Outdoor Sex Near The Strat Leads Grandpa to Tear Off Part of Victim’s Ear

Posted on: April 15, 2022, 08:02h. 

Last updated on: April 15, 2022, 11:30h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A man remained in jail this week after he allegedly tore off a piece of a woman’s ear. The injury occurred during alleged forced sex outdoors on the Las Vegas Strip near The Strat Hotel, Casino & SkyPod.

Samuel Garee Jr., 45, of Salem, Ore., was celebrating the birth of a grandchild when the assault took place early Tuesday morning, reported KLAS, a local TV station. He is charged with sexual assault resulting in substantial bodily harm, kidnapping, and battery.

The victim was rushed to a local hospital. She received treatment for facial fractures, cuts, and the missing part of her ear, KLAS said. 

During a court appearance late this week, Las Vegas Judge Holly Stoberski set Garee’s bail at $500,000. He was in custody as of Friday in the Clark County Detention Center. If convicted, he could face many years in prison.

Victim Denies

The victim told police that she and Garee met at an unidentified location in Las Vegas. She later accompanied him to an area adjacent to a bus stop near The Strat.

She told police he seemed nice, but that she wasn’t interested in any sexual acts, according to reports from KLAS.

However, at one point, the victim performed a “sex act” on Garee, according to KLAS. The incident was captured on nearby surveillance cameras.

During the incident, Garee allegedly hit and punched the victim in the face, according to police reports. Several passersby reported seeing Garee hit the victim.

Metro police were notified about the attack by an employee at The Strat. The worker called police at about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Garee was not staying at The Strat. Police did not say at which hotel he was staying.

Police said he later told them he could not remember the incident.

Prior Incidents at Strat

Last September, a man who jumped from the Strat Hotel, Casino & SkyPod died from an apparent suicide, according to the Clark County Coroner’s office. The coroner’s office added that the official cause of his demise was “blunt injuries.”

In 2000 a 24-year-old Utah man killed himself after jumping from the same hotel, formerly known as the Stratosphere. Mitchell M. Mayfield of Tooele jumped off the observation deck at the hotel’s tower, according to the Las Vegas Sun.