Severity of crime an issue in attack at welfare office

Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004 | 9:43 a.m.

The lawyer defending a man accused of attacking workers at the Clark County Social Services center in Henderson with a knife, told a jury her client did go on the rampage but should not be charged with attempted murder.

Michael Tracy McLaughlin, 38, whose past convictions are mostly for grand theft auto and burglary, is charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and battery for the Dec. 10, 2003 attack.

"The major facts (of the case) are not going to be in dispute," Deputy Public Defender Kristen Lynch said. "This is not a big mystery, or a whodunit with a big secret to see who did it. There won't be any big Perry Mason moments for the attorneys. The question here is what exactly is he (McLaughlin) guilty of? Attempted murder or something different?"

Lynch asked the jury to put their emotions aside and "determine what specific crimes happened" when McLaughlin entered the social services center.

Deputy District Attorney Pam Weckerly laid out the timeline of events that ultimately left a receptionist with multiple stab wounds, a social worker supervisor with multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma and a security guard with blunt trauma.

Weckerly said McLaughlin came to the center after being notified he left his car keys there a few days earlier. Upon arriving he asked to see his social worker, Shean Abrams, and asked the agency to provide him with money to pay his rent, even though days earlier Abrams had told McLaughlin he didn't qualify for rent assistance.

Weckerly said because McLaughlin didn't have an appointment he was asked to wait, and shortly afterwards he and other walk-ins were told the office was being closed for lunch and they could either make an appointment or come back later.

McLaughlin approached the receptionist, Kathy Atkinson, 56, told her he needed to use the bathroom and she went to check on the status of a client who was having medical issues, Weckerly said.

"She comes back and McLaughlin has a knife," Weckerly said. "He starts stabbing her in the side and she drops to the floor in the fetal position. He then started to punch and kick her."

Weckerly said if it wasn't for security guard Steve Glenn, Atkinson's injuries could have been much worse. She said Glenn, who was eating lunch, saw the attack and ran over to "knock McLaughlin off of her (Atkinson)."

While Glenn, 32, was wrestling with McLaughlin on the floor, social worker Susan Rhodes, 55, saw the melee and pulled out her cell phone to call 911, Weckerly said. McLaughlin, however, stabbed Glenn and broke free and stabbed Rhodes.

Weckerly said Glenn was able to grab McLaughlin again and held him until Henderson Police arrived on the scene after several others at the center called 911. When police arrived, they arrested McLaughlin and cleared out the building.

Glenn was later honored by the Clark County Commission and Henderson Police for his bravery, but was partially disabled.

Atkinson, Rhodes and Glenn all suffered knife wounds, and were taken to University Medical Center's trauma unit. McLaughlin had injuries to his hands, apparently from the knives, and was treated at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, police said.

"This was a chaotic, frightening experience for all the people there, where their purpose is to help people," Weckerly said. "This was all done because the defendant (McLaughlin) was upset with the amount of benefits he was receiving."

Lynch told the jury McLaughlin was "living on the edge" at the time of the incident. She said he was working, but not making a lot of money, although he was making just enough to be ineligible for rental assistance.

Lynch acknowledged McLaughlin was told days earlier by Abrams that he qualified for medical assistance, but not rental assistance, but "circumstances change and he wanted to speak with his social worker" when he came for his keys.

"You (the jury) may not even understand why this happened," Lynch said. "It could have happened because of frustration, being angry with the system, desperation. Your (the jury's) job is not to figure out why, but to ask what happened."

McLaughlin, who was living with a family member at the time of the incident, has a lengthy criminal history. His arrests were made for charges including possession of drugs, possession of a weapon, burglary, car theft, driving under the influence and resisting arrest, but most of the alleged offenses were either dropped or reduced to lesser offenses, according to court records. He was sentenced in 1999 to two to five years in prison for possession of a stolen vehicle, but records don't show how long he actually served.