Teen facing 15 felony charges in sex assault, attempted murder case of Las Vegas teacher

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A 16-year-old student is now facing 15 felony charges after he was accused of sexual assault and attempted murder of a Las Vegas teacher, according to Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson.

The student, identified in court records as Jonathan Eluterio Martinez Garcia, was initially facing six felony charges. However, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson confirmed Monday that an additional nine felony charges were added for a total of 15.

The charges range from kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery, attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon or tear gas, battery by strangulation to commit sexual assault and more. He is being charged as an adult.

The teen’s bail was set at $500,000 under the condition of high-electronic monitoring and no contact with the victim.

According to Las Vegas police, the incident occurred April 7 at Eldorado High School in the east valley.

An investigation by the department’s Sexual Assault Section indicated that the teacher was in her classroom when a student entered to talk about his grades. At some point, police say, the teen suspect became violent and began punching the teacher. Police said he strangled her until she lost consciousness.

After that, authorities said the suspect fled the classroom after the attack, and the victim was later found by another school employee. Police were able to identify the suspect and Clark County School District police officers took him into custody in the 5700 block of Cedar Avenue.

Martinez Garcia is set to appear in court on Tuesday.

Teachers we spoke with are heartbroken for their colleague, and concerned for the community.

“I’m afraid about what’s gonna happen. I’m afraid for our students, and I’m afraid for the staff,” said Vicki Kreidel, CCSD teacher.

Intense, aggressive violent acts among minors are something the head of the Juvenile Division at Clark County District Attorney’s office told us recently they are seeing more of, speaking generally.

“The intensity of those violent acts has increased. Like the aggression is way more intense than we’ve seen it in the past,” said Brigid Duffy, Director of the Juvenile Division, Clark County DA.

She added, “You can see that anger, that lack of empathy, like everything just coming out. And it’s different than what we’ve seen in the past.”

She also said she believes Nevada is seeing a crisis with children’s mental health.

Generally, she said the DA office is able to argue for a harsher sentence, but punishment is ultimately up to the court.

“It all depends, and the courts make that ultimate determination,” said Duffy.

Duffy said her office is working closely with CCSD Superintendent Jesus Jara to address this complex issue of violence on southern Nevada’s campuses.

Martinez Garcia has been court-ordered to stay away from the victim, who police say is recovering. The woman has not been identified.

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