Ex-bail bondsman pleads guilty to assault

Robert Suckoll's career as a Las Vegas bail bondsman has garnered much publicity over the past five years.

Most of it has not been good.

Unfortunately for the man who once was held in El Salvador on kidnapping charges and later was the intended victim of a murder plot by a former business partner, it has only gotten worse.

Suckoll, 39, along with former employee Diego Rodriguez, 24, last week pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and performing an act in reckless disregard of persons resulting in substantial bodily harm, both felonies; and conspiracy to commit a crime, a gross misdemeanor. The trial was to begin Monday.

The charges stemmed from two incidents in 2007 in which Suckoll and Rodriguez were trying to bring miscreants to justice, but instead victimized three innocent people.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped several other felonies and won't recommend jail time at Suckoll's sentencing, scheduled for July. Prosecutors do plan on arguing for terms of probation, according to the plea agreement. But whether the two men receive time will be up to District Judge Doug Smith.

The first incident occurred Jan. 25, 2007, at the Green Door, often described as a swingers club, according to court documents.

Suckoll had approached the club's maintenance manager, Arthur Dias, about a bail jumper named Terry Wilson. Dias said he would call Suckoll if Wilson, a regular customer, came by, but only if Suckoll agreed to apprehend Wilson outside of the club.

Dias fulfilled his promise when Wilson showed up at the Green Door. But Suckoll and several others, including Rodriguez, confronted Wilson inside the club.

A fight broke out and, when Dias protested, Rodriguez blasted him with a bean-bag firing shotgun.

Dias told authorities he suffered severe injuries from the blast.

Five months later, on May 21, 2007, authorities said James Landerso and Fredesminda "Mindy" Solomon awoke at night to find Suckoll and Rodriguez were standing over their bed pointing shotguns at them, demanding to know where another man was.

Neither victim knew the man and said Suckoll and Rodriguez broke down their front door and, while looking for the man, tore apart their apartment, located in the 6200 block of Flamingo Road, near Jones Boulevard.

All three victims testified against the two defendants at a preliminary hearing in April 2008.

Suckoll's attorney, Dowon Kang, said if Suckoll successfully completes probation without any problems, the two felonies will be withdrawn and only a gross misdemeanor will remain on his record.

Kang said the felonies have significant ramifications in his standing with the Mormon church.

Rodriguez's attorney, Richard Schonfeld, said the incidents were "outside of his character."

Rodriguez had no criminal history before this, Schonfeld said.

Still, "he's accepted responsibility" and is looking forward to staying trouble free, Schonfeld said.

Suckoll and Rodriguez also face a civil lawsuit filed in 2008 by Landerso and Solomon seeking damages from the May 2007 incident.

Suckoll was first thrust into the public eye in 2005 after he and two other men were arrested in El Salvador and charged with kidnapping when they tried to bring a bail jumper back to Las Vegas to face child molestation charges.

After two months the charges against them were dropped.

A year later, Suckoll became a victim as his former business partner, Tim Deam, was charged with trying to put a contract out on Suckoll's life. Deam was arrested and pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit battery with substantial bodily harm.

Meanwhile, Suckoll has left the bail bondsman business, but in a way, he still deals with those that offend society.

His lawyer said Suckoll has gone into the pest control business.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe
at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.