Court briefs for July 28, 2000

Friday, July 28, 2000 | 10:36 a.m.

Charge dismissed against boy, 17

A murder charge was dismissed Thursday against a 17-year-old Las Vegan accused in the June slaying of a 25-year-old man.

According to prosecutors, unspecified problems arose in the case against Tyree Knight following his preliminary hearing in the death of Travior Hampton, 25.

As a result, the murder charge filed against Knight has been dismissed, although it can be refiled at a later date.

The case against Knight's co-defendant, Domonic Ronaldo Malone, is proceeding.

Hampton died as a result of a fight at the Harbor Island Apartments, 370 E. Harmon Ave., on June 3. Knight was arrested June 17 while visiting his half-brother, Markus Weatherspoon, at the Clark County Detention Center.

Weatherspoon faces robbery and attempted murder charges in connection with the June robbery of a Macayo Vegas restaurant and the shooting and wounding of a Metro Police officer.

LV woman sues, claims assault

A Las Vegas woman has filed a lawsuit against the Clark County School District and a teacher over an incident in which the woman's son, a special education student, was allegedly assaulted.

Teresa L. Snider claims in her lawsuit that a Marion Earl Elementary School teacher dropped her son, Christopher Hackett, on the floor Oct. 9, 1998.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in District Court by attorney Craig Perry, alleges that the teacher picked the boy up because he was disobeying instructions.

After dropping the boy, the lawsuit states the teacher tried to pick the boy up by his hair. Eventually, the lawsuit alleges, the teacher grabbed the boy by the waist and dragged him to a "time-out" area.

Snider is suing the school district and the teacher for negligence, assault and battery, negligent hiring, training and supervision practices and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Arizona man sues airline

An Arizona resident is suing Southwest Airlines, claiming it failed to help him following a stroke on a San Diego to Las Vegas flight two years ago.

According to David Kelley's lawsuit, he was attempting to get his luggage down from an overhead bin at McCarran International Airport on July 27, 1998, when he suddenly collapsed from a stroke.

Although he was unable to answer the flight attendants' queries as to his health, they went ahead and placed him in a wheelchair and deposited him into a taxi cab, the lawsuit states.

The taxi driver then drove off without knowing about Kelley's condition, the lawsuit, which was filed by local attorney John Rogers, states.

Kelley is seeking unspecified damages for negligence and bad faith, the lawsuit states.