Tipster Talks About Ohio Sniper Suspect

Thursday, March 18, 2004
(9:57 AM ET)
By Ken Ritter

Associated Press Writer

``I knew immediately this was the man I saw in the newspaper,'' Malsom said.

After McCoy left the casino, Malsom collected items McCoy left behind - a water glass, a matchbook, lunch wrappers, receipts from horse race bets, and illegible handwriting on a betting sheet that he characterized as ``written babble.'' Malsom said he spent the rest of Tuesday alerting authorities and playing sleuth. He placed calls to a sniper investigation task force in Columbus, Ohio. He called Las Vegas police and the FBI, and faxed a copy of McCoy's note to Ohio authorities. Malsom said he delivered the items he collected from McCoy to the FBI office in Las Vegas, then went to a friend's house and used the Internet to get a photo of the fugitive and the license number of his car.

``I thought, 'If I look, I'll find him,''' Malsom said.

Conrad Malsom speaks to the media at the Budget Suites Motel near the Las Vegas Boulevard "strip," Wednesday, March 17, 2004 where Ohio sniper suspect Charles A. McCoy Jr. was taken into custody. Malsom recognized McCoy at a nearby casino and called police.

Image Credit: Joe Cavaretta -- AP

LAS VEGAS -- AP
An unemployed salesman with an extra slice of pepperoni pizza and bulldog persistence was being credited with pointing police to a man suspected in a string of shootings along Ohio highways.

Charles A. McCoy Jr., 28, was arrested early Wednesday in the parking lot of a motel near the Stardust hotel-casino, less than 36 hours after Ohio authorities identified him as a suspect.

Conrad Malsom, 60, of Las Vegas, said he recognized McCoy the day before from news reports linking him to the Ohio attacks, and did a little amateur detective work to locate McCoy's car parked at the motel.

Police and the FBI did not immediately corroborate the details of Malsom's account, but praised him for his efforts.

``He provided the information. He was persistent with it,'' police Lt. Ted Lee said. ``He did a little of his own investigation, apparently going to the (motel) and locating the vehicle.''

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2004 © The Associated Press.

Dan