Las Vegas police confirm inmate’s death after ‘altercation’

The Clark County coroner’s office has said that 25-year-old James Neske died July 15 at University Medical Center after he was injured at the jail. After inquiries from the Review-Journal regarding Neske’s death, the Metropolitan Police Department said Friday that an inmate was taken to the hospital on July 10 after he was “involved in a physical altercation with another inmate” that day.

The inmate, whom Metro did not identify, died at the hospital on July 15, Metro spokesman Larry Hadfield said Wednesday.

Hadfield said more information about the altercation before the inmate’s death was unavailable Wednesday, and detectives were waiting for the coroner to rule on the inmate’s cause and manner of death.

A 24-year-old man named James Neske was booked into the detention center on Aug. 22, according to court records and booking logs. Online District Court records confirmed his case was closed Wednesday after the court was notified that he died July 15.

Neske was accused of using a firearm to threaten a 33-year-old man, taking his driver’s license and breaking his nose “with intent to commit robbery,” according to a criminal complaint.

According to District Court records, Neske pleaded not guilty in January to charges of assault with a deadly weapon, robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, battery with substantial bodily harm and battery with intent to commit robbery. A jury trial had been scheduled for July 22.

Neske was granted a release on his own recognizance “in order to spend time with his family,” court records show.

He “had some medical complications based on the representations of the Clark County Detention Center and stipulation of the parties,” according to records, which did not elaborate on the medical complications.

The records were filed July 17, two days after the coroner’s office said Neske died in the hospital.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.