Laundry dispute leads to arrest for Las Vegas lieutenant, records show

A Las Vegas police lieutenant was arrested and booked on a domestic battery charge after arguing about laundry with his wife, court records show.

Lt. Brian Boxler was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of domestic battery by strangulation on Oct. 12, the Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release.

Boxler’s arrest report described the allegations against him, including that the lieutenant allegedly attacked his wife after finding “clothes in the washer and dryer” and refused to speak with detectives afterward.

At nearly 6 p.m. on Oct. 12, police said they received a call from a woman who said her daughter had been strangled by her husband, Boxler, in their Summerlin home. The woman told officers that Boxler was a lieutenant with Metro.

Officers then contacted the alleged victim who had, at that point, left to “cool off” at a nearby park. According to the police report, police then noticed red marks on her neck that were “consistent with being strangled” and interviewed her.

After officers located Boxler still at home, he was taken into custody, according to the arrest report. Detectives attempted to talk with Boxler at the Clark County Detention Center, and he declined. They said they saw no injuries on his body following the incident.

In an interview with police, the alleged victim said her husband grabbed her neck and pushed her against the wall amid an argument over laundry that escalated with her throwing a belt and him throwing his wet boxers at her, according to the report.

The alleged victim said that she could not breathe and started kicking Boxler, trying to get him to stop. When Boxler let go, she did not remember how long she had been strangled for, said the report.

The alleged victim was crying when police arrived, and police took photographs of her neck, police said. In the arrest report, officers said the lieutenant had an “angry demeanor.”

Boxler, who has been employed with the department since 2008, was assigned to the Community Safety Division within the Summerlin Area Command, police said.

According to WomensLaw.org, which provides legal information for victims of abuse, if an abuser has been convicted of a felony or a domestic violence misdemeanor, they can never buy or possess a gun under Nevada state law and federal law. There are no exemptions “even if s/he is a police officer, a military employee, or anyone who uses a job as part of his/her employment.”

Boxler was to be placed on suspension of police powers with pay, pending further investigation, police said in the news release.

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.