LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A former Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department corrections officer who was previously accused of battering his ex-wife in two separate incidents was convicted of domestic violence against her after being arrested again last month.
Eric Cline, 29, was allegedly violent toward the victim during and after his employment with LVMPD, records showed.
First arrest
On May 14, 2021, police received a family disturbance call around 4:15 p.m. When officers met the victim at an intersection in the northwest valley, she told them she was hit in the abdomen area by Cline. She told police was pregnant with Cline’s child at the time, according to an arrest report.
The victim told police she and Cline were talking on the couch when the two got into an argument. When she decided to leave, Cline begged her to stay and took her car keys, the report said.
The victim went to find a spare car key before being “checked” by Cline in her torso area with his arm. She described it as a move hockey players use to check someone into the boards, the report said.
The victim was able to leave to meet police. Officers tried to locate Cline but could not find him at the residence, according to the report.
In an interview with police the next day, Cline said the argument started when the victim got upset about friends he had on a social media app before he decided to grab his things and leave the home. He said the victim had taken his phone and keys and would not give them back, the report said.
Cline said that when he found his keys somewhere else, the victim rushed toward him, got the keys, hit him in the neck, and scratched his chest. He said he never pushed or hit the victim at any time, according to the report.
Cline was arrested on a charge of battery domestic violence. The charge was dismissed after Cline completed community service and domestic violence counseling classes, according to court records.
Second arrest
On Sept. 18, 2021, police received a call from someone around 12:30 a.m. who reported the victim and Cline were involved in a domestic disturbance, an arrest report said.
Around the same time, police dispatch had also received a call from the victim’s phone number in which they heard a woman yell “No!” before the call disconnected, the report said.
When officers arrived, the victim told police that she and Cline started arguing about his loss of employment when Cline got up and turned off the lights in the bedroom they were in, the report said.
The victim said Cline then walked up to where she was on the bed and started to push a pillow down on her face, neck, and chest. She said she was trying to get him off of her while he pushed the pillow in “extreme force” before he hit her in the forehead, eye area, and on the side of her chest and neck, according to the report.
Cline then grabbed the victim’s phone and threw it against the wall, breaking it, the report said.
The victim was able to get her phone and call 911 before the call cut off. Cline left the home and the victim called a relative to tell them what happened before barricading herself inside the home “in fear of Cline returning,” according to the report.
Cline was arrested on charges of coercion constituting domestic violence with a threat or the use of force and disorderly conduct. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, received a suspended jail sentence, and attended court-ordered domestic violence counseling classes. The domestic violence charge was dismissed, according to court records.
Third arrest
Two months ago on Sept. 20, the victim reported to police that Cline had hit her in the face several times.
The victim said that on Sept. 17 around 8 or 9 p.m. she started arguing with Cline while driving before pulling over to a gas station and trying to get out of the car, according to the report.
While the victim started to exit the car, Cline started hitting her in the head and face while he was sitting in the passenger seat, which caused the victim to fall backward and hit her head on the concrete floor.
The victim started walking away toward an apartment building before Cline chased her, grabbed her hair, and forced her back into the car before driving away in an aggressive manner.
The victim told police that she thought Cline was going to intentionally wreck the car and said she was too scared to report it when it happened. She added that Cline was becoming more violent toward her after he had been arrested last year for domestic violence, the report said.
The victim had “numerous” bruises on her back, legs, and arms. Her eye was bruised and swollen, and a large bruise on her right breast from a previous incident was observed.
In that incident on Sept. 13, the victim said Cline started arguing with her before grabbing her phone from her hand and breaking it while she was trying to call a relative. During the incident, she said Cline grabbed her, causing a bruise on her breast and scratches on her back.
The victim said one of the cuts on her back may have happened because Cline hit her with the phone. She said that Cline always checks her phone and “if something is on her phone he does not like, he gets confrontational and violent,” the report said.
The victim was afraid to leave immediately, so she waited until he left the house the next day to go to a relative’s home and document her injuries.
On Oct. 1 around 1:20 a.m., police received a call from the victim to tell them Cline had arrived outside of the home where she was staying. Officers arrived and arrested him on charges of domestic battery, coercion constituting domestic violence with a threat or the use of force, and kidnapping.
The Clark County District Attorney’s Office declined to pursue the coercion charge. The kidnapping charge was dismissed, and Cline pleaded nolo contendere to domestic battery, which means he did not admit guilt but acknowledged there was enough evidence to convict him.
Cline received a suspended jail sentence of 120 days, was ordered to attend 6 months of domestic violence counseling classes, perform community service, and was told to stay out of trouble, according to court records.
Cline was officially relieved of duty by LVMPD on March 28, 2021, according to documents obtained by 8 News Now. The reason was unclear, but documents indicated he was relieved because of “allegations of such a serious nature that termination is the likely outcome if they are found to be true.”
An LVMPD spokesperson confirmed that Cline was a corrections officer with the department between July 2017 and August 2021.
The victim told 8 News Now that people within the department knew of Cline’s abuse, but terminated him for lying.
“Every time I reported the abuse, things got worse… people at LVMPD knew he had a history of alcohol and he was aggressive,” the victim said. “People there knew he had issues.”
If you or someone you know is in a violent relationship, you should seek help immediately. 8 News Now has compiled a list of resources that includes protection order and legal information, domestic violence hotlines, emergency shelter locations, and other support services.
