News briefs for September 19, 2001

Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2001 | 10:21 a.m.

Residents invited to design hearing

A public meeting will be held Thursday to review initial design work for the extension of the Las Vegas Beltway from Cheyenne Avenue to El Capitan Way.

Officials with the Clark County Department of Public Works will preside.

The meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Mountain Crest Neighborhood Services Center, 4701 N. Durango Drive, near Lone Mountain Road.

Bobby Shelton, a public works spokesman, said design work for the northern section is 30 percent complete and that it's especially important for the valley's northwest residents to attend the design hearing.

"We want to get input from the community and see if we can use their suggestions," Shelton said. "We're still early in the design phase, so if we get any major new ideas we can make adjustments without compromising what we've done so far."

Construction on the beltway extension is scheduled to begin late next spring or early next summer. The estimated completion date is late 2003.

Three arrested after bar holdup

Metro Police have arrested three men in connection with 12 robberies spread over Metro and North Las Vegas jurisdictions.

The robberies focused on Hispanic-owned businesses and bars. Police were able to take the suspects into custody Monday night after a robbery at Bullfeather's Bar, 3787 E. Lake Mead Blvd., detectives said.

Two men entered the bar about 10:30 p.m. armed with a handgun and a shotgun, police said. The two men left the bar in a Dodge Durango driven by a third suspect.

Police in the area recognized the Durango as the suspect vehicle in the previous robberies and pursued it until it was cornered in a cul-de-sac, where the three men were arrested.

Gilberto Camacho, 34, Jorge Camacho, 35, and Abraham Gonzalez, 18, were arrested and have been charged in Monday night's robbery, police said. The three men match the descriptions of the suspects in the other robberies and more charges could be added.

Compensation paid to injured officers

North Las Vegas city officials have paid $29,283 and $50,240 to two police officers as compensation for permanent disabilities sustained on the job.

The officers' names and the types of injuries and disabilities are confidential, said Dan Tarwater, the city's human resources director. He added that the payments are the first he has seen in almost three years on the job.

The payments settle workers compensation claims by the two officers, who remain employees of the North Las Vegas Police Department, Tarwater said.

The officers "are not able to seek any more benefits" unless doctors determine further disabilities as a result of the injuries in the future, Tarwater said.

Man convicted in neighbor's death

A Clark County jury, after deliberating about six hours over two days, convicted a Las Vegas man of second-degree murder in the November 1999 shooting death of his neighbor.

Brent Sheridan, 48, faces sentences Nov. 7 of either 20 to 50 years or 20 years to life in prison.

Sheridan was accused of shooting Harriet Jennings-Chapin, 42, five times because he was angry his landlord had not evicted her. Sheridan suspected Jennings-Chapin of being a prostitute or a drug dealer because of a large number of people visiting her apartment.

Jennings-Chapin was found dying in the courtyard of the Warren Motel Apartments Nov. 15, 1999, and several people reported seeing Sheridan running from the murder scene.

Sheridan testified he ran after he heard the shots because he was frightened.

Boy, 16, killed in collision

A 16-year-old Las Vegas boy died and two other teens were injured in a two-vehicle accident Tuesday night.

Justin Kellerman, driving a 1992 Chevrolet Geo with two passengers, apparently was pulling out of a driveway from Sunset Point Mobile Home Park Tuesday onto Cheyenne Avenue at about 6 p.m. when he apparently failed to yield to a 1999 Ford pickup, driven by Gerald Stowell, 22, of Las Vegas, Metro Police said. The truck hit the left side of the car, police said.

Kellerman was taken to University Medical Center, where he died at 8:14 p.m. Tuesday.

The two passengers were also taken to the hospital. Amanda LaCour, 17, was listed in fair condition this morning and Gregory Gaspa, 18, was treated and released. Stowell was not injured.

28-year-old man identified

A man found shot to death in an apartment Monday has been identified as Otoniel Gonzalez Chavez, 28.

Chavez was shot in his apartment in the 1100 block of South Eastwood Drive, near Eastern and St. Louis avenues about 11:40 p.m. His roommates woke up to the sound of gunshots, saw three men running from the apartment and found Chavez shot, Metro Police said.

No suspects or motive have been identified in Chavez's slaying, police say.