Two emergency medical technicians in Pahrump are facing felony charges after police say they failed to render medical aid to a man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Carrol L. Meeks and Rod Fernandes were arrested Nov. 30, six days after the death of 64-year-old Linus Windler.
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According to the Nye County sheriff's office, Windler called 911 to report that he was having trouble breathing. When the EMTs arrived at the man's trailer home, they heard a gunshot, police said.
Meeks and Fernandes went inside and found Windler with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
According to police, the EMTs told officers at the scene that Windler was dead, but one of the deputies noticed that the man was breathing and had a pulse.
Police said deputies had to repeatedly order Meeks and Fernandes to treat Windler and take him to the hospital.
Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo said the man went without treatment at the scene for at least 30 minutes. By the time the ambulance carrying Windler arrived at Desert View Regional Medical Center, almost an hour had passed since the EMTs first arrived at the scene, DeMeo said.
Windler's trailer is four miles away from the hospital.
Windler was pronounced dead within half an hour of arriving at the hospital.
DeMeo said that in a recording of radio traffic from the call, emergency personnel can be heard reporting that Windler was dead at the scene. A short time later, a deputy can be heard rescinding that information, DeMeo said.
The sheriff said he would not release the recording without a court order.
Fernandes and Meeks were charged with on one count each of felony criminal neglect of a patient and felony neglect of an older person. They are each free on $10,000 bail.
DeMeo said he has never heard of a case like this in his 33 years in law enforcement. "And I used to work as an EMT at a trauma hospital, too," he said.
Reached for comment Monday evening, Pahrump Fire Chief Scott Lewis said there was a lot he would like to say about the case but he was "under a total gag order."
Pahrump Town Manager Dave Richards refused to discuss the arrests, the employment status of Meeks and Fernandes or how long the two men have worked for the Pahrump Valley Fire-Rescue Service.
A source close to the town's fire and ambulance service said Fernandes and Meeks, who is known simply as C.L. by his friends and coworkers, have been with the department for about 10 years.
At one time, Meeks was the service's second in command, but his current rank was not immediately available.
DeMeo said the case should not reflect on Pahrump's emergency services as a whole.
"This is so out of the ordinary," DeMeo said. "The Pahrump Valley Fire-Rescue Service is good. They're extremely good."
