Extradition hearing set for brothers
KINGMAN, Ariz. — Two Las Vegas brothers with lengthy criminal histories were at the Clark County Detention Center on Friday, two days after authorities allege the pair sparked a land and water chase that ended when they collapsed on a Colorado River bank.
Las Vegas police arrested Thomas Joseph Leavy, 39, and Kevin Michael Leavy, 38, on the Nevada side of the river Wednesday in connection with a noontime bank robbery in Fort Mohave, Ariz. An extradition hearing is set for Monday in Las Vegas Justice Court.
In what reads like a Hollywood script, the robbery at Horizon Community Bank kicked off a 19-minute pursuit of the brothers, who ditched their vehicle and began swimming across the river.
A sergeant with the Mohave County sheriff’s office then hitched a ride from a man operating a personal watercraft.
“He didn’t hesitate. He just said, ‘Hop on,’ and he took me right over,” Sgt. Mike Nyquist said.
“I remember getting about halfway across the river and looking at those guys, and they had just reached the shore, and one of them was laying on his back, and the other one was kind of laying on his stomach. … At that point, they gave up.”
Authorities said the suspects were traveling north after the robbery when southbound deputies encountered their pickup on Arizona Route 95.
Nyquist said the ensuing pursuit reached speeds of up to 75 mph as the suspects drove into Bullhead City, where they abandoned their vehicle near Rotary Park.
He said the Leavys were wearing T-shirts and shorts as they plunged into chilly water, battling an 8 mph current in a failed bid for freedom on the Nevada side of the river, 70 yards away.
The sergeant said he ran along shore parallel to the suspects before flagging down a man operating a personal watercraft. Nyquist said he told the civilian he needed to chase the bank robbers across the river.
After reaching the other side, Nyquist said, he handcuffed one of the suspects and held both at gunpoint while waiting for the personal watercraft operator to ferry other officers across the river.
Nyquist said Las Vegas police then arrived and took the men into custody.
He said money taken in the robbery was not recovered. He said a preliminary search of the river, the suspect vehicle and areas outside the bank did not turn up any portion of the stolen money.
Detectives did not want to disclose any information about the amount of money stolen or the recovery efforts, Mohave County sheriff’s office spokeswoman Trish Carter said.
Arizona authorities suspect the Leavys also may be responsible for another bank robbery.
Capt. Rusty Cooper said Kingman police detectives are investigating whether one or both of the Leavy brothers participated in the Aug. 1 robbery of a U.S. Bank in Kingman.
A man who demanded cash from a teller fled the store on foot with an undisclosed amount of money stuffed into a zippered pouch.
Cooper said detectives don’t know whether a second person was involved in the Kingman robbery, but investigators think that the robber bears a strong resemblance to Thomas Leavy.
The Leavys have a history of run-ins with law enforcement. Both brothers have a series of felony convictions that involve burglaries, larcenies and drug possession.
Kevin Leavy’s latest arrest in connection with the Arizona robbery could lead to a revocation of parole for a 2009 attempted grand larceny conviction, court records show.
In that case, authorities said Kevin Leavy left the Big Lots store at Eastern Avenue and Windmill Road with a shopping cart containing two $200 Roomba Vacuums and a $4 package of socks but had not paid for them.
Kevin Leavy pleaded guilty to the felony in Sept. 16, 2009, and was sentenced to five years of probation. Less than two months later, his probation was revoked, and he received a prison sentence of 18 months to four years.
In a separate case, Thomas Leavy is awaiting trial in Clark County District Court on burglary and forgery charges.
