Las Vegas pastor accused of sex with minors makes first court appearance

By Dave Toplikar (contact)

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012 | 12:44 p.m.

Otis Holland

After having fled from Henderson eight months ago, Otis Holland was back Tuesday to face multiple felony sexual assault charges for allegedly having sex with underage girls.

The former Las Vegas pastor was recently extradited from Mexico with help from a tip generated by the TV show "America’s Most Wanted."

Holland, 55, stood silently as Justice of the Peace David Gibson set his preliminary hearing for March 21.

Deputy Public Defender Harmony Letizia said she planned to ask for bail but would do that at a later hearing that will be put on the court calendar later.

Since his return to Henderson, Holland has a different look from his original jail booking photo — he now has a shaved head and no longer has a beard.

Holland, who was a pastor at the United Faith Church, fled from the Henderson area in June after police issued an arrest warrant on 11 counts of sexual assault of a victim under 16, one count of child abuse and conspiracy to commit a crime, police said.

After Holland was featured on a recent "America's Most Wanted" show, the U.S. Marshals Service received a tip from a viewer.

The Marshals worked with the Mexican National Police to arrest Holland on Jan. 25 in Tijuana.

He was deported from Mexico and held in the San Diego Central Jail before being extradited to Henderson.

Holland was initially arrested in December 2010 on three counts of sexual assault of a victim under the age of 16. In January 2011, he was arrested again on a felony count of lewdness with a minor under 14 years old, stemming from a different girl’s allegations, police said.