By james art LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Kevin Menon allegedly downloaded child sexual abuse material, also known as child pornography, according to Las Vegas Metro Police. The sergeant, who was previously indicted on charges that he staged false arrests on the Las Vegas Strip, is facing new charges related to possession of child pornography.
Detectives found numerous images of nude pre-pubescent girls on laptops that Menon had access to, according to an arrest report obtained by 8 News Now Investigators.
“The girls in the images are posed in a sexual manner,” the report said.
Police said they found 18 child sexual abuse images, 20 difficult-to-age images where the subjects appeared to be minors but this could not be confirmed and 20 child erotic images described as files where children were clothed or partially clothed on a black MacBook Pro.
Police also found 20 images of child sexual abuse material, 27 hard-to-age images and 86 child pornography images on a silver MacBook Air, the report said.
Menon downloaded child sexual abuse material and child pornography from a Russian website, according to the report. The search history includes terms like “teen pee” and another that includes the term “pedo.”
Las Vegas sergeant accused of staging false arrests faces child pornography charges
“It should be noted that ‘pedo’ is a commonly used term that is shorthand for ‘pedophile,'” the arrest report said.
Menon was taken into custody Wednesday as he entered the Regional Justice Center for his initial arraignment in his first case.
Prosecutors filed two new charges for possession of a visual presentation depicting sexual behavior of a child.
Metro police returned to Menon’s home on Wednesday with another search warrant. More than a dozen officers were seen outside the North Las Vegas home as Menon’s wife waited in tears and then left with the family dog.
In his initial case, the Metro Police arrested Menon on Friday, August 30, at the department’s headquarters. A grand jury indicted him on 13 counts of alleged abuse of authority while leading a special tape team.
Investigators with the department believe Menon staged false arrests by instigating situations with the public without probable cause, the documents said. In one instance, Menon ordered a search of a car without any reason, police said. In another case, the sergeant, who often worked in plainclothes, intentionally ran into a man on a pedestrian bridge, leading to his arrest, police investigators said.
Video footage shows alleged illegal arrests on Las Vegas Strip; charged Sgt
Most of the citizens seen in the video who appear to have been targeted are black men.
Following his arrest, the department placed Menon on paid leave and his police powers were suspended pending an investigation. The agency has since stopped paying him.
Menon is due in court on Thursday morning. He was being held Wednesday night without bond.
Police said Menon is a flight risk and could be a danger to the community and noted that he has several firearms, a passport and has an extensive travel history. They asked for bail of $250,000 on conditions of release that they confiscate all firearms and his passport.
Menon’s attorney, Dominic Gentile, filed a motion for reasonable bail Wednesday afternoon. In the motion obtained by 8 News Now investigators, Gentile indicated that Menon was cooperative and went to the police station on Aug. 30 knowing he would be arrested. It was booked and processed without incident, according to Gentile.
Gentile noted that prosecutors approached the grand jury after Menon invoked his right to a preliminary hearing within 15 days.
“It’s me [expletive] Sgt.,” Las Vegas officers testified against one of their own
“Just 21 minutes before the scheduled preliminary hearing scheduled for October 9, 2023, the State filed an indictment,” Gentile wrote. “Thus, the state prevented Sgt. Menon and the public to hear the testimony of prosecution witnesses and further prevented the defense from examining witnesses and presenting favorable evidence.
Gentile said Menon found out he was being followed on his way to court Wednesday morning.
“Does Metro routinely pursue defendants in court to make nonviolent arrests?” Gentile wrote. “One is left to wonder why such a choice was made in the present case, especially considering Sgt. Menon was nothing but helpful during his previous booking.”
Gentile argued for $10,000 bail in the motion and said Menon has never been disciplined on the job, he maintains one of the highest clearance rates in Metro and was selected by Sheriff Kevin McMahill to participate in an exchange program of Police with the United Arab Emirates in October 2023.
Gentile also asked the court to bar police from searching the iPad seized on Oct. 23. It was purchased for the sole purpose of assisting defense counsel in the oppression suit, according to Gentile.
To contact investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email [email protected].
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