LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A suspended Las Vegas police sergeant has pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges after months of investigations into abuse of power, possession of child sexual abuse material and illegal surveillance.
Kevin Menon accepted a plea deal that covers three separate felony cases and could result in up to 10 years in prison.
VIDEO: Alyssa Bethencourt covers the latest Menon plea deal
The plea agreement significantly reduces what could have been decades behind bars, according to his defense attorney.
"You know obviously when a person is looking at entering a plea and accepting a prison sentence, they have to be able to live with themselves and their family in the fallout," said Robert Draskovich, Menon's attorney.
VIDEO: Extended interview with Menon's attorney, Robert Draskovich
Menon's legal troubles began nearly a year ago when he was first arrested in August, accused of ordering officers to make false arrests on the Las Vegas Strip.
VIDEO: Bodycam footage shows Sgt. Menon's suspected arrest tactics, more officers testify
By October, detectives searching his home discovered child sexual abuse images on his devices. The case involved deleted files—images recovered from what's called "unallocated space"—files that had been downloaded.
"By operation of his plea, he accepted the possession. Whether it was constructive possession or actual possession of those images," Draskovich said.
WATCH | Metro sergeant accused of possessing child sexual abuse material posts $100K cash bond
This spring, a Clark County grand jury indicted Menon for secretly recording his wife and sister-in-law as they used the bathroom, with a camera hidden in a vent.
When asked about representing someone hired to protect the community who appeared to do the opposite, Draskovich acknowledged this factor influenced their negotiations.
"That played a part in arriving at the negotiation what we did," he said.
Without the plea deal, Menon could have faced up to five decades in prison across 75 total counts.
"There were a lot of counts," Draskovich said.
"He decided yesterday that it would be better to suffer the lesser of two evils and enter a plea and do a substantially less amount of time than he was facing," he added.
Under the terms of the plea, Menon will serve between 4 and 10 years in prison. He remains on house arrest until his sentencing on August 4.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that Menon is still suspended without pay.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson commented on the case, saying: "I was intimately involved with plea negotiations and want to applaud the hard work of investigators and prosecutors on the case. Justice is definitely going to be served with this officer agreeing to go to prison. He's also going to have to register as a sex offender. My office is very pleased with the outcome."
