Local news briefs for September 21, 2000

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000 | 11:27 a.m.

Third suspect arrested in killings

A third suspect has been charged in last month's double slaying in a Henderson apartment complex.

Stephen Ciolino, 31, of Las Vegas, has been charged with two counts of murder in connection with the Aug. 22 slayings of David A. Bender, 21, and Steve M. Szany, 22, at the Sunset Winds Apartments on the corner of Sunset Road and Eiger Way.

An arrest warrant was issued for Ciolino after Cynda Ann Wasso, 33, and Ralph Eugene Goodman, 23, were arrested and charged in the slayings. Ciolino was in a Mazatlan, Mexico, jail and was deported to Los Angeles on Sept. 14. He was returned to Nevada on Friday.

Mop blaze forces trial to be moved

County and fire officials are investigating a closet fire that resulted in partial evacuation of the Clark County Courthouse Wednesday morning and forced a murder trial to be moved.

Assistant Court Administrator Rick Loop said a mop stored in a third-floor closet caught fire shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday, causing alarms throughout the building to go off.

Sprinklers caused water damage to District Judge Joseph Bonaventure's courtroom on the second floor, Loop said. The judge moved the trial of Ronald Collins to District Judge Kathy Hardcastle's courtroom on the first floor for the afternoon.

Counties to get $7.6 million

The Bureau of Land Management will be distributing $7.6 million to Nevada counties to offset the loss of property tax revenue on lands owned by the federal government.

Three counties -- Clark, Washoe and Elko -- will each receive slightly more than $1 million apiece from the Payments-In-Lieu-of-Taxes program for fiscal year 2000, which ends Sept. 30. That's an increase in Clark County of about $50,000 over last year.

The federal government owns nearly 87 percent of the land in Nevada. The payments are designed to help replace some of the loss in property taxes.

The counties rely on this money "to better serve their communities," Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., said Wednesday.

Man sought in passenger's death

The FBI wants to talk to a Canadian man who says he tried to stop passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from fatally beating a man who tried to break into the cockpit.

Dean Harvey says a large man climbed onto a seat and repeatedly jumped on Jonathan Burton's chest while four men held him still.

"I asked him to stop," Harvey told the Edmonton Journal. "I said, 'You've got the guy subdued, what more do you want? You don't have to pound his head in.' The guy was being held with his arms outstretched. He had no chance to absorb the shock."

An autopsy report released last week said Burton was killed by passengers who tried to restrain him after he kicked in the cockpit door on Flight 1763 Aug. 11. But the U.S. attorney's office is not filing criminal charges, saying the 19-year-old's death was unintentional.

Series of stores, eateries robbed

Metro Police robbery detectives are asking for the public's help in locating a suspect in a series of convenience store and fast food restaurant robberies.

Detectives have probable cause to arrest 41-year-old George Alston Cotton, also known as George Austin, as a suspect in the robberies.

Cotton is described as black, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 160 pounds, with several days' growth of beard. He is missing at least one front tooth, and is known to live on the streets, police said.

Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call detectives at 229-3591 or Secret Witness 385-5555.

Police seek help in locating child

Metro Police are searching for a 21-month-old girl allegedly taken by her mother's boyfriend Monday.

Frederico Ramos had been living with Nitza Garcia's mother for the past three months. On Monday Ramos got into an argument with Nitza's mother. When the argument became physical, the woman attempted to call police, but Ramos is accused of pulling the phone cord out of the wall, police said.

The woman ran out of the home to use a neighbor's phone. As she left, she saw Ramos pick up Nitza and take her to his car, police said.

Ramos and his mother, Yolanda Ramos, left in the vehicle with Nitza, police said.

A warrant is on file charging Frederico Ramos with first-degree kidnapping. His is described as Hispanic, 25 years old, with short black hair, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds. Detectives believe that Ramos and his mother may have returned to California, police said.

Anyone with information on Frederico Ramos' or Nitza Garcia's whereabouts is asked to call Metro Police missing persons unit at 229-2907 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

605 Pillsbury loaves in question

Interstate Brands West Corp. is recalling 605 loaves of Pillsbury 24-ounce wheat bread distributed in Las Vegas after it was discovered that the bread was mislabeled.

The bread contains soy fiber but was packaged in a bag that did not list the ingredient, an Interstate spokesman said.

Consumers with questions may call (800) 777-8067.