Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Pit bulls sold illegally out of constable’s home

Pit Bull Puppies

Christopher DeVargas

A handwritten sign advertising pit bull puppies for sale is displayed outside a home at 2988 E. Reno Ave. in Las Vegas on Jan. 5, 2011.

Pit Bull Puppies

A hand-written sign advertising Pit-bull puppies for sale is displayed outside a home at 2988 E. Reno Ave., Las Vegas, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2011 Launch slideshow »
John Bonaventura, shown in 2004 as a candidate for the Clark County Commission.

John Bonaventura, shown in 2004 as a candidate for the Clark County Commission.

Handwritten signs outside a Reno Avenue home last week advertised pit bulls for sale — $100 each.

About 4 months old, the dogs appeared content as two men at the house showed them to potential buyers. One of the men, who wouldn’t give his name, said he had to sell the dogs by the weekend so the house, which he said he owned, could be renovated.

In fact, Clark County records show the home is owned by Las Vegas Constable John Bonaventura and his spokesman, Lou Toomin.

The man at the home later said he had “approval” to sell the dogs there. But by Friday the signs were gone.

The county received a complaint that the dogs were being sold without a breeder’s permit. County code requires a permit to sell animals regardless of the number being sold, said Jennifer Lances, assistant director of administrative services.

The county has cited the dogs’ owner, Wilbert Ramos, for having animals that haven’t been spayed or neutered and for having no proof of rabies vaccinations for the dogs. Lances said the two misdemeanors carry the same penalty, a maximum of six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine, as a citation for not having a breeder’s permit.

Bonaventura, who was not cited in the matter, said in an email that the dogs belong to the friend of one of his tenants. He added that his rental agreement with the tenant says renters are not supposed to have dogs.

Bonaventura has been under the microscope for what critics say is a lack of professionalism. While his fellow constables have been concerned about the conduct of his office for months, the issue came to a head recently after a video was posted on Bonaventura’s website showing his deputies in action — pulling over motorists, using profanity and brandishing guns.

The video was made by someone marketing a reality TV show about the Las Vegas Township constable’s office.

Reality TV, Las Vegas constables

It caught the eye of Clark County commissioners, who during last week’s meeting discussed the “unprofessional” behavior and expressed frustration at the police-like actions in the video. They also were upset that Bonaventura had not attended the meeting to address their concerns. He instead sent his deputies.

As an elected official, Bonaventura has said he only answers to voters, not fellow elected officials. He has accused Commissioner Steve Sisolak, who placed the constable matter on the commission agenda, of using the video to draw attention to himself as he seeks re-election.

Bonaventura has sent emails to every commissioner, inviting them to visit the constable’s office this week.

Commissioners admit their options for dealing with the office are limited. Not only is the constable elected, nearly all of the office’s expenses are covered by the fees it collects serving civil documents and citing people for unregistered vehicles.

Sisolak said he probably won’t accept the constable’s invitation.

“I would have liked for him to come to the commission meeting,” he said. “I want to give the constable the chance to respond to all our questions. I don’t want to believe we’re seeing a pattern here. If he needs help following the codes and rules of the state or the county, we want to help him.”

He added that “this is not a re-election sound bite. This is a legitimate concern. People are calling me talking about how the constable’s office is portrayed.”

Constables from three other townships — North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Henderson — said Tuesday that the reputation they had worked to burnish over the past decade or more had been tarnished since Bonaventura’s election in November 2010.

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