LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A teenager who received probation for sexually assaulting and attempting to murder his therapist has been indicted on new charges, validating concerns from legal experts who called his original sentence too lenient.
Darcy Spears reports the latest on the criminal case she's been following since 2022:
Tavari Pearson was indicted on Dec. 19 for a string of car thefts and burglaries, as well as possession of firearms by a prohibited person. Though the indictment is only eight counts, court records show he allegedly committed 21 separate crimes between September and November 2025, just months after his release into a probation program.
As a convicted felon, Pearson is not allowed to have guns. The indictment states he had two 9-millimeter pistols.
"There will be a lot of people who will disagree with this sentence," former Clark County District Attorney David Roger said when Pearson was sentenced just over a year ago.
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Pearson attacked and nearly killed his therapist during an outdoor counseling session while in custody at Spring Mountain Youth Camp, a county residential facility for juvenile offenders. The assault occurred in 2022 when Pearson was 15 years old, though he was charged as an adult.
Court records show Pearson told his therapist he was upset about being kicked off his high school track team, prompting her to suggest they take a walk outside.
"Then he took a rock and hit her head. She's got fractures all over her face," said attorney Robert Murdock, who represented the victim in a civil lawsuit against Clark County that settled out of court last March. "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."
The victim "was basically left to die in a ravine," Murdock said.
Pearson took a plea deal, allowing him to plead guilty to two of the six charges he was facing. He received six months behind bars, followed by five years' probation, with credit for the two-and-a-half years he had already served.
Judge Erika Ballou, who is currently serving a six-month suspension from the bench without pay in an unrelated case, sentenced Pearson. The prosecutor had requested eight to 20 years in prison, but Ballou sided with the public defender, granting the lighter sentence so Pearson could enter a program at Desert Regional Center, a state agency serving people with developmental disabilities.
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Ballou felt Pearson would not be able to get counseling in prison, writing in the record that the court "wanted people to get help."
"Judge Ballou is a former public defender. I think she sees things a little differently than others," Roger said. "Everybody draws justice differently. I'm sure that the judge was swayed by the fact that the defendant had mental health issues and was 15 years old. As a former prosecutor, I draw the line differently. He crossed the line in this case. And from my perspective, prison time would have been appropriate."
Pearson's probation came with conditions, including being placed on the court's "only chance list," meaning any violation should lead to immediate and serious consequences.
Pearson was scheduled for a probation revocation hearing on Monday, but it was postponed after the Clark County Public Defender's Office claimed a conflict of interest. He tried to avoid our camera as he sat in court.
The case is due back in court next week for a status check to confirm new counsel and set a new hearing date. On the new charges for car theft and gun possession, Pearson pleaded not guilty, and that case is set for trial in February. He remains in custody.
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