Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

North Las Vegas man pleads not guilty in kidnap-child sex case

Jimmy Carter Kim

Jimmy Carter Kim

A North Las Vegas man pleaded not guilty Monday to 83 felony charges in a case that came to light when a 14-year-old Arizona girl walked into a convenience store and said she'd been abducted and kept captive for a month as his sex slave.

Jimmy Carter Kim's plea put his case back on track toward a trial that could get him life in prison on kidnapping and child sexual assault charges.

A firm trial date wasn't set, pending an April 7 appearance in Clark County District Court.

Kim, 27, also faces lewdness, attempted sexual assault, sexual battery and use of a minor in producing pornography charges. He remains in custody at the Clark County jail in Las Vegas.

His lawyer, Jeff Maningo, declined to comment outside court.

Kim balked last week at pleading guilty to four charges in an agreed-upon plea deal that would have gotten him 35 years to life in prison. It also would have spared his alleged victims from testifying.

Prosecutor Stacey Kollins said police identified at least three other victims after the Arizona girl was returned to her family in December.

The girl told police she ran away from home Nov. 3, got into a van with Kim, smoked marijuana and fell asleep before waking up at a house in the Las Vegas area.

She told police she was threatened with a handgun, raped repeatedly, photographed in sex acts, and left alone in a locked room with a bucket for a toilet when Kim was gone. She said she was too frightened to escape earlier.

Prosecutors heard a similar account from a 15-year-old from Las Vegas who went to Reno before telling police she'd been kept captive for two weeks in a North Las Vegas home.

The investigation prompted the FBI to publicize Internet screen names associated with Kim on Facebook, Snapchat, Kik, MeetMe and Instagram accounts.

Many were variations of the name Yimmy, such as YimmySin and Yimmy702. Other names were graphically vulgar.

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