News briefs for Oct. 21, 2003

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 | 11:15 a.m.

Applebee's ups reward in killing

Applebee's International increased to $30,000 the reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of a Henderson restaurant manager.

Thomas B. Farrell, 45, was found dead inside Applebee's in the Whitney Ranch shopping center at 699 N. Stephanie St. on the morning of Aug. 25. His death certificate showed he died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Henderson Police are still investigating.

"It's important to all of us who cared about Tom that the person or persons responsible for this terrible crime be brought to justice," Mike Mulrey, Applebee's director for the Las Vegas area, said.

New housing loan program set

A California nonprofit company that gives down payment and other assistance for property purchases is expected to announce a $5.5 million program in Las Vegas Wednesday.

Under the initiative, "Moving People from Homelessness to Homeownership," the Nehemiah Community Reinvestment Fund will make short-term, low-interest loans to community and faith-based nonprofit groups to develop affordable housing, community facilities and economic development in low-income neighborhoods.

The group is scheduled to meet with Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and housing experts at 10 a.m. in the Human Resource Department at City Hall. For information on the Nehemiah Corp., check its website (www.nehemiahcorp.org).

Casino robbery figure sentenced

The Las Vegas man charged in a casino heist that netted about $175,000 was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday.

District Judge Kathy Hardcastle handed down the sentence after Luis Suarez, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in the June 2000 Bellagio robbery.

Suarez will be eligible for parole after six years. He was also ordered to pay $155,523 in restitution.

In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped multiple felony counts, including burglary and firearm charges. Suarez was also eligible for probation under the negotiations.

One of Suarez's accomplices, Pedro Duarte, was sentenced last month to 16 to 70 years on multiple felony charges stemming from an attempted robbery at the Desert Inn in 1999.

Jose Vigoa, the man prosecutors say was the ringleader in those robberies and another robbery at the Henderson Ross Dress for Less store in which two armored guards were killed, is serving a life prison sentence for multiple felony convictions stemming from the crimes.

Man who collided with truck ID'd

A 25-year-old man who died Monday morning after his pickup truck hit the back of a tractor-trailer has been identified by the Clark County coroner's office as Christopher Marmolejo of Las Vegas.

Metro Police said Marmolejo failed to stop at a red light on Craig Road at Rancho Drive and rear-ended the tractor-trailer stopped at the light. Marmolejo was taken to University Medical Center, where he died.

The tractor-trailer driver was not injured.

Circus Circus trash chute burns

Welders working near a trash chute at Circus Circus apparently sparked a fire Monday that caused an estimated $1,000 in damage, Clark County Fire Department investigators said.

County firefighters were called to the Strip resort, where they found flames inside the chute on the second floor.

Three floors of the hotel were evacuated, but there were no injuries.

Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said apparently sparks from a welder's torch ignited the fire.

Sprinklers doused the flames almost immediately, but smoke wafted onto the three floors above the fire, Leinbach said.

Two killed in crash of light plane

A single-engine airplane crashed in northwestern Arizona, killing two people on board, authorities said.

The plane went down Sunday near the Arizona-Nevada state line and about 100 yards east of the Mesquite Airport.

The pilot, 42-year-old Joseph Michael Young of Henderson, and passenger John Blankenship of Las Vegas were pronounced dead at the scene, Mohave County Sheriff's spokeswoman Sandy Edwards said.

It was unclear whether the Beechcraft airplane was taking off or landing when the accident occurred.

The cause of the crash was under investigation.