Third Nye County deputy charged in jail overdose death case

A third Nye County corrections officer has been charged in the investigation into the drug overdose death of an inmate housed at the county jail. The Nye County Sheriff's Office said Deputy Christopher Helgerson has been charged by a special prosecutor with a gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit unauthorized surreptitious listening. He is the third deputy charged in the case, according to Nye County Justice Court records.

Deputies Carlos Luna and Kyle Benes were each charged Wednesday with second-degree felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, inhumanity to a prisoner, neglect of duty resulting in death, unauthorized surreptitious listening and conspiracy. The charges stem from the death of Stevie Miller, 30, of Pahrump, who died at Desert View Hospital on June 10 from a methamphetamine and fentanyl overdose after being housed at the jail.

Arrest reports indicate deputies never called for medical assistance despite Miller showing signs of overdose for hours. According to affidavits, Luna was watching a YouTube video and texting as Miller suffered. He referred to her as a "f——— goblin" and a "dumb b——," and asked an inmate worker to close a door so he would not have to hear her groaning. "That's what happens kids when you do drugs," Luna was quoted as saying in the affidavits.

Miller was arrested June 9 after a high-speed pursuit and crash in Pahrump. She appeared uninjured but under the influence and was taken to the hospital for a blood draw before being booked. Medical staff directed jail authorities to keep Miller on observation and return her to the hospital immediately if she experienced abdominal pain and vomiting.

On the morning of June 10, Miller began vomiting in her cell. Benes saw her and said she could not get up; he told her to drink water and figure out how to get up for court. For hours, Miller gagged, vomited and crawled through vomit to reach water, but no deputy contacted medical staff. She stopped breathing that afternoon and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Authorities did not detail exactly what Helgerson is accused of doing.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal