Arrest made in death of Scott Dingman

For more than five years, Ashley Dingman felt justice had not been served in regard to the shooting death of her husband, Scott.

But this past weekend she received the news she had been patiently waiting for.

Just after 7 p.m. Saturday, Boulder City Police Department announced in a news release that detectives arrested John Powell Morgan III at a car dealership in Henderson after an arrest warrant was issued for him for one count of open murder with the use of a deadly weapon. The charge is directly related to the incident from May 31, 2021, when Scott Dingman was allegedly shot by his friend in the roadway of Fairway Drive in Boulder City. The two, both of whom were armed, had been drinking that night.

“Based on new information received in 2025, the case received another review by Boulder City Police investigators,” the release stated. “In April 2025, Boulder City investigators executed a search warrant on Morgan’s residence, in which investigators recovered new evidence that supported additional investigation.”

It goes on to state that investigators continued their efforts over the next year, identifying pertinent information, which ultimately led to development of probable cause for the arrest of Morgan.

Morgan was taken into custody and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of open murder with the use of a deadly weapon.

While Morgan admitted to shooting Dingman, Boulder City police originally determined that he did so in self-defense, and no charges were filed by the district attorney.

In an email this weekend from Ashley Dingman to the Boulder City Review, she wrote, “After five and a half years of fighting for Scott, it’s hard to put into words what I’m feeling. There have been so many moments when I wondered if I would ever get to this point or if the truth about what happened to Scott would ever come to light.”

She added, “For the first time in a long time, I feel relief and hope. Scott deserves justice, and I’m grateful that we are finally moving forward.”

Dingman’s brother, Joshua, said that he, too, was relieved when hearing of Morgan’s arrest.

“J.P. Morgan’s arrest for my brother Scott Dingman’s murder is a huge step toward justice and accountability,” he said in an email. “Our family is incredibly grateful to Chris Slack and James Garcia for their efforts in moving this case forward after so many years. However, accountability cannot stop there. The original investigators and records department manager must also be held accountable for their roles in the corruption and cover-up. Scott deserves justice, our family deserves the truth, and everyone responsible must be held accountable and accountability starts at the top with Police Chief Tim Shea.”

When contacted, a spokeswoman said the city has no further comment at this time.

Morgan in court

Monday, Morgan made his initial appearance in Boulder City Justice Court. Judge Christopher Tilman recused himself being that he represented Morgan in a previous matter years ago while in private practice. Judge Gregory Mills presided over the case via a video conference call as did Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Giles, who said the arrest came as a result of new video evidence and witnesses.

“Boulder City reopened the case when some new information became available and they have now located several of those witnesses that were missing at the time of the initial submission,” Giles said. “It also appears that video that Mr. Morgan initially denied existed now exists, but there are several pieces of that video evidence that are missing, having been deleted from the system that corresponded with essential times in the case.”

Giles also noted, “There are a couple of minutes of video that have been deleted and or renamed in order to try and throw off the investigators,” which is what Schneider referenced above.

Morgan’s attorney, Louis Schneider, appeared in the Boulder City courthouse and spoke on behalf of his client. He said Morgan was not a flight risk and asked that bail be set at $50,000. Giles asked that bail be denied due to the circumstances of the case. Mills set the bail at $1 million.

“This matter is five and a half years old and there’s been a lot of conjecture and quite a bit of hearsay,” Schneider told the court. “We’re talking about videos that don’t exist. I have a video that does exist of Mr. Dingman, carrying a concealed weapon as a convicted felon, holding my client in a choke-hold while pointing a loaded gun to his head about two hours before the shooting. So, nobody seems to want to address that.”

A copy of that video was provided by Schneider to the Review-Journal, who ran it online. Dingman family attorney Maggie McLetchie later told the Review-Journal that the video shows two friends engaged in “horseplay” and that the police report backs that up.

Schneider went on to say that if Morgan had chosen to flee the area, he had ample opportunities over the last five-plus years to do so.

Morgan will next appear in court at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 in Boulder City for his arraignment. After Monday’s hearing, Schneider told the Review that Morgan will be pleading not guilty.

After court proceedings Monday, Morgan’s mother, Teri Kerr, spoke on behalf of her son. She told the Review-Journal that her son is innocent and that her son’s life has been threatened. She attributed the arrest to “dirty cops and corrupt politicians.”

“I fear for my son’s life while he’s in jail,” she said. “He fears for his own life because we have all been threatened. He’s very kind. He’s very gentle. He has family. He isn’t a violent person.”

Morgan’s prior arrest

In April of last year, Morgan was arrested in his home in Boulder City on drug-related charges.

According to a redacted copy of the arrest report obtained by the Review, police applied for and were granted a warrant to search Morgan’s home.

“During the lawful execution of the search warrant, in plain view, on a countertop located within a bedroom, Officer Garcia observed inside a glass bowl, a white powdery substance,” the report states. “Based on Officer Garcia’s training and experience he recognized the white powdery substance to be consistent with cocaine.”

In addition, it states that Garcia observed a digital scale and numerous Ziploc-type baggies next to the glass container.

“Based on Officer Garcia’s training and experiences, he recognized these items to be commonly used by drug dealers to package narcotics for sale,” the report states.

At that time, BCPD said the arrest of Morgan had nothing to do with the fatal shooting of Dingman. In an email to the Review after the drug-related arrest, Shea tried to quell rumors that had been circulating.

“A warrant was served by our officers yesterday,” he wrote. “There were no SWAT personnel involved. An arrest was made that is not related to any other case or incident. This is an ongoing investigation, and we are not going to release any additional information at this time.”