Inset: Tavari Pearson (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department). Background: The Las Vegas, Nevada, area where Tavari Pearson attacked his youth camp therapist (KTNV/YouTube).
A Nevada teenager has been sentenced to prison after committing additional crimes while on probation for a violent attack on a therapist. The assault involved striking the woman in the head with a rock, forcing her into a ravine and sexually assaulting her.
Tavari Pearson was 15 when the 2022 attack occurred. In 2024, he pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault and attempted battery to commit sexual assault. Court records show that Pearson entered an Alford plea, under which he acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to secure a conviction without admitting guilt.
Pearson, now 19, initially received a six-month jail sentence followed by probation. Prosecutors had sought an eight-to-20-year prison term, but a judge suspended the sentence to give Pearson an opportunity to remain in the community under supervision, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Court records reviewed by Law&Crime indicate that Pearson was scheduled to stand trial Sept. 14 in a separate case involving charges of car theft and ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He pleaded guilty to those offenses Sept. 2 and is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 4.
According to court minutes, the September plea and conviction prompted a local judge to revoke Pearson’s probation on Sept. 23. He was then sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison, with credit for three years and six months he had already served.
At the time of the therapist’s attack, Pearson was being housed at Spring Mountain Youth Camp in Las Vegas. Clark County describes the facility as a juvenile center for boys between 12 and 18 who have been adjudicated for delinquent acts.
“This division provides for the therapeutic, educational, social, medical and recreational needs of approximately 240 young men,” the county website states.
Pearson was accused of knocking a walkie-talkie from the county-contracted therapist’s hand before pushing her to the ground and pinning her arms. He reportedly tried to kiss her, sexually assaulted her and then forced her down a ravine.
“She was basically left to die in a ravine,” the victim’s attorney, Robert Murdock, told local ABC affiliate KTNV in 2024.
Clark County settled a lawsuit filed by the victim last year. She alleged that the county placed her in danger by failing to disclose “severe” behavioral problems Pearson allegedly had in his record, including an alleged sexual assault involving another person. The woman also secured a $20.5 million civil judgment against Pearson.
Pearson had been removed from his high school track team shortly before the attack. His therapist suggested taking a walk outside so they could discuss his reaction to being kicked off the team, but he attacked her during the outing.
Pearson was initially charged with sexual assault and attempted murder.
“Everyone deserves a second chance, but at the same time, this was someone that, in the state’s view, was committing a very violent and dangerous felony, and that’s why we asked for prison to begin with,” Clark County Deputy District Attorney Michael Allmon told the Review-Journal. “It’s unfortunate that wasn’t done, and we see that he was out committing more crimes shortly after his release.”
