Judge sets $700,000 bail for Marine charged of sex assault on 1-year-old
A judge set bail at $700,000 Wednesday for a Marine accused of sexually abusing his girlfriend’s 1-year-old daughter and physically abusing her 4-year-old son at The Linq Hotel.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa called the allegations against Alex Plunket, 22, “some of the most horrific I’ve seen.”
Plunket, who is stationed at Camp Pendleton Marine Base in San Diego, was visiting his girlfriend of four months in Las Vegas from March 3 through March 6. Plunket was watching the children when his girlfriend went to work on March 4, and while under his supervision, both children received cuts and bruises on their faces, according to a police report.
Plunket faces one count of sexual assault against a child and two counts of child abuse, for which he could be sentenced to 35 years to life in prison if convicted.
Prosecutor Dena Rinetti had asked for a $1 million bail, saying a “heinous crime” was committed on “a child so young she’s not able to speak for herself.” Rinetti added that Plunket’s “flight risk is huge,” considering his military base is “a stone’s throw from the Mexican border.”
Defense lawyer John Parris requested a $50,000 bail and pointed to two dozen letters written to the judge in support of Plunket. Parris also said Plunket cooperated with authorities from the start of their investigation.
Should Plunket post bail, he must not have contact with any children, surrender his passport, report immediately to his commanding officer, the judge ordered. He also would be placed on a GPS monitoring device.
A day after Plunket watched the children, the biological father of the children noticed injuries that were not present when he left them with their mother, according to the report.
The father and grandmother then called the police.
Police sent the children to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center for evaluation. The 4-year-old told a paramedic that “Alex” hurt him, police said.
A medical examination showed that the baby had been sexually assaulted and both children had been physically abused.
The examiner had explained that “this is not something that could accidentally happen to a 1-year-old” and that the injuries indicated “definitive sexual abuse,” according to the report.
Plunket told their mother that he left the baby on the bed unattended while he was using the bathroom. When he came back, he said she had fallen off of the bed, causing bruising and cuts on her face and mouth, according to the report.
Plunket also said the 4-year-old son threw a toy, which bounced back and hit the boy in the face.
Contact reporter David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker
