Children of adult club owner arrested in plot

David Kihara

Thursday, May 26, 2005 | 11:05 a.m.

The son and daughter of the owner of the Palomino topless club paid two men $6,000 to kill a former employee of the club who had been badmouthing the business, Metro Police allege.

Anabel Espindola, 33 and Luis Hidalgo III, 24, were arrested Tuesday after police raided the businesses, Homicide Lt. Tom Monahan said.

Detectives allege that the siblings hired Deangelo Carroll, 24, an employee of the Palomino in North Las Vegas and Kenneth Counts, 29, to shoot Timothy J. Hadland on May 19.

According to the arrest report, Luis Hidalgo Jr., the owner of the Palomino and Simone's Auto Plaza, told Carroll he "wanted to hire someone to take care of Timothy Hadland."

Hadland had "a lot of contact with cab drivers and was spreading rumors about Mr. H (the owner, Luis Hidalgo Jr.) and the Club. The Palomino Club was losing thousands of dollars in business."

Luis Hidalgo Jr. allegedly told Carroll to find someone to kill Hadland and he would pay whoever committed the crime, police said.

Carroll met with Counts and allegedly proposed the murder plan, and police said Counts agreed to do it.

That night Carroll called Hadland on his cell phone, and Hadland said he was camping at Lake Mead with his girlfriend. They agreed to meet at a stop sign near the lake, police said.

Carroll, Counts and two other men drove to Lake Mead. On the way, Espindola called them and said, "if Hadland was alone, then go through with the plan," the report says. If he wasn't alone, she told them not to shoot him, police said.

At the meeting spot Hadland got out of his Kia Sportage and Counts shot him in the head, police said.

Hadland's body was found a short time later by a passerby in a travel lane on North Shore Road at the lake. Fliers for the Palomino Club were scattered around his body.

After the shooting the men drove to the Palomino Club, where Carroll met with Luis Hidalgo Jr. and Espindola. Carroll told them that Counts wanted $6,000, police said.

Police checked Hadland's cell phone and found that the last person he spoke to was Carroll, and they learned Carroll worked at the Palomino.

In an interview with detectives at the club Carroll said he, Counts, and two other individuals drove out to Lake Mead to meet Hadland, and Counts shot him.

Carroll agreed to help police by wearing a wire on Monday to record a conversation about the homicide with the suspects, police said.

At Simone's Auto Plaza, Carroll met with Luis Hidalgo III. Hidalgo swung a large knife during their conversation and allegedly said he would cut him up if he told police what had happened.

It was not clear this morning if Luis Hidalgo Jr., the owner of the Palomino, would face charges.

Hidalgo could not be reached for comment.

A woman who said she is Carroll's wife said her husband had nothing to do with Hadland's slaying.

"He was at the wrong place at the wrong time," she said. "He would never do something like that. It's a setup."

Carroll had been working at the Palomino for seven or eight months as a limousine driver and a shuttle bus driver and has a 6-month-old infant to care for, she said.

All inquiries at the Palomino Club were directed to the family's attorney, who was identified by one club employee as Dominic Gentile.

Gentile said Wednesday night he could not comment.