Bail set for man accused of tying up tots to watch sports

By Torey Van Oot

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 | 10:58 a.m.

Bail has been set at $400,000 in the case of a man who police say left his girlfriend’s two toddlers bound and gagged in a southwest valley garage for more than two hours last week so he could watch a basketball game with friends.

Jonathan Weaver, 20, is charged with two counts each of child abuse and endangerment, kidnapping and attempted murder after police entered an apartment complex garage in the 10000 block of South Spencer Street at about 8:15 p.m. June 9 and found the 1- and 2-year-old children tied up in their car seats, Metro Police said.

“These charges are significant in terms of scope and the conduct which is alleged … it's something hard to imagine if proven to be true,” Justice of the Peace Thomas Sheets said in a status hearing Tuesday morning.

Weaver reportedly told police he didn’t think leaving the children in the garage was a big deal because they have had “camp outs” there in the past. He told authorities he tied the children up so they couldn’t injure themselves on nearby tools. His girlfriend, Amy Beltran, told police she often asks Weaver to watch her toddlers while she attends night school and has no concerns about his parenting skills, according to a police report.

Deputy Public Defender Amy Johnson, who represented Weaver today, asked for standard bail and for Weaver to be released under intense supervision to his parents, who attended today’s hearing. She said Weaver, who lives with his mother, is a lifelong Las Vegas resident with strong ties to the community, is in a stable household and “not so much as a traffic ticket” on his record.

She characterized Weaver’s actions as a “terrible mistake,” but argued that the charges of kidnapping and attempted murder were too severe because he didn’t intend to keep the toddlers from their mother, who knew the children were in his care, or cause them harm.

But Chief Deputy District Attorney Craig Hendricks said the steps Weaver took, such as taking the car seats out of the car and binding the children with twine so tightly red marks remained hours after they were found, signaled cause for concern.

“It’s a miracle that these children did not die, did not suffocate. It’s not just a simple case that he neglected them and left them alone,” Hendricks said. “I’ve got concerns for (the children). The mother may not, but the state and I have concern.”