Panel changes bill calling for child abuse reports

The bill now goes back to the Assembly for concurrence in a Senate amendment.

AB267, sponsored by Assemblyman Richard Perkins, D-Las Vegas, and cosponsored by 48 other lawmakers, was prompted by the reported unwillingness of David Cash to do anything when he witnessed 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson being brutalized in a bathroom stall at the Primm Valley hotel in May 1997.

Cash's friend, Jeremy Strohmeyer, raped and killed Sherrice. He got a no-parole life term last year.

But Cash, now a student at the University of California, Berkeley, couldn't be charged under current Nevada law. Perkins says the girl might be alive today if Cash simply had gone to authorities.

The bill includes legal immunity for people who notify authorities when they suspect a child is a victim of sexual abuse or violence. If their suspicions are found to be incorrect, they can't be sued.

AB267 also exempts family members from the crime reporting requirement.

Judiciary Chairman Mark James, R-Las Vegas, said he and other members thought it was necessary to give "good faith immunity" from lawsuits so people will be encouraged to help stop the victimization of children.

James said AB267 is a landmark piece of legislation because it puts responsibility on innocent bystanders to report physical crimes against children.

They must report their suspicions as soon as possible, or they could be charged with a misdemeanor and sentenced to up to six months in jail.

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