Local news briefs for May 3, 2000

Wednesday, May 3, 2000 | 11:09 a.m.

Man arrested in woman's death

A 22-year-old man accused of beating a Las Vegas woman to death was arrested Monday after being found hiding in the bathroom of a South Third Street home.

Bobby Banks was charged with murder in connection with the April 3 beating death of a 46-year-old woman. The woman filed a report with Metro Police the day after she was beaten on March 22.

She had a broken leg, a broken foot, a broken wrist and a collapsed lung along with many bruises, police said. The woman went back to the hospital on April 2 and died the next day from complications of her injuries, police said.

The beating took place in the 400 block of South First Street, and she told police the suspect was an ex-neighbor by the name of Bobby.

Banks was arrested about 3:50 p.m. Monday by the Criminal Apprehension Team in a home in the 800 block of South Third Street.

The woman's name has not been released as the Clark County coroner's office is still trying to locate her family.

Man sentenced in roommate's death

A Las Vegas man who accidentally shot his roommate to death in January was placed on five years' probation Monday.

District Judge Kathy Hardcastle also ordered Brandon Von Bellamy, 18, to pay $2,500 in restitution and perform 16 hours of community service per month.

According to police, Von Bellamy was playing with what he believed to be an unloaded shotgun on Jan. 31 when it went off, killing Robert Howington, 21. The two had been sharing a room at the Warren Motel Apartments on the south end of the Strip.

Von Bellamy pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in March. He could have received as much as six years in prison, but the department of parole and probation recommended he get probation.

Howington's father declined to speak at the sentencing hearing.

No charges planned in Sunday shooting

Police do not plan to file charges in the shooting death of a wheelchair-bound man Sunday on Hawkens Drive, Metro Police say. Police now believe that Theodore Stewart was attempting a robbery when he was shot.

A witness told police that Stewart, 32, came to a barbecue on Hawkens Drive and told an 18-year-old man to give Stewart what he had in his pocket, Metro Sgt. Kevin Manning said.

Stewart then shot the 18-year-old and gunfire was returned, according to witnesses. Stewart, a Las Vegas resident, was later found dead of a gunshot wound in the middle of Hawkens Drive. The 18-year-old remains in critical condition.

Woman remains in critical condition

A 41-year-old woman remained in critical condition this morning as Clark County fire officials continued to investigate what caused the blaze at her home Friday night.

Jayne Phillips was burned and suffered smoke inhalation because of a Friday night fire at a home in the 2900 block of Capistrano Avenue, fire officials said.

Firefighters arrived at the home about 6:30 p.m. and got an erroneous report that the house was booby-trapped, delaying an immediate search. Once the report was proven false, firefighters entered the house and found Phillips.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but is listed as suspicious, officials said.

Police not endorsing local business

Metro Police are not endorsing a local business that paints address numbers on street curbs.

A Metro spokesmen said that there have been reports of a salesman affiliated with the business, Address Perfection, saying the painted curb numbers are endorsed by area watch groups sponsored by Metro.