Las Vegas news briefs for May 10, 2001

Thursday, May 10, 2001 | 10:19 a.m.

60-year heat record broken

The Las Vegas Valley broke the 60-year-old record high temperature Wednesday when the official thermometer at McCarran International Airport hit 100 degrees.

The old record was 99 degrees set on May 9, 1941, National Weather Service meteorologist Charlie Schlott said.

The old record was also the lowest record high for the month of May, Schlott said.

Normal highs for this time of year run about 85 degrees. Today the record temperature is 102 , and the high could reach about 100 degrees, Schlott said.

The last time Las Vegas hit 100 degrees was Oct. 1. Last year the weather didn't warm up to triple digits until May 22.

Two plants taken from state's list

Gov. Kenny Guinn was expected to announce today the removal of two plant species, one in Southern Nevada and one in the north, from the state's endangered species list.

The Beatley milkvetch is found on the Nellis Air Force range and on Pahute Mesa at the Nevada Test Site. The Ruby Mountain primrose is the Northern Nevada species.

This is the first time the state has removed a plant from the endangered list, Guinn said, and both species were discovered on federal lands, which required cooperation between state and federal agencies to accomplish the removal.

There are 25 plants remaining on the state's endangered list.

Co-defendant might be in LV

The Philippines has formally asked Washington to arrest two co-defendants of ousted leader Joseph Estrada who are believed to hiding in the United States, one possibly in Las Vegas, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said Wednesday in Manila.

Perez said Philippine authorities have been informed that Charlie "Atong" Ang, a gambling buddy of Estrada, is in Las Vegas or Los Angeles, while Yolanda Ricaforte, said to have been Estrada's auditor, is staying with relatives in California.

"This is preliminary to their extradition to the Philippines," Perez said.

"There is urgency on the request," Perez said in a letter to the U.S. Justice Department, warning that Ricaforte and Ang may flee again to avoid prosecution.

Perez also has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel the passports of Ang and Ricaforte.

Estrada and son Jinggoy were arrested April 25 on a charge of economic plunder for allegedly amassing $82 million in bribes and kickbacks during his 31 months in office. Ang and Ricaforte were included in the charge for their alleged role in illegal gambling payoffs allegedly received by Estrada.

Murder suspect stalked by CAT

The Las Vegas Criminal Apprehension Team arrested a man wanted out of California on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon after he attempted to hide in a Dumpster.

Robert Leon, 31, was arrested about 4:30 p.m. by the team that's made up of law enforcement personnel from Metro, Henderson and North Las Vegas Police, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Leon was spotted at an apartment complex in the 2300 block of East Silverado Ranch Boulevard in Henderson, but when police attempted to arrest him, he ran, and authorities lost him. About 15 minutes later Leon was found in the Dumpster and arrested, Metro Sgt. Ted Lee said.

Laughlin teacher in custody

Metro Police, acting on a tip from Clark County School District Police, arrested a teacher on leave from a Laughlin elementary school on a charge of possession of child pornography.

Byron Covert, on leave from Bennett Elementary School, was arrested at his Laughlin home about 11 a.m. Wednesday, police said.

Police say they recovered a computer hard drive as well as additional photos of child pornography at the home. The investigation is continuing, and additional charges may be added, police said.

Covert was booked into the Laughlin jail.

Lawsuit filed over firing

A slander and breach of contract lawsuit was filed Thursday against the Education Support Employees Association of Clark County Health and Welfare Trust.

Peter Brand claims in his lawsuit that he was falsely and or maliciously accused of embezzling money and property from the trust and fired despite an employee contract he signed in May 1999.

The contract called for him to work for the trust through May 2004, but trustees and board members fired him although "he was not the subject of any felony conviction, crime of moral turpitude or otherwise," the lawsuit states.

The board members and trustees also accused him of failing to live up to his duties, responsibilities and obligations, the lawsuit states.

Brand is seeking unspecified damages on the grounds of breach of agreement, invasion of privacy, slander and interference with contractual relations.

Named in the suit specifically are trustee board members Bobby Mancuso, Linda Gingras, Belinda Yealy, Mary Kaplan, Harry Spencer, David Brooks, Virginia Mills, Alan Doty and Karen Boyer.

Lopez found not guilty

A Clark County jury has acquitted a Las Vegas man of murder.

A jury took less than an hour to find Samuel Mejia Lopez, 18, not guilty in the death of Sam Larios, a 17-year-old Western High School student who was the victim of a February 2000 drive-by shooting.

Defense attorney Joseph Scalia said he pointed out that the only evidence implicating Lopez in the murder came from a co-defendant who ended up taking a "sweetheart deal" and who, at first, told police Lopez had nothing to do with the death.

The co-defendant, Eulogio Bautista-Santiago, pleaded guilty to performance of an act or neglect of duty in willful or wanton disregard of safety of a person or property, a gross misdemeanor. He received credit for time served and was released from jail in March.

Police probe circumstances

Metro Police are investigating the death of a 39-year-old woman to determine if she was slain or if she committed suicide.

Officers were called to a mobile home in Sandy Valley, about 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas, about noon Wednesday. Officers found the woman dead inside her home, said Lt. Wayne Petersen of Metro's homicide unit.

The woman's name was not released this morning pending positive identification and notification of her relatives, Clark County coroner's office officials said

Body burned to cover crime

A woman found badly burned in her apartment was stabbed to death, and her body was set on fire to apparently try to cover up the crime, Metro Police said.

Song Magliari, 64, was found dead on her kitchen floor Tuesday about 9:30 a.m. The fire was limited to a small area on the floor where here body was found, police said.

An autopsy Wednesday determined she was stabbed to death, police said.

No motive for her slaying is known and no suspects have been identified.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's homicide unit at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Found shot at apartments

The name of a man found shot to death in West Las Vegas was released this morning as Doreon D. Grace, 26, of Las Vegas.

Grace was found shot to death on a stairway landing on the second floor of an apartment complex in the 400 block of Monroe Avenue near D Street about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Police suspect Grace was shot earlier in the morning in the area of F Street and Jackson Avenue and ran to the apartment complex, where he collapsed and died.

No motive for the slaying is known and no suspects have been identified.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's homicide unit at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

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