Las Vegas man accused of assaulting bus driver held on bail

A Las Vegas stagehand accused of assaulting a school bus driver is being held on $25,000 bail after his first court appearance at the Las Vegas Justice Court.

Otis Tanner, 46, is facing charges of battery on a protected person, burglary, assaulting a school employee and child abuse, according to jail records.

A public defender argued Saturday that Tanner should be released on his own recognizance or with a lower bail because he has worked as a stagehand in Las Vegas for 14 years, his children live with him and he has lived in Las Vegas his whole life.

Tanner is accused of attacking a Clark County School District bus driver near Tonopah and Vegas drives Thursday morning, according to the school district.

Prosecutors said Saturday that Tanner made threats of harming the bus driver again in the future. Tanner’s arrest report was not immediately available.

Tanner has had three prior charges of failing to appear in court and five felony or gross misdemeanor convictions, according to Hearing Master Daniel Westmeyer.

In 1997 Tanner pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit battery with a deadly weapon and in 1998 was found guilty of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.

Twenty years later, he was charged with sex trafficking of an adult, battery by strangulation, battery with a deadly weapon, kidnapping and four counts of sex assault, but the case was dismissed.

If Tanner posts bail, Westmeyer ordered that he cannot contact the victim. Tanner is scheduled to appear in court again Tuesday.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.