Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 5

NEVADA SATURDAY, DECEMBF.R 10, 2005 RENO 5A Las Vegas man accused of stealing Elvis jewelry appears in court BY KATHLEEN HENNESSEY ASSOCIATED PRESS i LAS VEGAS A man charged with stealing more than $300,000 worth of Elvis Presley's jewelry from the Elvis-A-Rama museum appeared in court and later expressed fears about receiving a fair trial. Eliab Aguilar, 30, would not i comment on his guilt or inno- cence, but told the Associated Press that he's worried about be cape. He was released on bail and is due back in court for a preliminary hearing Feb. 24. If convicted on all charges, Aguilar could face up to 70 years in prison, In March 2004, thieves backed a tow truck into the Elvis-A-Rama museum and used the vehicle's hook to lift an overhead door.

Police say the burglars heisted the loot in a matter of minutes, took off on a scooter or motorcycle and left behind the truck, which was All of but one of the stolen items a silk scarf emblazoned with the Las Vegas Hilton logo has been recovered, and none was damaged. Elvis-A-Rama owner Chris Davidson has said the items will be returned to the collection, which he sold, along with the museum, in September to New York-based CKX Inc. CKX, the owners of the Elvis Presley estate, plan to close the Las Vegas museum next year. Humes High School worth $32,000, a 41-carat ruby and diamond ring worth $77,000 and a gold-plated Smith Wesson .38 special. Duke Adams, a 62-year-old Elvis impersonator who described himself as an "older-era Elvis," called police and Aguilar was arrested the next day.

Aguilar is charged with two counts of possession of stolen property, grand larceny auto, grand larceny, burglary and es owned by Auto Guardian towing company. Aguilar is a former employee of the company and had been on a list of possible suspects, Las Vegas police Detective Kelli Hickle said. "He was one of the people on an extensive list. It was difficult to look at all of them," she said. Hickle said she believes a woman also was involved in the crime, though Aguilar has refused to cooperate with police.

ing tried in Las Vegas. "My case is such a high-profile case," he said after appearing before District Court Judge Deborah Lippis. "So many people here know about it and are into it." Aguilar was arrested last month after police, said he approached a retired Elvis impersonator at a pharmacy and offered to sell him several items stolen from the Las Vegas museum. The memorabilia include Presley's 1953 class ring from Teen to stand trial as adult in alleged rape Officials say Las Vegas area's water demands could outgrow region's share of river by 2007 previous felony conviction. Four adult men also have been charged in the case.

The suspects are all accused of giving the girl alcohol and raping her in an undisclosed location in June about 3 miles west of West Wendover. No trial date has been set yet for Sotelo. Avila is scheduled to go to trial on April 1 1 on three counts of sexual assault, principal to sexual assault and conspiracy to commit sexual assault. Leonard Ramirez, 19, of Wendover, Utah, is charged with four counts of sexual assault and his ELKO AP) A second teen accused of participating in a gang rape of a 16-year-old Utah girl was certified to stand trial as an adult in Elko County District Court. Johnny Danny Sotelo, 17, West Wendover, has been charged with four counts of sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping, furnishing a drug to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The other minor accused in the case, Francisco Javier Avila, was 17 when he was arrested but was automatically certified to be tried as an adult because he had a jury trial is set for March 2 1 in Elko District Court. Salvador Vera, 20, of West Wendover is charges with two counts of sexual assault and his jury trial is set for March 14. Gabriel Palafox, 22, and Luis Alberto Escobedo, 19, both of West Wendover were sentenced Nov. 2 1 to six months in the Elko County Jail after pleading guilty to a lesser charge. Palafox pleaded guilty to attempted sexual assault, a gross misdemeanor.

Escobedo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit an attempted sexual assault. LAS VEGAS (AP) The booming Las Vegas area's wa- ter demands could outstrip the region's share of the Colorado River by 2007, according to the 2006 water budget approved by the Southern Nevada Water Authority board this week. Kay Brothers, the Water (Authority's deputy general manager, called that timeline a worst-case scenario, add-; ing that through conservation and careful planning the state's 1 share of the river water could be to come up with back-up resources, just in case. The 2006 water resource plan approved along with the agency's budget Thursday outlines some of those options. They include about 290,000 acre-feet of groundwater stored beneath the Las Vegas Valley, 30,000 acre-feet banked with California and an agreement with Arizona that guarantees Nevada 1.25 million acre-feet of water over the next 30 years.

stretched beyond 2007. But Brothers acknowledged that the day is coming when southern Nevada will no longer be able to depend largely on its allotment from the river which currently supplies 90 percent of the area's drinking water. Brothers also said the annual budgets are based on separate projections from each of the authority's member agencies projections that "tend to be conservative." The water authority has had We're open extra hours! Shop 7am-midnight for storewide savings and values. ir inVAv a 1 1 ie ilih i)ft )t)i XyJ 'saiuw r-f 'lints' doritstop idUikj turn otcttfie (gfats 38 i ti x- A -i -f 'i Jv- v. r.I.MIMfll J.

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