said.

Bowyer faces three counts of sexual assault, one count of solicitation to commit murder and one count of kidnapping in connection with a December 2000 incident involving a 20-year-old woman who has the mental capacity of an 11-year-old.

If convicted, Bowyer could face multiple life terms.

District Judge Sally Loehrer scheduled Bowyer's new trial for Monday.

Suspect's attorney, fiancee under cloud

A grand jury is expected to decide Tuesday if charges should be brought against the fiancee and the attorney of a man accused of killing three people in a car accident.

Mitchell Dettloff, 36, was indicted last month in connection with an April 22 accident that critically injured James Barton, 32, and took the lives of Benjamin Barton, 8, Holly Barton, 33, and Brian Cooper, 30.

During the grand jury proceeding, jurors asked if obstruction of justice charges could be filed against Dettloff's fiancee, Elizabeth Baclaan, and attorney Mace Yampolsky.

The grand jurors suspected that Baclaan and Yampolsky hid Dettloff from the authorities for a few days after the accident.

Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell said he met with six of his attorneys Thursday to discuss the case and the research that has been conducted since the indictment.

At the end of the meeting, Bell said certain conclusions were reached and those will be provided to grand jury members on Tuesday so they can render any decisions.

Bell declined to comment further.

Yampolsky initially told police that Dettloff would appear at a bail hearing April 27, but that offer came only after police attempted to contact Dettloff at his Las Vegas home. Police arrested him two days before the date offered by Yampolsky after receiving an anonymous tip revealing his whereabouts.