Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Local briefs for June 27, 2003

Perry pornography charge dropped

A 48-count sexual assault and child pornography case brought against Franklyn Perry was dropped Thursday as part of a plea agreement in a securities fraud case that resulted a sentence of 15 to 75 years in prison.

In exchange for his guilty plea to 15 counts of securities fraud, District Judge Michael L. Douglas dismissed the sexual counts stemming from phone calls Perry made to a teenage girl from jail.

Authorities estimate that Perry, 63, received about $40 million from 1,174 investors worldwide by telling investors he was loaning money to high-rolling gamblers who had hit their credit limits at casinos.

Perry was also ordered to pay $157,000 in restitution, but that money will only go to the victims named in the counts that Perry pleaded guilty to.

Inmate escapes, then recaptured

A state prison inmate from Clark County walked away from the conservation camp in Ely early Thursday but was captured after he had walked about 25 miles in the desert.

Glen Whorton, associate director of the state Department of Conservation, said Charles Bridgewater, 35, was tracked by prison officials as he was walking toward Pioche and Las Vegas.

Bridgewater, serving 12 to 36 months for auto theft and evading a police officer, was last seen at 12:30 a.m. during an inmate count. He was reported missing at 2 a.m. He was picked up at 2 p.m.

Whorton said another Clark County inmate who walked away from the honor camp in Winnemucca is still at large.

Steven Hall, 43, serving a 12 to 48 month sentence for possession of stolen property from Clark County, was reported missing June 16. He is described as a white male, 195 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Teens arrested in burglary scheme

Three teenagers accused of being involved in a burglary scheme where $40,000 worth of video game equipment was taken from 11 Game Crazy stores are in custody, Metro Police said.

Police say that the "smash-and-grab" style of burglaries spanned six months starting in January. The teens were arrested Sunday, police said Thursday.

The case was a joint investigation between Metro and Henderson Police detectives. Henderson police made the arrest.

The names and sexes of the teens were not released because they are minors. Two are 17 years old and another is 15, police said. They are being held at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center. Felony counts include burglary, conspiracy and possession of a firearm.

Police believe up to 15 youths and adults were involved in the series of burglaries.

Stolen from the stores were Game Boys, Play Station 2 machines, X-Boxes, games and monitors. Some of the stores were repeatedly burgled, police said. Except for the monitors, the average retail price of the stolen items was between $50 and $300. The suspects are alleged to have sold the items for half price.

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