Henderson approves $595K settlement for man wrongfully arrested

The Henderson City Council on Tuesday approved a nearly $600,000 settlement for a California man and U.S. Navy veteran who was wrongfully arrested and detained for more than a week in 2024 in connection to a robbery he had nothing to do with.

Alexander Lopez, of San Diego, was arrested on March 20, 2024, upon his arrival to the San Diego International Airport — where he worked as a security officer for the Transportation Security Administration — and remained in police custody until March 27, when Henderson police realized they had erroneously issued a warrant meant for a different suspect with the same name.

“What occurred was unacceptable and we want the public to know that we have taken this very, very seriously,” Mayor Michelle Romero said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “We’ve taken every opportunity to learn from this important situation and to make sure something like this never happens again. Mistakes happen sometimes. This was a terribly unfortunate result of a mistake.”

Romero added that new Henderson police Chief Reggie Rader, who started this month and was officially sworn in prior to Tuesday’s meeting, has plans to address the “urgent need” for stronger training, oversight and accountability to prevent a similar accident from occurring in the future.

Councilman Jim Seebock, who retired from the Metropolitan Police Department after 30 years of service, added circumstances around the case were “appalling” and that the Lopez’s arrest was preventable.

“I am also sorry that this occurred,” Seebock said. “This was something that was preventable [and] it’s unfortunate. I’m glad that we’re moving forward.”

Lopez’s attorney, Michele McKenzie, of the San Diego-based law firm McKenzie Scott, credited Henderson for taking “meaningful steps” to correct the error, but said that the incident left Lopez and his family traumatized.

“Their public apology mattered to Mr. Lopez and it should matter to the community,” McKenzie said of the city in an emailed statement. “All too often municipalities refuse to take responsibility, but as citizens we should expect and demand transparency, accountability, and empathy. To the City’s credit, they provided that here.”

Robbery probe gone awry

The robbery incident in question that led to Lopez’s arrest occurred in December 2023, according to Henderson officials. Documents show officers responded to the 600 block of North Water Street in reference to a robbery and grand larceny of a motor vehicle after a food delivery driver’s car was stolen while attempting to complete a food drop off.

During that investigation, Detective Edward Karovic identified an IP address and phone number linked to a potential suspect, and Lopez — who was born in 1990 — was found to be associated with that phone number, according to a copy of the settlement. When Karovic ran a background check on the name Alexander Lopez, he found a match for another Alexander Lopez who was born in 1992.

“Unfortunately, the discrepancy in birth year was not caught before a warrant was issued for Mr. Lopez’s arrest,” the settlement said. “The warrant was mistaken and should not have been issued for Mr. Lopez’s arrest, who was not involved with the robbery that occurred in Henderson.”

While arriving to work at the San Diego airport on March 20, 2024, Lopez was arrested in front of his co-workers and booked into jail pursuant to the mistaken warrant, the settlement acknowledged. After learning that Lopez was not the suspect Karovic was seeking on March 27, the city had withdrawn its warrant, and Lopez was released from jail within a day.

According to a letter by McKenzie seeking damages on Lopez’s behalf sent to the city last September, Karovic believed the individual who was responsible for placing the food delivery order was the same person who was responsible for the carjacking.

Although Karovic had sought the IP address used to place the order, along with the internet subscriber’s name, email and home address, McKenzie said Karovic used the phone number alone as the basis of the warrant.

But Karovic also did not contact the mobile provider of the phone number in question — T-Mobile — to confirm whether Lopez was the subscriber on the account, McKenzie wrote to city officials. Lopez also contends he has not used the phone number discovered by Karovic since 2018.

Lopez remained in detention for eight days, was allowed two showers during that span, and was provided no access to exercise, fresh air, or sunlight, McKenzie wrote. Because of the wrongful arrest and incarceration, Lopez said that he has been the subject of “painful” gossip at work and lost a coveted assignment he should have been sent on.

In addition to the income he lost while out of work, his family was also forced to hire an attorney at its expense to help clear his charges, McKenzie said.

‘Commitment to improvement’

A city spokesperson said Karovic is a current employee of the Henderson Police Department, but did not say if he ever faced discipline for the wrongful arrest.

According to the settlement, the city must issue the $595,000 payout within 30 days.

The city must also take “prompt and reasonable” efforts with California and Nevada courts to seal or expunge the records related to the warrant that was improperly issued for Lopez’s arrest and any other criminal records stemming from the incident.

Henderson under the agreement is not admitting liability, but won’t contest that Lopez’s arrest and detention were improper.

“Occurrences like this require reflection and a clear commitment to improvement,” Henderson city spokeswoman Madeleine Skains said in a statement. “As we take this opportunity to learn from the incident, we look forward to working with our incoming police chief, who brings a strong commitment to oversight, training and accountability. The chief is focused on reviewing protocols, strengthening training, and setting clear expectations grounded in integrity, professionalism, and public trust.”

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.