Man Who Struck Cyclist Near Red Rock Charged in Federal Court With Unlawful Possession of Firearms
Reno, Nev. - A man charged in the state court system with hitting a cyclist with his truck near Red Rock on July 20, 2005, and leaving the cyclist injured at the scene, was indicted today in U.S. District Court on unlawful possession of firearms charges, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada. The cyclist, who was also an off-duty Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer, later died of his injuries.
MICHAEL WARREN REICH, age 27, of Las Vegas, was indicted today by the Federal Grand Jury on one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. The Indictment alleges that on July 21, 2005, REICH, having been convicted in March 2000 of Manufacture or Delivery of THC in Wisconsin, possessed two handguns, four rifles, and a shotgun. The firearms were recovered from REICH'S residence in Las Vegas following the service of a search warrant in the state case. If convicted, REICH faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Federal laws prohibit the possession of firearms by felons, fugitives, persons addicted to controlled substances, persons adjudicated as mental defectives, persons unlawfully in the United States, persons discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions, persons under the control of domestic violence restraining orders, and persons who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. A law prohibiting the possession of body armor by violent felons became effective on November 2, 2002.
REICH is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leavitt on August 23, 2005, at 3:00 p.m. for an initial hearing and arraignment and plea in the federal case. The case is being investigated by Officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Special Agents of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew W. Duncan.
The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
