News briefs for May 9, 2005

Monday, May 9, 2005 | 11:03 a.m.

Man fatally shot in the street

A man died Sunday evening after he was shot while standing in the street in the 1600 block of George Place, Metro Police said.

Police said the man, whose name had not been released this morning, was near D Street and Owens Avenue around 4:20 p.m. when he was shot by a gunman who then fled east.

The man was taken to University Medical Center where he died.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call Crime Stoppers at 385-5555 or police at 229-3521.

Motorcylist is critically injured

A 24-year-old man remained in critical condition at University Medical Center this morning after losing control of his motorcycle and running off the road into an embankment Saturday, North Las Vegas Police said.

Joseph Sanchez lost control of his 2000 Suzuki motorcycle around 8 a.m. while driving west along Ann Road near Simmons Street, police said.

Police said Sanchez apparently was speeding and was unable to negotiate a bend. He traveled about 285 feet off the road before striking an embankment in a construction area.

Pedestrian killed on LV Boulevard

Eric Brooks, 22, died early Sunday after he was struck by a vehicle along Las Vegas Boulevard South, Metro Police said.

Brooks, of Garden Grove, Calif., was walking along the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard at Warm Springs Road around 4 a.m. Police said the driver of a Nissan struck Brooks and continued going. Brooks suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene.

Anyone with information regarding the collision may call Crime Stoppers at 385-5555 or Detective Bob Holland at 229-3786.

10 years given in Internet case

A Las Vegas man who was convicted of unlawfully selling prescription drugs and controlled substances over the Internet was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison.

Christian Frederic Finze, 47, a resident of Las Vegas and Bergkirchen, Germany, was convicted by a jury in October 2004 of 17 felony counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit various drug offenses and money laundering.

Finze was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Philip M. Pro.

Finze and co-defendant Joan Davis, also known as Joan Smith, also of Las Vegas, were originally indicted in May 2002 on various counts of conspiracy, distribution and importation of controlled substances. Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and was sentenced to 37 months in prison on Feb. 9.

Plascencia California bound

The husband of the woman accused of making up a story about finding a finger in a bowl of chili agreed today to be transferred to California, where he's sought on unrelated fraud charges.

Jaime Plascencia, 43, was arrested Wednesday on a fugitive warrant at the Las Vegas-area home he shares with Anna Ayala.

Ayala, 39, was transferred Friday to San Jose to face an attempted grand larceny charge in the Wendy's finger case.