Feds in Indiana will get first shot at Beith

Kim Smith

Wednesday, May 16, 2001 | 11 a.m.

Federal prosecutors in Indiana will get the first crack at a 28-year-old former school principal accused of kidnapping an 11-year-old girl and sexually assaulting her on a cross-country trip to Las Vegas.

Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell said he decided after conferring with federal prosecutors in Indiana and Las Vegas that it would be best to dismiss local charges against William A. Beith, 28.

The decision will clear the way for U.S. attorneys in Indiana to pursue charges of kidnapping and transportation of a minor across state lines for purposes of sex.

Beith had been charged with kidnapping, sexual assault and lewdness with a minor after Metro Police officers discovered him with the girl last week.

The girl had been reported missing from Gary, Ind., May 2, and police there suspected she was with Beith and had issued a warrant for his arrest.

Bell said Tuesday's decision was based on several reasons.

Should the resolution of Beith's federal case not meet his idea of justice, however, Bell said the local charges could always be reinstated.

All of the parties involved in the case are from Indiana, there are child-custody issues that need to be resolved there and at least two separate criminal investigations are ongoing in Indiana, Bell said.

The girl, who will now be spared at least three or four trips to Las Vegas, has made allegations of abuse against family members, Bell said. Those allegations are now being investigated by state authorities in Indiana.

The girl took a plane home with Indiana Child Protective Services workers Friday night after Clark County District Judge Gerald Hardcastle ruled that was in her best interest.

Her parents, who had flown in for the hearing, went home Saturday afternoon.

Bell said he anticipates dropping the charges within a day or two, and Beith will be flown back shortly thereafter.

"I'd be surprised if he were still here next week," Bell said.