News briefs for Sept. 13, 2002

Friday, Sept. 13, 2002 | 11:11 a.m.

Appeal denied in double killing

The Nevada Supreme Court rejected the appeal Thursday of Marnie M. Peot, sentenced to four consecutive life terms for the murder of two men in Las Vegas.

The court said Peot missed the deadline for filing her second appeal after her conviction in the killing of Scott Rehn and Jimmy Sorenson in 1994. The court said Peot failed to demonstrate adequate cause to excuse her delay.

Peot said she was refused access to law clerks, the law library and legal materials at the state prison. She said she recently discovered facts and evidence demonstrating her innocence. She also said her attorney on the first appeal failed to raise certain issues.

Deaths believed to be murder-suicide

A couple were found shot to death in their home Thursday in an apparent murder-suicide, officials said.

Metro Police were called to a house in the 5200 block of Morris near Tropicana Avenue and Nellis Boulevard after the woman failed to arrive at work and a friend and a co-worker went to check on her.

Evidence in the home indicated that the incident was a murder-suicide, Metro Homicide Lt. Tom Monahan said. It appeared that the man shot the woman before turning the gun on himself, police investigators said.

William Charles Ancell, 46, and the woman, whose name had not been released this morning, had been married for about three weeks according to family members, but were having problems. The woman had moved out of the home days ago, Monahan said.

The woman had returned to the house Wednesday night, trying to work things out, he said.

Courthouse to be named for Del Papa

The former Carson City courthouse, acquired and remodeled by the state, is being named after Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, who is retiring from political life after 20 years.

The courthouse was built in 1922. After it built a new judicial building, Carson City sold it to the state for $860,000. The state recently completed a $2.7 million remodeling of the 14,679-square-foot two-story building that now contains 30 offices for the staff of the attorney general.

Gibbons supported in lands struggle

A representative of off-highway vehicle enthusiasts and hunters said Thursday that his group backs Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., in a struggle over a public lands bill for Clark County.

Gibbons has offered some compromises in a bill that would make 444,000 acres designated wilderness off limits to motorized vehicles or development. But the congressman has so far not budged in insisting that the state maintain control over water rights in the wilderness areas.

Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic majority whip, and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., have a Senate version of the bill that does not include the water-rights provision. Reid staffers said Wednesday he has not agreed to include the provision in a compromise bill.

Environmentalists strongly oppose the provision, which they feel would set a bad precedent for other wilderness designations in Nevada and the West.

Poachers' license suspension sought

Poachers who violate fish and game laws should lose their license if they don't pay court-assessed fines, an executive audit recommended.

The state Division of Internal Audit said Thursday the state Division of Wildlife should seek a change in the law to suspend hunters or fishermen who don't pay their fines.

Local courts impose civil penalties ranging from $50 to $250 for violation of wildlife laws, but the Wildlife Division doesn't have authority to enforce the payment. As a result, $107,000 is still owed to the agency.

Wildlife Division Administrator Terry Crawford agreed to consider the recommendation.

Fire restrictions on fed lands lifted

Thanks to recent rains, campfires and barbecues will again be allowed on more than 4 million acres of forest and rangeland in Southern Nevada starting today, state and federal officials announced Thursday.

Special fire restrictions are also lifted at Lake Mead National Recreation Area beginning today, area spokeswoman Karla Norris said.

The fire restrictions were put in place June 1 for acreage under the control of the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Division of Forestry and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, which is part of the U.S. Forest Service.

"People weren't even able to have fires in the designated fire pits, but now they can," recreation area spokeswoman Beth Short said.

Regular fire restrictions prohibiting campfires within one mile of homes until Nov. 15 remain in effect, Short said.

Special fire restrictions were instituted at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on June 17.

Campfires are now allowed again in the recreation area, also, parts of the park in Arizona that had been closed to the public are now open again, Norris said.