Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2003 | 10:38 a.m.
Probation check nets meth lab
Two days after a probation officer found a methamphetamine lab during a surprise visit to a Las Vegas man's home, another probation officer discovered a meth lab in a Searchlight woman's home, authorities with the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation said.
A probation officer made an unannounced visit to 33-year-old Rochel Brown's home in Searchlight on Friday and found $1,190 mostly in $100 bills, 11.3 grams of meth and the components of a meth lab, knives, guns and an explosive device, Kimberly Evans, spokeswoman for the state parole and probation department, said.
The area was evacuated and Metro Police's bomb squad detonated the device in the desert.
Brown was arrested for probation violations and booked into the detention center on charges of trafficking, possessing an explosive device, child endangerment and weapons violations. Brown's child, who was in the house, is living with a relative.
On Thursday a probation officer checking in on a convicted drug offender found a meth lab in his bathroom, along with drug paraphernalia, weapons and a homemade pornographic video featuring a 17-year-old runaway, authorities said.
Life sentence given in hotel room killing
Kenneth Maurice Grant, the Pennsylvania man convicted of killing a tourist in a hotel room, was sentenced to life in prison Monday.
District Judge John McGroarty handed down the sentence after jurors convicted Grant of first-degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon in the April 2001 death of 44-year-old David Sygnarski.
Grant, 35, will be eligible for parole after 40 years, Deputy Special Public Defender Alzora Jackson said. Jurors had acquitted Grant of one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.
Prosecutors alleged that Grant and his girlfriend, Paulette Perry, killed Sygnarski in a room at the now-defunct Maxim on April 4, 2001. Sygnarski is also from Pennsylvania.
Paulette was convicted of first-degree murder in an earlier trial and is serving two life sentences. Jurors had determined Grant's sentence after a penalty phase and Monday's hearing marked his formal sentencing.
Boy, 3, injured in collision
A 3-year-old Las Vegas boy was in critical condition at a local hospital after the car he was riding in without wearing a seatbelt was struck about 6:45 p.m. Monday, Metro Police said.
The toddler was trapped inside a 1988 Oldsmobile after it was hit by a 1992 Ford Explorer that failed to stop for a red light at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Washington Avenue, police said.
The boy was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition, police said.
The Oldsmobile was driven by Michael Aleknewicus, 29, of Las Vegas, who was traveling south on Martin Luther King Boulevard and was crossing Washington Avenue on a green light, police said.
Police said Juan Hernandez, 49, of Las Vegas was driving the Explorer east on Washington.
Hernandez was cited for failing to stop at a red light, police said.
Suspect arrested at auto auction
Metro Police arrested a 25-year-old man on a warrant for robbery as he was about to bid on a car at the B&E Auto Auction in Henderson Friday.
Jesus Alejandro Rocha, who police say is a three-time convicted felon, was being sought by police on warrants for robbery when they received word that he was at the auto auction, Lt. Jim Moses of Metro's career criminal section said.
Undercover officers went to the auction and spotted Rocha, who was preparing to bid on a vehicle. Rocha struggled to escape as officers took him into custody, bringing the auction to a brief halt, Moses said.
He was booked into Clark County Detention Center on the robbery warrants, police said.
A driver who was killed
after losing control of his car Saturday night and hitting a restaurant on Jones Boulevard and Sahara Avenue has been identified by the Clark County coroner's office as 19-year-old Ryan McMenimen of Las Vegas. A 17-year-old passenger was also killed in the crash.
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