Home Subscribe Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

News


Chiropractor faces decision on discipline

Board hears testimony on complaint by sister of man killed in altercation

A Las Vegas chiropractor must wait at least two more weeks before learning whether he will face professional discipline for causing a man's death during a 2005 altercation.

The Chiropractic Physicians' Board of Nevada heard nearly 10 hours of testimony Friday without reaching a decision on a complaint filed earlier this year against Stephen B. Shaw, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and received probation in a related criminal case. The board is expected to conclude the hearing on Dec. 15.

Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites

Most Popular Stories
  • NORM: Cheetah Girls have claws out
  • NORM: Chef's steak rates No. 1 in magazine
  • NORM: Woods in town for trainer aid
  • NORM: O.J. associate has advertising plans
  • Teen's death leaves family devastated
  • Jewelry theft from Mayweather major LV haul
  • Jailed criminals reach out to give teens inside look at 'Life of Crime'
  • SEEKING JUSTICE: Guilty until proven innocent
  • BOULDER CITY BYPASS: Bridging funding gap
  • Shooting at party kills one



  • Among those who testified Friday was District Judge Michelle Leavitt, who witnessed portions of the March 11, 2005, incident. After the hearing, Leavitt was reluctant to give her opinion when asked whether the board should revoke Shaw's license.

    "Maybe you should ask me if I would ever go to him as a patient," she told a reporter. "Never. And I would never refer anyone to him."

    Friday marked the first time Leavitt has testified about the incident, which occurred at Fabulous Freddy's car wash and gasoline station at Fort Apache Road and Charleston Boulevard.

    The administrative hearing was held to address a complaint filed by Linda Edwards of Ketchum, Idaho. The woman's 60-year-old brother, Las Vegas resident Lawrence Weiss, suffered fatal head injuries after Shaw shoved him and caused him to fall.

    According to the complaint, disciplinary action is warranted against Shaw, 38, because he engaged in unprofessional conduct. Edwards wants the board to revoke Shaw's license.

    Leavitt said she was getting her car washed at Fabulous Freddy's when she heard a man shouting.

    "It was very loud," the judge said. "My instincts told me there was something terribly wrong."

    As she approached, Leavitt saw a man fall to the ground, where he lay bleeding and unconscious.

    "It was very apparent to me that his condition was very serious," Leavitt said.

    The judge said she then watched as a younger and taller man stood over the older man, pointed down at him and said, "Next time, pick on someone your own size." She said the younger man repeated the comment several times.

    "I thought it was extremely strange, because I thought he should probably take his own advice," Leavitt said.

    She described the younger man as "very buff." She said he appeared "very angry, very agitated," and fled the scene without trying to render aid to the injured man.

    "I was very concerned about this elderly gentleman," Leavitt said. "To this day it's taken a kind of toll on me, having to observe that."

    The judge said she did not know the victim had died until she read about the incident in the newspaper.

    Shaw pleaded guilty in March to involuntary manslaughter, a felony, for causing the death of Weiss, a retired record company executive. Shaw entered a type of guilty plea that required him to admit only that prosecutors could prove their case against him.

    Although probation officials recommended a prison term of 12 to 30 months, District Judge Donald Mosley sentenced Shaw to five years of probation.

    Shaw originally faced a charge of second-degree murder, but Mosley dismissed the charge in November 2005. Mosley said prosecutors had no evidence indicating that Shaw intended to kill Weiss.

    Cindy Wade, executive director of the Chiropractic Physicians' Board, said she would have filed a complaint against Shaw if Edwards had not. According to Nevada law governing chiropractors, the record of a felony conviction "is conclusive evidence of unprofessional conduct."

    Wade said Shaw has been licensed in Nevada since 1997 and has no discipline on his record. If the board finds that he has engaged in unprofessional conduct, his discipline could range from a public reprimand to license revocation.

    Shaw testified that he rushed to Fabulous Freddy's after receiving a call from his wife, Raquel, who told him a man had attacked her as she sat in her vehicle with the couple's two daughters. He said he took off his work shirt as he exited his vehicle at the scene.

    "If I had to get into a fight, if I had to get physical, I didn't want the advantage to go to the entity I was going to face," Shaw told the chiropractic board.

    He said his wife directed him to Weiss, who was looking toward her vehicle. Shaw said he immediately pushed the man, believing he posed a threat to his wife and children.

    The chiropractor testified that he left the scene without realizing that Weiss had suffered life-threatening injuries.

    Witnesses told police that Weiss believed Raquel Shaw had cut him off on the road before entering Fabulous Freddy's and that the two had exchanged words about the traffic incident.

    The victim's wife, Sheri, is pursuing a lawsuit against the Shaws and Fabulous Freddy's. Raquel Shaw is expected to testify before the board at its next meeting in Las Vegas.

    Shaw testified that he once played quarterback for UNLV's football team, that he has had martial-arts training, and that his business sponsors ultimate fighters.

    He said he personally has been involved in only one fistfight, which occurred when he was 20.

    Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0264.



    Leave Your Comment 24 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    T.M. wrote on December 12, 2007 06:59 AM: If justice is what we are trying to determine, than one should investigate the inappropriateness of Judge Mosley's involvement. This tragic situation exactly parallels the altercation between a motorist in Ely and Judge Mosley in 1990. When the motorist refused to allow Judge Mosley to pass him on the road, Judge Mosley reached for his shotgun in the back seat and went into a rage. The other driver radioed for police intervention. When the police stopped both vehicles and mistakenly walked away from the parties, Judge Mosley insulted the driver with various ethnic remarks. His intent was to incite the motorist to throw the first punch. Judge Mosley threw him to the ground and proceeded to kick him until the police officers ran to stop the altercation. Judge Mosley had previously waived his badge necessitating the private discussion between the officers at a distance. Judge Mosley defended his actions by claiming his actions were in defense of the insulting comments made to his girlfriend. Judge Mosley later testified that he was defending her honor. Judge Mosley was cited for battery. The motorist was treated at a local hospital. Stewart Bell (now a District Ct. Judge), was at the time the District Attorney, but previously was Judge Mosley's criminal defense attorney and long time friend. Mr. Bell made a deal, in spite of the "girlfriends" refusal to testify to these facts. Is it possible Judge Mosley in some twisted way felt that vindication of Mr. Shaw would somehow justify his own prior actions? Did the attorney's for Mr. Shaw know of this incident when they declared in court that he (the Judge) would have done exactly what Mr. Shaw did? JUDGE MOSLEY SHOULD HAVE RECUSED.


    jerry wrote on December 04, 2007 12:40 PM: Though martial arts teaches good ethics in fighting, it does not grant him a poor temper. I can't imagine you wouldn't get a little temperamental if someone was harasing YOUR loved ones. This has nothing to do with what kind of doctor he is.


    jerry wrote on December 04, 2007 12:38 PM: Martinez...you have never made a mistake while driving? Accidentally broken a rule? I think it's pretty clear that Dr. Shaw's wife didn't cut him off out of malicious intent. If we all followed everybody that cut someone else off, we'd all be pulled over on the side of the road. In this town, there are a million terrible drivers. I see poor driving everyday. But that doesn't give us the right to assume that his wife is a bad driver for making a mistake, nor does it give the man a right to follow her and harass her and her two scared children. Shame on HIM.


    E. Martinez wrote on December 04, 2007 09:27 AM: Chiropractor and the board hearing. All this over because his wife cut someone off. I don't feel this man should be allowed to practice if he cannot control his anger. In martial arts, they do teach temperance and tolerance, he should've known better. His wife needs to get it out of her head that she is not the only person on the road and have respect for other drivers. There is too much of this road rage going on because of these selfish individuals who only think of themselves and not the rest of the world. We do not exist for them, we exist for ourselves. She is the one who should be at fault as well. Shame on her.


    Jerry wrote on December 03, 2007 01:44 PM: Dr. Shaw should not have his license revoked...even suggesting that is absurd. We all have a professional attitude and a life outside of our profession. Just because he was placed in a bad situation does not mean he should have to give up his entire life for an unfortunate altercation.


    Karen wrote on December 03, 2007 12:25 PM: Wow Review Journal, you really have it out for Steve don't you? I can't believe that throughout this whole thing, you have been able to print only one side of the story. Whatever happened to fair journalism? For those of you that chose to use this forum as a whipping post, get a life. Joe, you could only hope to get the kind of care that Steve gives. I have been a patient of his for almost 10 years. I have also worked for Chiropractors and can tell you that I wouldn't even think about giong to anyone other than Steve. As for him voluntarily giving up his license & moving away?! What would that prove, that he is a coward like Mr. Weiss who chose to verbally abuse a woman and her 2 little girls and run? I think all of you that are posting these negative comments on this issue are just hearing what The RJ wants you to hear. Maybe you should do a little research of your own so that you can make educated comments about this case, rather than this nonsense that you are posting. What does a man's personal life have to do with his professional life? Last time I checked, nothing! I can tell you that if the Board tries to pull his license, Las Vegas will lose one of the best doctors in the area.


    JERRY wrote on December 03, 2007 06:15 AM: If it was over when the doctor got there... The old man should have BEEN GONE .. THE OLD MAN SHOULD of never DID what he did.. And none of this would being happening. He traped his wife and children in a car!!! What right did he have doing that? NONE LESTOR! IT was a ACCIDENT.


    TNT wrote on December 01, 2007 06:45 PM: LESTOR, WELL PUT...."DR. JERKS RAGE "WAS JUST DEMONSTRATING HIS TENDENCIES TOWARD VIOLENCE AND HIS TRUE CHARACTER AND PERHAPS HE HAS AN ITCH AND CAN'T SCRATCH IT FOR LACK OF A BETTER EPRESSION . PERHAPS HE SHOULD CONSIDER A CAREER CHANGE TO THE ULTIMATE FIGHTING SCENE


    Lestor wrote on December 01, 2007 04:42 PM: B. S.........Jerry. The Dr. was NOT defending his wife and children, it was all over. The old man wasn't doing anything when Dr. Bully showed up to extract revenge. Dr. Bully looks like a fool just as you say the old man was picking on a woman and children. If that is so? what does it say about a buff bully shoving an old man and killing him. An accident...... NO WAY!


    TNT wrote on December 01, 2007 04:11 PM:
    Shaw should be stripped of his license to treat people for ails they may have as he obviuously has his own problem issues that need addressing


    Read All Comments