Former NBA player Lamar Odom found unresponsive in Crystal brothel

The investigation into what sent Lamar Odom into a medical crisis at an area brothel Tuesday could lead to charges being filed against various parties, including Odom himself.

During a news conference held on Wednesday afternoon, officials from the Nye County Sheriff's Office declined to provide an update on Odom's condition but said it's possible he could face possession charges if the substance in his blood is determined to be cocaine.

"We do know what his condition was but because of the fact that it's an active investigation, I can not share this right now," Detective Michael Eisenloffel said.

The 911 caller, identified as Richard Hunter, media director for Dennis Hof's Bunny Ranch, told Nye County Sheriff's Office dispatch that Odom had been using cocaine. Wehrly said Odom had been at the Love Ranch since Saturday and used up to 10 tabs of sexual performance enhancer supplements over the last three-day period.

"He apparently had some cocaine on him and he did this on Saturday," Hunter said during the 911 call. "Since then he's been up, alert, conscious, all of that. So one hopefully doesn't have anything to do with the other there. So no cocaine since Saturday."

After sheriff's deputies obtained a search warrant for Odom's blood they traveled to Las Vegas where his blood was drawn almost seven hours after he was transported to Sunrise Hospital. Odom's blood samples were booked into the Nye County Sheriff's Office evidence and are awaiting submission to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police laboratory for processing, officials said.

Nye County Sheriff's Office detectives Eisenloffel and Cory Fowles arrived at Dennis Hof's Love Ranch following the 911 call and are leading the investigation into the incident nearly 20 miles north of Pahrump.

In a press release sent out early Wednesday, Hof said Odom "largely kept to himself, and at no time did he engage in any drug use in the presence of anyone in the house."

Rumors about a small fortune that Odom spent at the brothel popped up online Thursday and Dennis Hof, owner of the Love Ranch, corroborated the information.

"Yes, he did spend $75,000. That was for the length of his stay, which was a minimum of four days, maximum of five days," he said. "That was something he wanted. He said he wanted undivided attention from two girls, Ryder Cherry and Monica Monroe for four or five days."

Rumors of Odom's death swirled around social media Tuesday night and Wednesday, but those have proven to be unfounded.

Odom is a former NBA star and the soon-to-be ex-husband of reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, who filed for divorce from the athlete in December 2013 after four years of marriage. The divorce was signed on July 21 of this year, but has yet to be approved by a judge due to backlog in the court system in California.

Eisenloffel said officials had made a "preliminary contact" with "somebody" from the Kardashian family.

"They were understandably distraught over the circumstances," he said.

Wehrly explained that some portions of the investigation were complete, while others are still active and offered condolences on behalf of the sheriff's office.

"At this point the case is ongoing," she said. "We would like to extend our best wishes to Mr. Odom and his family and we are hoping for a speedy recovery."

The 6-foot, 10-inch Odom was unable to be airlifted to Sunrise Hospital from Desert View Hospital due to his size, so he was transported by ground to the facility in Las Vegas, according to Wehrly.

When questioned if the longer ambulance ride as opposed to the quicker helicopter trip would have made a difference in Odom's condition, Pahrump Valley Fire Chief Scott Lewis explained the level of medical attention would have been similar either way.

"I would like to stress the level of care provided was exactly the same," he said. "There was no diminished care level going by ground, it clearly just differentiated the timeline on the travel time."

First reported by the celebrity news website TMZ, Odom was discovered passed out at the Love Ranch in Crystal with fluid coming out of his mouth after he was rolled over. An ambulance was called and Odom, 35, was rushed to Desert View Hospital. Once there, doctors reportedly determined he could not breathe on his own.

The Nye County Sheriff's office confirmed at 6:50 p.m., Tuesday that a call came into their dispatch at approximately 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday from the Bunny Ranch, requesting an ambulance for an unresponsive male experiencing a medical emergency at the Love Ranch nearly 20 miles north of Pahrump.

An ambulance from Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue Service arrived at 3:34 p.m. and Odom was stabilized and transported to Desert View Hospital, arriving at 4:16 p.m.

The brothel is located 20 miles north of Pahrump off Highway 160 before reaching the U.S. Highway 95 interchange. It is one of seven brothels in Nevada owned by Dennis Hof, who is best known for the HBO reality series, "Cathouse: The Series." Based at Hof's Moonlite Bunny Ranch east of Carson City, the show debuted in 2005.

Contact editor Arnold M. Knightly at aknightly@pvtimes.com; reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com and reporter Daria Sokolova at dsokolova@pvtimes.com. Follow @knightlygring, @mickakers, and @dariasokolova77