Ex-SEAL gets 60 days, probation for attack using pipe

An ex-Navy SEAL convicted of seven counts of battery for using a metal pipe to attack eight people at a Strip casino in 2010 was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation.

As part of the sentence, Luke Shawley must report to the Clark County Detention Center on Jan. 17 and serve 60 days in jail, court records show.

A jury convicted Shawley after a weeklong trial in August.

Shawley was acquitted on one count of burglary.

Prosecutors said Shawley was drunk on nearly 20 alcoholic beverages before the assaults, which were caught on surveillance video at The Venetian.

Judge James Bixler also ordered Shawley to stay away from alcohol, attend counseling and pay about $2,700 in restitution as part of his probation.

Shawley's attorney, Ross Goodman, said the former special warfare operator received a general discharge from the Navy last month.

Goodman maintained his client suffered a psychotic break because of his unknowingly consuming a drug, which sparked the rampage.

"This was completely out of character," for Shawley, Goodman said. The lawyer said video evidence showed that while at a bar, Shawley accidentally drank somebody else's drink, which could have contained a stimulant that led to the outburst.

Shawley has accepted responsibility and expressed remorse for what happened, although he cannot recall his actions, Goodman said.

Prosecutors were asking for five to 15 years in prison. They declined to comment on the sentence.

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