News briefs for February 6, 2002

Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2002 | 10:52 a.m.

New plea made in child abuse

A Las Vegas man whose first-degree murder conviction was thrown out 14 months ago because of faulty jury instruction was sentenced to four to 10 years in prison after entering a plea Tuesday.

Thaddeus Alexander pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and child abuse in the 1996 shaking death of his 15-month old son Andrew Sobalvarro.

Because Alexander had served more than 2,100 days before his conviction was overturned, he is already eligible for parole.

In a December 2000 decision the Nevada Supreme Court said District Judge Joseph Bonaventure erred when he told jurors that malice is automatically present in cases of murder by child abuse.

The high court said the prosecution must prove the killer acted with malice. Several other convictions have been similarly overturned.

Henderson gives preliminary OK

Henderson massage therapists came one step closer on Tuesday to becoming the first in the Las Vegas Valley able to travel to homes and hotel rooms to give massages to members of the opposite sex.

Without discussion, the Henderson City Council gave preliminary approval to the proposed massage regulations, which Clark County and Las Vegas officials have said they will watch closely. The Henderson council will vote on the new laws Feb. 19.

In Clark County, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas massage therapists are allowed to give rubdowns to the opposite sex but only at licensed establishments. Out-call, opposite-sex massages are specifically prohibited.

Henderson officials say the proposed regulations would allow the massage industry to meet customers' needs while providing adequate oversight of a business that has often served as a front for prostitution.

Nevadans benefit from settlement

There are 381 Nevadans among the 240,000 purchasers nationwide who have claimed refunds in a $100 million anti-trust settlement involving drug companies, Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa says.

A federal court in Washington on Tuesday gave final approval to the settlements involving Myland Laboratories and several other companies in the manufacture of generic anti-anxiety drugs lorazepam and clorazepate.

Thirty-two states filed suit, claiming illegal agreements between companies in an effort to monopolize markets for these drugs, resulting in price increases ranging up to 3,000 percent.

Del Papa said if there is enough money consumers could receive refunds of 60 percent of the amounts paid for lorazepam and 70 percent of the amounts paid for clorazepate. Refunds are expected to be mailed this summer.

Smoke comes from refrigerator

A National Airlines plane en route from Las Vegas to Newark, N.J., made an emergency landing in Colorado Springs, Colo., Tuesday because of smoke in the aircraft, an airline spokesman said.

The smoke came from a refrigerator in the area where food is prepared, the Las Vegas-based airline said.

"The transformer basically overheated," said National spokesman Dik Shimizu. "That's what caused the smoke. They've identified that it was restricted to that particular unit."

Shimizu said Flight 674 carrying 174 passengers left McCarran International Airport at 12:36 p.m. PST and was diverted to Colorado Springs at 3:25 p.m. MST.

The plane was evacuated, and the refrigerator was shut down.

Men wanted in women's death

FBI officials, working off information provided by the Las Vegas Criminal Apprehension Team, last week in Louisville, Ky., arrested two men wanted in connection with the July slaying of a 21-year-old Henderson woman.

Curtis Powers and Marcus Lowe, both 28, were wanted in the July 6 slaying of Miranda Johnson, who was found shot to death in her apartment near her 3-week-old boy.

A motorcyclist killed Monday

on U.S. 95 near Boulder City was identified as 41-year-old Broderick Thompson of Cerritos, Calif.Thompson collided with a tractor-trailer.