Local news briefs for October 2, 2000

Monday, Oct. 2, 2000 | 10:06 a.m.

Man charged in ramming of cop car

A Henderson man remains in jail today after being charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer.

James M. Clanton, 43, was arrested after a Henderson Police officer, sent to investigate a domestic dispute in a neighborhood near Valle Verde Drive and Wigwam Avenue on Friday, had his patrol car rammed several times by a pickup.

When the officer arrived at 1909 Spyglass Drive, a red Ford F-150 crashed into the patrol car, pushing it 300 feet and up against a tree in the front yard of another house, police said.

The pickup then traveled east to the Grand Legacy Golf Course, where Clanton abandoned the truck and was arrested, police said.

The officer was taken to St. Rose Dominican Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released on Friday.

Inmate's escape bid falls short

A man jailed in the Henderson Detention Center tried to escape by climbing inside a suspended ceiling, but instead only set himself up for a fall.

Jason Santos, 29, climbed from a second-floor railing to the top of a wall and then up into the detention center's ceiling, Henderson Police said.

Santos' weight proved to be too much and the ceiling gave way, dropping him back on top of the wall, police said.

Santos, who is being held at the detention center on a murder charge out of Hawaii, suffered scratches in the fall. He will now face an additional charge of attempted escape before being released to Hawaiian authorities.

Fourth person indicted in robbery

A fourth suspect has been indicted in connection with a robbery that resulted in the loss of a Metro Police officer's eye.

According to an indictment unsealed Friday, Terrence Winn, 20, was with Markus Weatherspoon, Darnell Harris and Tamika Beavers during the June 14 robbery of the Macayo Vegas restaurant on Charleston Boulevard.

Prosecutors allege that the three men robbed the restaurant and as they ran out encountered Officer Peter Rossi, 26. Authorities believe Harris fired two shots at Rossi, and one of the bullets struck Rossi in the face, causing him to lose the sight in one eye.

Beavers, who is believed to be the getaway driver, is scheduled to go to trial next month. Weatherspoon's trial is set for March and Harris' for April.

In addition to being indicted on attempted murder charges, the four face burglary, robbery and kidnapping charges.

Two sought in scam of seniors

Metro Police robbery detectives are searching for two people in connection with a series of robberies that use distractions to victimize senior citizens.

Most of the robberies have occurred between noon and 3 p.m. on weekdays, and involve a man and a woman posing as utility company employees or maintenance workers. While one of the suspects talks to and distracts the victim, the other moves through the house looking for valuables, police said.

The two, a man and a woman, are described as Hispanic and between 25 and 35 years old. The man reportedly has a medium build and the woman is about 5 feet 2 inches tall and 130 pounds.

A beige Toyota, possibly with Nevada plate 017JUW, and a white four-door car, possibly with Nevada plate 233EVP, may have been used in the robberies, police said.

Anyone with information about these robberies is asked to call police at 262-2882.

Funds earmarked for county schools

The goal of creating tight-knit learning communities within Clark County schools will get a boost from $250,000 in federal funding.

The funds will primarily be used at Basic, Palo Verde, Clark, Desert Pines, Las Vegas, Rancho, Valley and Western high schools, Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said.

"Many of our high schools in Southern Nevada have had to grow so fast with the population, and have gotten so big, there's little sense of community," Berkley said.