Local news briefs for May 2, 2001

Wednesday, May 2, 2001 | 11:22 a.m.

21-year-old man arrested

Metro Police have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with what police say was a gang-related fatal shooting on March 21.

Manuel Martel was arrested by Metro gang unit officers on Friday and was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one count of murder with a deadly weapon.

About 3 a.m. on March 21 Oscar M. Oliveira, 21, was shot at a motel in the 5200 block of South Industrial Road when he and two friends were confronted by a rival gang, police said.

The two friends took Oliveira to Sunrise Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Woman charged with arson

Las Vegas Fire Department investigators arrested a Las Vegas woman Tuesday, charging her with arson in connection with an early morning apartment fire.

Sandra Brooks, 42, was charged with first-degree arson after her studio apartment behind a house at 605 W. Adams Ave. in West Las Vegas was found heavily involved with fire about 4:15 a.m.

Firefighters put the blaze out in less than five minutes, but it still did about $30,000 in damage to the apartment. Witnesses told investigators that Brooks was seen running from the apartment just before the fire broke out, Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said.

Police warn of scam

The Metro Police fraud detail is warning residents that there are suspects perpetrating a scam involving a bogus prize.

On Tuesday a Las Vegas resident was contacted by someone claiming to be from the U.S. Customs Service, who told the woman that she had won a large prize, police said.

The suspect congratulated the resident and told her that she would have to pay a percentage of the taxes on her winnings up front, and needed to send the money via Western Union.

The victim contacted U.S. Customs officials and confirmed that they do not participate in the collection of money, police said.

Two fatalities in motorcycle rally

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. -- The Western Arizona Regional Medical Center handled two fatalities and 37 injuries during the course of the annual River Run motorcycle rally.

Donald Shockley, 50, died after crashing his motorcycle on the Needles Highway in Laughlin, Nev. Mark Burgeron, 44, of Cayuso, Calif., was killed in a personal water craft accident on the Colorado River.

Both men were attending the River Run, which wrapped up Sunday in Laughlin, across the Nevada state line from Bullhead City.

Tennis champ's son pleads guilty

SAN DIEGO -- David Casper, the son of two-time U.S. Open champion Billy Casper, has pleaded guilty to 35 felonies in a 1999 crime spree.

Casper, 28, faces nearly 200 years in state prison when he is sentenced June 6.

Casper was high on methamphetamine and heroin in October and November of 1999, according to his lawyer, when he committed crimes almost daily.

He burglarized his parents' home and drove off with his sister's car, stole another car at gunpoint, robbed people in parking lots and held up businesses.

He then fled to Las Vegas, where he continued robbing businesses until his arrest.

Casper pleaded guilty last year to armed robbery in Nevada and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, which he will serve in California as part of a plea deal.

Metro officers recognized

The Optimists of Southern Nevada honored three Metro officers Tuesday during the 34th annual "Respect for Law" luncheon.

The club gave awards to Lt. Rod Jett, a 23-year veteran, of the SWAT unit, Lt. Wayne Petersen, a 21 1/2-year veteran, of the homicide unit, and Officer Dominick Rodriguez, a 12-year veteran, assigned to the police athletic league.

Sheriff Jerry Keller also handed out a department award at the luncheon. He presented recently retired Lt. Dwight Mahan with Metro's Excellence Award.

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