A man accused of holding a woman hostage and dumping furniture in a Caesars Palace hotel room intends to plead guilty and has agreed to pay more than $55,000 in fines, his lawyer announced during a court hearing Monday.
Matthew Mannix, 35, was arrested after a police standoff lasting more than five hours at a Las Vegas Strip hotel on July 11, during which he was accused of threatening to open fire on officers and cutting out the tongue of a woman. woman whom police say he was holding hostage.
He was scheduled to appear in court on Monday for a preliminary hearing, in which a judge determines whether there is enough evidence for a defendant to stand trial.
Instead, defense attorney David Roger told the judge Mannix would plead guilty to felony malicious destruction of property and felony misdemeanor reckless endangerment. Initially, he was charged with first-degree kidnapping, coercion with a deadly weapon, destruction of property, and endangering the safety of persons or property.
Mannix waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Monday and is expected to enter a formal guilty plea in District Court on Wednesday. Mannix, who has been in custody since his arrest, beamed at a Las Vegas Review-Journal photographer during his court appearance.
As part of the pending plea agreement, Mannix will also be required to pay $55,292 in damages to Caesars Palace.
Police have said Mannix smashed windows in the hotel room and threw large pieces of furniture to the ground 21 stories below. The woman accused of holding hostage told police she feared Mannix would throw her out of a window, according to her arrest report. Mannix is also suspected of smoking methamphetamine in the room.
In a jailhouse interview with the Review-Journal last month, Mannix said the situation was a “big misunderstanding” and that the woman wanted to be in the room and helped him lock the door.
Prosecutors had previously said Mannix had been convicted of kidnapping and property damage in Colorado, and had four active protection orders against him. Mannix is also being held on a Colorado fugitive warrant for a probation violation, his attorney said.
