Bail reduced for former teacher involved with teen girl

Bail was reduced for a 45-year-old former kindergarten teacher facing kidnapping and child pornography charges after a weeks-long affair with a 16-year-old girl.

District Judge Stefany Miley on Monday lowered Melvyn Sprowson’s bail from $650,000 to $150,000 after his lawyer, John Momot, argued that the girl was as responsible for the affair as was his client.

It’s unknown if Sprowson, who has been jailed at the Clark County Detention Center since his arrest in November, will be able to post the lower bail.

Prosecutor Jacqueline Bluth opposed the bail reduction. She said a lower court judge set bail at more than half a million dollars after an investigation revealed Sprowson had child pornography on his cellphone.

But Momot said the girl testified at an earlier hearing that she wanted to send Sprowson the photographs of herself and that only some of the pictures were of her in the nude.

Momot pointed out that the “troubled girl” has had affairs with older men before resulting in criminal cases and she sought out Sprowson through an ad on the website Craigslist.

In March, David Schlomann was sentenced to five years of probation for his affair with the girl when she was 14 years old. Schlomann pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault and luring children with use of technology with intent to engage in sexual conduct.

Momot said Schlomann’s bail was $100,000 during that case and asked for a proportional bail for Sprowson.

Sprowson faces six counts, including kidnapping, child endangerment and four counts of unlawful use of a minor in the production of pornography.

He pleaded not guilty and is set to stand trial in June.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @fjmccabe