Police Las Vegas

Police were searching in Las Vegas today for the white-haired manager of a Sacramento boarding house that has yielded seven bodies buried in shallow graves under its lush landscaping. Police Sgt. Bob Burns, fending off criticism over a police decision to allow the manager to walk away from the scene Saturday, said authorities received word that Dorothea Montalvo Puente, 59, may have joined a relative in Las Vegas.

Police shot a 19-year-old Bakersfield man at one of the city's busiest intersections minutes after he allegedly robbed a nearby bar, authorities said Tuesday. A 13-year-old runaway girl from Bakersfield, who was a passenger in the suspect's car, was injured by the gunfire and listed in fair condition. Police officers responding to a report of a robbery in progress late Monday night saw the suspect run from the business and take off in a car, said Metro Police Capt. Greg Jolley.

Mayor Tom Bradley will pass the U.S. Olympic Festival torch to San Antonio's mayor, Nelson Wolf, in tonight's 7:15 p.m. closing ceremony at Loyola Marymount's Gersten Pavilion. San Antonio is the site of the 1993 Festival. There is no Festival in Olympic years. The ceremony also will include closing statements from the local organizing committee's chairman of the board, Harry Usher, executive director Elizabeth Primrose-Smith and Bradley.

Mayor Tom Bradley will pass the U.S. Olympic Festival torch to San Antonio's mayor, Nelson Wolf, in tonight's 7:15 p.m. closing ceremony at Loyola Marymount's Gersten Pavilion. San Antonio is the site of the 1993 Festival. There is no Festival in Olympic years. The ceremony also will include closing statements from the local organizing committee's chairman of the board, Harry Usher, executive director Elizabeth Primrose-Smith and Bradley.

Police shot a 19-year-old Bakersfield man at one of the city's busiest intersections minutes after he allegedly robbed a nearby bar, authorities said Tuesday. A 13-year-old runaway girl from Bakersfield, who was a passenger in the suspect's car, was injured by the gunfire and listed in fair condition. Police officers responding to a report of a robbery in progress late Monday night saw the suspect run from the business and take off in a car, said Metro Police Capt. Greg Jolley.

Authorities arrested suspects accused of burglarizing the homes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and other young celebrities after a member of the alleged "bling ring" confessed, according a search warrant affidavit obtained by The Times. The search warrant said the crew would surf the Internet to find where the celebrities lived, then watched the locations and worked out ways to break into the homes. In many of the cases, the doors were simply left open. In the case of Hilton and actress Rachel Bilson, the crew broke in numerous times, according to the search warrant affidavit filed at a Las Vegas court.

A man arrested by the FBI and police in Las Vegas in connection with the fatal shooting of a La Habra man was returned to California on Wednesday. Jose Luis Acosta, 21, was arrested Nov. 21 on suspicion of killing Fernando Beltran Hernandez. Hernandez, 28, was standing in an alley in the 1000 block of South Cypress Street on Feb. 10 when a man driving a Suzuki Samurai fired several shots at him. The car was recovered, but the driver, identified as Acosta, had fled to Mexico, police said.

Two police officers and two civilians were injured Wednesday in a car chase that reached 100 m.p.h. after police tried to stop a stolen car wanted in connection with a robbery and attempted murder in Las Vegas. The injuries "appear to be minor," Chula Vista police said. Authorities refused to release the names of the injured.

Richard J. Machado, the first person to be convicted of an Internet hate crime, was sent back to jail Monday for violating the terms of his probation. It is the second time the former UCI student has been ordered back into custody for failing to report to his probation officer and to attend psychological counseling sessions. "He hasn't helped himself," Assistant U.S. Atty. Michael J. Gennaco said, adding that Machado would have been a free man by now had he followed the court's orders.

Police said Tuesday they have ended their investigation in the case of a Huntington Beach aerospace executive who was spotted last week in Las Vegas after mysteriously disappearing for more than three months. "Basically, it's no longer a police matter," said Larry Montgomery, the Irvine Police Department investigator who followed hundreds of leads trying to locate Rowland (Rod) Snowdon, 48. Snowdon apparently left his wife, two adult sons and job as a business director with Parker-Hannifin Corp.

Police were searching in Las Vegas today for the white-haired manager of a Sacramento boarding house that has yielded seven bodies buried in shallow graves under its lush landscaping. Police Sgt. Bob Burns, fending off criticism over a police decision to allow the manager to walk away from the scene Saturday, said authorities received word that Dorothea Montalvo Puente, 59, may have joined a relative in Las Vegas.

A first-degree murder charge against a Van Nuys man was dismissed Thursday by a Van Nuys Superior Court judge who ruled that the defendant's confession had been obtained illegally. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office said charges will be refiled because prosecutors believe they have enough evidence against Stephen Rusty Lockett, 29, to convict him without the confession.

A 12-member federal jury Tuesday convicted Kelly Hunter, 27, a former basketball student manager at Central Florida, of trying to get players to shave points in a 1990 game against Stanford at Orlando. Hunter was accused of approaching three Central Florida starters and a reserve to hold down the score so Stanford could win by more than the 15-point betting spread. The Cardinal won, 70-61.