November 14, 1998
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Ex-LV officer admits forging money

Carri Geer
By Carri Geer
Review-Journal

Ronald Pearce's downward spiral from a successful career in law enforcement to trouble with drugs and other crime stems from a 1994 incident in which he fatally shot a suspect, his attorney said Friday.
'Even though it was ruled justifiable, he took another human being's life, and that's had an incredible psychological effect on him,' attorney Karen Connolly said.
On Friday, the former Las Vegas police officer pleaded guilty to a felony counterfeiting charge.
'I manufactured and passed counterfeit currency,' Pearce told U.S. District Judge Johnnie Rawlinson.
Connolly said her client could receive a sentence of up to 21 months in prison when the judge sentences him Feb. 26.
The attorney said Pearce, now 40, suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder after killing 23-year-old Bryan Stimpson during a struggle at a Fremont Street apartment complex, but the officer never received the treatment he needed for those problems. He later began abusing methamphetamine.
'He was using the drugs to self-medicate because he was so incredibly depressed,' Connolly said.
A federal grand jury indicted Pearce and Matthew Emmons, 22, in July on one count of conspiracy to manufacture counterfeit money and one count of possessing counterfeit money.
Pearce was allowed to remain free on his own recognizance while the case was pending, but a warrant for his arrest was issued in August after authorities said he had violated the conditions of his release.
Authorities accused him of using illegal drugs, failing to submit to drug monitoring and failing to maintain his current residence.
Pearce surrendered Aug. 27 and was arrested. He remained in custody until a hearing on Sept. 2, when he was released again, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Roger Hunt ordered him to submit to drug monitoring three times a week.
Connolly said Pearce, who is married and has five children, also has been undergoing counseling for his drug addiction.
According to the indictment in the counterfeiting case, Pearce and Emmons conspired to make phony $ 100 bills between about June 15 and June 25, when police detained both men at a mall on North Rancho Drive.
'When people are desperate and depressed, they sometimes do desperate things,' Connolly said. 'Mr. Pearce has admitted the crime he committed. He's pulled himself up by his bootstraps and is trying to do the right thing. And he's deeply sorry for his involvement and to those he hurt.'
Emmons is scheduled to enter a plea on Nov. 20.
Pearce was fired in June 1995 after a sometimes rocky 13-year career with the Metropolitan Police Department. A Clark County grand jury indicted him the following month on theft and conspiracy charges.
In that case, authorities accused Pearce of pretending he was married to his girlfriend so she could get her dental treatments covered by his insurance policy.
He pleaded guilty in April 1996 to conspiracy to commit theft, a gross misdemeanor, and later paid a $ 400 fine.
Pearce was working as a patrol officer in the department's northeast substation before he lost his job. At the time, a police spokesman said the decision to fire the officer 'was based on both internal policy violations and criminal conduct.'
In 1993, department officials placed Pearce on administrative leave during an investigation into whether he had dealings with drug kingpin William Archer. Pearce said the accusation was never substantiated and he was never reprimanded.