Daily Archives: July 12, 2021

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- A former North Las Vegas firefighter was arrested in connection with the death of his wife more than a year later.

Christopher Candito, 33, was arrested after a joint investigation with the Henderson Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Las Vegas office.

On Feb. 23, 2020, HPD and Henderson fire responded to the 800 block of Coronado Center Drive near Eastern Avenue to a report of an unconscious woman who was not breathing. The woman was later identified as 25-year-old Tiffany Slatsky, Candito's wife of six months.

Clark County coroner Melanie Rouse said Slatsky died from multiple drug intoxication, including MDMA, morphine, phentermine (a weight loss medication), etizolam (an anxiety medication), cocaine, and zolpidem (a sedative). Rouse said Slatsky's death was ruled an accident. As of July 8, that ruling has not changed.

An arrest warrant for Candito was submitted for murder and burglary charges on June 30, 2021. Candito was then taken into custody July 7 and booked into the Henderson Detention Center.

Christopher Candito, 33. (Henderson Police Department)

The city of North Las Vegas confirmed Candito's former employment with North Las Vegas as a trained firefighter and paramedic.

These off-duty events are contrary to the values of the city and its employees. In addition to fully cooperating with law enforcement officials, the city immediately initiated its own investigations into this tragic incident and placed the former firefighter on administrative leave. He later resigned, city spokesman Patrick Walker said in a statement.

"The crimes surrounding the overdose death involved murder, conspiring to exchange controlled substances...possession of controlled substances, burglary and child endangerment," according to a Henderson police arrest report.

The report said Candito conspired with fellow firefighter Andrew Clapper to conduct narcotics trafficking activities that ultimately led to the overdose death of his wife, Tiffany Slatsky.

On Feb. 21, 2020, Candito and Slatsky attended a party with Clapper at the Golden Nugget into the wee hours of the night, the report read. About 6 a.m. the next morning, a friend offered to give the couple a ride back to their Henderson apartment, where they continued to imbibe, according to the report.

Police said Slatsky started to act strangely that night about 10 p.m. At that point, Candito is said to have driven her to a North Las Vegas fire station located at 2626 E. Carey Ave. about 23 miles from her home. While at the station, Candito administered Narcan, a narcotic overdose treatment, and an IV using station equipment, the report detailed.

This act was an attempt to "conceal her physical condition from licensed and on-duty medical personnel," police said.

Candito then drove her back to her apartment and said she appeared to be "fine." The next day, a friend called 911.

When emergency units arrived, Candito placed Stasky's body on the curb and began to administer chest compressions. Eventually, she was taken to St. Rose hospital where she was later pronounced dead, police said.

According to an investigation, transactions from Venmo, a cash app, detailed activity between Candito and Clapper, as well as texts with photos of pills. A warrant also showed various drug paraphernalia in Candito's possession.

Neither men agreed to police interviews.

Tiffany Slatsky: a daughter, wife and loving mother

Martin Slatsky described the loss of his daughter Tiffany as "the sun going down." Both parents characterized the 25-year-old as a bright spot in their lives.

"You can't explain to anybody what it would be like to lose a child," Slatsky said. "Tiffany, being our first born, like I said, you can't explain it to anybody. She was the life of the party. She would've done anything for anybody."

Martin described Tiffany's marriage as an unhappy one, but she wanted to make it work.

"They ended up moving into an apartment in Green Valley, which is right by the hospital, which is where she should've gone to, instead of being hauled away," he told FOX5. "There are people that are trained to save lives and they didn't do that in this situation."

Now, in July 2021, more than a year since her death, the family is getting some semblance of closure. The lead investigator for Henderson police kept them "strong," Martin said.

Martin said Tiffany was always afraid to break up with her boyfriends. She never wanted to hurt anyone's feelings. She always put other people first, including her son from another relationship, 4-year-old Cade.

"He's a ball of joy," Martin said. "He's the son I never had."

With the loss of his mother and birth father out of the picture, the Slatskys are now in the process of adopting Cade.

"Everything she did was for him," Slatsky said. "To have Cade grow up without his mom ... we've got some big shoes to fill in that category."

Cade often asks about her, Tiffany's mother, Tami Slatsky told FOX5.

"He knows that she's in heaven, Tami said. "He asks to go see her ... wants to be with her, and doesn't understand why he can't go see her."

'It's just been one long pause'

"I've been trying to hold my wife together, she's been trying to hold me together," Martin said. "It's just been like one long pause, this last year and a half."

But her parents believe justice is finally being served in her death.

"Chris is where he needs to be," Tami said. "He needs to realize that he needs to get in trouble for what he did ... for not doing something about it."

In addition to a charge of open murder, Candito faces burglary charges related to items taken from the fire station. The incident is being investigated at the 14th homicide for the City of Henderson in 2020. No additional details related to Clapper were available Thursday afternoon.

Candito's felony arraignment was set for July 13 in Henderson Justice Court before Judge David Gibson at 9 a.m.

Here is the original post:

'It's just been one long pause': Las Vegas family wants justice after ex-firefighter is linked to daughter's 2020 death - FOX5 Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) Las Vegas is one of the fastest-warming cities in the U.S., rising on average 5.6 degrees for the summer average temperature.

You can see and feel the changes over the years.

In 2020, the Las Vegas valley had 158 days where temperatures were higher than 90 degrees. Thats 27 degrees above the annual average.

So far this year weve hit 57 days over 90 degrees and its only the beginning of July.

The citys all-time high-temperature record is 117.

RELATED: Excessive heat warning starts Wednesday for Las Vegas area

"With this heat event, in particular, why its more attention-grabbing is because the probability of reaching that [all-time record] is not a low chance," explained National Weather Service meteorologist Chelsea.

So were close. Saturday's forecast high is 116.

There isnt a simple direct cause for the increase in temperatures. There are many atmospheric and climate variables to consider. However, a top source is the urban heat island effect.

Development has increased rapidly over the past few decades and is on track to keep growing.

Other cities like Seattle, Denver, Washington, D.C, and Columbus are sometimes called urban deserts.

RELATED: Las Vegas weather: What's the difference between watch, warning and advisory?

In Southern Nevada, we take that in a literal sense. In short, when you remove vegetation and replace it with concrete and asphalt, it causes these areas to absorb more heat instead of reflecting it.

This makes urban areas much warmer than surrounding more rural places. Removing vegetation in an area lowers the amount of shading and water evaporation from soil and leaves.

These heat effects can be seen drastically in the rise of warmer temperatures at night in Las Vegas.

"What the temperatures are normally for Las Vegas have risen considerably over the past 30 years," Peters told us.

The combination of this heat island effect, weather patterns, and the global mean temperature rising all contribute to longer and more intense heat here. This heat in turn has negative impacts like drought and poor air quality which have become major issues in Southern Nevada.

MORE: Climate change contributing to record-setting heat, drought in Las Vegas

"Climate is knowing that its going to be hot in the summer. The day-to-day weather and how that weather pattern evolves and how hot it gets is when you are talking about the weather. They go hand in hand. The strength of these heat events happening more frequently is definitely a possibility because of the fact that our global temperatures are warming," said Peters.

Moms Clean Air Force is a national organization with more than 8,000 members in Nevada. Their mission is to fight for cleaner air and combat changes in the climate. These moms want to make the community more aware of the dangerous impacts this heatwave can have on families, especially children.

Moms Clean Air Force state coordinator Cinthia Moore told us, "Im a mom of a 4-year-old. I grew up in Las Vegas and his childhood is completely different than mine."

While it was hot when Moore was younger, she says she didnt have to worry so much about breathing issues but her son experiences breathing issues and has problems with the extreme heat.

More here:

Will recent extreme heat be the new normal for Las Vegas? - KTNV Las Vegas

Published Sunday, July 11, 2021 | 7:21 p.m.

Updated Sunday, July 11, 2021 | 7:21 p.m.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) The head of Haiti's national police announced Sunday that officers arrested a Haitian man accused of flying into the country on a private jet and working with the masterminds and alleged assassins behind the killing of President Jovenel Mose.

Police Chief Lon Charles identified the suspect as Christian Emmanuel Sanon, without giving any personal information about him, though it appears he has been living in Florida. The chief also gave no information on the purported masterminds.

Charles said the alleged killers were protecting Sanon as the supposed president of Haiti, adding that officers found several items at his house, including a hat emblazoned with the logo of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 20 boxes of bullets, gun parts, four automobile license plates from the Dominican Republic, two cars and correspondence with unidentified people.

"We continue to make strides, Charles said of police efforts to solve the brazen attack early Wednesday at Moses private home that killed the president and seriously wounded his wife, Martine Mose, who was flown to Miami and remains hospitalized.

Charles said a total of 26 Colombians are suspected in the killing of the president. Eighteen of them have been arrested, along with three Haitians. He said five of the suspects are still at large and at least three have been killed.

They are dangerous individuals, he said. I'm talking commando, specialized commando.

The chief said police are working with high-ranking Colombian officials to identify details of the alleged plot, including when the suspects left Colombia and who paid for their tickets.

Charles said Sanon was in contact with a firm that provides security for politicians and recruited the suspects, adding that the suspect flew into Haiti with them in early June. The men's initial mission was to protect Sanon, but they later received a new one: arrest the president, the chief said.

The operation started from there, he said, adding that an additional 22 suspects joined the group and that contact was made with Haitian citizens.

Charles said that after Mose was killed, one of the suspects phoned Sanon, who then got in touch with two people believed to be the intellectual authors of the plot. He did not identify the masterminds or say if police knew who they are.

The chief said Haitian authorities obtained the information from interrogations and other parts of the investigation.

It was not immediately clear if Sanon had an attorney.

Sanon has lived in Florida, in Broward County and in Hillsborough County on the Gulf Coast. Records show he has also lived in Kansas City, Missouri. He filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and identifies himself as a doctor in a video on YouTube titled Leadership for Haiti.

In the video, he denounces the leaders of Haiti as corrupt, accusing them of stripping the country of its resources, saying that they dont care about the country, they dont care about the people.

He claims Haiti has uranium, oil and other resources that have been taken by government officials. With me in power, you are going to have to tell me: What are you doing with my uranium? What are you doing with the oil that we have in the country? What are you going to do with the gold?

He also added: This is a country with resources. Nine million people cant be in poverty when we have so much resources in the country. Its impossible. ... The world has to stop doing what they are doing right now. We cant take it anymore. We need new leadership that will change the way of life.

Sanon has posted little on Twitter but has expressed an interest in Haitian politics. In September 2010, he tweeted: Just completed a successful conference in Port-Au-Prince. Many people from the opposition attended. A month later, he wrote: Back to Haiti for an important meeting regarding the election. Pray for me for protection and wisdom.

The announcement of Sanon's arrest was made hours after hundreds of Haitians sought solace in prayer at early Sunday church services as a political power struggle threatened to further destabilize their fragile country.

Roman Catholic and Protestant church leaders asked for calm and told people to remain strong as anxiety about the future grew, with authorities providing no answers or theories about who masterminded the killing by a group of gunmen early Wednesday at the president's home. Martine Mose, the president's wife, was critically injured and was transported to Miami for treatment.

Facing this situation, we will not be discouraged... You must stay and fight for peace, Father Edwine Sainte-Louis said during a sermon broadcast on TV that included a small picture of Mose with a banner that read: Haiti will remember you.

Prosecutors have requested that high-profile politicians including presidential candidate Reginald Boulos and former Haitian Senate President Youri Latortue meet officials for questioning as the investigation continues. Authorities also said they plan to interview at least two members of Moses security detail.

Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph is currently leading Haiti with the help of the police and military, but he faces mounting challenges to his power.

Ariel Henry, whom Mose designated as prime minister a day before he was killed, has said he believes he is the rightful prime minister, a claim also backed by a group of legislators who are members of Mose's Tet Kale party. That group also supports Joseph Lambert, head of Haitis dismantled Senate, as the countrys provisional president.

Haiti, a country of more than 11 million people, currently has only 10 elected officials after it failed to hold parliamentary elections, leading Mose to rule by decree for more than a year until his death.

While the streets were calm on Sunday, government officials worry about what lies ahead and have requested U.S. and U.N. military assistance.

We still believe there is a path for chaos to happen, Haiti Elections Minister Mathias Pierre told The Associated Press.

Pentagon chief spokesman John Kirby said on Fox News Sunday that the Pentagon is analyzing the request to send troops to Haiti and that no decisions have been made. He said a team, largely comprising agents from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, were heading down to Haiti right now" to help with the investigation of the assassination.

I think thats really where are our energies are best applied right now, in helping them get their arms around investigating this incident and figuring out whos culpable, whos responsible and how best to hold them accountable going forward, Kirby said.

The United Nations has been involved in Haiti on and off since 1990. The last U.N. peacekeeping mission arrived in 2004 and all military peacekeepers left the country in 2017. But a stabilization group stayed behind to train national police, help the government strengthen judicial and legal institutions and monitor human rights. That mission ended in 2019 and was replaced by a political mission headed by an American diplomat, Helen La Lime.

In addition to helping normalize the country, the U.N. peacekeeping force played an important role after a devastating 2010 earthquake that killed as many as 300,000 people and after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. But U.N. troops from Nepal are widely blamed for inadvertently introducing cholera, which has afflicted over 800,000 people and killed more than 9,000 people since 2010. Some troops also have been implicated in sexual abuse, including of hungry young children.

Laurent Dubois, a Haiti expert and Duke University professor, said questions over Moses assassination could remain unanswered for a long time.

There are so many potential players who could be behind it, he said, adding that the political strength of Pierre, the interim prime minister, is an open question. There is going to be some jockeying for positions of power. That is one big worry.

In Port-au-Prince, resident Fritz Destin welcomed a priest's sermon urging people not to be discouraged.

The country needs a lot of prayers, he said. The violence makes life a little uncertain.''

___

Fox reported from Washington. AP writer Evens Sanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and AP video journalist Gerardo Carrillo in Port-au-Prince contributed to this report.

Read the rest here:

Haitian arrested as alleged tie to assassination masterminds - Las Vegas Sun

Paul Semanchuk, 42, reportedly intentionally hit ex-girlfriends boyfriend

by: David Charns

Paul Semanchuk (KLAS)

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A man is accused of intentionally hitting his ex-girlfriends current boyfriend with an SUV last week, his arrest report stated.

The driver, Paul Semanchuk, 42, of Las Vegas, intentionally hit the victim, backed up, and then ran him over a second time, according to the report.

The incident was reported Saturday afternoon near the intersection of Rainbow Boulevard and Lone Mountain Road.

A witness called 911, and gave the dispatcher the license plate of the SUV as it drove off, police said. The plate matched to the registration of Semanchuk.

The victim sustained injuries to his ribs, but is expected to survive.

Police arrested Semanchuk on a charge of attempted murder.

Read the original:

Las Vegas man accused of trying to kill ex-girlfriends new boyfriend with car - KLAS - 8 News Now

From our Love Handles department for great beer bars: Check out this labor of love from longtime beer geek (and rocker) Keri Kelli, in the thick of Sin City.

What it is: A craft beer outpost serving casual fare in unpretentious environs among the bright lights and overblown absurdity of Vegas. Grab a hangover burger and some hair of the dog from one of the copious taps and regret the poor choices you made at the casino the night before. If youre feeling flush from your good luck, celebrate with an older bottle from the cellartheyve been stashing vintages of everything from Firestone Walker Parabola to Belgian classics. And if youre lucky, you may just run into a rock star while youre there.

Why its great: We grabbed lunch at the Nellis location, returning from HomebrewCon in San Diego in 2015. It was a unique experience to find video poker terminals all along the bar of this craft-beer joint, and it was even stranger to find a five-year-old bottle of 3 Fonteinen Oude Gueuze on the menu. Food was good, beer was better, and the cognitive dissonance of stumbling across a cooler filled with vintage beerz was just too rich to ignore. Its been so successful, theyre adding a third location (this time, with a brewery attached).

Details Hours: 10 a.m.3 a.m., MondayFriday; 9:30 a.m.3 a.m., SaturdaySunday Address: Eastside, 3740 S. Nellis Blvd.; Northwest, 2801 N. Tenaya Wy., Las Vegas, Nevada Web: acesandales.com

Read the original post:

Aces & Ales Has Your Hair of the Dog in Las Vegas - Craft Beer & Brewing

A violent Fourth of July weekend in the Las Vegas region left six people dead from Saturday to Monday, each killed in shootings throughout the valley.

Three people were fatally shot Saturday, two were killed Sunday and one was fatally shot Monday, according to area authorities.

A shooting at Allegiant Stadium early Sunday also left a Las Vegas police sergeant injured, police said.

Saturday homicides

The first homicide happened just before 4 a.m. Saturday. Las Vegas police said a man was shot outside a west valley apartment, on the 4600 block of West Oakey Boulevard. The Clark County coroners office on Tuesday identified the man killed as 22-year-old Devin Reed, who died of gunshot wounds.

Around 11:11 a.m. Saturday, Las Vegas officers responded to a central valley apartment, on the 2400 block of Clifford Avenue, after a report of a body found. Police said the man died under suspicious circumstances. The coroners office has since declared the death a homicide and identified the man killed as 55-year-old Miles Smith, who died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

About 9:50 p.m. Saturday, Las Vegas officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound in a west valley parking lot, on the 6600 block of West Charleston Boulevard. Police said he was taken to University Medical Center, where he died. The coroners office on Tuesday identified him as 19-year-old Raymond Wilson, who died of a gunshot wound to the back.

As of late Monday, no one had been arrested in connection with any of the fatal shootings Saturday, jail records show.

Officer injured

About 1:30 a.m. Sunday, during a concert at Allegiant Stadium, an officer responded to a disturbance at the venue on the 3300 block of Al Davis Way. The man was taken into custody, but while being escorted to a security office, a struggle ensued and he was able to gain access to an officers weapon, according to a Metropolitan Police Department statement.

The man fired a single round, which struck a police sergeant, whom police said was taken to University Medical Center and treated for survivable injuries. A second sergeant was also treated for minor injuries after the altercation.

The suspect, identified through Clark County booking logs as 28-year-old Lyndon Troung, faces charges of battery with use of a deadly weapon on a first responder, battery resulting in substantial bodily harm and resisting a public officer with a firearm.

Troung, whom prosecutors said was from San Diego, was taken to a hospital to receive evaluation due to his erratic behavior, police said. He remained hospitalized Tuesday morning and was not present for a court hearing in the case, during which he was ordered held on $100,000 bail.

Fourth of July shooting

In North Las Vegas late Sunday, two men were fatally shot at a Fourth of July party about 11:14 p.m. The shooting left seven people wounded, North Las Vegas police said.

The coroners office on Tuesday identified the pair killed as Aljavonn Williams, 22, and Maurice Clinkscale Jr., 21. Both men died from gunshot wounds suffered at the party on the 1200 block of West Helen Avenue, near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Carey Avenue.

When police arrived, they initially found one person suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. A short time later, University Medical Center personnel reported to police that they had multiple shooting victims. Then staff at Dignity Health of North Las Vegas also informed police that they had a shooting victim.

Williams died at University Medical Center, and Clinkscale died at the North Las Vegas hospital.

North Las Vegas police spokesman Alexander Cuevas said in an email Tuesday that police are still trying to determine what sparked the gunfire and to identify who is responsible for the killings.

There is still no suspect information available to be released, Cuevas said. It is unknown at this time if there was more than one shooter.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call North Las Vegas police at 702-633-9111 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Monday shooting

The sixth area killing of the holiday weekend was reported about 2:40 p.m. Monday, according to Las Vegas police. Officers responded to a shooting in a residential area on the 6900 block of Mendon Lane in the northeast valley, where they found a man who had been shot multiple times.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The coroners office had not identified the man as of Tuesday morning. It remains unclear if anyone was arrested in connection with the case.

Anyone with information about the fatal shootings in Metros jurisdiction may contact Las Vegas homicide detectives at 702-828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.

See the original post:

6 killed in Las Vegas area shootings over July Fourth weekend - Las Vegas Review-Journal