Police chief’s story doesn’t add up

Tuesday, July 29, 1997 | 8:46 a.m.

The road where Jose Troncoso overturned his vehicle Wednesday morning does not lead to Ely - where Troncoso told authorities he and a North Las Vegas administrator were headed for official business - but instead to Spring Valley State Park.

And the city of North Las Vegas was planning to send traffic detectives to the accident site on state Route 322, 179 miles outside of Las Vegas in Lincoln County, to examine details of the accident. The Nevada Highway Patrol is the law enforcement agency charged with investigating traffic accidents on state roads.

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Steve Harney said Troncoso, also a U.S. marshal nominee, was driving east on the state route at 11 a.m. when he lost control of the city-owned vehicle. The car left the road, struck a highway marker and then a dirt embankment before overturning. A passenger in the car, North Las Vegas Detention Center Chief Ken Ellingson, 58, suffered a serious back injury and remained hospitalized at University Medical Center in fair condition. Troncoso suffered minor injuries.

Harney said Troncoso told troopers the pair were en route to a police administrator's conference in Ely. However, according to Highway Patrol accident reports and maps of the area, the two were headed away from the direct route to Ely, which would involve driving north on U.S. Highway 93.

Troopers said Troncoso was driving at a minimum speed of 80 mph in the 55 mph zone. On Thursday, Troncoso and Ellingson both said Troncoso was not speeding.

"The minimum speed of the vehicle is at least 80 miles per hour, probably faster," Harney said. "We did a detailed analysis of this accident scene and the evidence speaks for itself. How anyone could say anything else, I don't know. That individual would have to provide those answers."

Troncoso has said he questioned the validity of facts gathered by the Highway Patrol.

"I have absolutely no idea where they came up with that," Troncoso said of the Highway Patrol speed estimate. "I would estimate we were going between 40 and 45 miles per hour."

The case will be submitted to Lincoln County prosecutors to determine if any tickets are warranted.