News briefs for March 17, 2005

Thursday, March 17, 2005 | 11:08 a.m.

Clark to speak at UNLV lecture

Retired Army general and Democractic presidential candidate Wesley Clark will discuss current U.S. military operations in a UNLV student-government sponsored lecture tonight at 7 in Artemus Ham Concert Hall.

Titled "War and the Media," Clark's lecture will include musings on the role international and miltary strategies play in increasing the presence of American business in the global market.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

As one of the nation's most decorated military officers, Clark served as NATO's supreme allied commander during the Kovoso conflict between 1997 and 2000.

Clark criticized the Bush administration for the Iraq war during his five-month stint in the 2004 Democratic primaries, and subsequently endorsed Sen. John Kerry for president after Clark pulled out of the race.

Child porn ring suspect arrested

Members of Metro Police's Fugitive Detail on Wednesday arrested a man allegedly involved in a child pornography ring.

Acting on a tip from the FBI, Metro Police arrested 41-year-old Martin Schiller in Pahrump, authorities said. Schiller is alleged to be involved with an Internet e-mail group sharing child pornography, police said.

The federal Internet Crimes Against Children task force has been investigating people involved in the pornography ring in seven cities. Police did not name the other cities.

Several arrest warrants have been issued and served, including Schiller's, police said.

Schiller is charged with possessing child pornography. He was taken to Las Vegas and booked into the jail.

Bourbon Street casino robbed

The Bourbon Street casino on Flamingo Road just east of the Las Vegas Strip was robbed early Wednesday, Metro Police said.

About 2:15 a.m. the suspect got change from a cashier, then pulled out a large handgun and demanded all of the money the cashier had, Robbery Lt. Ted Snodgrass said.

The man started running out of the building, but then stopped at the front desk, pulled a gun on another employee and again asked for money. After than he ran outside. No vehicle was spotted, Snodgrass said.

The robber is described as a black man, about 28 years old and 6 feet tall. He had a medium build, was estimated to weigh about 165 pounds and was clean shaven. He was last seen wearing a beige jacket, black pants and a black knit cap.

Anyone with information about the case can call Metro at 229-3591 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Explosives truck overturns

A truck carrying explosive materials overturned on a rural highway northeast of Reno Wednesday, forcing the road's closure for much of the day.

The Nevada Highway Patrol said the truck carried 23,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate and blasting caps. The driver and a passenger suffered minor injuries when it overturned around 6:30 a.m. on State Route 447 near Nixon.