Las Vegas judge holds closed-door meeting, then refuses to reduce bail for ex-officer

A Las Vegas judge spoke with attorneys in a closed-door meeting Monday before announcing that she would not lower bail for a former police officer accused of domestic violence.

Jeremiah Jordan, 22, faces charges of coercion constituting domestic violence with threat or use of physical force, assault constituting domestic violence with a deadly weapon and domestic battery.

Lawyers usually make bail arguments in public court hearings.

But after meeting privately with a prosecutor and defense attorney, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Nancy Bernstein announced that following “discussions in chambers” about a motion to reconsider bail, she had found no change in circumstance.

“I did address the mental health issues with Mr. (Tony) Abbatangelo and the state, and if Mr. Abbatangelo has any information regarding any facilities that Mr. Jordan could be released to, then that could be readdressed before the preliminary hearing date,” she said.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Pro Tem Jeff Banks previously set Jordan’s bail at $200,000. He remained in jail custody during his hearing Monday.

Defense attorney Tony Abbatangelo said after court that Bernstein told the lawyers to discuss the motion in private.

“She just said, ‘hey, come back,” he said. “That was her idea, which is understandable because there’s a lot of emotion,” with alleged victims present in the courtroom.

He added: “When it’s informal, we can interrupt each other and it went faster and I think it helped for everybody not to just get dragged through the mud.”

Bernstein said in a phone interview following the hearing that there was a “sensitive medical issue” involving the defendant and that discussing it in open court would have violated his medical privacy rights.

She said when she asked Deputy District Attorney Phillip Froehlich if he was ready for her to call the case, he said he had something to discuss.

“I said, ‘You want to do it at the bench or is chambers better?,’ and then they both said, ‘Let’s just meet in chambers about it,’” Bernstein recalled, later adding that she agreed.

“I just didn’t want to have anything aired out that could possibly prejudice the defendant or bring some sensitive information out about the victims,” she said.

She said she discussed the bail motion “very little, very, very little” during the behind-the-scenes conversation. She said she told the attorneys she had found no change in circumstance, but that she also invited Abbatangelo to share additional information if he had it.

“I can ask any attorneys if they want to discuss something in chambers,” said the judge.

Maggie McLetchie, a First Amendment attorney, said court hearings and discussions should be open to the public unless stringent requirements for closure are met.

“A hearing cannot occur ‘in chambers’ to avoid the strict procedural and substantive requirements that must be met before closure of a court hearing occurs,” said McLetchie, who sometimes represents the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Publicly announcing the decision after talking about it in chambers does not fix the problem.”

Abbatangelo said after court that Jordan’s mental health issues should not prevent him from receiving bail.

“Based on the evidence we have reviewed, this appears to be a complicated, emotionally charged, and codependent relationship between two young people, not the simplistic narrative that has emerged in the court of public opinion,” said Kara Jenkins, a spokesperson for Paul Padda Law, where Abbatangelo works. “To the contrary, Jeremiah is more than the allegations made against him, he is a son, a friend, and a young man navigating significant personal challenges.”

Froehlich declined to comment.

Prosecutors previously said the charges stem from two individuals.

One woman reported being thrown to the ground, resulting in head injuries, Deputy District Attorney Kennedy Holthus argued previously, and another said Jordan was coercive and controlling when they were in a relationship, leading to her being isolated.

“In one incident the defendant slapped the victim in the face,” Holthus said. “In another incident while the victim is sleeping she wakes up to the defendant’s hands around her neck.”

Jordan, a Metropolitan Police Department employee since 2023 who was assigned to the Enterprise Area Command, has separated from the department, according to a Metro spokesperson.