Friday, June 27, 2003 | 10:29 a.m.
A motorcycle officer with the North Las Vegas Police Department is facing felony charges in Wisconsin for allegedly failing to pay child support for 14 years.
Jim P. Byrne, 44, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a La Crosse County, Wis., court to 14 counts of failure to support a child. According to a criminal complaint obtained by the Sun, Byrne owes at least $30,000 in child support to his 15-year-old daughter.
This is the second time in as many days that a North Las Vegas police officer has been in the spotlight because of alleged criminal conduct.
On Tuesday, Kevin B. Hugins, 33, a patrol officer, was arrested on charges of lewdness with a child and gross lewdness, both misdemeanors. He was booked into Clark County Detention Center and released Tuesday night after posting a $15,000 bond.
Both Byrne and Hugins are on paid leave pending the outcomes of the cases, said Officer Justin Roberts, spokesman for the police department. He said he hoped they didn't reflect poorly on the department.
"They weren't in their official capacity as a police officer when these things happened," Roberts said. "This has nothing to do with the police department or the city of North Las Vegas."
Byrne, who used to live in Wisconsin where he was a college football star, has been working for the North Las Vegas Police for at least eight years, Roberts said. He investigated fatal crashes.
According to court records, Byrne's daughter was born in March 1988, and he signed paperwork in May 1989 agreeing to pay $225 in child support per month.
Other than a few times between 1989 and 1990 Byrne has not made any child support payments, records show. To date, Byrne has paid about $500 in child support.
Reports indicate Byrne owes more than $30,000, but Loralee Clark, deputy district attorney for La Crosse County, said she hasn't computed the exact total yet.
Byrne owes "a lot -- that would be accurate," she said.
His Wisconsin attorney, Jim Kroner, said Byrne does have an explanation as to why he didn't pay, but he said " I don't know if I can tell you or not."
A warrant was issued for Byrne's arrest in early June. When Byrne was notified of the warrant, he made arrangements with the district attorney's office in La Crosse to return voluntarily.
Clark said Byrne might have tried to evade authorities by using the names Jim P. Byrne and James P. Byrne with different social security numbers, and she said she's "very suspicious."
"There are two different social security numbers associated with those names, and that needs to be investigated, " she said.
His Wisconsin attorney, Jim Kroner, said: "To my knowledge, there's no basis for that."
The district attorney's office offered Byrne a plea agreement in which he could have pleaded guilty in exchange for the charges being reduced to misdemeanors, but Byrne hasn't agreed to it, authorities said.
He is free on a $10,000 signature bond, court records show. Another hearing is scheduled for July 24. If convicted on all charges, Byrne could be sentenced to 37 years in prison.
Roberts said he had no knowledge of Byrne having any disciplinary problems since he joined the North Las Vegas force.
The fact that Byrne hadn't paid child support didn't turn up when North Las Vegas police officials conducted a background investigation when he was hired because the charges were filed after he had been employed for some time, Roberts said.
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