Court briefs for July 26, 2001

Thursday, July 26, 2001 | 11:18 a.m.

Another youth pleads guilty

One more of the 20 young men charged in connection with an uprising at the Summit View Youth Correctional Facility has entered a deal.

Darren Abbey became the sixth youth to plead guilty since the June 1 incident that caused more than $12,000 in damage to the facility's air-conditioning unit and roof.

Abbey pleaded guilty to the felony charge of malicious destruction of private property and will face between one and five years in prison when sentenced Sept. 12.

In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop a handful of other felony charges against him.

Four other young men who were charged as adults were scheduled to plead guilty as well Wednesday. They asked for postponements in the hopes that an investigation into the facility will be launched.

The 20 youths and former employees have alleged the facility has problems with sexual misconduct and substance abuse and lacks proper rehabilitation programs.

Sentencing in killing delayed

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure on Wednesday postponed sentencing an 18 year-old man accused of killing his brother-in-law.

Jason Webber, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, was expected to be sentenced to 20 years to life in prison as the result of a plea agreement. But Webber's attorney's filed a motion to withdraw the plea.

Bonaventure set a hearing date for Aug. 13. At that time Bonaventure will hear arguments from both sides. If he does not withdraw the plea, Webber will be sentenced at that time.

That wasn't Dick Clark on the phone

Two men have been indicted by a Clark County grand jury on allegations they operated a so-called "Dick Clark" telemarketing scam to bilk people.

Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said Darin L. Notaro and William R. Fritz II are charged with attempted theft by false pretenses and failure to register as a telephone seller. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison on the two counts.

The indictment, returned Wednesday, said a person impersonating television star Dick Clark called a 62-year-old California woman to tell her she won $75,000 in Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. The caller instructed the woman to wire him $3,500 via Western Union to cover the taxes before the prize was paid.