$2M bail set for ex-Palo Verde coach accused of sexual abuse
A judge set bail at $2 million Tuesday for a former Palo Verde High School teacher and coach who has been accused of sexually abusing multiple children.
Michael “Luke” Atwell, 73, faces 11 counts of lewdness with a child under 14 and one count of sexual assault against a child under 14 in his new case after a Thursday arrest.
He was indicted in December on counts of lewdness with a child, sexual assault of a child and battery with intent to commit sexual assault of a child.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Rebecca Saxe said Atwell’s new bail amount was intended to keep him in custody. She cited concerns about community safety and allegations Atwell admitted to molesting multiple children in a recording.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Peter Thunell had argued Atwell’s bail should be $5 million, an amount intended to be unattainable and keep him in custody. He described Atwell as “predatory.”
Defense lawyer Jess Marchese told Saxe Atwell has no criminal history and is a decorated military veteran. He asked if his client could be released with $100,000 bail and conditions like not having contact with minors and high level electronic monitoring.
In the new case, Thunell said, two young girls were abused for years until Atwell’s prior arrest in November.
There are two victims in the earlier case, including one Atwell abused for a yearslong period, said Thunell. There were also additional victims whose allegations could not be pursued because of problems with the statute of limitations, according to the prosecutor.
“We’re looking at an extreme example of safety to the community,” Thunell said. “The state has real concerns here.”
Before the new case, Atwell was on house arrest.
Marchese said last week that Atwell was recorded making a “confession,” which will make the case more difficult.
“He has now made admissions about what he’s done to these two young victims and talked about how he’s sick, how he’s got this problem for all these years,” Thunell told the court.
The prosecutor said the likelihood of Atwell’s conviction is high.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
