Woman could get Life for Killing Involving Custody Dispute
RENO — A 40-year-old woman convicted of killing a man involved in a child custody dispute with her could be sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison when sentenced April 9 in state District Court in Reno.
A jury on Jan. 31 convicted Katherine Fletcher of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the killing of Robert Trask the evening of July 28, 2016 at Oxbow Nature Park.
Trask died at a hospital after being found on the park’s observation deck with a single gunshot wound to his upper back.
Fletcher had been in a lengthy custody dispute with Trask involving an 8-year-old boy and the two adults had arranged to meet at the park, officials said.
Fletcher faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole and up to 20 years for a firearm enhancement, the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.
The DA’s office did not seek a death penalty because the case didn’t fall under any of the aggravating circumstances under which Nevada law allows death sentences to be sought, office spokeswoman Michelle Rays said Saturday.
Parallel Parking Eliminated from Nevada Driving Exam
LAS VEGAS — The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles has eliminated the parallel parking portion of the driving skills test.
The test still meets the national standards set by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators even without the parallel parking element, Department public information officer Kevin Malone said. The changes took effect Jan. 13.
Nevada joins several other states, including California, Colorado and Florida that have removed parallel parking from their driving skills exams.
“Testing of the parking skills needed is met by the requirements of entering, and backing out of, a perpendicular parking space and by other vehicle control requirements,” Malone said. “We believe this change makes our drive tests safer and we are still able to maintain the integrity of our mission, putting safe drivers on the road.”
The changes are expected to reduce the number of repeat visits by drivers who can pass everything but parallel parking, officials said.
Advances in technology, such as back up cameras, parking assistance and sensors had no bearing on the decision, Malone said.
Some driving schools have since stopped teaching parallel parking unless a student requests it, officials said.
Police Statement: Officer Fatally Shoots Knife-Wielding Man
RENO — A Reno police officer fatally shot a knife-wielding man who allegedly was moving aggressively toward officers who had responded to a call about a person with a knife threatening other people, authorities said Friday.
The man was uncooperative and refused to comply with officers’ commands Wednesday night, the Sparks Police Department said in a statement.
The statement said the Sparks Police Department is the lead agency in an investigation being conducted with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.
No officers were injured.
The statement said the officers involved were placed on administrative leave pending completion of the investigation.
Largest Nevada Casinos Report $2 Billion Gain in Fiscal 2019
CARSON CITY — Nevada’s largest casinos reaped more than $2 billion from gambling, food and beverage sales, room rentals and other factors during the 2019 fiscal year, state regulators reported Friday.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board annual “gaming abstract” looked at financial information from 290 casinos grossing at least $1 million from gambling during the 12 months ending last June 30.
Those properties reported total revenues of $24.5 billion and paid $892.3 million in gambling taxes and fees, or 10.2% of their gambling revenue, according to the report.
The results compared with a net loss of $1.17 billion in fiscal 2018 on total revenues of $27.1 billion at 289 casinos. Those figures were attributed to expenses from Caesars Entertainment’s reorganization after it emerged from bankruptcy in late 2017.
The 179-page report also charted employee numbers, room occupancy rates, revenue earned per room per day and gambling revenue earned per-square-foot of casino floor space, among other measurements.
The 169 large casinos in Las Vegas and Clark County reported net income of $1.9 billion from revenues of nearly $22 billion.
Thirty-four casinos in Washoe County, including Reno, reported $128.3 million in income from revenues of $1.45 billion.
Elko County’s 19 large casinos reported $58.4 million in net income.
Nevada Highway Patrol: 4 Killed in 2-Vehicle Crash
WELLS — Four people were killed Saturday in a two-vehicle wreck in northeastern Nevada, authorities said.
The wreck occurred on U.S. 93 about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Wells in Elko County, said Sgt. Matt McLaughlin of the Nevada Highway Patrol.
McLaughlin said all four people in the two cars died at the scene, the Elko Daily Free Press reported.
No identities were released.
The highway was closed in both directions after the crash and the Highway Patrol urged drivers to find alternate routes, such as U.S. 93A south of Wendover.
Mark Kelly says
A knife is more deadly than a gun at close range, 20 to 25 feet. You don’t have time to pull out the gun, kook it, aim it, an pull the trigger, before some one stabs you.
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Parallel parking test, Nevada
I had to take my driving test over again because of that test.
I practiced the test ahead of the test an passed it.
But, I failed the actual test.