Family of man who died after crash wants dogs back from city of Las Vegas

By Kim Passoth

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    LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KVVU) — A rollover crash on US 95 Wednesday morning resulted in the arrest of Metro Officer Benjamin Coreas, who was off duty. Coreas is accused of driving under the influence. No one was hurt when Coreas hit the back of a Jeep causing it to roll, the driver of that vehicle got out safely. However, police say another driver slammed into the overturned Jeep that remained in the travel lanes. The family identifies that driver as 79-year-old David Earl Kingsley who died in the hospital days after the crash.

Monday night, FOX5 spoke with Kingsley’s grandson who is desperately trying to get back his grandfather’s dog that survived the crash and her seven puppies born days early. The family says they were all seized.

FOX5 was on scene early Wednesday morning when Animal Protection Services responded to the crash and took a dog out of the backseat of a white Toyota Camry walking it across the freeway to a waiting truck.

“He adored Nikita. That was like his own child. It wasn’t surprising that he was on his way to the dog park because that was his daily schedule every day,” explained Kingsley’s grandson Dominick Garcia.

“I rushed down to the hospital when I found out where he was and that’s when I saw he had his neck broken,” Garcia recounted. Garcia did get to say goodbye before his grandfather died.

“I talked with him every day until it happened. I told him I would be there from beginning to end, so I was,” Garcia shared.

Garcia says while Nikita was taken from the accident scene, the puppies born days before the crash were also taken.

“They went into his home and took the puppies while he was in the hospital,” Garcia stated. The family has asked for all the dogs back.

“They said I will have to wait until the puppies are six weeks old… they are two weeks now so that’s another four weeks,” Garcia said. Garcia says they’ve also been told they will have to pay adoption fees for each puppy, $200 each.

“I have to pay them to take what is rightfully my family…it is not okay it makes me angry. It’s upsetting,” Garcia contended.

Garcia says while his family already dealing with trauma and loss, everyone in his family from his cousins to his aunt to his mom wants one of the puppies.

“Having those puppies would be like having a piece of him…it is clear that I would be keeping Nikita. I was closest with my grandfather,” Garcia asserted.

A City of Las Vegas spokesperson sent FOX5 this statement regarding the dogs:

The owner was not a licensed breeder in the city of Las Vegas. City ordinance 7.14.040 states that the offspring of animals that have not been spayed or neutered as required by this chapter are subject to forfeiture, following which they may be given to the care of a local shelter for adoption.

Due to the age of the puppies, it is in the mother’s and the puppies’ best interest to stay together and enter foster care until they are weaned. The mother can then be spayed and returned to the next of kin. Once the puppies are old enough to be adopted, should the family want to adopt them, they would undergo the Foundation’s adoption process.

As you are aware, unlicensed dog breeding is an issue in our community, and that is why the City Council passed a new ordinance at the April 5, 2023, City Council meeting strengthening penalties for unlicensed breeders.

Jace Radke, City of Las Vegas

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