CAT driver faces sex charges

Kim Smith

Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2001 | 9:40 a.m.

A Citizens Area Transit bus driver could face trial on charges of sexual assault of a female passenger with the mental faculties of a 3-year-old.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Douglas Smith is expected to decide Dec. 27 whether Antonio Gomez, 25, should go to trial on a single sexual assault charge in connection with the Oct. 16 incident.

According to court records, the 24-year-old victim was sexually assaulted in the bus while it was parked at a Sky Pointe Drive convenience store near North Rancho Drive and Centennial Parkway.

Gomez picked the woman up at Opportunity Village, where she assembles headsets, and dropped her and two other women off at the group home where they reside.

According to police records, when Gomez dropped the woman off he was upset, asked for cleaning supplies and left after cleaning a mess in the bus.

Group home employees became suspicious and took the woman to the hospital for an examination. An exam revealed evidence of a sexual assault, according to court records.

Police learned from speaking with people at Opportunity Village that the woman appeared fine when she boarded the bus.

According to police records, Gomez admitted touching the woman, but said she encouraged him to do so.

Gomez has been placed on unpaid, administrative leave for an indefinite period, said Valerie Michael, a public information officer for ATC Las Vegas, the company that operates the buses. She declined further comment on the incident.