Las Vegas Boulevard is updated every Thursday afternoon

Las Vegas Boulevard is updated every Thursday afternoon.

ON THE BOULEVARD: John L. Smith

Las Vegas Review Journal

UPDATED: Oct. 4, 2001

DID CLUB DISPUTE LEAD TO BROKEN

NECK? Metro investigators served a search

warrant Thursday morning at the Crazy Horse Too

in connection with a Sept. 20 incident in which a

patron of the Industrial Road topless cabaret

suffered a broken neck after a dispute over a bill.

Detectives sought to preserve records as well as

conduct interviews with employees who may have

witnessed an altercation that resulted in a near-fatal

injury suffered by Kansas tourist Kirk Henry.

One source with knowledge of the investigation

said the 43-year-old Henry was in Las Vegas on

business from Kansas City when he and a client

went to the club. The incident occurred at

approximately 7 a.m., after Henry was told he

owed $88.25 and disputed the charge. According

to one source, an employee of the club threw

Henry to the ground, withdrew his credit card and

made the charge.

Club owner Rick Rizzolo calls that version

inaccurate based on his conversations with staff

members.

"He didn't even have a beef at the club," Rizzolo

said, adding that a Crazy Horse employee noticed

Henry lying on the ground and called for an

ambulance. "It's the most horrible thing I ever

heard."

Rizzolo said his security is light at that hour, and

that his staff was willing to take polygraph

examinations to clarify any discrepancies in the

record. He said one employee reported witnessing

two men not employed by the club standing over

the body calling Henry names. He also said he was

unaware his club was the subject of litigation in the

matter.

A lawsuit filed Tuesday by attorney Don Campbell

tells a dramatically different story.

"While attempting to leave the Crazy Horse,

plaintiff was confronted by a female dancer who

claimed plaintiff owed the establishment in excess

of $80 plus tip in exchange for dances he had

allegedly received," the complaint states. "When

plaintiff disputed these allegations, the dancer

summoned a bouncer/doorman who was working

at the club that night."

According to the legal document, Henry balked

when the bouncer demanded two credit cards to

pay the disputed charges. Henry offered $50,

which was accepted.

From the complaint: "As plaintiff was exiting the

doorway of the Crazy Horse, the bouncer came up

and grabbed him from behind, twisted his neck and

forced him violently to the ground. Plaintiff was in

severe pain and could not move his legs."

Physicians have informed family members that

Henry's neck is broken and that he has no feeling

from approximately the middle of his back down.

He is a quadriplegic.

HOWIE'S HURT: In the wake of the trivial

revelation that some Sept. 11 hijackers ordered a

take-out pizza from a local Hungry Howie's store,

franchise owners Warren and Libby Harris are said

to have received criticism for comforting the

enemy.

The CIA didn't know these maniacs were in town,

but the poor hired help of a pizza joint were

somehow supposed to identify them and deny them

service.

The slice of information was first carried in a recent

Newsweek article on the hijackers, who ordered

"The Works" pizza without ham, reportedly from

the store located at Vegas and Buffalo drives.

"Libby said people were hounding her and

pestering her," fellow franchise owner Rich Cizmas

says.

PEPITONE'S PURGATORY: Local butcher

Joe Pepitone thought he'd finally found his way to

Easy Street in 1997 when he hit a $463,000

Nevada Nickels jackpot at Arizona Charlie's.

Instead, the club denied his jackpot and said the

machine malfunctioned. He has spent more than

three years fighting to get the jackpot, but recently

learned he'd been denied by the Nevada Supreme

Court.

Now, in desperation, he's looking for a lawyer to

try to take his case one final step to the U.S.

Supreme Court.

"I was a gambler my whole life," Pepitone says.

"For 35, 40 years I'm a loser. Finally I have

something that I win, a big win, and they take that

away from me. It's not fair. I'm out of money. I'm

out of time. I just want someone out there to help

me."

ON THE BOULEVARD: Leave it to crazy

political gadfly and songwriter Frank Cazares to

come up with a tune to suit the Sept. 11 terrorist

attack. He's calling it, "Manhattan Nuclear

Holocaust."

JOHN L. SMITH also writes a column for the

Las Vegas Review-Journal. CLICK HERE to read

his other columns.

Home | Visiting Here | Live Here | Moving Here

Advertise With Us | Contact lasvegas.com | Community Partners | Advertiser