News briefs for August 8, 2005

Monday, Aug. 8, 2005 | 9:39 a.m.

Woman sought in stabbing

Metro Police are searching for a 29-year-old woman whom they believe stabbed another woman to death Saturday in an alley on the 2500 block of East Charleston Boulevard, Metro stated.

Metro police are looking for Jessica Barraza, who is wanted in connection with the stabbing of a woman in her 20s at around 4 p.m. The victim's name had not been released this morning.

Before she died the victim told police she had been stabbed by Barraza, Metro Homicide Sgt. Mike Thompson said.

The victim walked to a nearby bar, the Silver Saddle Saloon, 2501 E. Charleston Boulevard, immediately after the stabbing to seek help, said Thompson.

She was taken to UMC Trauma, where she died about an hour after being stabbed.

Barraza weighs about 155 pounds, is approximately 5 foot 8 inches tall and most recently had short spiky red hair, according to Metro. She was last seen wearing a white tank top and green pants.

Anyone with information about Barraza's whereabouts is urged to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Two arrested in shooting case

Metro Police arrested two juveniles in connection with the shooting death of a 26-year-old man who was found dead in an alley behind the 3300 block of Athens Street, near Desert Inn Road, about 12:15 a.m. Saturday.

Jesus Escoto-Gonzales had been shot, and he Clark County Coroner's office ruled the death a homicide.

Police arrested the juveniles shortly after Escoto-Gonzales' body was discovered, said Metro Homicide Lt. Tim Monahan.

"We have substantial witness accounts and recovered what we believe is the weapon (used in the shooting)," he said.

Escoto-Gonzales apparently had been in an argument with the juveniles prior to being shot, Metro stated.

Bicyclist killed in hit and run

A bicyclist was killed Friday in a hit-and-run collision, police reported.

Metro Police said the 24-year-old bicyclist, Gerardo Rosete-Felipe, was crossing Flamingo Road west of Claymont Street around 9:30 p.m. outside of a crosswalk. An eastbound vehicle on Flamingo Road hit and dragged Rosete-Felipe about 200 feet. The driver did not stop and did not call for help, police said.

Rosete-Felipe died on the street.

Police described the unknown vehicle as a light-colored newer model, possibly a Hyundai, with front end damage. Anyone with information may call police at 229-3538 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Drunken driving suspected in death

Police say drunken driving is to blame in a fatal Saturday morning collision.

A 1995 Toyota Camry traveling north on Walnut Road was hit by a 1995 Dodge pickup truck around 8 a.m. at Alexander Road. The 42-year-old driver of the Camry, Rodrigo Burgos-Nambo, died at the scene.

Jose Acosta, 33, the driver of the pickup truck, suffered minor injuries. Police said Acosta hit the Camry after running a stop sign. Officers arrested him and he is charged with felony, fatal DUI.

Court rejects bank robber's appeal

The 9th U.S. Circuit court of Appeals has rejected the appeal of Jon. R. Ware, convicted of robbing two Las Vegas banks two weeks apart in 1995.

Ware asked that his sentence be canceled because the prosecution in the 1996 trial failed to present evidence the banks were federally insured at the time of the holdups on Oct. 18 and Oct. 30 at the two branches.

The court said Friday there was sufficient evidence to uphold the conviction of Ware, including testimony that the banks were federally insured at the time of the robberies.

More mosquitoes with virus found

Clusters of West Nile virus-bearing mosquitoes have been found in four more Clark County zip codes, the health district reported today.

The state Agriculture Department confirmed that clusters of the flying insects were found in the 89005, 89009, 89119 and 89122 zip codes. That brings the total number of affected areas to eight, the health district reported.

The new areas include parts of Boulder City, Henderson and east Las Vegas.

Friday's announcement came less than a week after the health district confirmed that the mosquito-borne disease had been found in ducks near a "water feature" at a Strip hotel.

The ducks and mosquitoes were removed from the premises.

A Lyon County man is the state's only confirmed human case of the disease this year. The disease can be spread to humans only by mosquito bite.

Twenty-three Clark County residents contracted the virus last year. None of those people died from the sometimes-fatal illness, the symptoms of which include fever and headaches.