Ex-aide to Goodman indicted on arson, assault charges

Erica D. Johnson

Thursday, April 24, 2003 | 9:43 a.m.

William Cassidy, a former aide to Mayor Oscar Goodman, was indicted Wednesday on arson and sexual assault charges in connection with the rape of his estranged wife and fire at her massage studio.

The indictment, unsealed before District Judge Gene Porter, charges Cassidy with nine felony counts, including first-degree arson, sexual assault, stalking and battery constituting domestic violence charges.

Cassidy, 53, is being held at the Clark County Detention Center with bail set at $500,000. He will be arraigned April 30 before District Judge Lee Gates.

Cassidy's attorney, Marty Keach, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Deputy District Attorney Conrad Claus had argued for the high bail, saying Cassidy, a former private investigator with contacts overseas, is a flight risk.

Claus said a suicidal Cassidy had also made more than 50 threatening phone calls to the woman while in custody in an effort to prevent her from testifying against him.

"We may have an injury or death to the victim if he gets out," he said.

Prosecutors claim Cassidy beat and sexually assaulted the woman on Feb. 19 and two days later set fire to her business in the 2100 block of South Decatur Boulevard.

Police claim the blaze began when Cassidy set fire to the woman's personal property out of spite. The items had been "piled and arranged on the floor in the middle of the studio and maliciously burned," according to court records.

The blaze gutted one room of the building and caused $100,000 worth of smoke and heat damage, fire officials said.

The incident wasn't Cassidy's first run-in with the law, according to the indictment.

Cassidy was convicted of battery constituting domestic violence in December 2001 and again in February 2003, for which he was fined and given probation.

He was also investigated by the Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board on allegations of working without a license while serving as a defense investigator in the Ted Binion murder case.

Cassidy had taken a leave of absence from his city job to assist the defense.

Cassidy's history of domestic abuse shows a progression of violent behavior, which is common in abuse cases, Claus said.

"They commonly start with lower levels of violence and that leads to the destruction of property," he said.