Questions surround stolen rental car, crash

Monday, Jan. 11, 1999 | 11:08 a.m.

What Marcus Stone did between the time he stole a rental car that was to take the governor of Virginia to a Las Vegas hotel and his death in a spectacular Interstate-15 crash 11 hours later remains a mystery today.

"We know nothing about what he did during that time," Metro Police Lt. Wayne Petersen said today about the Friday incident. "We will look into his background to try to find out what led him to do what he did."

Metro Police detectives are investigating the Friday incident that began with the theft of the rented 1999 Lincoln Town Car outside a private terminal at McCarran International Airport minutes before midnight.

The man police say stole that car and the man whose body was found in the twisted wreck on the busy highway was identified as Marcus Stone, 49, of Gouldsboro, Maine.

He died when the car he was driving southbound in the northbound lanes slid into an oncoming semi-truck, causing a crash that tied up traffic in both directions through much of Friday afternoon.

Little is known of Stone, or about his stay in Las Vegas.

"He has never been arrested here," Petersen said.

But his death gave at least one clue. "It looks suicidal to me," Petersen said. "He made no attempts to avoid an accident."

The car Stone stole was scheduled to be used to take Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore from the airport to his hotel. Gilmore, who was in Las Vegas to attend the Consumer Electronics Show, returned to Virginia Saturday.

"I found out about it when I got off," Gilmore said. "It's just one of those unfortunate things that happen."

Gilmore said he had full confidence in his security detail.

Virginia Trooper Tim Rice had left the car running in front of Signature Services Flight terminal to pick up the governor, when Stone took the vehicle, police said.

Officials in the Virginia governor's office said it is "standard operating procedure" to leave the governor's car running so it will be warm.

Before he stole the car, Stone, initially described as a vagrant, stole the phone books at a booth inside the terminal.

"The person who alerted the trooper was a (Signature) employee who yelled that the man was stealing the phone books," Petersen said. "When the trooper turned around, he saw the suspect take the vehicle."

Rice ran after the car and fired at it twice with his .357-caliber service pistol. It was not known if the man or the car was hit.

The stolen car at one point was heading toward Rice, who grabbed onto it and was dragged, Virginia governor's officials said.

Petersen said the trooper was acting in the line of duty and would face no charges for firing at the fleeing vehicle.

Rice was placed on administrative leave, standard procedure when an officer fires his weapon, and returned to Virginia. Metro provided two officers to help with Gilmore's security for the remainder of his trip.

Stone was next seen nearly half a day later near Decatur Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road by telephone company workers who had seen the report of the theft on a morning television newscast.

Police responded to the area and a high-speed chase ensued, with Stone getting onto I-15 northbound and heading south. Witnesses said eight police cars were following the stolen car.

A police air unit also followed Stone, who hit a Chevrolet pickup and slid into an oncoming semi-truck at about 11:30 a.m. Friday.

Stone, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was killed instantly when the car smashed into the tractor-trailer, spewing car parts along a half-mile stretch of the interstate.

Daniel Peressini, the 32-year-old driver of the pickup, and his passenger, Jay Smith, 56, were both treated and released for moderate injuries at University Medical Center.

Donald Steele, the 46-year-old driver of the semi-truck was not injured in the accident, and his wife Martina Steele was treated and released from UMC for minor injuries.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.