Las Vegas news briefs

Fire sends woman to hospital

A fire in a West Las Vegas apartment sent a woman to the hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and caused $20,000 worth of damage early this morning, Las Vegas Fire Department officials said.

The fire at 903 D Street has been ruled accidental, possibly caused by a candle or careless smoking, says department spokesman Tim Szymanski.

Szymanski said the fire was reported shortly before 2 a.m.

When firefighters arrived they found found flames and smoke coming from one unit of a one-story concrete building containing four apartments.

Damage was confined to the one apartment.

The identity of the 32-year-old woman who was treated at University Medical Center has not been released.

Investigators said the woman told them she had been smoking a cigarette just before going to bed. Candles reportedly were used to light the apartment because there was no electricity.

Another woman who also lives in the apartment was not home when the fire started.

Three arrested in connection with phone scam

Three men and one woman have been arrested and indicted on charges of fraud in connection with a phone scam targeting senior citizens.

The arrests were made by the FBI and the United States attorney's office.

Marcus Erik Jones, Darrell Antonio Lowe, Brinson Jones and Natasha Deneve Young have been charged with wire fraud and money laundering.

A federal grand jury indicted the four based on their alleged involvement in a scheme targeting senior citizens outside of Las Vegas, an FBI spokesman said.

The indictment alleges that the scam involved calling individuals and telling them that they had won a cash prize. The "winners" would then be told they needed to wire money to Las Vegas to cover taxes and processing fees.

Winners never received any prizes after wiring the money.

Woman killed in accident

A two-car collision Thursday night at the intersection of Tropicana Avenue and Island Way left one woman dead and six people with minor injuries.

Lodine Hayes, 70, of Las Vegas, died at Desert Springs Hospital from injuries suffered in the accident, Metro Police investigators said.

Investigators said a 1996 Lincoln Town Car driven by Kevin Betley, 43, of Tinley Park, Ill., was traveling west on Tropicana when Betley attempted to make an illegal left turn onto Island Way and was struck by an eastbound 1995 Coupe driven by 36-year-old Rona Carver, of Las Vegas.

Hayes was one of five passengers in the Lincoln.

Carver received minor injuries.

Sentencing set in murder trial

The penalty phase of the murder trial of Juan Manuel Valenzuela is set for 9 a.m. Monday in the court of District Judge Joseph Bonaventure.

Valenzuela, 45, was found guilty Thursday of murder with a weapon in the shooting death of a Las Vegas bartender. He could be sentenced to life in prison without parole, life with parole after 20 years or 50 years in prison with parole after 20 years.

Valenzuela was found guilty of killing Joseph James Paciolla, 30, of Las Vegas, on June 15, 1998.

Paciolla was shot to death inside an apartment building in the 5200 block of Golden Lane near Maryland Parkway and Tropicana Avenue. Testimony was that Valenzuela was attempting to collect on a debt for someone when he killed the victim.

Jurors deliberated less than four hours before returning with the verdict.

Road project to end Thursday

Another of Las Vegas' many road construction projects will celebrate completion on Thursday.

Two new sections of the Desert Inn Road corridor on the west side of town will be officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

The two new sections of the roadway, which serves as an express east-west thoroughfare, are between Jones Boulevard and Durango Drive and cost $4.6 million to complete.

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