A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer was arrested on Friday after the LVMPD Internal Affairs Division reportedly investigated questionable arrests apparently targeting tourists on the Las Vegas Strip.
LVMPD Sgt. Kevin Menon, 42, was booked on several counts and placed in the Clark County Detention Center.
Based on online jail records, he may have been released as of Saturday.
Initial bail was set at $27K, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS. He was scheduled to appear in local court on Saturday.
It appears Menon’s arrest is linked to a larger inquiry where officers collided into individuals who were visiting Las Vegas, KLAS reported.
That led to a struggle and the tourists then getting arrested, unnamed sources told KLAS.
Menon reportedly was put on leave in May from the LVMPD and his police powers were suspended after the allegations came to light. He’s still receiving his salary.
He’s been an LVMPD officer for 10 years. Menon was working as part of the Tourist Safety Division, Convention Center Area Command. That command patrols the Las Vegas Strip.
Charges Explained
He was arrested on several charges. One of the charges against him is a single count of battery on a protected person.
He’s also charged with a single count of oppression under color of office with force, as well as eight counts of oppression under color of office, according to Las Vegas TV station KSNV.
Often, that count is charged if authorities allege an officer unlawfully and maliciously, and under pretense or color of official authority, arrests or detains a person against the person’s will. Also, when the officer injures the person, property, or rights of another person, or commits oppression, according to online sources.
Menon was also charged with two counts of subornation of perjury, according to the report. Subornation of perjury is often charged when someone induces another person to lie under oath, according to online sources.
If convicted, Menon could face a prison sentence. He’s yet to enter a plea on the charges.
The LVMPD investigation into the allegations is continuing, according to news reports. No word if other arrests are possible. Nor is it clear how many were victimized in the scheme.
So far, authorities haven’t revealed why the officer or officers participated in the alleged activities.
Ecstatic About Being Officer
Upon getting sworn in as a police officer in 2014 after training, Menon was quoted by KLAS, “It’s taught me more than I could ever imagine.”
I feel ecstatic or electrified right now,” he added in the earlier statement. “It’s absolutely unbelievable.”
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