Hearing postponed for former athletic director

Emily Richmond and Matt Pordum

Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004 | 11:21 a.m.

Former Clark County School District athletic director Larry McKay was still wanted on felony theft charges this morning after a hearing to quash a warrant for his arrest was postponed.

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

Osvaldo Fumo, a Las Vegas defense attorney, appeared in Las Vegas Justice Court on McKay's behalf this morning but said he was not the attorney of record in the matter. At Fumo's request, acting Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Gerry Zobrist set the new hearing date for Aug. 19.

McKay's whereabouts were not disclosed.

School Police Chief Elliot Phelps said Wednesday he was surprised that 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 also 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."

Metro Police and the Nevada Division of Investigations provided assistance to School District Police on the case, Phelps said.

A criminal complaint prepared by School District 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 district 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 an earlier interview with the Sun, McKay stated he had done nothing wrong.