Local news briefs for May 15, 2000

Monday, May 15, 2000 | 11:24 a.m.

Vehicles collide in beltway accident

The Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating an accident that left two people dead Sunday afternoon in southwest Las Vegas.

The accident happened about 2 p.m. when a Saturn, headed north on Durango Drive, collided with a sport utility vehicle that failed to stop at a red light, Trooper Richard James said. That section of the beltway is not yet a freeway.

Two people inside the Saturn, a man and a woman, died from their injuries at the accident scene. Their names were not released this morning pending positive identification and notification of their families.

The driver of the SUV was taken to University Medical Center and treated for minor injuries. A blood test showed the driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, James said.

Trial set for NLV detective

An October trial date has been set for a North Las Vegas police detective accused of kidnapping and coercion in connection with a February incident.

District Judge John McGroarty set William Brooks' trial for Oct. 23 after Brooks pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of kidnapping, coercion, burglary and attempted extortion.

According to Metro Police, Brooks grabbed Lynn Malloy from behind, forced her into her car and struggled with her in the parking lot of a Las Vegas Home Depot. Brooks is also accused of striking her several times, pointing his gun at her and threatening to kill her.

Brooks, 42, told a Sun reporter shortly after the incident that the confrontation was a case of mistaken identity. He said he thought he had accosted the wife of a man who owed $30,000 he had been hired to collect.

The detective told police he immediately knew he had made a mistake, but by that time, Malloy had begun swinging at him.

Woman enters not-guilty plea

A woman accused of robbing four banks and a convenience store of more than $10,000 made her first appearance Monday in U.S. District Court.

Caroline Moyra Mullen, 35, entered a plea of not guilty to two counts of armed bank robbery and two counts of bank robbery. She also faces charges of using a firearm during a crime and interfering with commerce by threats of violence.

Federal prosecutors say Mullen robbed the Check 'N Go store in Las Vegas and threatened an employee with a gun on March 7. During the next three weeks, authorities say, Mullen robbed four banks in Henderson, using a 9mm semiautomatic handgun during two of the robberies.

A total of $10,439 was taken from the banks and the store.

Mullen is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 25.

Man injured in April dies at UMC

Metro Police investigators are now reviewing an April accident after one of the men involved died at University Medical Center on Friday.

John Borga, 20, of Las Vegas died from injuries suffered when the Dodge pickup he was riding in rear-ended a tractor-trailer on Lake Mead Boulevard west of North Gateway Road, police said.

Borga was one of three men riding in the bed of the Dodge when the driver of the pickup ran into the back of a Freightliner truck with a 50-foot-long trailer.

The pickup driver, 21-year-old Bruce Barbour, was cited at the scene for failure to pay full attention to his driving, police said.

Carbon monoxide poisoning suspected

North Las Vegas Police are investigating the death of a 6-year-old boy found dead inside his father's van Saturday morning.

The father of the boy told police that he had taken his son to work near the Eldorado Park construction area, Lt. Chris Larotonda said.

The father was reportedly using a nail gun powered by a gasoline generator in the van when his son said he was cold and went inside the van.

The windows of the van were open, but when the father returned the boy was unconscious, Larotonda said.

The father drove to Lake Mead Hospital where the boy was pronounced dead from what is believed to have been carbon monoxide poisoning. Police are continuing their investigation, Larotonda said.

Plane stalled before fatal crash

A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board says that the Cessna that crashed at the North Las Vegas Airport on April 28 stalled just before it crashed.

The crash, which killed the pilot and passenger, had made two unsuccessful landing attempts, and as it came in for a third, the pilot requested a go-around to try the landing for a fourth time.

Control tower operators granted the request, but instead of climbing to a higher altitude, they told investigators, the plane stalled, then crashed, NTSB officials said. The winds were reported to be about 12 knots with gusts of up to 20 knots as the plane was attempting to land.

A final report on the accident is pending.

Jones Boulevard to get repairs

Preventative maintenance on a northern portion of Jones Boulevard will close the street again Tuesday.

Jones will be closed 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. between Tropical Parkway and Azure Drive to apply a sealing treatment to the roadway, Las Vegas Public Works officials said. It was also closed today.

Improvements to Interstate 15 near Baker, Calif., will slow traffic coming into and out of Las Vegas for the next several months, Nevada Department of Transportation officials said.

Delays of up to 15 minutes are expected as old asphalt is removed from the roadway and replaced with new asphalt.

Man sought in home invasion

Metro Police are looking for a man in connection with a Saturday morning home invasion robbery that left his partner stabbed to death.

A man and woman were asleep in a house on Ironwood Drive, near Washington Avenue and Valley View Boulevard, when two men broke in early Saturday morning and pistol whipped and tied them up, Metro Police Lt. Wayne Petersen said.

The male victim was able to free himself with a knife while the two men were ransacking the house, Petersen said. While one of the robbers was carrying stolen items to a waiting car, the resident struggled with the other and stabbed him several times.

Yosvani R. Lopez, 24, of Las Vegas, died from his injuries inside the house, police said.

The other intruder returned from the car and struggled with the resident and then ran for the door, Petersen said. The resident fired a shot at the fleeing man with one of the robber's guns, and may have hit the rear window of the car.

The car is described as a mid-1990s red Ford Mustang. The man is described as Hispanic, in his late 20s to early 30s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, 180 pounds with a medium to stocky build. He had close cropped hair and was wearing baggy blue jeans, a black jacket and a beige fisherman's hat.

Anyone with information about this crime is urged to call homicide detectives at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.