Manhunt Monday: Jonathan Koppenhaver

Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver is a white male adult, 28 years of age, standing 5'11" tall and weighing approximately 185 lbs. With brown hair and brown eyes.

Koppenhaver is a Mixed-Martial Arts fighter, and sometimes uses the name “War Machine.” According to Metro Police, he may have attempted to adopt "War Machine" as his legal name. He also uses the first name of “Jon”, and has a distinctive tattoo of a hand grenade on the left side of his neck.

Koppenhaver’s last known address was in the 5000 block of West Hacienda in Las Vegas.

Koppenhaver’s criminal record includes arrests for:
• Battery,
• Obstructing a Public Officer, and
• Possession of a stolen firearm.

On September 1 , 2009, Koppenhaver became involved in a violent domestic disturbance with his girlfriend. During that incident he beat and choked his victim. Because of this he is currently wanted for:
• Battery, Domestic violence and
• Domestic battery by Strangulation.

Because of Koppenhaver’s criminal record involving stolen firearms, he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with any information concerning the whereabouts of Jonathan Paul Koppenhaver should contact the L.V.M.P.D. Fugitive Detail at 828-3578 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Santa Cops

The holidays will soon be a little bit brighter for 112 underprivileged children. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Target Corporation are again joining forces to bring holiday cheer to selected community members with “Santa Cops.”
The program will be held Saturday, December 5, 2009, from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. at the Target store located at 278 S. Decatur Blvd. The objective of this charitable program is to provide a holiday shopping experience for underprivileged children, while fostering good community relations between the LVMPD and local citizens.
Over 100 LVMPD employees will shop with pre-selected children from throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The children participating in this event have been identified as children-in-need by the LVMPD officers and employees working in their neighborhoods.
The majority of the total funds (over $15,000) for this program were raised and donated by LVMPD employees throughout the year. Target also made a financial donation and generously allows the use of its store.
At 7:10 a.m. a SWAT vehicle will bring Santa from the North Pole to visit with the children. The vehicle will drive through the Target parking lot before dropping Santa off for free photos.
Children for this event have already been selected and notified.

Safe Cyber Shopping

Looking to avoid the crowds by shopping online a little this year. You still need to be on the lookout for crooks. Crime Tracker 3 producer Eric Wiener spoke to Metro Detective Stacy Twigg about how to protect your credit card information online.

Crime by the Numbers: SEAC Home Invasions

There have been 24 home invasion robberies in Metro's South East Area Command so far in 2009. Right now, Captain David O'Leary and his officers are coming up with a plan to target that crime in the new year. He spoke with Crime Tracker 3's Sophia Choi about home invasion robberies.

Crime by the Numbers: Metro South East

Metro's South East Area command saw 20 of the 108 homicides so far this year in Metro's jurisdiction. The homicide rate there is up 54% from last year. That's the highest rate of increase in all of Metro. Overall, Metro's homicides are down a little more than nine percent.
Sophia Choi talked to Captain David O'Leary about homicides, and how he and his officers are working to reduce their frequency.

Preview: Crime by the Numbers

Today may be a holiday, but the Crime Tracker 3 team isn't taking the day off. Tonight at 4pm, we'll explore the high rate of homicides in Metro's South East Area Command. Then at 6pm, we'll find out how South East Area officers are planning now to take on a troubling crime trend in the coming year.

Photos of Officer Trevor Nettleton

Photos of Officer Trevor Nettleton, to be shown during his memorial on Wednesday, Nov. 25. This is a montage of personal photos, arranged by Metro Police. There are several shots from when he was in the Marines, including one with his father and President G.W. Bush. There are photos of his family and fellow squad members from Metro's Bolden Area Command.

Remembering Officer Nettleton: Changing of the Guard

In this video clip provided by Metro Police, the honor guard watching over the casket of Officer Trevor Nettleton changes.

Route for Funeral Procession for Officer Trevor Nettleton

Metro police would like to advise the public to expect delays in the following areas due to the funeral procession for fallen Officer Trevor Nettleton:

9:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. Depart from Palm Mortuary 7600 S. Eastern

10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. Enroute and arrival at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church at 1811 Pueblo Vista Drive.

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Services at the church

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Enroute to grave site service at Palms Mortuary 6701 N.
Jones


Route from Palm Mortuary 7600 S. Eastern to the Church:


View Larger Map

N/B Eastern.
W/B Sunset
N/B L.V. Blvd
N/B U.S. 95
W/B Summerlin Parkway
N/B Durango
E/B Vegas
N/B Pueblo Vista
To 1811 Pueblo Vista Drive (church) West side of the street.

Note: NHP, NLV and HPD motors will handle all intersection blockages for the motorcade.

Route from Saint Elizabeth Church to Grave Site Service 6701 N. Jones:
1300(approx.) – ENTIRE Procession will depart


View Larger Map

N/B Pueblo Vista
W/B Lake Mead
S/B Rampart
W/B Summerlin Parkway
N/B 215
N/B Jones to Palm Mortuary

***Jones will be closed for north and south bound traffic from I-215 to Deer Springs approximately 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.***

You are advised to please avoid the areas or seek an alternate route. Thank you for your consideration.

First Tuesday: Drunk & Drugged Driving in Dec.

Holiday celebrations often lead to excessive drinking. Especially during this time of year, Metro wants the public to be aware of the dangers of driving while impaired.
On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, the topic for the First Tuesday programs will be Drunk & Drugged Driving. During the First Tuesday event, each area command will be staffed with a speaker from Metro’s Traffic Bureau. The officers will provide information on the realities of, and penalties for, driving under the influence.
On the first Tuesday of every month, each LVMPD Area Command hosts a “First Tuesday” program for the public. The First Tuesday programs always start at 7:00 p.m. and include a free lecture about a law enforcement topic. Issues pertinent to local neighborhoods are also discussed.
The purpose of the First Tuesday program is to make the police department more accessible to the public, and to encourage citizens to visit their neighborhood area command.
The public is welcome to attend any First Tuesday program; there will be one at each LVMPD area command.

Manhunt Monday: George Rojas

On September 9, 2008 Metro narcotics officers arrested George Rojas for numerous charges following an investigation into the illegal sale of controlled substances. Rojas, however, was released on bail, and has failed to appear in court as ordered. He is therefore wanted on outstanding felony warrants for:
• Trafficking in Cocaine,
• Possession of methamphetamine with the intent to sell, and
• Possession of Cocaine with the intent to sell.

Nearly a year later, on September 3, 2009, Rojas became involved in an argument with his sister. The argument turned violent, and Rojas attacked his sister and attempted to strangle her. When other family members intervened, his victim was able to escape and call the police. Rojas fled the area prior to the arrival of officers, and is currently wanted for:
• Battery, domestic violence, and
• Felony Domestic battery by strangulation.

Rojas is a Hispanic male adult, 27 years of age, standing 5'8" tall and weighing approximately 200 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes.

He also sometimes goes by the names of:
• Eric Gonzalez, and
• Enrique Rojas.

Rojas has a 1" scar near his left eye. His last known address was in the 3500 block of Lake Mead. He is also known to frequent the apartments located in the 2300 block of Rock Springs Drive. Both addresses are within Las Vegas.

Prior to these crimes Rojas’s criminal history consisted of traffic and driving
related offenses.

Anyone with any information concerning the whereabouts of George Rojas should contact the L.V.M.P.D. Fugitive Detail at 828-3578 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

Arrangements for Corr. Ofcr. Daniel Leach

Funeral Service
Saturday, November 28, 2009
10:00 a.m.
Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer
55 E. Reno, Las Vegas (street across from Luxor Hotel)

Internment
Saturday, November 28, 2009
(immediately following funeral) Approx. 12:30 p.m.
Boulder City “City Cemetery”
501 Adams Blvd.
Boulder City, NV

Hate in Nevada on the Rise

The FBI's annual report on Hate Crime for 2008 shows increases across the board for the LVMPD's jurisdiction. Here are the results, as reported by the FBI.

Race bias: 39 incidents, up 116%.
Religious bias: 18 incidents, up 28%.
Sexual orientation bias: 12 incidents, up 100%.
Ethnic bias: 15 incidents, up 7%

Given the first minority major-party presidential candidate, and the prominence of gay rights ballot measures, one might make the assumption that racial and sexual orientation bias incidents may have increased and peaked around Election Day 2008. The statistics do not show that. There were 24 incidents in the first quarter of 2004 in Clark County, 36 in the second quarter, 14 in the third, and 10 in the fourth quarter.
North Las Vegas Police reported two incidents of racial bias and three incidents of ethinic bias in 2008. Henderson, Boulder City, and Mesquite Police reported no incidents.

For some national perspective, here's a story from the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI is blaming sharp increases in hate crimes involving gays and religious groups for an overall rise of about 2 percent in hate crimes last year.
Data released today indicate that hate crimes based on sexual orientation rose nearly 11 percent, while religion-based crimes were up nearly 9 percent. However, the federal figures showed that racially motivated hate crimes fell less than 1 percent.
Overall, roughly a third of all hate crimes involved vandalism or property damage, while 30 percent involved some form of intimidation and another 30 percent physical attacks on individuals, including seven murders.
Officials say the increase in numbers may also be linked to the growing number of agencies tracking hate crimes.
Today's release comes less than a month after President Barack Obama signed a bill expanding the number of categories of those covered by the federal law against hate crimes. The law now covers crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

Services for Officer Nettleton

VISITATION:
Visitation Services for Officer Trevor Nettleton will take place on Tuesday, November 24, 2009, at Palm Mortuary, 6701 N. Jones Boulevard from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. A short prayer vigil will occur at 6:00 p.m., and last for approximately 30 minutes.

FUNERAL SERVICES:
A Funeral Mass will take place on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church, 1811 Pueblo Vista Drive in Las Vegas. Interment will immediately follow.

INTERMENT:
Officer Nettleton will be laid to rest at Palm Mortuary and Cemetery Northwest, 6701 N. Jones Boulevard.

Today on News 3: two more suspects are now in custody. Those teens, and the three others arrested last week, are scheduled to be in a North Las Vegas courtroom. This afternoon, a vigil is planned at 4pm for Officer Nettleton and Corrections Officer Daniel Leach, who died in a crash on Saturday.

SWAT: Down the Dam

We'll have some of the coolest video the Crime Tracker 3 team has shot in a long while coming up on News 3 at 5. The team went along with the Henderson Police SWAT unit as they trained on the face of the Hoover Dam. Their rapelling skills come into play in lots of unusual circumstances. They may need to descend from above to gain access to a room where a hostage crisis is unfolding... or just to place a camera on a window to look in. We combined footage shot from two different cameras and snyched up the video, so you have a look at the same action from two angles.

Phone book or flag?

The other morning, I found a phone book on my landing outside my door. I'm glad I tripped on it on the way out, because the alternative would have been finding it as I returned home. After doing so many stories with crime prevention specialists, I think of a phone book on my landing as a flag to burglars saying "no one is inside this home" or "they haven't been home for a while."
Tonight at 5pm, Gerard Ramalho finds out how to get off the list and stop receiving a phone book, and answers the question "who uses phone books anymore?"