IN BRIEF
DOWNTOWN FIRES
California man faces two counts of arson
Las Vegas fire investigators have arrested a 22-year-old California man on two counts of arson stemming from several fires in downtown hotels.
Andrey Boyd, of Riverside, was charged with first-degree and third-degree arson. He was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Monday. Bail was set at $35,000.
Investigators arrested Boyd at the Golden Nugget after he set a trash can ablaze in the parking garage, Fire Department Spokesman Tim Szymanski said.
Earlier in the day, police found Boyd in the vacant Nevada Hotel, where he told officers he had discovered a fire and was trying to put it out. Boyd was not charged in that fire.
In July, Boyd was arrested by fire investigators after a fire was started in a housekeeping cart on the 18th floor of Union Plaza. Boyd was captured on video in that incident, Szymanski said.
No one was injured in any of the incidents.
THIRD DEATH THIS MONTH
Construction worker plunges to his death
A construction worker fell to his death Friday morning at Palms Place.
The coroner's office identified the worker as Justin Paul Chapman, 31, of Henderson.
He fell down an elevator shaft and died about 8:50 a.m. His body landed on a safety deck on the 44th floor, according to the coroner's office.
When it is complete, the tower will be 50 floors tall and located at the corner of Flamingo Road and Arville Street.
The construction site death was the third this month in Las Vegas.
Last week a man at MGM Mirage's CityCenter project was cut in half by a construction elevator counter-weight system.
A week earlier a man at Fontainebleau Las Vegas died after his safety harness failed and he fell 30 feet.
LAKE HAVASU CITY DEATH
California man dies after being hit by car
A California man died Thursday night after being hit by a car in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Police said Chad Wirtz, 28, of Alta Loma, Calif., died while being flown from Lake Havasu Regional Medical Center to another hospital.
Police said the accident happened when Wirtz, who was towing a boat on a trailer, pulled into a median on McCulloch Boulevard and stopped. Wirtz went to retrieve an item from the boat and was struck by a Nissan Sentra after he jumped off the watercraft.
Police said Wirtz had been drinking, which may have played a role in the accident. No one else was injured and police said the driver of the Sentra was not at fault.
BODY FOUND IN LAUGHLIN
Man takes plea deal in Arizona man's death
A homicide case in which the victim's body was found in a cardboard box in his own vehicle in Laughlin is being resolved through separate plea agreements.
Matthew Beem, 31, pleaded guilty to reduced charges Friday.
Beem and Christina Cornwell, 48, of Golden Valley, Ariz., were charged with first-degree murder in the September 2005 shooting death of Alex Lackey, 74.
Prosecutor Jace Zack said Cornwell shot and killed Lackey when the victim found them stealing items from his Golden Valley residence.
Zack said the pair put Lackey's body in a box they closed with duct tape. The body was placed in Lackey's Jeep Cherokee which was driven to Laughlin and abandoned at a casino.
Zack said Beem and Cornwell looted Lackey's home of some $73,000 worth of jewelry and other items.
Beem pleaded guilty to burglary and the reduced charge of hindering prosecution of murder. He faces almost 30 years in prison when sentenced Sept. 13.
NORTH LAS VEGAS SLAYING
Man found shot to death in van identified
A man found shot to death in a van Thursday night in North Las Vegas was identified as Salvador Villegs-Aguayo , according to the coroner's office.
Police found the 21-year-old dead in the vehicle about 8 p.m. in the area of Brooks Avenue and Civic Center Drive. The officers had been called to the area for reports of shots being fired.
Anyone with information can leave anonymous tips with Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.
MOHAVE COUNTY TASK FORCE
Ex-deputy attorney arrested by old unit
A former Mohave County, Ariz., deputy attorney who once served as lead prosecutor for the Mohave Area Narcotics Enforcement Team was arrested Friday by officers with the same unit.
Craig Friesner, 57, was booked into the Mohave County jail and charged with selling drugs and possessing drug paraphernalia.
MAGNET authorities who declined to be named said Friesner's arrest was the result of four months of investigation. Narcotics task force authorities said Friesner twice sold small amounts of methamphetamine during the course of the probe.
No drugs were found during a search of Friesner's home. The task force did seize various items of drug paraphernalia.
Friesner, who unsuccessfully ran several times for judicial posts, was a county prosecutor for more than 18 years. He retired in 2005.
FOUR DIE, ONE SURVIVES
Marine helicopter crashes in Arizona
A U.S. Marine Corps search-and-rescue helicopter crashed during a training flight over southwest Arizona, killing four people on board, officials said Friday. One person survived.
The HH-1N Huey crashed about 20 miles north of Yuma on Thursday. The wreckage was discovered early Friday, and three Marines and one Navy sailor were pronounced dead at the scene, said 1st Lt. Rob Dolan, a spokesman for the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma.
An injured Marine was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center and is listed in fair condition.
The names of the dead and injured will not be released for 24 hours, Dolan said.
