A Las Vegas real estate agent known around town as the Pickleball Property Guy has been sentenced after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge stemming from a crash that sent his Tesla plowing into a Summerlin neighbor's garage. Stephen Bell, 62, was ordered to avoid alcohol, marijuana and illegal drugs for a year, submit to random drug testing, and stay out of trouble, with roughly six months in jail hanging over him if he breaks those terms.
Las Vegas Municipal Court Judge Bert Brown handed down the sentence, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Bell, who markets himself online as a Las Vegas real-estate agent and a nationwide pickleball home finder for Las Vegas Realty Group, is due back in court April 1, 2027, for a compliance review, when Judge Brown will check whether he has kept to the conditions.
How the Crash Unfolded
The crash happened on Aug. 28, 2025, when Bell was driving his Tesla and failed to make a turn, running off the road before plowing into a garage on Norwood Heights Lane near North Sky Vista Drive and Red Rock Canyon Road, per the Review-Journal's reporting. A Metropolitan Police Department officer arrived to find Bell trapped inside the vehicle, which was smoking at the time. Bell reportedly smelled of alcohol and slurred his words after the crash.
Bell refused field sobriety tests and a blood draw at the scene, the outlet reports. He was ultimately found to have a blood alcohol concentration more than twice the legal limit. City Attorney Julia Watson said Bell had to be physically held down for a blood draw after a search warrant was obtained, and that he admitted he had continued drinking, according to the same account.
Neighbor Describes the Damage and Aftermath
Kevin Karo, the homeowner whose garage took the brunt of the impact, lives about ten houses from Bell. The crash caused more than $50,000 in damage, and Karo said he paid $21,000 out of pocket for repairs not covered by insurance. Nobody inside the home was injured, per Tony Abbatangelo, as cited in the Review-Journal report.
Karo told the outlet he wanted a conversation with Bell or his attorney about reimbursement, and he requested accountability from the court. Watson, the city attorney, expressed public safety concerns about Bell's release, noting that he continues to drink once or twice a week, the report states.
What Comes Next
For now, Bell's case rests on whether he can comply with the terms Judge Brown imposed — no alcohol, marijuana or illegal drugs, random testing, and a clean record — through next spring's review date. If he falls short, the roughly six-month jail term becomes the consequence, the Review-Journal reports. Whether Karo recovers the money he spent out of pocket remains an open question that the court record reviewed does not resolve.
