Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 39

NEWSRECORD 2B LOTTERY OBITUARIES RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL NEWS BUREAU: 885-5562 FAX: 885-5565 COVERING CARSON CITY, MINDEN AND GARDNERVILLE AREAS CIRCULATIONCLASSIFIEDS: 885-5550 emdoza denies luremeditetioe 2B i PI 1 9BlllJ Three children killed: Prosecutor says he will prove killings were planned. "They needed some trained hostage people to talk this down," Katz said. However, Deputy District Attorney David Whitney laid the blame solely on Mendoza. Prosecutors also produced a note in Spanish that was found after the shootings: "If it is anyone's fault, it is mine. Goodbye everyone," the note read.

Mendoza, a slightly built, bespectacled man, sat impassively through the first day of trial, an interpreter close beside him whispering translation. Jury selection began Monday and lasted three days. The life of Mendoza, a laborer at Tedesco Concrete in Reno, began to unravel Jan. 7, 1996, when he was arrested on suspicion of beat- and two San Bernardino County sheriffs deputies. He also faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on his wife and another son.

Sandra was a student at Carson Middle School. Erick was a pupil at Bordewich-Bray Elementary School. Martin Mendoza Jr. and 8-year-old Sergio Mendoza, who was unharmed in the shootout, also were students at Bordewich-Bray Elementary. Defense lawyer Arthur Katz said the triple slayings ended a domestic dispute aggravated by a deputy sheriff who barreled onto the scene with lights and sirens, even though a relative of one child had pleaded with a 9 1 1 operator to have officers approach quietly for fear the commotion would set off Mendoza.

By Pamela Fitzsimmons GANNETT NEWS SERVICE SAN BERNARDINO The lawyer for a Carson City man who killed his stepdaughter and two other children last year in California told a jury Thursday his client's actions weren't premeditated murder. But the prosecutor said evidence will show Martin Mendoza, 34, carefully planned the killings and bought extra ammunition about five days before he and a nephew drove from Carson City to Landers, about 35 miles north of Palm Springs, to confront his wife, who had moved the children about a week before. The planning could mean the difference between life in prison or death for Mendoza, who was armed with a 9 mm Beretta that Carson City deputies returned to him two weeks earlier. Mendoza is accused of murdering his stepchildren, Sandra Resen-dez, 13, and Erick Resendez, 11, and his niece, Wendy Cervantes, 1 1 on Jan. 25,1 996.

Mendoza also is accused of five counts of attempted murder, including of his 7-year-old son, Martin Mendoza LaFonzo RachalSan Bernardino County Sun Martin Mendoza is led from the courtroom Thursday. See MENDOZA on page 2B THE ACCUSED: 7 jrjr-A Carson City not banking on school bus advertising New state law: Mattingley cautious about trying idea. Carson City mother meets her daughter for the first time after 63 years apart Pi Sister meets sister: Family getting acquainted. -r' 1 1 IN AND AROUND CARSONDOUGLAS In and Around CarsonDouglas, compiled by Nancy Miluck and Jean Remer, runs every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. We invite readers to submit items by calling 885-5562 or faxing us at 885-5565.

The Minden Fortnightly Club has donated 1 ,000 to the Carson Valley Historical Society for the purchase of archival storage materials by Curator Cecile Brown. The funds were raised under the direction of the previous board: Joan Thran, president; Becky Soderman, vice president; Joan Thayler, treasurer; and ways and means committee co-chairwomen Mary Jane Hillenbrand and Debbie McNeil. The group hosts an auction each November, with funds going to scholarships, Boys' State and Girls' State, the Carson Valley Food Closet and others. Leon Treants of Leon's Tile, Marble and Granite of Carson City recently completed a 25-square-foot barbecue pit at the Clear Creek campgrounds. Treants also donated camp T-shirts designed by Creative Brushstrokes of Carson City.

Linda Walker, chairwoman for the fourth annual Wine and Roses fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, applauds committee's efforts. Members have worked tirelessly toward this year's goal of $25,000. Area Realtors working beside Walker include Julie Kepler, Teresa Rose, David Shriver, Janice Stucker, Carla Woods, Toni York, Lenna Zink and Linda May. Walker credits May, of the Carson-Douglas-Lyon-Tahoe Board of Realtors, with being the "organizational guru." The money raised will help to fulfill the wishes of children in northern Nevada. Wishes average $4,200, and at present 28 children in northern Nevada have submitted requests.

An Evening of Wine and Roses features the "finest food selection from 19 area restaurants with 14 wineries from three states, including Nevada." The event will be held Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Genoa Lakes Riverbend Grille. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased from the Board of Realtors at A couple of new faces are being seen around the Douglas County offices in the Minden Inn. Kirk Streeter is the county's new code enforcement officer who comes to Douglas County from Yucca Valley, Calif, where he also handled code enforcement, graffiti abatement and animal control. Ross Hooper is the new associate civil engineer in Community Development.

Having worked in Nevada City and Tahoe City, Calif, he will focus on water and wastewater utility projects within the county. They replace the recently departed senior planner Keith Ruben and county engineer Chris Tschirhart, who both resigned to enter private practice. By Tim Anderson RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL Charlene Foerschler of Carson City never knew she had an older sister until a month ago. And Foerschler's mother, who lives with her, had convinced herself that what Charlene didn't know couldn't hurt her. But on Thursday, the sisters met for the first time when Sally Harding Gauthier of Lowell, got off a plane at RenoTahoe International Airport.

At the same time, the mother of both, Lillian Manns, saw her older daughter for the first time since she was a few days old. "This is more than I could have ever dreamed for. From the beginning, there has been complete acceptance and that's been wonderful," said a tearful Gauthier later in the day at the Foerschler home along the Carson River. The arrival of Gauthier and one of her daughters, Lori Jones, was the first step in a two-week visit aimed at family members getting to know each other, said Foerschler, 44. "This is a very exciting time for all of us," Foerschler said.

"We have a lot to catch up on, and we intend to make the most of it." The persistent efforts of Gauthier, 63, to locate her birth mother finally paid off about a month ago. Through extensive records research and with the help of her five daughters, she discov- By Patti Steele RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL A new state law allowing commercial advertising on school buses may seem like a good idea in some areas, but Carson City Superintendent Leon Mattingley isn't sure how the change will play locally. "Most people are used to seeing a big, yellow school bus, but maybe it's becoming politically more palatable for people to see this kind of thing," Mattingley said. "I know other states do it it will be interesting to see who in Nevada will be the first to test this." The law allows school districts to put commercial advertising on school buses to raise money to buy textbooks and laboratory equipment and pay for field trips. Districts must give preference to schools where a significant proportion of the pupils are economically disadvantaged.

Several restrictions limit the kind of advertising that is acceptable. For example, the advertising must: Conform with all applicable local ordinances; Not promote hostility, disorder or violence; Not attack ethnic, racial or religious groups; Not invade the rights of others; Not inhibit the functioningofthe school; Not override the school's identity: Not promote the use of controlled substances; Not promote any religious organization; Not contain political advertising: Not promote entertainment deemed improper by the school board. "There are a lot of restrictions as to what kind of advertising we can strictly utilized," Mattingley said. "But it does allow the district some flexibility to raise money for some worthwhile items." Carson City schools have no immediate plans to begin accepting advertising but Mattingley is leaving the possibility open. "I think we're going to take a wait-and-see approach," he said.

"If a member of the public or a board member wants to look into this, we would certainly investigate it. "Something like this certainly depends on the culture of the community. It's like uniforms it's a good idea if everybody wants it. But we don't want to jump too far ahead of this." Photos by Lea TaurielloReno Gazette-Journal Tahoe International Airport. Bottom, Manns, Gauthier and Charlene Foerschler of Carson City, from left, catch up after their emotional meeting.

TEARFUL REUNION: Top, Lillian Manns of Carson City greets her daughter, Sally Ann Gauthier of Chicago, for the first time Thursday at the Reno- Not long after that, Foerschler said she told her 83-year-old mother what she knew. See REUNION on page2B dropped when told that Jacqueline now Sally is her sister. "When that happened on June 28, 1 was shocked. Then I became ecstatic," Foerschler said. ered Manns was in Carson City.

That led to Jones placing a call to Foerschler to ask if she knew a Jacqueline Shaw. The name didn't ring a bell, but Foerschler's jaw Attempts to find flood victims frustrate searchers walked the river several times, all without a trace of Pinard. "It wouldn't be unrealistic to find remains 10 miles down the river," Modispacher said. "We have no Lt. Rick Saulnier said Tuesday investigators had hoped his body would be found in the Truckee River by now, but nothing has turned up since his truck was found a few months ago.

Snelling first was noticed missing Jan. 6, and police spent days searching the river near North Edison Way. Snelling's friends suspected he died trying to drive a washed-out section of the road to salvage photographs of his late fiancee at CDS on North Edison, where he worked. floating at Edison and Coney Island. However, that body later was identified as a murder victim.

The Carson River claimed Pin-ard, 59, on Jan. 2 while he attempted to shore up the bank to protect the Riverview Mobile Home Park. The front-end loader he was operating was found 200 yards downstream. Douglas County Sheriffs spokesman Lance Modispacher said search and rescue teams using dogs and trainees have flown and By JimNamiotka RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL Nearly seven months after being swept away by the raging waters of New Year's Day flooding, authorities still have not found the bodies of at least two men known to be lost. The searches for Frederick Pin-ard of Gardnerville and Michael Snelling of Reno have turned passive.

Washoe County authorities thought the Truckee River had given up one of its flood victims earlier this week when a body was found Pinard idea where to start." Reno police have found no new clues in the disappearance of the 53-year-old Snelling during the flood earlier this year. Be a part of our Education Team We're looking for a broad range of people willing to give us feedback on our education coverage this coming school year. Education Team families would answer a questionnaire each month and tell us about issues affecting your schools. Fill out the following coupon, and we'll send you a more detailed survey. hrom there we II choose 25 tamihes lor our tducation learn.

Name Address Civil Air Patrol cadets take orientation flight over Tahoe More than 80 Civil Air Patrol cadets flew in orientation flights Thursday over Lake Tahoe in a Nevada Air National Guard C-1 30 airplane. The orientation flights were a training exercise for the Air Guard and part of the aerospace education activities of the Civil Air Patrol's summer camp for cadets. Members of the group, ages 1 2 to 1 8, come from Nevada, California and Oregon. Cadets toured the cockpit area and ere able to ask crew members questions about their jobs, hich include pilot, navigator, flight engineer and loadmaster. While over Lake Tahoe, crew members lowered the rear ramp of the cargo and troop transport plane to give cadets an unusual view of the lake.

ZIP code Please turn to page 9B for a complete obituary listing and other news of record. Isabel Asevedo Arenas, 9 1 Sparks M.H. Binker, 80, Carson City Natasha Elizabeth Anne Ellis, 3, Reno Earl Keith Hedges, 60. Las Vegas David Lawrence Howard, 44 Reno Shamus Patrick Kelly, 60. Sparks Adam William Monical Kuchler, 2 months, Reno James A.

Miller, 72, Abbotsfords, British Columbia Theodore Ralph Olson. 65, Caliente Anne Whitney Austin Papez, 83, Reno Margaret Roczev Parker. 84, Reno R. Sammons. 70, Dill City, Okla.

Alice Irene Cadwallader Slater, 72. Reno Frances Laurene Marion Wood, 70. Sparks Citv South Lake Tahoe police seeking lone armed robber South Lake Tahoe police are seeking a gunman ho discarded his shirt after robbing a bank Thursday. He entered El Dorado Savings Bank, 3962 U.S. Highway 50, at 9:25 a.m.

after waiting for customers to leave, then threatened a teller with a pistol and demanded money, police said. While the teller still was putting money onto the counter, the robber grabbed some and ran. Outside, he tore off and dropped his shirt. El Dorado County sheriff K-9s tracked his scent to where he apparently fled in a vehicle. He is hite, about 40 years old.

5-foot-8 to 6 feet tall, about 200 pounds and has short graying brown hair and trimmed mustache, witnesses reported. He was earing faded blue jeans, a hite T-shirt and light-colored cotton jacket. Information mav be given to police at 9 1 6-542-6 1 00, the FBI at 9 1 6'-542-4 1 40 or Secret Witness at 9 1 6-54 1-6800. Slate Work no. Home phone no Fax no.

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