Hearing set for officer Mendiola on weapons charge

originally by LA Review Journal
published: 24th February 2011

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Janiece Marshall set a May 24 preliminary hearing Thursday for police officer Thomas Mendiola on a felony weapons charge. Mendiola, one of the Las Vegas officers who shot and killed Erik Scott outside the Summerlin Costco last year, was not present in court. Marshall waived his appearance. His lawyer, Ulrich Smith, wouldn’t comment afterward.

The district attorney’s office filed a criminal complaint against Mendiola last month, charging him with unlawfully giving a handgun to a two-time felon.

Mendiola, 23, an employee of the Metropolitan Police Department since March 2009, has been relieved of his patrol duties at the Convention Center Area Command pending the outcome of the case. He is free on his own recognizance.

The weapons charge draws a maximum 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

In September, a coroner’s inquest found that Mendiola and two other officers were justified in Scott’s July 10 shooting, but Scott’s family later sued the officers and the department in federal court.

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Posted by Alison Leslie on 27/02/2011. Filed under Police Brutality & Killings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry