News briefs for March 10, 2004

Wednesday, March 10, 2004 | 11:19 a.m.

Porter opponent kicks off campaign

Construction worker and activist Rick DeVoe said he will hold a rally to kick off a campaign today to challenge Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev.

DeVoe, a 47-year-old Democrat, said he plans to rely on $1 contributions to catch up to the amount Porter has raised for his re-election.

The kickoff will be held at 4:30 p.m. today at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 159 at 1701 Whitney Mesa Drive, in Henderson. His website is votedevoe.org.

Man killed as car rear-ended

A 60-year-old man was killed about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday when his car was rear-ended on Jones Boulevard at Vegas Drive, Metro Police said.

Jesus Landeros of Las Vegas was pronounced dead at the scene.

Landeros' 1995 Pontiac Grand Am was stopped northbound for a red light on Jones when a 1997 Honda Accord driven by 33-year-old Kallano Tumale struck the back of his car.

A passenger in Landeros' car, Graciano Hurtado, 57, was taken to University Medical Center with serious injuries.

Tumale told detectives he fell asleep at the wheel, police said. He was given a ticket for failure to pay full attention to driving.

Nevada doesn't have a vehicular manslaughter law as other states do, which limits the ability of police to file more serious charges when a fatal crash not involving drugs or alcohol occurs.

Life sentence given in shooting

A man convicted of shooting a cabdriver last May was sentenced last week to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Charles H. Stanton will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison for the attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping and attempted robbery with a deadly weapon of Mark Chavez, a Star Cab driver, on May 9.

In a similar case Dan Wesley Williams, 43, entered a plea agreement March 4 for robbing and kidnapping a local cabdriver. Williams agreed to serve 12 years to life for first-degree kidnaping and two consecutive terms of six to 15 years for the robbery with a deadly weapon.

Pedestrian killed near speedway

A 31-year-old Reno man died Sunday after walking into traffic across from Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Las Vegas Boulevard North, the Nevada Highway Patrol said.

Michael Morones was struck by a white 2004 four-door Honda just before 7 p.m. He was flown to University Medical Center, where he died.

The driver and three passengers were not injured. No citations were issued, Trooper Angie Wolff said. The pedestrian is believed to be at fault.

Greyhound rolls over on I-70

A Greyhound bus traveling from Las Vegas to Denver rolled onto its side on a stretch of Interstate 70 Tuesday near Green River in southeastern Utah, injuring 28 passengers and the driver, authorities said.

The bus driver told the Utah Highway Patrol that he either blacked out or fell asleep.

The bus was carrying 32 passengers. The patrol originally reported that 21 people left the accident scene in ambulances or helicopters.

Only one passenger was classified as serious, hospital spokeswomen said.

The bus left Las Vegas about 1 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Denver at 5:30 p.m., said Lynn Brown, a spokeswoman for Greyhound Lines, Inc.

LV cashes Galardi fine checks

Las Vegas cashed the $1.017 million in checks from strip club owner Jack Galardi, who was fined the amount for crimes admitted by his son while his son was a part owner of Cheetahs. The final paperwork took place Monday.

In exchange for the fine, the Las Vegas City Council signed an agreement with Galardi that allows him to escape further punishment for misdeeds at his clubs that he was not involved with prior to signing the agreement.

The fine came about because his son Michael Galardi pleaded guilty to corruption charges in San Diego and Las Vegas. Michael Galardi retired his share of the company in the fall, which gave his father 100 percent control.

Taco Bell blaze called intentional

A fire this morning at a Taco Bell under construction in southeast Las Vegas was intentionally set, the Clark County Fire Department said.

The construction site at Russell and Pecos roads caught fire around midnight. After Clark County firefighters extinguished the fire, the department's accelerant detecting dog, Wren, found possible traces of flammable liquids at several places in the building.

Anyone with information as to possible suspects is asked to call the fire department at 455-7322 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.