A violent attack two years ago on Mount Charleston is all the more agonizing considering the victim was dedicated to helping the teen accused of sexually assaulting and trying to kill her.
As the criminal case drags on, the victim is seeking justice in civil court. Her attorney sat down exclusively with 13 chief investigator Darcy Spears, saying the county bears as much responsibility as the accused.
Tavari Pearson is being tried as an adult, but was 15 years old when he allegedly committed the crimes he's charged with. At the time, he was already in trouble with the law — in custody as a juvenile offender at Spring Mountain Youth Camp .
According to a newly filed lawsuit, he was too dangerous to be there in the first place, and his therapist was kept in the dark about his history.
"She doesn't remember much... Thank goodness, in a sense," said attorney Robert Murdock.
"On the other hand, she knows what she woke up to. She was basically left to die in a ravine. And thank God she was found."
Murdock represents the unnamed victim who filed suit Monday in Clark County District Court. She was in the midst of an outdoor counseling session with then-15-year-old Tavari Pearson when he allegedly attacked her out of nowhere.
"He severely, and I would say almost savagely, beat and sexually assaulted my client," Murdock said.
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The lawsuit states Pearson pushed her to the ground, pinned her down, tried to kiss her, knocked a walkie-talkie out of her hands and began to beat and strangle her.
"Then he took a rock and hit her head," Murdock said.
"She's got fractures all over her face. And ultimately, he sexually assaulted her. This is something that's so dangerous and so out of the norm for youth that it's scary."
Spring Mountain Youth Camp was established in 1971 as a juvenile facility for male offenders ages 12 to 18. It provides education through the Clark County School District, as well as therapeutic, social, medical and recreational services.
It's not a high security facility, though Murdock says it should be.
"It should be, but it's not," he said.
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Murdock's client was a therapist with Community Counseling Center, which had a contract with Clark County to provide mental health services to the juvenile offenders at the facility. The lawsuit states she saw Pearson for about four months in 2022. The day of the alleged attack, he told her he was upset that he'd been kicked off his high school track team, so she suggested they take a walk outside — something she'd done before with other clients.
But there was something about Pearson she did not know.
"The county knew that Mr. Pearson had issues before," said Murdock. "According to the preliminary hearing transcript, he had sexually assaulted someone before."
His previous record was in the juvenile system, so it's protected, Murdock explained.
"On the other hand, nobody told my client, and as a result of that, she didn't know what was going on here. And the county has a duty to protect my client who is working there as a mental health counselor."
Based on his history, we asked whether Pearson should have been at the camp in the first place.
" According to the camp's own policies and procedures, no. He shouldn't have been, because it's a violent offense," Murdock said. "Obviously, a sexual assault is a violent offense, and he should not have been there. I don't know why he was there."
According to the lawsuit, "By their own policies, high-risk juvenile sex offenders are not qualified to be at Spring Mountain Youth Camp" as the facility does not provide the treatment necessary to "deal with these severe issues."
"And all of this was foreseeable to the county," Murdock said. "And, if you let violent, foreseeable criminals into a facility that's really meant for low-level people, bad things are going to happen, and they happened to my client."
The lawsuit describes security and training failures by Clark County, explaining that the victim was not told to stay away from certain areas or that there were no cameras or patrols to protect her. She was also not given a body alarm so that if there was an issue, she could immediately activate it and summon help.
"She's just trying to help these kids. And at the end of the day, the county put her in such a dangerous position, and this is what occurred."
Murdock says his client is no longer doing any counseling and is still out of work.
We asked the county about the allegations in the lawsuit and a spokesperson said they can't comment on pending litigation.
Messages left with Pearson's attorneys were not returned. Pearson's criminal trial is currently scheduled for June.
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