News briefs for November 17, 2004

Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004 | 9:33 a.m.

LV City Hall may get dose of reality

Reality television might be coming to Las Vegas City Hall.

Mayor Oscar Goodman said Tuesday he is talking with three producers who want to do a reality television show centered around his office.

Goodman would not say who the producers are, or which, if any, networks are involved. But he said two of the producers are well known.

"I'm not going to help anyone make their reputation on me, these three already have their reputations," he said.

Goodman also said hisoffice is in discussions with CBS about a possible four-part miniseries that would focus on the mayor.

Pedestrian hit in crosswalk

An elderly pedestrian was in critical condition at University Medical Center after being hit while he crossed a street in a crosswalk Tuesday night, Metro Police said.

Oscar Gupton, 80, was attempting to cross Arville Street along the crosswalk at Desert Inn Road about 4:50 p.m., according to a Metro news release.

Witnesses told police that Irene Robertson, 64, was driving her Oldsmobile Alero north on Arville through the intersection with a green light when she hit Gupton. Robertson was not injured.

Police Gupton apparently ran in front of the car even though he had a "Don't Walk" signal.

Clemency granted in murder case

The state Pardons Board on Monday granted clemency to Roy McDowell, who was sentenced to four consecutive life terms for his part in the 1984 murder of a Las Vegas couple.

The board decided that the life terms should be concurrent, making McDowell, now 38, eligible to apply for parole in May 2008. If the board had not acted, McDowell would have had to serve an additional 20 years before being eligible for release.

He and five others were convicted of the murder of Carl Gordon, 58, and his wife, Colleen, 57 in their home on Nov. 6. 1984.

Dale Flanagan and Randolph Moore, now both 39, were sentenced to death. Johnny Luckett and Michael Walsh received life terms and Thomas Akers received probation.

Police said at the time that Flanagan, who lived in a trailer behind the Gordon home, plotted with his best friend Moore to kill the Gordons so Flanagan could get a large inheritance.

Inmate escapes from work crew

A state prison inmate serving a term for robbery in Clark County escaped Monday while serving as member of a work crew at the Western Nevada Community College in Carson City.

The state Department of Corrections said Matthew Nevin, 44, is a parole violator serving a one- to 15-year term in Warm Springs Prison in Carson City. He was last seen wearing prison blue jeans and blue denim shirt. The department said it did not know which direction he was headed when he walked away from the construction job.

Guard injured as robbers flee

Two men leaving the scene of a robbery at an Albertsons supermarket on Monday struck a security guard with a handgun as they fled, police said.

The robbers, who got away with an estimated $100, are still at large, Metro Police Lt. Christopher Carroll said Monday.

According to Carroll, the two suspects robbed the Albertsons at 6140 W. Lake Mead Blvd. about 7:45 p.m. As the two men were fleeing, one of them struck a security guard in the arm with the pistol he was brandishing, Carroll said.

The security guard, who was not identified, was taken to University Medical Center, suffering from a possible broken arm, Carroll said.

Resident treated after house burns

A Las Vegas man was treated for smoke inhalation after his house near Washington Avenue and Rainbow Boulevard caught fire Monday night, Las Vegas fire officials said.

When firefighters arrived at the house in the 600 block of Dolores Drive about 8:30 p.m., flames were shooting out of the back of the house and an upstairs bedroom window, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesman Tim Szymanski said. Firefighters had the blaze under control within a few minutes.

A teenage girl living in the house had told her grandfather that a table with a lamp on it had caught fire, then she went to a neighbor's house and called 911, Szymanski said.

The grandfather tried to extinguish the fire, but he told firefighters the smoke was too think, so he fled with his pet dog, Szymanski said. The man was later taken to Summerlin Hospital suffering from moderate smoke inhalation.

3,000 flee from parole, probation

Since Feb. 28, 2001, about 3,000 individuals have fled from their parole or probation supervision in Nevada, and the state Public Safety Department says 779 have been captured.

In a press release Monday, the department noted that the convicted felons have paid $323,973 in restitution and supervision fees since their re-captures. These are people who were convicted of crimes ranging from murder, sexual assault, armed robbery and property crimes.

There are about 18,000 offenders on parole or probation in Nevada, authorities said.

Once a felon disappears, the 10-member staff of the Fugitive Apprehension Unit begins tracking the person, using such things as showing of mug shots on dedicated TV new programs.

Gov. Kenny Guinn

is in New Orleans at the Republican Governors Association meeting. Guinn is to be elevated to chairman for the next year. He has been vice chairman. The governor is expected back Friday. He has been gone since Tuesday.