Laughlin man dies from injuries sustained during fight with friend

By Paul Takahashi

Monday, Dec. 16, 2013 | 7:44 p.m.

A homeless man accused of beating a man to death in Laughlin last week was reportedly in town to celebrate his birthday with the man and his wife, according to Metro Police.

Metro Police arrested Michael Dean Dymond, 54, Thursday on felony charges of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm. Dymond is suspected of beating his 59-year-old friend to death after an argument escalated into a fight Wednesday as the men were celebrating Dymond's birthday at a Laughlin casino.

The arrest report outlines the following events:

Metro officers were called to the Aquarius resort, located in the 1900 block of South Casino Drive in Laughlin, around 1 p.m. on reports of a physical altercation. Upon arrival at the river walk behind the resort, police officers found a man, identified today as Joseph Chernowsky, on a bench, unconscious and bleeding from his face.

His wife, Carol Chernowsky, 57, told police at the scene that Dymond, the couple's friend, was visiting them in Laughlin to celebrate his birthday. Dymond turned 54 years old Friday.

Carol Chernowsky was walking over to the Regency Casino — located next door to the Aquarius — to meet her husband when Dymond walked up to her and told her that she was “going to hate him forever.”

When Carol Chernowsky asked why, Dymond showed her his hand, which was cut and bleeding, and told her that he had hit her husband on the head at least 20 times “because he wouldn’t shut up.”

Carol Chernowsky ran down the driveway toward the river walk and found a hotel security guard attending to her husband, who suffered life-threatening injuries, including cranial bleeding, facial lacerations and a broken jaw. Meanwhile, Dymond fled from the scene.

Joseph Chernowsky was transported by ambulance to Western Arizona Regional Medical Center in Bullhead City and then transferred by helicopter to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, where he died from his injuries Sunday.

Metro Police found Dymond on Thursday as he walked through a desert area near Bruce Woodbury Drive and Thomas Edison Road. Police found a bloodied towel inside Dymond’s suitcase, which held all his possessions.

Dymond, who had cuts and dried blood on his swollen hands, told police he was upset with himself and wanted to know if his friend Joe was OK. Dymond burst out crying as he was arrested and taken to jail, according to police.

At the Laughlin police substation, Dymond told police he was in town to visit the Chernowskys and celebrate his birthday.

On the day of the fight, Dymond said, he and Joseph Chernowsky bought a couple of beers at the Terrible Herbst gas station and went to the Regency to gamble. The two friends got into a small argument when Joseph Chernowsky tried to give Dymond some money with which to gamble. Dymond refused his friend’s money “because he didn’t have any money of his own.”

Their squabble caught the attention of hotel staff, who kicked the two men out of the casino because they brought beer in from another place, Dymond told police. The two men continued to bicker as they walked out of the Regency and toward the river walk.

The argument escalated into a physical fight when Joseph Chernowsky allegedly made a comment and spit in Dymond’s face. Dymond began hitting Joseph Chernowsky in the face, causing him to fall onto a metal bench. Dymond continued to punch Joseph Chernowsky in the face multiple times.

After confronting Carol Chernowsky, Dymond walked over to the Riverside resort and then went back to the Aquarius, intending to retrieve his suitcase. Upon seeing police and medical personnel at the Aquarius, Dymond said he left the scene “because he didn’t want to be in jail for his birthday.”

Dymond told police he was very upset with Joseph Chernowsky for spitting in his face, was appalled by how he spoke of his wife and was driven to fight because of a “large amount of alcohol they had been drinking all day.” He also said that he “doesn’t usually pick fights” but that he “does end them.”

Dymond is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center. The Clark County District Attorney’s Office is expected to file criminal murder charges against Dymond this week.