KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasUPDATED: Firefighter-Paramedic Burglary Drug Case
MedicWest Paramedic Supervisor Ron Tucker says early Sunday morning, while parked at Desert Springs Hospital, one of his medics caught the burglar on the ambulance.The state attorney general's office will take over the burglary case against a Clark County firefighter-paramedic due to a conflict of interest at the county level.
Sam Bond is in jail accused of stealing narcotics from fire houses and ambulances. The I-Team has learned both of Bond's parents work for the county.
Sam Bond's father is a retired Metro police officer who now works part time at the department. Bond's mother works in the district attorney's office.
Metro investigators say their son broke into secured narcotic's supplies on ambulances and at six to eight fire stations, none where Bond worked. Detectives say Sam Bond stole the drugs morphine and two different sedatives.
On Sunday morning, a witness says he caught someone trying to break into this lockbox on a MedicWest ambulance. After a short chase, police caught the suspect.
MedicWest Paramedic Supervisor Ron Tucker said, "In all the years that I've worked here at this company, we've never had an issue with our scheduled narcotics."
Tucker says early Sunday morning, while parked at Desert Springs Hospital, one of his medics caught the burglar on the ambulance.
"The paramedic was coming out of the hospital to put his equipment away. He opened up the side door of the ambulance and saw the suspect inside trying to get into a lock box with a crowbar," Tucker said.
Once the paramedic realized what was happening, the burglar ran out the back of the truck and the paramedic ran around the side of the truck. He chased the suspect until he heard someone else behind him.
Ron Tucker continued, "The next thing he heard was 'stop, I have a gun.' And he didn't know where that had come from, but it was the undercover officer. So he stopped and Metro arrested the suspect."
Tucker says his employee got a good look at the man being arrested.
The man arrested that night, Samuel Bond, faces 22 counts for the crimes, including burglary and possession of dangerous drugs.
Clark County District Attorney David Roger says Bond's mother told him about the arrest Monday morning. She works in the family support division of the district attorney's office.
D.A David Roger said, "If we were to prosecute the case ourselves, I know in my heart of hearts that we would vigorously prosecute the defendant and justice would be served. However, the appearance might be that we are cutting the defendant some slack because his family member works for us."
Roger says it's their policy for employees to notify supervisors if they or a family member becomes involved in a criminal case.
Police say they are still investigating.
However, according to the arrest report. Bond once admitted to the fire department chief that he had a dependancy problem.
The I-Team talked with Sheriff Doug Gillespie Tuesday and inquired if detectives turn the investigation over to another agency since Bond's father works with Metro. He said Metro routinely handles investigations into their own people.
So, a person related to a suspect won't prevent Metro from handling the investigation.
E-mail your comments to Investigative Reporter Adrienne Augustus.
