Local news briefs for August 29, 2000

Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2000 | 11:14 a.m.

Victim, 36, was strangled

A man found slain last week in a downtown motel was identified this morning as 36-year-old Mario R. Pulache-Cumpa.

Pulache-Cumpa was found strangled about 11:30 a.m. Thursday in a room of a motel in the 200 block of South Eighth Street by a housekeeper, Metro Police said.

Pulache-Cumpa checked into the room late the previous night. Police said several of Pulache-Cumpa's belongings were missing from the room when he was found. No suspect has been identified.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's homicide unit at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Man accused in fatal accident

A 21-year-old Las Vegas man was booked into the Clark County Detention Center Monday on manslaughter and other charges in connection with a July 14 fatal accident.

Police said Christopher G. Terry lost control of his pickup when trying to pass another vehicle on Flamingo Road near Erva Street and crashed into a car driven by Sherman Smith. Smith, 63, died at the scene.

Terry was also charged with felony driving under the influence involving death, suspended license, no license plates, fictitious license plate and no proof of insurance.

Kuwait accident called pilot error

Air Force investigators ruled a Nellis Air Force Base pilot's error caused a helicopter to land hard and roll over in Kuwait in 1999, according to an accident investigation report.

The Dec. 15, 1999, crash caused only minor injuries to the crew when the HH-60G helicopter made a hard landing in a desert landing zone and rolled over on its side. The pilot, Capt. Paul Anderson, allowed the airspeed to drop too low causing it to fall about 50 feet to the ground, according to the report.

Anderson, 1st Lt. Junaid Rahman, Tech. Sgt. Mark Hodges and Staff Sgt. David Rogers are assigned to the 66th Rescue Squadron at Nellis.