Case against county worker dropped

Erica D. Johnson

Monday, Oct. 21, 2002 | 9:07 a.m.

Charges were dismissed in the case of a Clark County employee charged with stealing electronics equipment from Metro Police.

The district attorney dropped all charges last month against Frank Cressey, 24, after Cressey passed a polygraph test. Cressey was charged with two counts of grand larceny and one count of conspiracy to commit larceny.

Carmine Kopecky, 18, and Kyle Kuhn, 19, were also arrested and charged with felony grand larceny. Their next court date is scheduled Feb. 12.

"I feel good about having the charges dismissed," Cressey said. "But I'm not too happy about all I had to go through to get them dismissed. I thought that was a little unfair."

Chief Deputy District Attorney Ravi Bawa said he spoke to a witness who said it appeared Cressey didn't want to take the equipment.

When police asked Cressey where the equipment was, Bawa said, Cressey was the only one who told the truth.

"I called the public defender and I said it looks like we might have an innocent guy here," Bawa said. "We're not in the business of convicting innocent people."

Police said Cressey, Kopecky and Kuhn, part-time Parks and Recreation Department workers, stole hand-held radios and laptop computers from a helipad at Metro's communications department on West Russell Road.

The equipment was valued at more than $11,000.