Off-duty Las Vegas police officer allegedly robbed casino at gunpoint
An off-duty police officer in Las Vegas allegedly robbed a casino at gunpoint early Sunday, police said.
Caleb Rogers, 33, a member of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department since 2015, is charged with burglary with a firearm, assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, according to a statement from his own agency.
Shortly before 7 a.m., police said they were dispatched to a casino on the 4100 block of South Valley View Boulevard. Security at the casino, which was not named by police, told officers they had detained a suspect.
“Responding officers contacted security and identified the suspect as off-duty LVMPD officer Caleb Rogers,” police said.
The department said Rogers, who is assigned to the Community Police Division, Bolden Area Command, will be "placed on suspension of police powers without pay pending the outcome of the criminal and internal investigations."
Rogers made an initial appearance in court Monday and was held on $250,000 bail with high-level monitoring and a mandate he have no weapons if he posts bail, a representative with the Clark County District Attorney's office said.
It was unclear if Rogers had retained an attorney. He remained in the Clark County Detention Center on Monday afternoon, according to online jail records.
His relatives could not be immediately reached.
Earlier Monday in court, prosecutor Christopher Laurent said Rogers also is a suspect in two other armed robberies in the area. They include recent holdups at Red Rock Resort and Aliante Hotel, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
“They have similar MOs,” Laurent said, adding “it appears to be the same person. Metro is currently investigating. He is a danger to the community with that kind of training and knowledge.”
A representative with the district attorney's office deferred to Las Vegas police when asked if Rogers is a suspect in additional casino robberies. A spokesperson with Las Vegas police declined to answer and pointed to the department’s statement from Sunday when asked the same question.
"Additional charges may be forthcoming," police have said.
Steve Grammas, president of Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said Rogers’ arrest is not a reflection of the department.
"While everyone has a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, if these allegations are true, the LVPPA could not be more disappointed and disgusted by the actions of one rogue officer,” the statement said.
“This is not indicative of the excellent work and character that the men and women at LVMPD exemplify on a daily basis. ... If these charges are proven to be true, we hope the criminal justice system accurately holds the person accused accountable.”
