Bail set at $250,000 for driver charged in death of UNLV student in crash
A Las Vegas justice of the peace on Monday set bail at $250,000 for the man charged in the death of a popular UNLV student and ordered the suspect to surrender his passport and wear an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet.
The bail is $50,000 more than prosecutors requested of Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle. The defense had requested a $25,000 bail.
As of Monday night, Vladimir Lagerev, 45 was still in custody at the county jail. Deputy District Attorney Bruce Nelson said a new complaint charges Lagerev with one count of felony driving under the influence causing a death and misdemeanor driving without insurance. Nelson said Lagerev had a blood alcohol level of 0.2 about 90 minutes after the April 15 crash on the Las Vegas Beltway near Windmill Avenue. The legal limit in Nevada is 0.08.
Nelson said Lagerev has no prior arrests for driving under the influence but has been arrested for misdemeanor battery domestic violence. The charge was dismissed after Lagerev completed various counseling programs.
Lagerev was driving in the wrong direction when he collided with 18-year-old Lindsay Bennett, who was eastbound on the beltway, police said. Bennett, a 2008 Coronado High School graduate, died April 17, three days before she turned 19. Bennett, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas architectural design student, was a member of the Runnin' Rebel Girls dance team.
Lagerev is to appear in court for a preliminary hearing June 25. Prosecutors are considering taking the case to a grand jury for an indictment.
Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.
