Three of the nine defendants charged in the beating of an MGM Grand landscaper appear in Las Vegas Justice Court Monday. From left to right are Demarcus Smith, As'Ryen Brown and Avery Slocome, all 18. Photo by Gary Thompson.

Nine people have now been charged in connection with a string of attacks that took place around the valley on Easter weekend, and Clark County prosecutor Victoria Villegas on Monday said more charges are imminent.

On Monday, five of the nine defendants charged in the videotaped beating of a maintenance worker at the MGM Grand were in court or had their cases heard in front of a judge.

Three of the four adult defendants -- Demarcus Smith, As'Ryen Brown and Avery Slocome, all 18 -- appeared in front of Justice of the Peace Karen Bennett-Haron regarding bail.

A fourth adult defendant, 18-year-old Daryle Williams, also had his case presented to the judge, but Bennett-Haron didn't require him to be present. Williams, the first person arrested in the case, has been out of jail since April 19. He faces felony charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit battery with substantial bodily harm.

Prosecutor Christopher Lee on Monday argued for a substantially higher bail for each of the four young men, telling the judge they were a threat to the public.

"The state's concern is obviously they are a danger to society," Lee said. "The charges are very serious. ... It is a very heinous crime the state is alleging."

Defense attorneys countered that the defendants are not inherently dangerous. The four are basically good teens who have no criminal histories and extensive ties to the community, their lawyers said.

Bennett-Haron lowered Smith's bail from $57,000 to $30,000 with the condition that if he is released, he should be placed on house arrest.

For Brown, Bennett-Haron also set bail at $30,000 and imposed house arrest as a condition of release.

She said she needed more information about Slocome before she could decide on his bail. That decision is expected to come today.

She agreed to continue to let Williams remain out of custody on his own recognizance so long as he remains under intensive supervision.

Demarcus Smith's 17-year-old brother Dexter made his first court appearance Monday too, in juvenile court. Prosecutors, however, confirmed during the hearing that they will seek to have Smith certified to stand trial as an adult. His case was postponed to May 22.

Four other juveniles have been charged in the case, including two girls, ages 15 and 16, but authorities have not released their names.

The attack behind the MGM Grand received national media attention last month after police released security camera footage of the April 15 beating at the Strip resort.

The video shows a young man sneaking up behind hotel landscaper Richard Markwell and sucker-punching him. Ten to 15 young men and two girls swarm in and begin pummeling Markwell, punching and whipping him with belts until he falls to the ground. Then some of the attackers kick and stomp Markwell while he is curled on the ground.

The 23-year-old worker suffered a broken jaw and broken collarbone. Williams punched another MGM landscaper during the melee, according to his arrest report.

Police have said some, if not all, of the members of the group that attacked Markwell were involved in six other attacks over the same weekend.

Among those crimes are the beating and robbery of a woman at a North Las Vegas Wal-Mart about two hours before the MGM attack and the beating and robbery of a man outside a Travelodge motel a half-hour after the MGM attack.

About 24 hours later, there were four group attacks near Vegas Drive and Tenaya Way: the robbery of a Green Valley Grocery convenience store at 7951 Vegas Drive; the beating of a man near the store's pumps; the robbery of a couple in nearby Pioneer Park and the nonfatal shooting of a man there, police said.

The defendants charged so far face a variety of charges ranging from robbery to battery causing substantial bodily harm.

The vast majority of the charges stem from the MGM assaults. Villegas said charges are imminent relating to the beating at Wal-Mart.

She also said Smith is charged in the Green Valley Grocery episode, and authorities are trying to identify the shooter in the attack at the park.

Las Vegas police are having a hard time tracking down all the suspects from the assaults, but believe it is only a matter of time before they find them all, Deputy Chief Greg McCurdy said. He encouraged anyone involved with the attacks to turn themselves into police.

"It's easier, quicker and safer if they do that," McCurdy said.