Bail raised for ex-Palo Verde coach accused of child sex abuse

A Las Vegas judge increased bail on Tuesday for a 72-year-old former Palo Verde High School teacher and coach facing child sexual abuse charges.

Michael “Luke” Atwell was indicted this month on 17 counts of lewdness with a child under 14, six counts of sexual assault against a child under 14, two counts of battery with the intent to commit sexual assault against a child under 16, open or gross lewdness in the presence of a child or vulnerable person, and two counts of child abuse.

His bail was previously set at $300,000. His defense attorney, Jess Marchese, filed a motion for a judge to decrease the bail, while prosecutors filed a countermotion to raise it to $1 million.

District Judge Eric Johnson sided with prosecutors on Tuesday and raised Atwell’s bail to $500,000, Marchese said.

Marchese said he was surprised the judge raised the bail, given his client’s military history and lack of criminal record.

Atwell has been accused of sexually assaulting multiple victims when they were children: a boy when he was between 11 and 14 years old; a woman who is now an adult in her 30s; that woman’s daughter; another former student who is now in her 30s; and that woman’s son.

But Atwell was only indicted on charges related to two of the alleged victims who are still children. Prosecutors have said that the statute of limitations affected some charges that were dropped.

A police report indicated that officials were unable to charge Atwell in relation to an alleged previous sexual relationship with a student because a law banning such relationships was not yet active.

Prosecutors argued in the motion to increase Atwell’s bail that one of the victims was abused “hundreds” of times and that the judge should find that Atwell is “an extreme danger to the community as a sexual predator.”

According to the motion, one victim met Atwell when the child and her mother moved into his house, and another victim knew Atwell from his neighborhood and from church.

Atwell previously taught history, criminal justice and social studies and coached boys cross country and girls softball at Palo Verde. State records indicate he also taught at Becker Middle School between 1999 and 2003.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1971 and then transferred to the Air Force, which he retired from in 1997 as a lieutenant colonel.

A jury trial for Atwell is scheduled for May 5.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.