Las Vegas crime briefs for March 23, 2001

Friday, March 23, 2001 | 11:15 a.m.

Illinois kidnapping suspect arrested

The Las Vegas criminal apprehension team on Thursday arrested a fugitive wanted in Illinois on charges that include kidnapping.

James Rowland arrived in Las Vegas on Feb. 15 and was staying in a downtown area motel under the name Dylan James, police said.

Rowland was wanted in Taylorville, Ill., in connection with an alleged shooting of his girlfriend, Dianna Smith. Smith was shot in the face and held at her residence without medical attention for more than 12 hours, police said.

Smith survived the shooting, and Rowland fled to Las Vegas, police said.

The Las Vegas criminal apprehension team is a regional fugitive task force composed of law enforcement officials from the U.S. Marshal's Service and FBI, and the Metro, North Las Vegas and Henderson police departments.

Law firm gives $200,000 to school

One of Las Vegas' oldest law firms has donated $200,000 to the nation's newest law school.

"Gerald Gordon and Jeffrey Silver have been supportive of us since day one, although day one was only a couple of years ago," Dick Morgan, dean of the William Boyd School of Law, told a gathering at UNLV Thursday honoring the contribution by the 34-year-old law firm of Gordon & Silver.

The school accepted its first class of students in the fall of 1998. It is meeting in a converted elementary school until the building that once housed the UNLV library can be renovated to house the law school, a project that is expected to be completed by the summer of 2000.

To show its appreciation, Morgan said when the new law school facilities are completed, the moot court classroom will be named for Gordon & Silver.

The 25-member firm specializes in a variety of civil law, including bankruptcy and casino reorganization.

Suspect in four bank jobs arrested

FBI agents have arrested a man accused of robbing four banks in Las Vegas since February.

Carlos Adalberto Conde, 36, was arrested at 9 a.m. Thursday after dropping off an acquaintance at an office complex on Meadows Lane near the Meadows mall.

Conde is charged with robbing three banks on West Sahara Avenue and Wednesday's robbery at the Weststar Credit Union, 100 S. Valley View Blvd., an FBI spokesman said.

The FBI says that an undisclosed amount of money and other evidence was found in Conde's car.

Since Jan. 1 there have been 44 bank robberies in the Las Vegas area. There were 161 robberies during 2000 and 114 robberies in 1999.

Sting operation set to start

Law enforcement agencies are initiating sting operations at bars and restaurants to ensure bartenders aren't substituting the liquor ordered for a cheaper brand, the state attorney general's office said today.

"It has been reported that the practice of substituting another brand other than the one ordered by a consumer may be a recurring problem in some Nevada establishments," Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa said. She said authorities must "assure that Nevada residents and visitors are getting what they are asking and paying for."

It is illegal for alcohol retailers to substitute one brand of liquor, wine or beer for another brand ordered specifically by a customer. The first offense is classified as a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000. A second violation is a gross misdemeanor, with a fine up to $2,000. Third and subsequent offenses could result in revocation of the license.

Del Papa said local law enforcement agencies in various counties will conduct the stings.