Sherrice Iverson Law – Makes It A Crime To Witness A Sexual Assault Of Minor Without Notifying The Police

Sherrice Iverson’ Bill Becomes Law
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA / A news summary
September 19, 2000

SOUTH LOS ANGELES — A bill inspired by the murder of a local 7-year-old girl in a Nevada casino was signed into law Monday by Gov. Gray Davis.

The legislation, authored by Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), makes it a crime to witness the sexual assault of a minor without notifying police.

The bill became known as the Sherrice Iverson Good Samaritan Law because it was inspired by the 1997 slaying of the girl at a casino in Primm, Nev.

Iverson was molested and killed in a casino bathroom by Jeremy Strohmeyer, who is serving a life sentence for the crime. David Cash, a friend of Strohmeyer, witnessed
the beginning of the assault but never reported it to police or tried to intervene.

Cash was the target of several protests and a campaign to punish people who fail to act when they witness such attacks.

Failing to notify a peace officer after witnessing the murder, rape, or forcible lewd act of a child under 14 is now a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,500, up to six months in jail, or both.

[Note: While at my first job as a lawyer I worked for Sherrrice Iverson’s father on a case and knew Sherrice and her brother Harold Lee.]