News briefs for March 1, 2005

Tuesday, March 1, 2005 | 11:02 a.m.

Stabbing prompts school lockdown

Metro Police locked down a middle school this morning in southeast Las Vegas as they searched for suspects who stabbed a Yellow Cab driver in the neck.

The stabbing occurred shortly before 8 a.m. at Morris Street and Tunis Avenue, near Mountain Vista Street and Hacienda Avenue.

The driver told police the man who stabbed him was seen running toward Courtney Middle School at 5301 E. Haciena Ave., Officer Jose Montoya, police spokesman, said. The attacker was accompanied by a woman and possibly one other person, Montoya said.

Police locked down the school while they searched the area. Robbery detectives were called to the scene, but it's not clear if robbery was the motive, Montoya said.

Suspects in robbery arrested

Two Mesquite residents were arrested this morning after leading police and Nevada Highway Patrol troopers on a short chase on Interstate 15 northeast of Las Vegas, authorities said.

Donna Marie Trzaska, 49, and Quintin Rideout, 38, were taken into custody about 7:15 a.m. outside the Moapa Tribal Enterprises Smoke Shop off I-15, Mesquite Deputy Chief Joe Szalay said.

The smoke shop is about 40 miles northeast of downtown Las Vegas and about 40 miles southwest of Mesquite.

People fitting Trzaska and Rideout's description were wanted in connection with an armed robbery of a Mesquite sports bar about 5:30 this morning, Szalay said.

Robbers made off with a cash drawer containing an untold amount of money, he said.

Suspects were spotted a little more than an hour later, when Highway Patrol troopers identified a car that fit the description of one seen leaving the crime, Szalay said.

A roughly 15-minute pursuit followed. Trzaska and Rideout were taken into custody after troopers were able to safely force them from the highway, Szalay said. No injuries were reported.

Trace of rain reported in valley

Rain returned to the northeast Las Vegas Valley on Monday with a trace -- 0.40 of an inch -- recorded at Nellis Air Force Base, the National Weather Service said.

Another 0.02 of an inch fell on Sunrise Mountain, east of Las Vegas, National Weather Service Meteorologist Charlie Schlott said.

Saturday set a record for 10 consecutive days with at least a trace or rain, Schlott said. The previous record of nine days was set in February 1941 and tied in July 1952 and February 1978.

Clouds will hang around in Southern Nevada's skies, but no rain is in the forecast. Daytime temperatures will be near normal in the mid-60s for the rest of the week, Schlott said.

LV man arrested in Ecstasy case

Police seized 9,876 tablets of the drug Ecstasy and arrested a Las Vegas man after stopping a rental car Monday for speeding and crossing the center line.

It was the largest Ecstasy seizure in the last five years and second-largest ever in Oregon, said Lt. Mike Peterson of the Oregon State Police.

Two troopers pulled over a rental car just south of Salem and conducted a search with consent of the driver, 37-year-old Hale Hitchcock, Peterson said. Hitchcock told police he had flown to Seattle and was driving back to Las Vegas.

Peterson estimated the street value of the Ecstasy at about $300,000.