News briefs for Oct. 21, 2002

Monday, Oct. 21, 2002 | 10:54 a.m.

Man killed as he waits at bus stop

A 61-year-old man has been charged with felony driving under the influence after an early morning accident Saturday killed a pedestrian waiting at a bus stop on Fremont Street.

Police allege a 2003 GMC pickup truck driven by William Schwalbach went onto the sidewalk and hit some newspaper racks and a man waiting at the bus stop.

The 50-year-old victim was taken to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. His identity has not been released until relatives have been notified, police said.

Schwalbach, who was not injured, was arrested after failing field sobriety tests and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.

Body found near Apex is identified

The body of a man found dead Oct. 5 in the desert just south of Apex near Interstate 15 has been idenfied as J.R. Smith, the Clark County coroner's office said this morning.

Smith, 87, was last seen by his family on Oct. 1. Smith's automated teller machine card was used Thursday at the Gold Coast, Metro Police said.

An autopsy showed Smith died of stab wounds and blunt trauma, the coroner's office said.

Hit-and-run driver sought

Metro Police are investigating a hit-and-run fatal accident at Rainbow Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue that occurred about 9:15 p.m. on Friday.

Metro traffic investigators said 77-year-old Mamerto Leabres Castro of Las Vegas was walking east in a marked crosswalk when he was struck by a white pickup truck that failed to stop at a red light.

The truck fled south on Rainbow, officers said. Police are seeking a small white pickup truck with dark tinted windows. The truck may have damage to the front and hood and a yellow turn signal lens could be broken or missing.

Anyone with information about the vehicle or the identity of the driver is urged to call Detective Doug Nutton at 229-3342 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Metro captures two fugitives

Two fugitives were captured last week by Metro Police in Las Vegas.

Metro's Fugitive Detail officers arrested Chateau Larue Johnson at 750 Pilot Road on Thursday on charges of writing a bad check.

Johnson had assumed the identify of his late son, Deshaun Gregory Renfro, and used his deceased son's Social Security card, driver's license and credit cards. He opened a bank account and even purchased firearms, police said.

He was in a Colorado prison for assault with a deadly weapon, but fled a temporary cell there.

Metro officers also captured Lester Wayne Turner, a Milwaukee fugitive living in the 1600 block of East Rochelle Avenue. He was spotted standing in a parking lot on Friday.

Turner, a restaurant manager, is alleged to have forced a female employee into a walk-in refrigerator, where attempted to sexually assault her in August 2001.

Turner was arrested and charged in Wisconsin, but was released on bail.

Blood emergency declared by UBS

United Blood Services has again declared an emergency for donors to contribute all blood types.

United Blood Services needs more than 300 blood donors each day for the entire week to bring the supply out of a weeklong crisis, spokesman Dan Perlstein said.

During the past week daily blood demands for the area's hospitals peaked well past 300 units per day, Perlstein said.

All United Blood Services centers will be open today from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesday through Thursday the centers will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day.

Potential donors can call 233-9620 for operating hours, locations, appointments and answers to eligibility questions. Walk-ins are also accepted.

Eligible donors must be at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds. The average donation takes about 90 minutes.

High court rejects appeal in killing

The Nevada Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of Kendrick J. Collier, sentenced to two consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole for the fatal shooting of Gary Linzy, 20, in September 1996.

The court rejected arguments Friday by Collier that his trial attorney provided ineffective assistance in 10 instances, including failing to develop a viable theory of defense.

Collier also complained that his attorney on his first appeal to the Supreme Court failed to research the proper case law and that his lawyer did not raise the issue that false testimony may have been introduced at the trial.