News briefs for August 7, 2003

Thursday, Aug. 7, 2003 | 11:12 a.m.

Two arrested in bus bench killing

Two men have been arrested in connection with the killing of a man found Wednesday morning on a bus stop bench at D Street and Jackson Avenue, Metro Police said.

A Clark County School District work crew discovered the man's body slumped over on the bench about 6:30 a.m., Lt. Tom Monahan said.

Statements from witnesses led to the arrests of Frederick Deon Wordlaw, 18, and Habakkuk Iman Johnson, 26. Wordlaw was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on murder and robbery charges, and Johnson was booked for murder.

The identity of the victim will be released from the Clark County coroner's office after his family has been notified, authorities said.

Feds seek action against Schiff

Federal prosecutors are asking a U.S. District Court judge to hold anti-tax activist Irwin Schiff in contempt of a court order that mandates he stop his participation in an alleged tax fraud scheme.

Judge Lloyd George issued a preliminary injunction in June that ordered Schiff and his associates to stop selling instructions for filling out income-tax returns falsely, listing no income and no tax due. George also ordered Schiff to turn over a list of his customers to the government.

Justice Department attorney Evan Davis, in documents filed in federal court Wednesday, said Schiff has not complied with either order.

Woman killed outside restaurant

Metro Police were searching for a 33-year-old man after his former girlfriend was shot to death about 3:40 a.m. today.

Police want to question Vannasone Quanbengboune in connection with the shooting of the 38-year-old woman in the parking lot of the Bangkok Boom restaurant on Valley View Boulevard near Desert Inn Road. The woman's identity had not been released by the Clark County coroner's office this morning.

Lt. Tom Monahan said two people came out of the restaurant and saw the woman being shot. The killer pointed the gun at the two witnesses, and they ran back into the restaurant, police said.

The killer drove off in the victim's car, a white 1996 Honda Accord with Nevada plates 188MMG, Monahan said.

There had been ongoing domestic problems between the woman and Quanbengboune, police said. About a week ago, the woman filed an coercion complaint against Quanbengboune, but there was no restraining order in place.

Anyone with information is asked to call Metro's homicide unit at 229-3521 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.