Former schools athletic director expected in court

Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004 | 9:39 a.m.

Larry McKay, the former Clark County School District athletic director facing felony theft charges, was expected in Las Vegas Justice Court this morning to ask that a warrant for his arrest be quashed.

The warrant, issued Monday, charges McKay with four felony counts of theft. Each count carries a maximum of 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

A criminal complaint prepared by School Police alleges McKay improperly used nearly $100,000 of district funds for expenses related to the Holiday Prep Classic basketball tournament. McKay founded the tournament, which was sponsored by the district and held in school gyms, and he served as its director.

Between 1998 and 2001 McKay used $94,147 in funds from the athletics department budget to pay School Police officers who provided security at the annual tournament, according to the complaint.

McKay has not returned repeated calls for comment. He retired in June 2003 after 30 years with the district. In earlier interviews with the Sun, McKay stated he had done nothing wrong.

School Police Chief Elliot Phelps said Wednesday he was surprised McKay had not yet surfaced to address the charges against him.

Carrying out the arrest warrant hasn't been a "burning priority," Phelps said.

"I don't want to minimize the charges, but he's not a violent criminal or a street robber who's going to try and run," Phelps said. "He's a member of the community and, frankly, I expected him to turn himself in by now."

School Police were putting together a flier with McKay's photograph on it to distribute to local law enforcement agencies, Phelps said.

"We don't have the manpower to go out looking for him, but we want to remind people that there is a warrant," Phelps said.

School Police have been investigating McKay for nearly a year, and the job isn't done yet, Phelps said. There could be additional charges brought by the other agencies participating in the investigation, Phelps said.

"We may discover other situations that need review, there may be a higher amount of money that needs to be paid back to the district," Phelps said. "In other words, the train is still coming down the tracks."