Print
E-mail
Share
digg
Newsvine
Facebook
Stumble
Technorati
reddit
Fark
twitterNLV fire captain indicted for felony arson
Published Wednesday, July 1, 2009 | 2:54 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, July 1, 2009 | 3:53 p.m.
Beyond the Sun
North Las Vegas Fire Captain Gary V. Stover has been indicted on five felonies, including arson and theft charges, after his vehicle was found burned out and he filed an insurance claim reporting that it was stolen.
Stover, 37, faces charges of arson, arson with intent to defraud an insurer, insurance fraud and two counts of theft, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto said today.
There is a summons out for Stover's arrest, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office said.
Stover reported his 2007 Toyota Sequoia stolen about 9:30 p.m. Jan. 28, saying he left it unlocked and running at a Rebel gas station, the indictment said. The vehicle was found on fire at 10:18 p.m. the next evening in a desert area at the end of Stang Avenue off the 215 Beltway.
Stover subsequently filed an insurance claim and his insurance carrier paid $35,000, eliminating the debt owed, including about $12,000 of negative equity.
Stover was hired by the North Las Vegas Fire Department on Sept. 30, 1994, said Brenda Fischer, a spokeswoman for the city of North Las Vegas. The city has initiated a separate administrative investigation into Stover's activities, she said.
Stover has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigations, Fischer said.
According to a Sun analysis, Stover received $162,221.21 in pay during 2007. His base wage was $96,726.75 and he received overtime compensation totaling $55,629.95. Of that, $9,864.51 was classified as "other," which can be compensation for a number of things.
The indictment also charges Francisco J. Robles with two counts of arson for assisting in setting the fire and attempting to provide an alibi for Stover.
Arson with intent to defraud an insurer is a felony, as is third degree arson and insurance fraud. Both counts of theft are also felonies.
Since December 2008 the attorney general's Insurance Fraud Unit has received more than 40 auto arson cases. The resulting prosecutions have prevented payments of more than $875,000 in insurance fraud in the last six months.
"This case is especially surprising because the person charged is someone who is entrusted with protecting the public against the dangers of fire," Masto said.
The attorney general's office works with police agencies and arson investigators, including investigative assistance from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Sun reporter Alex Richards contributed to this report.
Discussion: 51 comments so far…
Post a comment
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Miguel Cotto turns up heat readying for Manny Pacquiao
- Fontainebleau subcontractors organize to finish project
- Joe Perry: Steven Tyler has quit Aerosmith
- 10,000 jobless Nevadans could see benefits extended
- Phil Hellmuth breaks down Main Event final table
- Metro officer’s fatal shooting of teen ruled justified
- MGM Mirage following Harrah’s lead on marketing conventions
- New Mexico soccer player goes MMA on BYU
- Success: UNLV hits mark of $500 million in cash and pledges
- Bette Midler’s residency at Caesars Palace to end Jan. 31
Blogs
Miech Again
On the road to Long Beach, UNLV hoops style (6 Comments)
The Kats Report
Vocal strain prompts Wayne Brady to call off 'Making It Up' until 2010
The Greene Room
New Mexico soccer player goes MMA on BYU (10 Comments)
Elsewhere
Fontainebleau suit takes aim at Soffer empire (4 Comments)
Mono puts date for Lesnar title defense in question
The Kats Report
Got a question for Wayne Newton? Or a favorite story? Send it over (5 Comments)
Now and Then
Rollie's team beats Isiah's team (3 Comments)
Calendar »
- 7 Sat
- 8 Sun
- 9 Mon
- 10 Tue
- 11 Wed
-
Everclear at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip
Hard Rock Cafe on Strip | 9 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
-
UNLV Rebels vs. Colorado State at Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium | 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
-
Anjelah Nicole Johnson at The House of Blues
House of Blues | 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
-
Dennis Blair at the V Theater
V Theatre inside Miracle Mile Shops
-
Howie Mandel at the Hollywood Theater
Hollywood Theatre at MGM Grand
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
I hope they throw the ARSON book at him,cuts off any pensions and makes him pay back every nickel. After that they can figure out what long jail time he should do.I have no respect for people like him.He doesn't deserve it.
I totally agree with Babyboomer. Talk about irony, this guy is a complete dope. Throw the book at him and put him away. He cost us taxpayers dollars. What a loser.
Government positions are FILLED with these types.
Check out more government salaries here: http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/
Prove it, coppers! Where is your eye witnesses?
Hmmm.... Are you sure it wasn't stolen while he was hiking in the Appalchian mountains?
What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty. I can't believe that us citizens are so quick to jump on the band wagon to call this man a complete dope. How can you not respect a man that has put his life on the line for so many people countless times,since 9-30-94. I imagine that the press has been salivating at the chops once this information has come through. The press has been at the heels of the fire department for some time now. I'm not sure what their vendetta is towards these amazing people who watch over us as we sleep, eat, drive to work, or think of ways to complain about how much they earn. Remember these firefighters don't get paid for what they do, but for what they are willing to do. I pray to God that you will never need the services of these heroes. If you do, despite what you think of them, they will not hesitate in the least to help you in your time of need. They are not politicians, so what "type" are you talking about? Do you suppose that all civil servants are criminals? You folks, from above, must know more than the rest of us. Why don't you let us in on your great insightfulness and infinite wisdom.
How dare the Sun report things like this. How care the Fire Department maintain their hero image with things like this. You know he couldn't have done anything wrong. He is a Fireman.
not sure if you all have seen this:
http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/
not sure what fire ENR is, but we should sign up.
Check out his house, is he upside down in that? Money, sex drugs, booze, gambling, the usual suspects. We need the FBI to come in and take over the local governments, Metro and the fire department, they are all rotten. It is innocent til proven guilt in a court of law. This is an Internet comment blog - not a court of law.
$160,000 dollars a year and he still could not make ends meet without breaking the law, violating his professional commitment, and ripping off the tax payer.
Honestly. $160,000.00 for his "public service" - Thanks, chief!!
way to blow a great job and a retirement!!! STUPID! STUPID!!! STUPID!!!!
As for how much firefighters earn, it is not enough. Ask yourself how many dead bodies you have seen, how many babies you have delivered, how many times you have actually risked your life. What they get paid is not enough. As for this particular incident, I suggest we all wait and see before we jump on the media lynch wagon.I think he deserves that much.
If he really did do this then I feel like for sure he should be punished, to the fullest. However, I think it is utterly ridiculous that this article about a NLV Firefighter of course somehow turns into a discussion about OT. Why would a non biased newspaper publish somebody's salary and OT when the article has nothing to do with pay? Is this to make everyone more angry at the crime that was committed? I think more important, how about the facts surrounding the crime? How about the evidence that links they crime to this man. I'm not doubting the allegations, I'm just saying, what is the article really about?
Making that kind of money and the stupid hosedragger still has to commit fraud? How many other toys does he have? Of course he should have never bought a Toyota to begin with.
FRN:
We must wait for all the details before we make a judgement.
By-the-way FRN didn't I post some 2 months back that this sort of thing was in the offing, you said no way, well let see how it plays out.
"Stupid hosedragger", lol that's a new one!
Gunslinger - You did say that, however you eluded to the fact that they would do it to make more work, correct? I bet this is more a matter of a financial difficulty making payments or some other reason. I highly doubt this had anything to do with getting more work for himself.
Yep, future RN, there was another article awhile back about how the number of claims of stolen, burned out cars is going up rapidly. And they pointed out the insurance companies are immediately suspicious because car thieves typically don't steal a nice car and then burn it.
I have always given the FF department the respect it deserves, I have only said, or pointed to things about individuals, not the institution.
The FF is a needed service in the valley, I hope they continue to keep their heads in the right place and don't allow a few to tarnish the entire department.
Not all of us are lawyers and most likely we are here to post our own personal uncensored comments on the news article. This is what make this forum more interesting and engaging and for some posters who get offended or treat it like a court proceeding, is funny and uncalled for. I like and respect firemen but I don't have sympathy for stupid acts (if it's true) like this one. It is not the amount of money involved but the trust that we give these guys when they go inside our residences. What would prevent these dishonest firemen from looting the house especially if there are no witnesses? I know most of these guys are honest but it only takes one to ruin the good reputations of our firemen.
Hey Lodgem, what do you think our soldiers over seas are getting paid? With all the dead bodies they see and their friends being blown apart, they only receive a small fraction of what these so called fire fighters make. And they keep the whole country safe.
LV4LIFE
well said. amen to that point.
LV4LIFE - what exactly does that have to do with this article? Nothing. It's just funny how the subject always returns to their pay and their OT. By the way, many of these military folks you speak of are now firefighters. They get special consideration when they apply for the department.
I think this story is getting twisted away from what the real problem is. It doesn't matter how much he made. The Sun shouldn't even be bringing this into play. I think it was thrown into the story to give the public something else to be upset about. That, in turn, will probably make the general public mad at all firefighters. The real issue is a man, who was entrusted with our safety alledgedly burned his own vehicle for financial gain. That is a really big deal in itself. The issue does not need to be muddied with what his salary is. Still say that being a firefighter is one of the most difficult and rewarding jobs arouind. This I know because I was one for 20 years.
these firemen have way to much time on their hands,maybe if he was working more than 2 days a week it would have kept him out of trouble
A firefighter works on average 56 hours a week. I don't know about having a lot of free time.
Delta, you are reaching don't you think. You're right, that's probably why he did it, he had too much time on his hands. LMAO
56 hours counting the 28 hours they are sleeping.....
lol...Joe is that really what you think about their sleep? You are so not aware. I wish you could really listen to someone else, someone who may know better than the Sun!
I can honestly say in my over 20 years of fire service experience, I NEVER had 28 hours of sleep in a cycle. You almost always were out 2 or 3 times a night. That was if you were on a slow rig. Some guys never even made it back to the firehouse, running from call to call. North Las Vegas, which is the department Captain Stover works for, is home to Engine 51, which was one of the busiest fire engines in the nation. ( Not the state, but the nation) It hasn't been until recently, with the introduction of rescues at the stations, that their call volume has become more manageable.You are sorely misinformed if you think being a firefighter involves sleeping, eating and watching tv all day. Do your research, than speak. You won't sound so immature.
Yes, the firemen risk their lives for us, yes they work hard when there's actually a fire or some other emergency. But let's face it, a lot of the time they're just sitting around the firehouse playing with themselves.
wow, another uninformed soul. You need to NOT get your information from "Rescue Me " or " Emergency " or from kid's books. As for the " playing with themselves " remark? Grow up. You have no clue what so ever about the job of firefighter. It even sounds like there might be a little jealousy because you didn't land a career that gave you the respect of the community while getting decent pay and benefits.
cool your jets. I respect what firemen do. I just wouldn't be so smug about the fat salaries & bene's that you people earn, feeding at the public trough. You think firefighters or other public workers make that kinda money in other nations? All the rest of us who also work hard may never retire, since we're going to have to keep paying forever for the retirements of all these public service types.
I am not sure you respect what firefighters do or you wouldn't have made the " playing with themselves " remark. As for comparing fire departments around the world?, well, for the most part, you get what you pay for. Fire departments in the United States, especially major cities, are some of the most highly trained, highly motivated groups of people in the world. These days, firefighters are not just asked to be firefighters. They have to be trained in many fields, Hazardous materials, confined space rescue, high-angle rescue, paramedicine and the list goes on and on and keeps getting longer. To attract the quality individuals to implement all of that training, cities need to pay competitively with salaries and benefits. I am also NOT saying that every individual on the fire department is a quality employee. There are exceptions in every line of work. That being said, as a group, firefighters are a top-notch, caring, compassionate, intelligent, motivated work force that are being asked to more each year with less. This thread has really changed direction.
Wow lodgem, a little thin skinned?
Firefighters are not Gods, they are people who are trained and run into dangerous situations while being handsomely paid.
I witnessed an active fire the other day BEFORE you heroes showed up. I saw a man in Marine Dress try to enter a burning building without all the safety gear and he still tried. He is the Hero.
Yes, our society is hooked on heroes and villians, but consider this; the Medal of Honor is only awarded for volunteer service and not ordered service. People like you (firefighters) would do well to remember that they feed at a deep and flowing public trough.
BTW, when the professional firefighters showed up a couple of witnesses were making commments about the "chickens with their heads cut-off".
Yes, an amazing amount of money spent for chaos didn't look like a good value.
Lodge - It is unfortunate, but you will never get through to some of these morons. I am all for a discussion and for hearing out your opinion, but this article should never have even touched on the pay. What the heck does pay have to do with one bad seed??? Nothing. It just adds fuel to the fire of people that are already hot headed over the situation. Unfortunately there are fools out there (this thread just proves it) that will believe anything.
getalife - What does a Medal of Honor have to do with anything? I'm confused, isn't that a military honor? What in the world does that have to do with firefighting? BTW your story sounds like a bunch of bologna. Who here really believes his bull honkey story about how he happen to be there when a fire arose and a man in marine dress ran in to help? What were you doing you brave sole? Why didn't you run in to help? As for chickens with their heads cut off, how about you stop telling the firefighters how to run their operation and they won't try and be experts on your specialty, whatever that might be!
bonyfish - you sound extremely intelligent. Your quote, "when there's actually a fire or some other emergency," would you like to tell me how many calls one station goes on per shift? Please do throw out some educated guesses, and then I can go ahead and inform you of the true and correct numbers. You probably have absolutely no idea do you? The small amounts of time that they are not on a call are spent preparing for the next calls, or maybe even, God forbid, going to the restroom, taking a shower to rid themselves of the bodily fluids from the previous call or maybe, oh no, maybe preparing something to eat!! What is it that they could do during that time that would suffice you?
we recently had a local fireman commit fraud telling his department that he was on military leave when he was actually doing consulting for the dept of defense overseas; he was paid his full salary while on this mission; it took his department 2 years to catch him; like the police dept the fire dept has the same code of ethics; yours and ours.
FRN:
Let us get back to the topic of this suspected law breaking FF.
The fact that he was trying to defraud (supposed) his insurance company speaks to his money hungry attempts to get money at all cost. Time is money and money is earned by working, unfortunately that work ethic has been lost by some people.
You can connect the dots on a Dalmatian K-9 that when reductions come around some unscrupulous FF may imitate their Captain to produce: T=M=W to stay gainfully employed or maintain job security.
I am not saying that all FFs are cut from the same fire retardant material as their Captain supposedly did. This is an exception, the larger part of FFs brother/sister-hood is very honorable and they are proud members of our community. They just need better guidance and mentoring to prevent the FF image from becoming tarnished with the soot of selfishness. FFs need to regain that joyful wonderment the child in all of us bestows upon them on sight.
I think we all were in awe of FFs as children when their big red fire trucks would drive past.
Think about that for a moment, and then act upon your gut feelings as FF' to make it happen. The big kid in all of us wants to feel that once again, like seeing Santa on the latter-truck for the first time.
Gunslinger - I completely agree, the guy was wrong for what he allegedly did, no doubt about it. I'm not making excuses for anyone, but I would say the same thing no matter what this guys profession was. This is a really hard time for our country, and while this is obviously not an acceptable act, I think that we see more and more of it all the time. I don't believe it's because people are necessarily money hungry, I think it's more like they have dug themselves a financial hole and are now desperate to get out. Make it well known, that does NOT mean that I agree with his actions and it does not justify anything that he has allegedly done! I'm just saying, the fact that he is a firefighter sucks because now it's one more thing for the Sun to say hey, look at those stupid firefighters. They are always under such scrutiny, and this guys just added fuel to the fire! The thing that irritates me, like I said earlier, is that comments made on this website are always so off track. Here's an article about a firefighter (1 out of hundreds in this city) who made a bad decision (and will pay for it) and now we're going to start bad mouthing all of them and saying they don't deserve to be paid what they are and that all they do is sit around and play with themselves. The list goes on and on, all kinds of horrible things that are said about these men and women and NONE of it has to do with the point of the article.
We should burn 'Stover' at the stake - or maybe in an oven to suit his namesake.
If he did the crime he is truly a POS.
i think the point of publishing his salary is to place his crime in context.
wouldn't we all agree that a man who makes more than 98% of the population in this country, who has a secure taxpayer paid position, does NOT deserve as much empathy or sympathy as a man who was laid off with no warning, who looks everyday but is unable to find a job, and has a family to feed.
just as someone breaking the law to get out of being "upside down" in a 2 year old $40,000 SUV may not be as deserving of sympathy or empathy as someone who, say, breaks the law (in a NONVIOLENT crime) because they were laid off 6 or 9 months ago, and are literally having difficulties feeding their kids.
not condoning anybody breaking the law. but we have to evaluate each situation based on not only the crime, but on the circumstances surrounding the crime, and in this context, the fact that the alleged criminal is a very highly paid employee of the state, who had NOT had any reduction in pay or benefits during this recession, and has a very secure job, IS relavant information.
I ask you to look at every other person accused or convicted of a crime in this paper and in this economy and I bet you won't find a mention of their salary..Again, the real issue is NOT his pay but his alleged crime.Jeez....lay off the innocent firefighters. They haven't even been accused let alone convicted of any crime. It seems, from checking past posts, that some of these posters have it in for all firefighters. Maybe its a little jealousy? Maybe insecurity? Maybe a personality disorder?Did a firefighter steal your girlfriend? I can tell by the way you blabber about firefighters that you truly have no clue what the job is. Please, go educate yourself.
lodge, it is a common theme of this paper and the posters of these threads. The Sun is extremely bias on most points, and there is always one side to every story. Every person on here who comments seems to think they know everything about the job of a firefighter, but ask them where they get their facts.
I think they pull their information out of a dark hole. Or from the Sun.... wait...I think they get their facts from where the Sun don't shine.....
Are public officals are just the way Bugsy would want them. I knew a fireman who liked bad car wrecks so he could check for money. He told me that himself in a drunken state. He was my neighbor and I lived near him for 10 years.
I am not sure I understand your Bugsy comment. He would want them to be drunks? He would want them to like bad car wrecks? He wants them to steal coins out of the ashtrays? Would he have wanted them to be your neighbor?...Oh, and again I hope you are not generalizing all civil servants into one group of low-lifes. That would be a mistake having to unnecessarily watch your coin purse the next time you were in a car wreck. I can't believe some of these people.
It amazes me how easily you people are led around by the noses. First off, his 2 year old vehicle would according to KBB would retail NOW for $35,000 (what insurance companies pay on a claim). After 24 months of payments @$750/mo you're telling me that if he wanted to get rid of the vehicle he wouldn't have sold it to CARMAX and paid the difference out of the $200,000 a year he makes (assuming his wife works). It was a stinking Toyota for crying out loud. Upside down after 2 years? I seriously doubt that. Maybe 6 months after he drove it off the lot, but not 2 years. Think people!!!! Did anyone see if he replaced that vehicle? Everything you read in print is slanted toward guilt. Did we forget that people are innocent until proven guilty? In a court of LAW, not a public lynching! No, professional car thieves don't burn luxury vehicles, but teenagers out for joy rides do and they are the ones that steal cars from convenience stores. Steal a car, run it out of gas and watch it burn in the desert? Wooo Hooo!! Lots of fun. They steal cars when the opportunity presents itself. Was he stupid to leave his keys in the car? Yes. Honest people believe others are honest and sometimes it just doesn't occur to us that thieves are watching. Is it such a far reach to believe that this person was the victim of an over zealous insurance adjuster and Attorney General? That they saw the opportunity to take a high profile case and run with it? I don't know what really happened here and neither do any of you, but I find it hard to believe this man would risk his $160,000/year CAREER, his family, their livelihood, his freedom and his friends for the sake of a $750/month CAR PAYMENT. He didn't collect $35,000 and all you remember is the implication that he did it to get out from underneath a vehicle with negative equity. Until you sit in that courtroom and hear ALL the evidence and his defense, I suggest you put yourselves in his shoes and remember, the media DOES NOT REPORT unbiasedly and the press release they got was from the DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. They report what they want you to know and slanted the way they want and you would be well advised to remember that he is innocent until convicted; not indicted. My bet is that they took it to the grand jury because, after six months, it was the only way to get an indictment and now they hope they can convince 12 people he is guilty. Now that we have an indictment, he must be guilty. Give me a break. It will take a lot more than what Joe Public has been told to convince me that this man is guilty.
Hey, I just saw that a bus driver pleaded in a sexual assault case. Let's fire all of the bus drivers...get it now?
This is one incident that a firefighter got caught doing stupid thing. What about the other firefighters who are doing stupid things and never got caught? We all heard about the code of silence from cops and firefighters so just because they caught one bad apple, it does not mean that all the remaining ones are all good.
How do you argue logic like that in a country where you are innocent until proven guilty. I am amazed at how many people on this board let the Sun brainwash and manipulate them.People, use your heads.