Court briefs for November 22, 2000

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2000 | 10:38 a.m.

Robbery suspects have court date

A preliminary hearing date has been set for two men accused of trying to rob two off-duty Metro Police officers.

North Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Stephen Dahl set a Dec. 4 preliminary hearing date Tuesday during the initial court appearances of Chester Johnson, 18, and Taro Mitchell, 20.

According to police, Mitchell and Johnson approached two Metro officers while they were playing pool in the garage of one of their homes Nov. 16 and attempted to rob them.

One of the suspects allegedly put a gun to an officer's head and a struggle ensued.

Johnson and Mitchell were wounded when one of the officers fired his weapon. They were arrested after being treated and released from local hospitals.

Man sentenced in July accident

A 21-year-old Las Vegas man was sentenced Tuesday to six to 20 years in prison in connection with a July accident that killed a local resident.

District Judge Jeffrey Sobel also ordered Christopher Terry to pay more than $20,000 restitution in the death of Sherman Smith, 63.

According to police, Terry was driving west on Flamingo Road when he tried to pass slower vehicles, lost control of his pickup near Erva Street, crossed into the eastbound lanes and struck Smith.

Blood tests showed Terry's blood alcohol content shortly after the accident was 0.17 and 0.14.

Terry pleaded guilty in September to driving under the influence of alcohol, causing death.

North Las Vegan is sentenced

17-year-old North Las Vegas teen was sentenced Tuesday to six to 16 1/2 years in prison in the shooting death of a 14-year-old boy.

District Judge Sally Loehrer sentenced Elwin Hovietz after he agreed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon in the June 9 death of Cesar Enrique Rosales.

Rosales was shot in the upper chest near the throat in the back yard of a house in the 2300 block of Oakwood Avenue.

Police said Hovietz first said the boy was shot by someone behind a fence, and then he said the gun went off accidentally as he was playing with it. After interviewing him again, police determined the shooting was intentional and booked him on a murder charge.

Loehrer also ordered Hovietz to pay more than $7,200 in restitution.

Manslaughter plea leads to prison

A Las Vegas man was sentenced to six to 20 years in prison Tuesday in connection with the death of an 18-year-old man two years ago.

District Judge Sally Loehrer sentenced Guy Lee Banks Jr. after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon in the September 1998 death of Lorenzo James Smith.

Smith was found suffering from numerous gunshot wounds near Revere Street and Van Ert Avenue, and he later died at University Medical Center.

Witnesses reported seeing Banks and Smith arguing before the fight.

LV man bound over in slaying

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace James Bixler Tuesday ordered a 20-year-old Las Vegas man to be bound over for trial on open murder charges for the October death of the man's girlfriend.

Trent Dirden is accused of shooting Brandan Humphrey, the mother of his 5-month-old daughter, in the face with a .357-caliber Magnum revolver during a domestic dispute on Oct. 7.

At the time of the slaying, prosecutors allege Dirden was wanted on warrants relating to two earlier domestic violence incidents involving Humphrey, 22.

During Dirden's preliminary hearing last week, a Metro Police homicide detective testified Dirden told him he pointed the gun at Humphrey's face and fired twice, knowing the cylinder was empty. He checked the gun and fired the fatal shot, still believing it to be empty.