News briefs for Feb. 10, 2004

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004 | 9:45 a.m.

Rodman arraigned on DUI charge

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman was arraigned Monday on drunken-driving charges and is expected to stand trial in March.

A pretrial hearing date was set for March 29 during a brief hearing before Municipal Judge George Assad. At that time Assad will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.

Rodman's local attorney, Karen Winckler, attended the hearing, but Rodman did not appear.

Rodman, 42, faces multiple charges, including DUI, reckless driving and obstructing a police officer, in connection with a motorcycle crash outside Treasures, a local strip club, in October.

Authorities say Rodman was driving under the influence of alcohol when he crashed a borrowed motorcycle into a pole outside the club on Westwood Drive, near Rancho Drive and Sahara Avenue.

Rodman was thrown off the motorcycle, suffering cuts to both legs. He was treated at University Medical Center and released.

Inmate recaptured in Mexico

An inmate mistakenly released from High Desert State Prison several months ago was recaptured in Mexico, prison officials said.

Ivan Garcia, 33, was serving a 12- to 30-month sentence for being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm when he was ordered held without bail for shooting and killing a man downtown in March 2002. He was released at some point last year and fled to Mexico.

Border patrol agents arrested him again when he tried to re-enter the United States last week, authorities said.

Man arrested in slaying

Metro Police on Monday arrested a 24-year-old man in connection with a homicide last month at an apartment complex in the 1700 block of J Street.

Kijani Owens, 24, was spotted about 10:30 p.m. Monday leaving a residence in the 1600 block of E Street, Sgt. Rocky Alby said.

Owens ran as officers approached him. Officers used police dogs and a helicopter to find Owens. He was arrested in the 600 block of Freeman Avenue.

Police allege he shot and killed Brandon Crosby, 22, on Jan. 14.

Police had arrested another man, 22-year-old Markette Tillman, last month in connection with the slaying, but the district attorney's office did not file formal charges, Alby said.

Guinn spokesmen are Democrats

The two main spokesmen for Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn will be Democrats.

Guinn today named John Trent, 41, a Democrat, to be deputy press secretary. Greg Bortolin, the chief press secretary, is also a Democrat.

Bortolin said the jobs are to promote the governor and the party registration is irrelevant. He said most of those working in Guinn's office were registered Republican.

Trent, who will earn $69,000 a year, worked as a special assistant to the president for university relations at the University of Nevada, Reno. He was executive editor of the Nevada Silver & Blue alumni magazine. He is an instructor at the school of journalism at the university.

Trent, who worked for the Reno Gazette-Journal for 11 years, replaces Victoria Oldenburg, who resigned in July to return to the state attorney general's office.

Guinn has not yet filled the position of deputy chief of staff and for the special adviser on energy issues.

Youths targeted in voting drive

Nevada ranks 45th in the nation for the number of younger people of voting age who actually cast ballots, but a nonprofit agency is hoping to reverse that.

Nevada is one of six states targeted by the New Voters Project. The Colorado-based nonpartisan group is working to recruit 20,000 newly registered voters, mainly among students at Nevada's universities and community colleges.

Since nearly 70 percent of Nevada's young people aren't students, the group also will visit music venues, coffee shops and neighborhoods to register voters.

In the days before Nov. 2, hundreds of volunteers will conduct an aggressive precinct canvass to convince young people to visit the polls.

A man fatally shot Friday

morning in a house in the 5500 block of White Cap Street has been identified by the Clark County coroner's office as Michael Antony Panek, 19, of Las Vegas. Police said Panek was wielding a knife when a person in the house shot him. Another man was also shot. Police said it stemmed from a drug dispute. No arrests have been made.

A 33-year-old man shot

and killed in the laundry room of an apartment complex Friday in the 3600 block of Cambridge Street has been identified as Juan Carlos Casillas of Las Vegas. A resident of the Pine Woods apartments found Casillas. No arrests have been made.