News briefs for Dec. 12, 2003

Friday, Dec. 12, 2003 | 11:12 a.m.

Stolen items found in burglary case

After arresting two man in a series of residential burglaries in Summerlin, Metro Police's property crimes detectives discovered a large amount of stolen property that they would like to return to their rightful owners.

The stolen property includes guns, jewelry and cameras, Lt. Larry Spinosa said.

Two suspects, Sharrone Coleman, 27, and Reginald Holmes, 22, have been arrested in connection with the burglaries. Seven burglaries occurred between July and November.

Spinosa said burglars would knock on doors and if no one answered, they would kick in the door and go directly to the master bedroom, taking everything they could carry.

Anyone whose home was burglarized in that way should call Metro Detectives Bass or Rissleman at 229-3573.

Bicyclist killed in collision with SUV

A man riding a bicycle was killed Thursday night after riding into the path of a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe at Eastern Avenue and Eldorado Lane, Metro Police said.

Witnesses said the bicyclist was heading east on Eldorado Lane and failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection with Eastern. Ivan Ivankovich, 37, of Altadena, Calif. was going south on Eastern and swerved to avoid the bicyclist, but the bicyclist struck the Tahoe, police said.

The Tahoe kept going south and crossed into the northbound lanes, colliding head-on with a 1989 Jeep Cherokee driven by Janel Brannon-Harrison, 33, of Las Vegas.

The bicyclist, whose name has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ivankovich, the four passengers in his vehicle and Brannon-Harrison were taken to University Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.

The cause of the collision appears to be the bicyclist's failure to obey a stop sign, police said.

It was the 120th fatal collision in Metro's jurisdiction this year.

Fugitive arrested in molestation case

A man wanted on charges of sexually abusing children in Oregon and Washington was arrested Thursday by the Las Vegas Valley's Criminal Apprehension Team, comprising Metro and Henderson police officers and FBI agents.

Margarito Gordian-Cruz was taken into custody at an apartment at 4255 N. Nellis Blvd. He is wanted in Portland, Ore., on six counts each of sexual abuse of a minor and sexual penetration and one count of sodomy, Lt. Jim Moses of Metro's career criminal section said.

Gordian-Cruz is also wanted out of Klickitat County, Wash., for an alleged rape of a child and alleged molestation of a child, authorities said.

Oregon police had contacted the CAT team, who learned that the Gordian-Cruz's wife was staying at an apartment on Nellis Boulevard. Detectives staked out the apartment for several hours and arrested Gordian-Cruz without incident when he arrived home, Moses said.

Man arrested in woman's death

Metro Police on Thursday arrested a 36-year-old man in connection with the death of a woman found Tuesday in an apartment at 3850 Mountain Vista St.

When police arrived at the apartment, James Anthony Davis told them 26-year-old Auna Careen Vanotten of Las Vegas had been sick and stopped breathing, Sgt. Rocky Alby said. Her body was taken to the Clark County coroner's office and the case was listed as a suspicious death.

An autopsy Wednesday indicated Vanotten was a homicide victim. Detectives interviewed Davis again, along with several others, and arrested Davis on one count of murder, Alby said. He is being held at the Clark County Detention Center.