Jail sex encounter delayed release

A sexual encounter in the county jail between a male prostitute and a 15-year-old boy charged in his father's death delayed the boy's release on house arrest and was the reason for a closed court hearing in the matter Thursday.

Conan Pope was not the victim but was the one who solicited the sex act from the male prostitute, according to sources close to the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because a gag order had been issued.

Pope, who is charged as an adult in the Jan. 6 shooting death of his father, was supposed to have been released last Tuesday on house arrest to a family friend, but that was delayed when the sexual charges surfaced, the sources said.

Prosecutors asked the judge to reconsider Pope's release, because there are four children in the family where he was headed, the sources said.

Sources close to the case said Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo questioned the parents in a closed hearing Thursday in light of the new allegations, and the parents said that they considered Pope to be a fine young man and were willing to follow through with their commitment.

Pope was released to the home on Friday from the Clark County Detention Center, where he had been held in the protective custody section because of his age. Some sex offenders also are held in the section because of potential risks to their safety.

As part of his house arrest, Pope must be home-schooled, rather than return to Silverado High School, where he was a freshman.

Pope also will face charges in Juvenile Court over the sexual liaison that occurred a week ago in the protective custody wing of the Clark County Detention Center, one source said.

The second man, who has a long history of prostitution arrests, is expected to be charged this week with the little-used felony count of voluntary sexual contact between incarcerated individuals.

While Pope automatically was certified as an adult in the murder case despite being only 15, he is not considered an adult for subsequent situations. Juvenile criminal hearings can be closed to the public while adult proceedings are supposed to be open to the public.

Thursday's hearing seemed to cross the boundaries between the two court systems, because an alleged juvenile offense was the basis for a hearing in adult court.

The first public indication that a sexual allegation was involved was in court, when Deputy District Attorney Christopher Laurent was joined by Deputy District Attorney Doug Herndon, who is assigned to the unit that prosecutes sex crimes in addition to crimes against women and children.

There was no determination at Thursday's hearing whether jail administrators erred by letting Pope have contact with the convicted sex offender, the sources said.

But some familiar with the case said detention center administrators may need to review their policies and procedures regarding the housing of underage defendants, although there may be no way to protect such teenagers other than housing them in isolation cells.

If he is convicted of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon in his father's death, Pope faces a life prison term with or without the possibility of parole after 40 years. Because Pope is under 16, prosecutors are barred from pursuing the death penalty.

Pope is charged in the shooting death of 62-year-old Frank Pope following what Pope and his sister described as the father's tirade at finding dirty dishes in the kitchen when he returned home from work.

Court records show that the teenager and his 16-year-old sister, Desiree, were sent to their rooms while Frank Pope angrily smashed dishes in the kitchen.

But Conan Pope emerged moments later with a .357-caliber rifle he had received as a Christmas present and shot his father, court documents allege.

The defendant told police after his arrest that he shot to protect his sister, although it was unclear from court records what the danger was.

An anonymous complaint had been filed in 1997 with Child Protective Services alleging sexual and physical abuse of the children by Frank Pope, but an investigation could not substantiate the allegations and the complaint was declared to be unfounded, sources who have reviewed the complaint said.

Both children denied to Child Protective Services officers that there was any type of abuse, the sources said.

Deputy Special Public Defender Kristina Wildeveld has said that no one should believe that the shooting of Frank Pope occurred because of dirty dishes.

Court records show that Conan Pope told arresting officers on Jan. 6 that after being confined to his room, he had opened the door to see his father, with a broom in his hand, marching toward the sister's room.

Pope said he confronted his father and yelled, "No!" before firing the first shot. He admitted cocking the lever-action Winchester rifle and firing a second shot before fleeing the house and running to a friend's home.

He said he discarded the rifle in a desert area as he ran. Police recovered it after a search of the area.

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