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Archive of Crime & Courts on Tuesday January 17, 2006
Supreme Court upholds Oregon assisted suicide law
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court upheld Oregon's assisted-suicide law today, declaring that the Bush administration had exceeded its authority in trying to undo the statute by punishing doctors who help people end their lives. Read More
California executes death row inmate, 76
SAN QUENTIN - California prison officials executed 76-year-old murderer Clarence Ray Allen at the state prison here early today after his final appeal was turned down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Read More
Mo. governor asks AG to act on reservoir
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Missouri's governor asked Monday that charges be brought against an energy company in the collapse of its mountaintop reservoir at a southeast Missouri hydroelectric plant. Read More
End near for private keg parties?
In a move designed to curb underage drinking, Alabama lawmakers are considering a ban on drinking keg beer anywhere other than in bars, restaurants and other locales licensed to sell it. Read More
State's first prison psychologist retires
When a federal judge ordered the state in 1976 to implement mental health programs in the state's prison system, Max Mobley was the first psychologist hired. Read More
Clean Elections commissioner resigns
The 2006 chairwoman of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission has resigned following a conflict of interest objection from the Department of Justice. Read More
Bill would slap crime of trespass on illegal entrants
A Paradise Valley Republican thinks she's found a way to let state and local police round up illegal entrants -- make their presence in this state the crime of trespass. Read More
Senate panel's bill stiffens punishment for DUI if a child is killed
Drunk drivers who kill children would have to serve at least 25 years in prison under terms of legislation approved Monday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Read More
GOP foes laud governor's $100M border request
Gov. Janet Napolitano wants $100 million to help deal with illegal border crossers, expanded use of the Arizona National Guard and sanctions against firms that hire people not here legally. Read More
Rally outside Capitol protests 'immigrant bashing'
It was in a side room adjacent to the Capitol's House chambers where the voices mixed. From there, one could hear Gov. Janet Napolitano delivering her plans for heightened border enforcement to a room of lawmakers and dignitaries, as well as the din from thousands of immigrant rights demonstrators outside on the Capitol Mall banging drums and shouting "Si se puede!" ("Yes we can!") in unison. Read More
Napolitano vows to secure border
As 4,000 people rallied for immigrants rights Monday on the Capitol lawn, Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano vowed to beef up border security and punish companies that intentionally hire undocumented workers. Read More
Plans include tax relief, sanctions on undocumented-worker hiring
Employers who intentionally hire undocumented workers should be hit with "substantial fines and penalties," Gov. Janet Napolitano said Monday, provoking a cautious response from business leaders and skeptical praise from Republican lawmakers. She also touted a series of targeted tax credits and cuts that she said would provide $100 million in "smart tax relief." Read More
Oldest death row inmate executed for murder-for-hire of 3
SAN QUENTIN, Calif. - A 76-year-old man whose lawyers argued was too old and feeble to be executed was given a lethal injection early this morning for the murders of three Fresno market employees. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the final appeal yesterday by lawyers for Clarence Ray Allen, who turned 76 yesterday and was the oldest man on California's death row. Read More
Slow juvenile justice reforms frustrate system's many critics
More than a year after promising to overhaul California's violence-plagued youth prisons, Gov. Arnold Schwar-zenegger has proposed spending $55 million to hire hundreds of new staffers and begin creating a new system. Read More
Elderly murderer put to death
Condemned killer Clarence Ray Allen, unable to convince the governor or the courts that he should be spared because of his age and ailing health, early Tuesday morning became the oldest inmate executed in California history. Read More
'Three strikes' changes sought
Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley is proposing to soften the state's "three-strikes" law with a ballot initiative that would eliminate likely life terms unless the third conviction came on a "serious" or "violent" offense. Read More
Bill targets businesses that employ illegals
The legislature's top two Republicans want employers held liable for their workers' bad behavior if the staffers are illegal immigrants. Under a bill introduced Friday, employers could be sued even if a worker's wrongful actions occurred off-duty. Read More
Panel OKs limits on sending inmates out of state
Sen. Deanna Hanna scored a small victory Monday when a Senate committee advanced her bill to stop Colorado from housing its most dangerous inmates at medium-security prisons outside the state. Read More
State tackles loopholes in sex predator law
Having failed to fully implement Colorado's 1998 sexually violent predator law, probation and corrections officials for the first time are discovering numerous flaws in how the law was written. Read More
Bill makes employers liable 24/7 for their illegal hires
The Republican minority leaders of the House and Senate want to create civil liability for companies that hire illegal immigrants by making the companies legally responsible for those employees' behavior on and off the clock. Read More
Royalties ruling could shift state balance of funds
Western Slope counties may have to share millions of dollars in federal mineral lease royalties with counties along the Front Range as a result of a recent state attorney general's ruling. Read More
Old state prison cells need a home
COVENTRY, Conn. -- Perhaps the only contents of value in the cramped Coventry Police Department in the basement of town hall - besides the staff, of course - are two old jail cells salvaged from the vacant Wethersfield state prison in 1965 before it was demolished. Read More
Rell offers Avon Mountain plan
The governor said Monday she'll propose legislation to double traffic fines on Avon Mountain as a means of slowing drivers and punishing those who break motor vehicle laws. Read More
Cellhouse razing set to forestall escapes
An old death row cellhouse at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison will be demolished today in an effort to improve security after the escape of two dangerous inmates in November. Read More
Hit-and-run penalties could get tougher
Iowa has one of the weakest laws when it comes to punishing those involved in a hit-and-run. One central Iowa lawmaker thinks this may be partly to blame for a rash of such accidents. Read More
Fort Madison Death Row cellhouse to be demolished
FORT MADISON, Iowa - In an effort to improve prison security, corrections officials said an old Death Row cellhouse at the Iowa State Penitentiary will be demolished Tuesday. Read More
Vilsack pushes for new Iowa prison
Gov. Tom Vilsack said Monday he will urge state lawmakers to approve the building of a new facility to replace the maximum-security prison in Fort Madison in order to save money and improve safety for workers. Read More
Vilsack budget calls for 6.9% spending increase
The governor?s proposed 2006-07 budget, released Tuesday, calls for a 6.9 percent spending increase and nearly $180 million in new taxes and fees, including taxes on cigarettes and beer, and fines for speeding and drunk driving. Read More
Station owners -- Madigan misled customers about gas price gouging
Calling the threat by Attorney General Lisa Madigan to sue 18 gas station owners "a grandstand move," David Payne says there is much more to the story about alleged gasoline price gouging than has been reported. Read More
Ryan, relentless prosecutor could soon come face-to-face in courtroom
In an extraordinary courtroom drama, former Gov. George Ryan could soon be publicly answering questions from the federal prosecutor who has been chasing him for the last seven years. Read More
State police soon to get 500 cars
Between March and July, the Illinois State Police will replace 500 patrol cars in its fleet, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Monday. Read More
Prisons to treat meth addicts
The state will open two 200-bed prison units devoted entirely to treating methamphetamine addicts over the next two years, aides to Gov. Rod Blagojevich said last week . Read More
Suburban murders escalating
The murder tally across Chicago's largest suburbs rose by more than 10 percent in 2005 prompting police to emulate tough tactics credited with reducing bloodshed in the city. Read More
500 new cars on the way for Illinois State Police
Illinois will buy 500 new state police squad cars in the coming months to help cut down on costly repairs for many vehicles in the fleet with high mileage, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Monday. Read More
State Police will get 500 new patrol cars
Illinois will purchase 500 new patrol cars for State Police to bolster an aging fleet that is prone to breakdowns and costs the state millions of dollars annually in repairs, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Monday. Read More
Madigan will assign staff members to aid identity theft victims
Illinois victims of identity theft will have someone to guide them through the bewildering process of repairing their credit under a plan from Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Read More
Legislation could keep scissors out of classrooms
Legislation that would make it a crime to bring knives to school could prevent supplies like scissors from making it into the classroom, some critics said. Supporters of the bill say it would close a loophole in state law. Read More
Sebelius rolls out proposals, touts finances
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius on Monday called for doubling prison time for child sex offenders, and recruited former Kansas State University football coach Bill Snyder to head a new program to mentor children. Sebelius rolled out several other proposals during the State of the State speech, and talked at length of Kansas' financial turnaround. Read More
'Blessed to live in Kansas'
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius evoked Kansas pioneers Monday in an upbeat State of the State address complete with former K-State coach Bill Snyder and Gen. Richard Myers in attendance. Read More
Officials learn how to avoid conflicts involving kin
The Louisiana Board of Ethics last week chimed in on two questions facing current and potential members of the Ascension Parish Planning and Zoning Commission. Read More
School overtime suit loses class-action try
Lawsuits claiming three south Louisiana school systems failed to pay overtime to hundreds of employees may have lost their bid for class-action status because lawyers haven't fought their case. Read More
Perv cools heels in prison hospital -- Porn, abuse victim decries treatment of her tormentor
A vile sex offender who adopted a 5-year-old from Russia only to turn her into a sex slave is being treated at the cushy Devens prison hospital -- an arrangement that prompted cries of outrage from the now-13-year-old survivor. Read More
Rally seeks vote for more ex-offenders
As election-year politics heats up, advocates of restoring voting rights to convicted felons reminded lawmakers last night that hundreds of thousands of Marylanders will be unable to cast ballots this fall. Read More
Ehrlich announces pay raise for correctional officers
JESSUP, Md. -- Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. announced Friday that he plans to give the state's correctional officers pay increases averaging 6 percent - the first substantial raise the officers have gotten in 16 years. Read More
Md. judges ready for bench research
Complex scientific issues continue to creep into the courtroom, driving Maryland judges to the classroom to help them understand the issues they must decide. Read More
Bishop, diocese dispute efforts
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton said Sunday that he'd support new Michigan laws to give victims more time to sue for monetary damages over long-ago sexual abuse by predatory Catholic priests -- legislation that's opposed by the state's top Catholic officials. Read More
Fieger -- I expect to be indicted
Just two days after avoiding state criminal charges, attorney Geoffrey Fieger predicted Monday that a federal grand jury will indict him for illegal fund-raising on behalf of John Edwards' 2004 presidential bid. Read More
Families continue fight over Blunt plans to close habilitation center
Families opposed to the Blunt administration's plans to close the state-owned Bellefontaine Habilitation Center last week have gone to court. Read More
Governor back action against Ameren
Gov. Matt Blunt wants criminal charges or civil cases brought against AmerenUE in the Dec. 14 breach at the Taum Sauk reservoir, his spokesman said Monday. Read More
Governor seeks charges in failure of reservoir
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt on Monday asked Attorney General Jay Nixon to bring civil or criminal charges against AmerenUE in the collapse of the Taum Sauk reservoir. Read More
Blunt declares state sunny, proposes new spending
Gov. Matt Blunt projected a sunny state of affairs Wednesday night, declaring Missouri's economy and budget strong a year after he took office and proposing new spending on everything from education to health care to prisons. Read More
Blunt credits GOP legislators with creating jobs, righting budget
Gov. Matt Blunt used his second State of the State address Wednesday to call for measures he said will improve health care, boost property rights, provide relief from rising energy costs, and lock up child molesters. But first, the governor joined his fellow Republicans who dominate the Capitol in a kind of victory lap. Read More
Make 5th circuit judge permanent, Hinds DA says
A temporary circuit judge to hear only weapon and drug cases in Hinds County is a start but a permanent fifth circuit judge is needed, the county's top prosecutor says. Read More
Burns says he?s done nothing wrong, is eager to campaign
Montana Sen. Conrad Burns reiterated Monday in Missoula that he has done nothing wrong, is not under investigation that he knows of, and is more eager than ever to campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate. Read More
Tougher Times - Prisons adjusting to limitations on smoking
YANCEYVILLE, N.C. - Cigarette-puffing officers and inmates gather around a smoking area at Caswell Correctional Center like desert nomads around an oasis. Read More
Ethics board member wary of media eyes
A member of the N.C. Board of Ethics suggested last week that its efforts to develop recommendations for a proposed ethics law should be done in closed session. Read More
More funds needed for meth fight
Law enforcement officials say new restrictions on the purchase of certain cold pills have cut down on methamphetamine labs in North Dakota, but dealers continue to import the drug. Read More
Farm group survey -- Americans oppose eminent domain
Two bills protecting private property rights against eminent domain have been introduced into the Nebraska Legislature. Read More
Tough NH sex law to get airing
The New Hampshire Legislature returns today to a week crammed with business that involves more than 150 public hearings and a joint session tomorrow that begins with the governor's State of State message. Read More
A content Davy exits Human Services
Two years ago, James Davy was Gov. James E. McGreevey's go-to guy, sent in to resuscitate the stalled effort to reform the state's child welfare system. Read More
Capitol may reform ethics, contributions
After state Treasurer Robert Vigil's resignation in the face of federal extortion charges and possible impeachment last fall, the Capitol echoed with calls for reforming that office. Now the call is for sweeping changes in state ethics, campaign contribution and disclosure laws. Read More
State fails to provide representation for many abused, neglected children
Each year hundreds of victims of abuse and neglect enter the child welfare system without legal assistance or an advocate -- a direct violation of federal and state laws. Read More
Nevada attorney general's lack of time in Carson City criticized
Nevada Attorney General George Chanos is under fire for making just seven trips to his Carson City office since starting the job Nov. 1. Read More
'New' Megan's Law set to pound pervs
A last-minute deal has been reached to save the state's Megan's Law and prevent thousands of sex offenders from fading into anonymity, The Post has learned. Read More
New Yorkers learn security was breached
More than 200,000 New York residents have already received potentially bad news under a new state law about the security of their personal information. Read More
Sex Offender Registry not likely to end
New York State's released sex offenders won't be walking around, starting Saturday, without any monitoring from state and local authorities, as some observers have feared. Read More
Defense to use iPods to review evidence in federal drug case in Toledo
People who want to listen to their favorite music while working out or catch reruns of television shows such as Desperate Housewives and Lost have made the iPod one of the world's most popular high-tech toys. Now defense attorneys and their clients in a federal drug case in U.S. District Court in Toledo are using the hand-held portable player in a way that Steve Jobs likely didn't envision when his company, Apple Computer, unveiled it. Read More
Supreme Court upholds Oregon suicide law
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court, with Chief Justice John Roberts dissenting, upheld Oregon's one-of-a-kind physician-assisted suicide law Tuesday, rejecting a Bush administration attempt to punish doctors who help terminally ill patients die. Read More
State Supreme Court petitioned in 1977 murder case
A former Latrobe man whose double murder convictions were reversed by one court and reinstated by another has asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to intervene. Read More
Juvenile case to be reviewed
Kathy Smith Carpenter isn't looking forward to reliving her brother's murder in a hearing today before the S.C. Supreme Court. Read More
Appeals court rejects sentence suit
A federal appeals court has refused to reinstate a lawsuit filed by a woman who accused South Dakota officials of keeping her in prison 416 days too long. Read More
Meth, medical costs hit prisons
Two of Gov. Mike Rounds' goals for the 2006 legislative session - to get tough on methamphetamine makers and sex offenders - figured prominently in deliberations Friday about the proposed $94.6 million budget for the state corrections department. Read More
Shaming drunk drivers won't work, critics say
A new law that intends to "shame" drunken drivers - by making them pick up litter while wearing brightly colored vests marked "I am a drunk driver" - has a fair number of people seeing red. Read More
Fewer kids taken from meth homes since law took effect
With Tennessee restricting sales of medications that can be used to make methamphetamine, records show that the number of children taken from parents caught making or using the illegal drug is down drastically, possibly by more than half. Read More
Lobbyists offer legislators cash at ethics session
Although it's illegal for legislators to accept campaign money during a regular legislative session, they can - ironically - accept contributions during the special session on ethics. Read More
Lobbyist for state tied to Abramoff
Todd Boulanger, who once worked closely with confessed influence peddler Jack Abramoff, now heads a group lobbying Congress for Texas under a $330,000 state contract. Read More
Packed prisons- Finding a fix
Legislators grappling with how to relieve prison overcrowding are faced with two options: pay to fix the problem now, or pay later. Read More
Governor finds new middle ground in death penalty debate
In four years as governor, Mr. Warner has incrementally and with little fanfare established groundbreaking policies on the use of DNA testing to confirm, or challenge, criminal convictions, many of them in death penalty cases. Last week, he became the first governor to order a DNA test involving a man who had already been executed. Read More
M. Warner - Would not have nominated Alito
Former Gov. Mark R. Warner said yesterday that he would not have chosen Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. as a U.S. Supreme Court nominee, but he declined to say whether he would vote for Alito if he were in the Senate. Read More
Bill setting public vote advances
A Senate committee today is scheduled to debate a proposed constitutional amendment that would outlaw same-sex marriage, a measure that sailed through the House with no discussion. Read More
Senate panel defeats gun bill
A bill designed to close a gun-show loophole was defeated 9-4 yesterday in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. A similar bill had squeaked out of the committee last year. Read More
Bill on gouging advances
A state Senate committee endorsed a bill yesterday that would lengthen the time Virginia's Anti-Price Gouging Act can apply. Read More
DNA tests may signal shift in death penalty debate
Capital punishment supporters say stance is boosted by results proving guilt of executed Va. killer. Read More
Cashman and health care will dominate week
A sentence that Chittenden County District Judge Edward Cashman handed down to a sex offender will be examined by a House committee this week as the fallout over the judge's decision continues to reverberate throughout the Statehouse. Read More
Bill would shift meth battle's focus to users
After years of targeting home-based methamphetamine laboratories, state and law enforcement officials are shifting focus, taking aim at meth addicts themselves. Read More
Sago queries will be private
Federal and state investigators were scheduled to begin interviews this morning as they dig in for what could be a long and complicated probe of the Sago Mine disaster. Read More
Some judges skeptical of role change
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Some district court judges are wary of the idea of instituting problem-solving courts in Wyoming because they say it will add more work to their already full dockets. Read More
First split-estate ruling expected
GILLETTE, Wyo. - The Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission likely will issue a decision on the first split-estate case to come before it during its February meeting in Casper, commission member Lynn Boomgaarden said. Read More |
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