Woman sues constable for wrongful arrest

Embattled Las Vegas Constable John Bonaventura now faces a lawsuit alleging he had his friend’s estranged wife unlawfully arrested and jailed.

Teresa Johnson on Friday filed the lawsuit, which said “the arrest and confinement and charging was done with malice and an evil intent, and design to vex, annoy and injure the Plaintiff.”

Johnson is seeking more than $10,000 in damages from Bonaventura and the Las Vegas Township Constable’s Office.

According to the lawsuit, on Sept. 24, 2011, Johnson and her son went to a home owned by Bonaventura in the 2900 block of East Reno Avenue to speak with her husband, Richard Johnson — a “close friend” of the constable.

Bonaventura denied Richard Johnson ever lived at any of his properties, but an affidavit signed by Richard Johnson said he was “staying” at the Reno Avenue address at time of the incident.

The Johnsons’ son yelled something at the home, and he and his mother left in a gold Lincoln Town Car, the lawsuit said.

Soon after, Johnson noticed she was being followed by a SUV with emergency lights flashing.

When she pulled over, Bonaventura, wearing a white T-shirt and plaid shorts and holding a metal object, approached her car, the lawsuit said.

He did not identify himself as a law enforcement officer or show a badge, she said.

Johnson drove off in fear.

As she fled, Bonaventura continued to pursue her. He pulled up alongside her. When she told him she had called 911, he drove away, according to the lawsuit.

She found a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper and later filed an incident report with the Metropolitan Police Department, “believing defendant Bonaventura was impersonating a law enforcement officer.”

The Review-Journal was not able to obtain that report late Friday.

The following day, her husband asked her to “drop everything” against Bonaventura, she said.

Two days later, the constable filed a declaration of arrest for Teresa Johnson for eluding a police officer and reckless driving.

According to that report, Bonaventura said a young man yelled profanities at him and a woman threw eggs at his “patrol vehicle.”

Richard Johnson signed an affidavit stating, “I was not told by John that my wife had thrown eggs. I also know for a fact that there were no eggs on the vehicle or the driveway. I never heard this mentioned until my wife received a copy of John’s complaint.”

Bonaventura said he followed the Town Car because “due to recent acts of intimidation and vandalism against the property and occupants, and my position as the Las Vegas Constable, I felt it prudent to identify the occupants of the vehicle.”

Teresa Johnson noted Bonaventura had sold the car to the couple years ago.

In the declaration of arrest, Bonaventura said he recognized Johnson and her son after the initial traffic stop. But the car sped off, traveling in excess of 70 mph and ran a red light at Eastern and Tropicana avenues.

He said he then stopped his pursuit.

Bonaventura had two of his deputies arrest Johnson at her job the day he signed the declaration of arrest.

She was booked and held for two days at the Clark County Detention Center, but the district attorney’s office dropped the charge of eluding a police officer. However, a criminal case was filed for reckless driving.

Court records show that case was dropped Nov. 27 when neither Bonaventura nor his officers appeared for the trial.

Bonaventura said that he was unable to attend her trial and the two officers who arrested her now work for the Henderson constable’s office.

In an email to the Review-Journal, Bonaventura said, “Look at the family court records between Richard Johnson and Teresa Johnson you will see they’ve been fighting for years. This is an ongoing battle that nobody wants to be in the middle of. I think they should work out their problems or just get divorced already!”

Online Family Court records do not show a case between Richard and Teresa Johnson.

The lawsuit filed by Teresa Johnson indicates the couple are separated and living apart.

Since elected in 2010, Bonaventura has come under fire for a variety of reasons, ranging from a foray into reality television to hiring deputies with questionable backgrounds.

Arrested Tuesday on drunken driving charges while using a constable vehicle, he contended the arrest was a setup by county officials who want to abolish his office.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.