Las Vegas news briefs for March 15, 2001

Thursday, March 15, 2001 | 11:32 a.m.

Metro Police are asking for the public's help in finding a 3-year-old girl who has been missing since Feb. 18.

Valentina Dimitia was left in the care of Nathaniel Holley, 48, who was baby-sitting the child for the child's mother, Valentina Durkin.

Holley is described as black, 6 feet 2 inches tall, 240 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He may be driving a 1996 blue Plymouth Neon with Virginia plates YNA2768. Valentina Dimitia is black, about 3 feet tall, 25 pounds with brown hair and eyes.

Anyone who may have seen Holley or Dimitia is asked to call missing persons detectives at 229-3752 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Nevada legislators eye third judgeship

WASHINGTON -- Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., are pushing for a third federal bankruptcy judge for fast-growing Nevada.

"We're working on that," Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said today. "The court system is overloaded. We need more judges."

Reid and Ensign are trying to include approval for the Nevada judge position in a larger reform bankruptcy bill, which the Senate is debating this week. The position was not formally included in the bill as of early today, but the Nevada lawmakers have support for the new judge position from key lawmakers managing the bill, Nevada congressional sources said. The state's federal caseload is growing, along with the population in the state, officials say.

Congress in 1999 expanded, from four to six seats, another federal bench in Nevada, the U.S. District Court, because of increased caseloads.

Tourists score slot machine wins

Two East Coast tourists won giant slot machine jackpots Wednesday, including the first-ever large-scale payout of the 5-cent video slot Jeopardy, based on the popular television game show.

Louise Hulbrock, of Tom's River, N.J., who was visiting Las Vegas to celebrate a friend's birthday, said she invested about $20 at Harrah's on the Strip before winning the first Jeopardy jackpot.

Hulbrock plans to use the $368,500 in winnings to help her grandchildren pay for college. But first she plans to fund a spectacular 50th anniversary party for herself and her husband in July.

Just west of the Strip, John Ward of Newmarket, N.H., won $8 million playing Megabucks at the Orleans hotel-casino. He was the second winner of the year.

Ward, owner of a chain of bargain dollar stores, said he might use the money to build a new warehouse.

Toddler recovering after shooting

A 3-year-old girl, who apparently accidentally shot herself with a handgun, was listed in good condition this morning.

Metro Police were called to an apartment in the 4900 block of South Maryland Parkway about 10 a.m. Wednesday on a report that a child had been shot. The girl apparently got hold of a gun hidden under a pillow in her parents' room and shot herself in the leg, police said.

Metro's abuse and neglect unit is investigating the shooting, police said.

SWAT officer hit in forehead

A Metro Police SWAT officer was struck in the forehead by a ricocheting bullet, suffering minor injuries Wednesday at the department's shooting range.

The officer, whose name was not released, was taking part in training where SWAT officers were firing at metal targets. Police believe a bullet hit the metal target and bounced back, striking the officer, who was wearing a helmet and eye protection, police said.

The officer was treated at University Medical Center and released.