Local news briefs for February 6, 2001

Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2001 | 11:18 a.m.

Killer bees swarm two dogs in valley

As the Las Vegas Valley weather warmed up, so did local bee activity. Two dogs were attacked, one of them stung more than 1,000 times, at a home in the Lakes over the weekend.

Although the Nevada Department of Agriculture has not confirmed it, officials said the bees are suspected of being the Africanized variety, which have killed hundreds of people after the insects escaped from a laboratory in Brazil 40 years ago. Both Las Vegas dogs survived.

Agriculture Department officials are warning residents that the aggressive bees are swarming and forming hives. Last year a local woman was attacked by a swarm of bees and stung more than 500 times. She survived the attack.

Stench leads to grisly discovery

A foul smell emanating from a storage unit on West Sahara Avenue led Metro Police homicide detectives to a decomposing body Monday afternoon.

Police were called to the 800 block of West Sahara, near Rainbow Boulevard, at about 1:30 p.m., when employees at a storage business noticed a strange odor.

After a search warrant was obtained, detectives entered a storage unit and found a plastic trash can sealed with tape among boxes of books, documents and other items, Lt. Wayne Petersen said.

Inside the trash can a body in the advanced stages of decomposition was found. The age, sex, identity and cause of death of the victim are pending an examination by the Clark County coroner's office.

Detectives are examining the other items in the storage unit for clues about the victim, and the victim's death.

Winds lead to air quality warning

The Clark County Health District issued an air quality advisory for people sensitive to dust as a Pacific Coast storm that could bring 30 mile per hour winds to the Las Vegas Valley later today drops south from the northwest.

Wind gusts could reach 45 mph.

Health officials advise those with chronic respiratory problems such as asthma, young children and senior citizens to stay inside and avoid outdoor activity until the winds calm down.

Ex-counselor faces charges

A former West Valley Counseling Center counselor has formally been charged with sexual assault and abuse of a client.

According to the complaint, which was filed Monday in Las Vegas Justice Court, Robert William Hough had sex with a patient when he knew she wasn't able to give consent and suffered from mental and emotional problems.

Hough, who was once a pastor at the International Church of Las Vegas, no longer works at the counseling center.

Hough is scheduled to appear before Justice of the Peace Deborah Lippis Feb. 26.

Hough, if convicted, could receive as much as a life sentence with parole possible after 10 years.

LV men arrested in kidnapping

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. -- Two men were arrested Monday on charges that they kidnapped and robbed a taxi driver, then left him stranded outside of Bullhead City without his clothes or his car.

Police and city officials said James R. O'Quinn and Jamie Lee Hancock, both of Las Vegas, got into the cab at a Laughlin casino Sunday night and asked to be driven to a Bullhead City bar.

Once there, one of the men held a knife to the driver's throat and forced him to drive to an area about 10 miles east of the city, said Lt. Steve Smith, a Bullhead City police spokesman.

The men robbed the driver, forced him to strip and then drove away in the cab, Smith said.

The driver was picked up early Monday as he walked along the road in his underwear by Mohave County sheriff's officials, who put out a report on the stolen cab. The driver was not hurt.

Smith said the cab was found several hours later at a convenience store in Wickenburg, where an officer arrested O'Quinn, 46, and Hancock, 30.

Cole slaw recall includes Nevada

WASHINGTON -- A California company is recalling a batch of Dole Cole Slaw because it may be tainted with a serious food-poisoning germ, salmonella.

The recalled slaw was packaged with the code "best if used by 02-05-01." Consumers should return it to the place of purchase for a refund, said Salinas, Calif.-based Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc.

The slaw was sold in Nevada and 28 other states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin.

Consumers with questions may call Dole at (800) 356-3111.