Man who led police on chase is missing

Jace Radke

Friday, May 9, 2003 | 9:48 a.m.

A 29-year-old man who drove through a security checkpoint at Hoover Dam last week and then led police on a 60-mile chase through Arizona is missing. David Hamer was released last week on a personal recognizance bond by U.S. Magistrate Robert Johnston and was ordered to a local halfway house, but Hamer instead left town and is now a fugitive.

Hamer was last seen in Las Vegas on Monday, and U.S. Marshals are now investigating information that he may have been spotted in Phoenix on Wednesday, officials with the Marshals' office said.

Hamer is charged with felony assault of a federal officer for allegedly driving his car at Bureau of Reclamation Police officers as he ran a roadblock at Hoover Dam on May 1.

During last week's detention hearing before Johnston, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Duncan argued that Hamer should be jailed pending his trial because of the chance he might not appear at future hearings if released. Duncan pointed to a 30-minute standoff between authorities and Hamer after the chase ended in Arizona and Hamer refused to get out of his car.

Details of that standoff were not included in the complaint filed by Bureau of Reclamation Police, which simply stated that Hamer got out of his car and was arrested, said Assistant Federal Public Defender Shari Kaufman, who argued that there was no evidence that Hamer was a danger or might flee.

At the hearing, Kaufman said that Hamer had lived in Las Vegas for more than three years and has no prior criminal record, but pre-trial service could not verify an address for Hamer.

Johnston ordered Hamer to the Clark Center halfway house downtown, and also ordered that he seek employment and remain in Clark County.

A warrant has been issued for Hamer's arrest, and he is scheduled to appear before Johnston for a preliminary hearing on May 16 if he is apprehended.

Hoover Dam Manager Gary Bryant said that Bureau of Reclamation Police and officials still didn't know much about Hamer, but said that it does not appear his motives were terroristic in nature.

"He just drove over the dam at 50 mph, but he didn't throw anything out or stop," Bryant said. "When he was stopped nothing was found in his car. We don't really know what he was doing."