Ex-UNLV player’s cases combined

By Matt Pordum

Thursday, July 15, 2004 | 9:37 a.m.

A former University of Nevada, Las Vegas basketball player accused of having had sex with female students while serving as a substitute teacher at Grant Sawyer Middle School will have one trial for the separate cases.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle on Wednesday agreed to combine the two cases, and she scheduled the preliminary hearing for 29-year-old Cornelius Ausborne for Aug. 18 before Justice of the Peace Douglas Smith.

Deputy District Attorney Lisa Luzaich Rego said two separate cases existed because two different investigative bodies handled each case.

Luzaich Rego said Metro Police investigated the case in which Ausborne admitted to having sex with a 13-year-old at her home. She said the Clark County School District Police investigated the case in which Ausborne admitted to fondling a 14-year-old girl in his classroom.

Ausborne had been a substitute teacher at the middle school for two months. Authorities say they began their investigation earlier this month after hearing reports a teacher was having sex with students. Ausborne was fired after school administrators were informed of the charges.

Luzaich Rego said Ausborne first denied doing anything wrong in either case, but over the course of two more statements admitted to all the charges against him.

While Ausborne's attorney, Stephen Stein, wouldn't comment on the case, he did say the decision to consolidate the two cases made sense for not just his client, but for the state of Nevada and the criminal justice system.

Ausborne is currently living with his mother in Dallas, Texas, while out on bail.