News briefs for March 4, 2004

Thursday, March 4, 2004 | 11:23 a.m.

Illegal aliens arrested in blitz

Thirty-four illegal aliens who came to the Las Vegas area to hide from criminal authorities in other countries were arrested in a weeklong blitz that ended Wednesday.

Those arrested by officers with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement include a South American man convicted of attempted murder and a Mexican national linked to a fatal hit-and-run accident.

The operation is the first phase of an ongoing ICE effort to identify and arrest fugitive aliens and others in the Las Vegas area who have overstayed their welcome to remove them from the United States.

All of those arrested were previously ordered deported by an immigration judge but failed to follow the orders, according to Lori Haley, spokeswoman for the enforcement agency.

Those taken into custody in the past week are from Mexico, Peru. El Salvador, Liberia and India. Several have extensive criminal records, including weapons possession, alien smuggling, spousal abuse, drug trafficking and grand theft.

Execution set for March 26

The execution of death row inmate Lawrence Colwell Jr. has been set for March 26 at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City.

Meanwhile Colwell has an appearance scheduled for Friday in federal district court in Reno on a petition previously filed. Colwell has told officials he wants to die and does not want any more appeals in his behalf.

The prison has set 9 p.m. for the execution by lethal injection.

The last execution was carried out April 21, 2001, of Sebastian Bridges. Colwell was convicted of the strangulation of Las Vegas tourist Frank Rosenstock at the Tropicana in a robbery effort. Colwell offered to plead guilty to all charges if the state agreed to seek the death penalty. He asked for the death penalty before a three-judge panel that decided the penalty.

Kirkpatrick announces run

Marilyn Kirkpatrick, a businesswoman and four-year member of the North Las Vegas Planning Commission, announced she is running for Assembly District 1, a seat that will be vacated by Assemblyman Tom Collins, D-North Las Vegas, who plans to run for the Clark County Commission.

The 36-year-old Kirkpatrick, a Democrat, is a sales executive for A&J Foods and has been active in her local PTA. She said she would make education funding a priority.

Her work on the Planning Commission, she said in a news release, would help "balance the needs of the residents and neighborhoods with the infrastructure needs and business challenges of a growing community."

De La Paz to take command

A major in the Nevada Army National Guard who grew up in Mexico will assume command of the 992nd Troop Unit of Las Vegas on Sunday.

Maj. Kike De La Paz will succeed Lt. Col. Michael Carlson, who has been the battalion commander for 18 months. The battalion has several hundred troops.

De La Paz is currently an assistant professor of military science at UNLV and the Community College of Southern Nevada. He was born in Mexico City and immigrated to the United States at age 17.

The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Edsall Training Center, 6400 North Range Road, in North Las Vegas.

Carlson will become deputy chief of staff for personnel for the Nevada Army Guard in Carson City.

Military installation supporters to meet

A meeting by a group of Nevadans supporting Nevada's military installations is set for 9 a.m. Monday at Mandalay Bay's Commanders Boardroom.

The Nevada Military Advocacy Commission was established this year by Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., to unite community organizations and public leaders in protecting Nevada's preeminent military installations during the base closure and realignment process.

Man shot, robbed in North Las Vegas

A 21-year-old man was robbed and shot about 8 p.m. Wednesday in the 3300 block of North Civic Center Drive in North Las Vegas, police said.

Witnesses told police that two men stole the man's wallet, then one shot him in the chest. The two were later seen walking through the neighborhood. Police believe the suspects live in the area.

The victim was taken to University Medical Center to be treated for his injury.