LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A tourist in Las Vegas is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in public and tearing off a piece of her ear, police say.
Samuel Garee Jr., 45, of Salem, Oregon, faces charges including sex assault resulting in substantial bodily harm, kidnapping and battery.
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An employee at The Strat Hotel and Casino called police around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, saying Garee and a woman were attempting to have sexual intercourse near a bus stop on the Las Vegas Strip, police said. The caller indicated the woman was injured.
Police found the victim with several injuries, including part of her ear missing, they said.
Garee told police he was visiting from Oregon and was staying at a different Strip hotel, officers said.
According to police, video surveillance showed the woman performing a sex act on Garee outside of The Strat property. Several witnesses reported seeing Garee hit and punch the woman in the face.
In the hospital, doctors noted the woman had several facial fractures and cuts, and part of her ear was missing, police said. She told police she had just met Garee and accompanied him to the casino. She said he “seemed nice” but she was not interested in “being sexual with him.”
Garee told police he was in Las Vegas to celebrate the birth of a grandchild, they said. He maintained he had no memory of the incident.
Judge Holly Stoberski set Garee’s bail at $500,000. He remained in jail as of Thursday.
