Court briefs for May 15, 2001

Tuesday, May 15, 2001 | 9:13 a.m.

Two suspects to be tried apart

Two men expected to be tried in the death of a Las Vegas woman will have separate trials.

District Judge Sally Loehrer granted a defense motion Monday asking that Robert Whitesell, 33, be given a separate trial from Troy Schnable, 45, in the slaying of Tiffany Averill, 67.

Defense attorney Lew Wolfbrandt didn't want his client to be tried with Schnable because Schnable gave incriminating statements about Whitesell.

Loehrer set Whitesell's trial for Jan. 14, and Schnable's trial will follow immediately.

The men are accused of breaking into Averill's home in the 1200 block of North Lamb Boulevard on Jan. 15 about 4 p.m., stealing a gun collection and slitting her throat.

A third co-defendant, Ernest Velazquez, 39, is expected to appear in court later in the week.

Two LV men sue national board

Two former officials of the Las Vegas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have filed a lawsuit against the national organization's board of directors.

Gene Collins and Chester Richardson allege in the lawsuit, filed Monday in District Court, that the national organization suspended Branch No. 1111's charter and removed its officers without prior notice, without the benefit of a full hearing and without presenting evidence in late April.

The board also placed a block on the charter's checking account without due process, preventing vendors from receiving their rightful payments, the lawsuit states.

The national board had said in early April it was sending three national board members to Las Vegas, but said they were only to gather evidence, the lawsuit states.

Collins and Richardson have asked District Judge Sally Loehrer to enjoin the national board from enforcing the suspension of the charter until a hearing is held before the entire national board.

Family sues Metro over death

The four surviving children of Mary Thompson, 53, a woman who was killed last year during a police chase, are suing Metro Police, claiming that the department failed to properly train the officer involved in the pursuit.

John Sandoval began driving erratically when police started chasing him. He crashed into Thompson's 1994 Ford Explorer when he ran a stop sign at the intersection of Stewart Avenue and 14th Street.

Sandoval was sentenced to seven to 20 years in prison for leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.

Thompson's family claims that the officer "negligently, recklessly and intentionally commenced a chase," causing the wrongful death of their mother.

Karen Thompson Farmer, Kelli Thompson-Betts, Kymberly Jenkins-Hines and Marcus Jenkins filed suit Monday against Metro Police for unspecified damages in funeral and burial costs, compensatory and punitive damages, and the cost of the law suit.