News briefs for February 24, 2005

Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005 | 9:44 a.m.

New bid for disaster relief OK'd

President Bush has approved the state's second request for a disaster relief declaration for 16 Nevada counties hit with snow Jan. 6-10.

Gov. Kenny Guinn said Wednesday the declaration will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse state and local governments for 75 percent of their costs for such things as equipment and overtime costs in response to the snow emergency over a 72-hour period.

The only county not in the declaration was Esmeralda County.

The state Division of Emergency Management in cooperation with the federal agency will conduct a briefing for local governments in Las Vegas on March 2 at the Sawyer State Office Building at 10 a.m.

Bail denied pair in police chase

A 31-year-old man wanted by Louisiana authorities on a murder charge and his 21-year-old girlfriend, who allegedly fired an assault rifle at officers during a high-speed chase Friday, were denied bail Wednesday.

Public defenders were appointed to represent Kentro Taylor and April Jones, who face eight counts of attempted murder of a police officer, conspiracy to commit murder and aiming a gun at an officer. Their preliminary hearing is set for March 9.

Video shows shooting suspect

Metro Police have released video footage of two people wanted in connection with a shooting earlier this month.

A teenage couple was driving south on Fort Apache Road past Charleston Boulevard around 6 p.m. Feb. 11 when a silver automobile pulled up next to them and a man inside began shooting, police reported.

A 17-year-old boy inside the car was hit by one bullet and, the couple crashed into a Ford Explorer stopped at a traffic light, police said. The 17-year-old was rushed to University Medical Center for emergency surgery.

Police said the shooting followed an argument at a fast food restaurant earlier that evening at Charleston and Rampart boulevards.

In the video, the male suspect is seen at a grocery store wearing a baggy red Redskins football jacket and dark pants. He is described as 18-25 years old, black, and 5-foot-10-inches to 6-feet tall.

A female suspect is seen buying diapers in the store before the shooting. She is 16-24 years old, white, and about 5-foot-4-inches tall. In the video she is wearing a light color warm-up suit with a dark stripe down both sides.

Anyone with information may call Crime Stoppers at 395-555 or Metro's Violent Crime Detail at 229-5634.

Prison escapee is arrested

Police on Wednesday arrested a woman who had escaped from state prison and was living under a fake name.

Tammy Famularo was living in the 10900 block of Southern Highlands Parkway under the name Angel Raddez, Metro Police reported. A tip led Metro's Fugitive Detail to Famularo.

When approached by undercover detectives, Famularo maintained that she was Raddez, police reported, though fingerprints and a photo proved otherwise.

Famularo escaped from prison sometime around August 2004, according to police. She was serving for various drug violations, grand larceny, and attempting evading police.

The man who died Tuesday night in a street racing crash

has been identified as 23-year-old Kristopher J. Phillips of Las Vegas. Metro Police said Phillips lost control of his car after racing another car on the city's rain-slicked streets.