News briefs for February 1, 2002

Friday, Feb. 1, 2002 | 9:53 a.m.

Man found dead in hotel

A man was found shot to death in the Polo Towers this morning after security officers were checking out the report of a commotion in the hotel.

Hotel security found a man dead about 12:20 a.m. in the hallway of the second floor of the hotel in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard South, Lt. Tom Monahan of Metro Police's homicide unit said.

The man's identity was not released this morning. Police are trying to determine if the man was staying in hotel.

McLaughlin gets vote of confidence

The state Board of Education has given state Superintendent Jack McLaughlin a vote of confidence.

The board, in a news release issued this week, said it conducted an evaluation of McLaughlin and found "his overall energy and leadership have proven to be an asset to the education community."

The review came Saturday at a board meeting in Las Vegas. McLaughlin was appointed superintendent of public instruction a year ago.

Whorton named operations director

State Prison Director Jackie Crawford has announced two promotions.

Glen Whorton, who has been employed at the prison for nearly 30 years, is being elevated from chief of classification and planning to assistant director of operations.

Darrel Rexwinkel, who was chief of fiscal services for the prison, is taking over as assistant director of support services. He has more than 36 years' experience in fiscal management.

Appeal denied in LV murder

The Nevada Supreme Court Thursday denied the appeal of Richard "Noochie" Hardison, convicted of first-degree murder in the 1986 shooting of a Las Vegas man.

The court rejected an argument in which Hardison said his attorney was incompetent and that he should not have been sentenced to consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

Hardison was arrested after Pete Johnson was shot twice in the back on Madison Street as he was talking with two others. Hardison was initially sentenced to death.

But in 1994 the Supreme Court overturned the death penalty because of ineffective assistance of counsel at the penalty hearing. The court ordered a second penalty hearing and Hardison received the life terms.

The court said an examination of the record in the second penalty hearing in Las Vegas shows there is no need for oral arguments and that the consecutive life terms should be upheld.

More samples to be collected

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month will continue efforts to collect more biological specimens from randomly selected families in Fallon after a 15th case of childhood leukemia was diagnosed in December.

The Nevada State Health Division is selecting families living in Churchill County to participate in the sampling, including blood, urine and cheek cell swabs.

CDC investigators are looking for higher levels of a substance that could provide a clue to the cause of the leukemias in children 2 to 19 who lived in Fallon, 60 miles east of Reno. The CDC is studying the families affected by leukemia and those without any history of cancer.

The CDC will send samples to its laboratory in Atlanta. A final report is expected at the end of the year.

Woman pleads no contest

A Las Vegas woman has pleaded no contest to a gross misdemeanor charge of Medicaid fraud in which her company was accused of bilking the state out of more than $300,000.

Lilliana Vazquez Mirchou, in her plea bargain before District Judge Michael Douglas, agreed Thursday to reimburse the state $400,000 for the money lost plus costs for the investigation. Her sentencing is set for July 16. She faces a maximum year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Tim Terry, director of the state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, said Mirchou's company, Reliable Medical Care, Inc., also entered guilty pleas to a felony count of Medicaid fraud and a gross misdemeanor charge of conspiracy. Sentencing for the company is also set for July 16.

Terry said Reliable Medical Care operated the Santa Ana Medical Clinic in Clark County and billed Medicaid for medical services to patients that were never delivered. He also said the company billed for services provided by someone other than the person listed on the billing.

The offenses took place in 1998-99.

Mirchou's brother, Rogelio Vazquez, who worked in the billing department, has been charged with four felonies. Terry said Vazquez has fled and is believed hiding in Mexico.

Tom Sargent, a former director

of the Institute for Business and Industry at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, has been named public information officer for Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa. Sargent replaces Steve George, who moved to the secretary of state's office.

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