Warrant issued for man charged in pedestrian death on Las Vegas Blvd.

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009 | 12:33 p.m.

Angelo Hurst

Stopping Traffic

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Police officers stop traffic while dozens of friends and family members of Verlaine Powless cross Las Vegas Boulevard South at the intersection of Wigwam Avenue on Saturday. The group is seeking action from county officials regarding conditions of the crosswalk.

Intersection

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a Michigan man charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of a pedestrian on Las Vegas Boulevard at Wigwam Avenue — an accident that led to outcries for safety improvements at the intersection.

The Las Vegas Township Justice Court issued a bench warrant for 39-year-old Angelo Hurst after Hurst failed to appear at his arraignment on Jan. 15. He's accused in the death of 19-year-old Verlaine Powless, a pedestrian who was hit by a car on July 25, 2008, at the intersection.

Court records show that Hurst has yet to appear in court for the case and he has not named an attorney to represent him. He has not yet publicly responded to the allegations against him.

Hurst likely will only be arrested on the warrant if he is stopped by police in Nevada, said Clark County District Attorney David Roger.

"Our policy is that we do not extradite on misdemeanors," Roger said. "If he's arrested somewhere in Nevada, we'll go get him. But we don't extradite from out of state."

Chris Torres, 21, who dated Powless, was at Hurst's scheduled arraignment along with Powless's mother, Peggy Tejido.

"It's all very disappointing," Torres said. "Why is he out there in the streets doing whatever he wants after what he did? There's no sense of closure."

Powless was crossing Las Vegas Boulevard at about 9 p.m. when she was struck by a 2007 Chevy Tahoe, which prosecutors say was driven by Hurst.

The intersection had pavement markings, signs and flashing lights, but no stop signs or traffic lights.

Hurst was arrested by Metro Police and charged with vehicular manslaughter, but has been out of custody since July 26 on $10,000 bond. He resides in Detroit, according to police records.

Prosecutors said in their complaint that Hurst failed to pay full attention to driving and was not driving in a careful and prudent manner at the time of the incident.

Powless's death sparked a protest on Aug. 30 where demonstrators demanded the installation of a stop sign or traffic signal at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Wigwam Avenue. The protest blocked traffic at the intersection for a mile in each direction.

Jeff O’Brien can be reached at 990-8957 or jeff.obrien@hbcpub.com.

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By jpcortez

Feb. 18, 2009

3:08 p.m.

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When did manslaughter become a misdemeanor? We live in this city and state. It is Roger's job to protect the citizens of this state. You know where he is, Detroit. Make him answer to this young woman's death.
By RPJ

Feb. 18, 2009

11:17 p.m.

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Vehicular Manslaughter IS and SHOULD BE a misdemeanor. It's an accident, not premeditation. Accidental deaths cannot be treated equally to intended ones.
By netlivinginc

Feb. 19, 2009

12:42 a.m.

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It's very likely that anyone could commit this type of crime on the strip. These tourists just don't know how to obey traffic signals.
By sbob2u

Feb. 20, 2009

6:38 a.m.

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I have noticed that that spot with its faded white lines and mysterious blinking light takes some time to even understand that it is a predistrian crossing at all. In fact, the traffic is heavy enought and fast enough that one might find it unbelievable that any one would even consider crossing there after dark, or was allowed to.

I certainly agree that, especially after dark, it needs a stop sign, or better yet a blinking red light to get some motorists to even understand what is expected.