News briefs for April 23, 2004

Friday, April 23, 2004 | 9:38 a.m.

Suspect in two killings takes deal

An alleged gang member accused of killing two men in a 2002 drive-by shooting entered a "last-minute deal" with prosecutors Thursday, defense attorney Pete Christiansen said.

Lawrence Doyle, 23, was scheduled to begin trial Monday in the double-murder case. He pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon to further a criminal gang, Christiansen said.

All other charges were dropped in the plea agreement, including a pending robbery charge, Christiansen said.

"My client is very satisfied with the negotiations," Christiansen said.

Doyle, along with co-defendants Chester Lee Henry Jr., 25, and Darrin Lay, 23, was charged in the Aug. 2, 2002, drive-by shooting in North Las Vegas that left Thomas Sterling and Reginald Slaughter dead.

Deputy District Attorney Roger Cram was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

Lay, who had a pretrial hearing scheduled for this morning, is still scheduled for trial on Monday. Henry's trial is scheduled for May 10.

Police say manshot wife, killed himself

A 35-year-old man shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself in their home near Tenaya Way and Lake Mead Boulevard, Metro Police said.

A family member discovered the couple about 6:30 p.m. Thursday. When paramedics arrived at the house in the 1800 block of Navajo Lake Way they found the man dead, Lt. Tom Monahan of Metro's homicide section said.

The woman "still had signs of life," Monahan said. She was taken to University Medical Center where she was in "very critical condition," he said.

The coroner's office did not release the name of the man this morning.

Slaying suspects plead not guilty

Two men charged in last month's death of a 70-year-old Las Vegas bartender pleaded not guilty to all charges Thursday before District Judge Michelle Leavitt.

Kevin Martinette, 27, and his roommate, Randy Stafford, 33, are charged with murder, robbery, first-degree kidnapping, burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary in the death of Thimios "Terry" Petropoulos.

Petropoulous, a graveyard-shift bartender at the Odyssey Lounge on Fremont Street near Eastern Avenue, was found dead on March 5 in the bar's storage room.

Police allege Martinette beat Petropoulos to death in order to steal his car and $500 to drive to California.

They also allege he stole some pool cues, which Stafford then sold on the streets, according to an arrest report.

Now in custody, the two men are scheduled to go to trial Nov. 2.

New charter school approved

The Clark County School Board approved a new technology-based charter school Thursday that will serve kindergarten through eighth grade in Henderson.

Evolutions Charter School will be 75 percent online instruction, with students working at home, and 25 percent direct instruction in a traditional classroom setting with teachers, said Kyle Konold, one of the school's founders. The school expects to open in August with 200 students.

Evolutions becomes the district's third charter school to use a distance education model. Odyssey Charter School, which has both an elementary and high school program serving 1,200 students, opened in 1999. Clark County Team Academy, an online high school with 300 students, opened last year.

Siegfried, Roy measure passes

A House resolution honoring magicians Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn passed the House Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans subcommittee Thursday.

Reps. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Jon Porter, R-Nev., introduced the resolution in November honoring the magical duo's contributions to Las Vegas and wildlife conservation and wishing Horn a speedy recovery.

Horn was attacked by one of the pair's white tigers during a performance last year.

The resolution still needs to pass the House Resources Committee and the full House before it gets final approval.

Man pleads guilty in money scheme

Louis M. Vallette pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court to 10 felony counts of money laundering.

The Las Vegas resident was indicted in 2000 for using his company, ATM Leasing Inc., as a Ponzi scheme to bilk 56 investors out of $2.7 million.

Vallette admitted that from 1992 to 1995 he deceived the investors into believing they would receive revenue from their investments in an ATM leasing program. He admitted to using more than $800,000 as "lulling payments" to deceive investors and delay the detection of fraud.

Vallette faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of as much as $500,000. Restitution owed to the victims is about $1.9 million. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 9.

CCSN schedules fall registration

The Community College of Southern Nevada begins registration for returning students for fall classes on Monday. Registration for summer terms began Tuesday.

They coincide with the college's "Student First" initiative, designed to afford college-bound CCSN students more resources, helping them earn degrees, certificates and transfers quickly, CCSN officials said.

Students then meet with college counselors to develop academic plans that match their goals.

Summer session classes begin on June 7 and feature four-, eight- and 10-week sessions. A second four-week term starts July 6.

Registration for fall classes begins May 4 for new students and seniors. Fall classes begin Aug. 30.

For more information, visit the CCSN Web site at ccsn.edu.

167 pass latest bar examination

The Nevada Supreme Court announced Thursday that 167 lawyers -- 80 of them from Clark County -- passed the bar examination given in Las Vegas in February.

Half of the lawyers who took the test failed.

The tests in the past were given only once a year, but the schedule was recently changed to two examinations. The next round of tests will be in July in Las Vegas and Reno.

The lawyers will be admitted to the bar in a May 5 ceremony at the Capitol in Carson City.