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Archive of Crime & Courts on Tuesday May 13, 2008
States, locals swamp immigration program
Sudden demand by state and local police to join the federal 287(g) initiative, which lets local police start deportation proceedings for suspects and criminals who are illegal immigrants, is overwhelming the federal government. That means long waits and alternative programs offered to police departments that want to join. Read More
Fairness of death-penalty panels questioned
Death-penalty supporters are raising questions about the fairness of state commissions charged with studying how capital punishment is carried out in Maryland and Tennessee, claiming the panels will issue reports that ignore their views. Read More
Schwarzenegger drops plan for early release of 22,000 inmates
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has dumped his plan to release about 22,000 lower-risk inmates from prison before they complete their terms, The Bee learned Monday. Read More
Texas stopped from moving newborn, mother taken from YFZ ranch
Child Protective Services tried to whisk a newborn and his mother, in state custody as a minor after being removed from a polygamist sect's ranch, to a different city within hours of childbirth on Monday. Read More
Taxpayer bill in Pa.'s Bonusgate grows
First, taxpayers footed large, secretive government bonuses to legislative staffers. Now, more than a year into a criminal probe known as Bonusgate, the General Assembly's cost to tighten ethical standards and cope with the scandal has topped the $1 million mark and is growing. Read More
Networks, AP sue in South Dakota over exit polling
The three major networks, CNN, Fox News and The Associated Press filed a lawsuit Monday asking a federal judge to strike down a South Dakota law that prevents exit polling within 100 feet of a voting place. Read More
Plea expected in ring tied to Spitzer
The woman accused of being the primary booker for the prostitution ring patronized by Eliot Spitzer is expected to plead guilty this week to charges related to her role in the ring, people involved in the matter said Monday. Read More
Rove refuses call to testify under oath
WASHINGTON-- A House Judiciary Committee deadline passed Monday with former White House adviser Karl Rove standing by his refusal to testify about allegations that he pushed the Justice Department to prosecute former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. Read More
Chiefs' hirings need oversight, lawmakers told
Arkansas has about 350 police chiefs, but no state agency checks to see whether the cities conducted the required background checks. Read More
Beebe -- Early parolees could pick up litter
As Arkansas continues to dig out from round after round of tornadoes, Gov. Mike Beebe said he would consider offering inmates early parole if they'd help clean up from such disasters. Read More
8th Circuit calls for review of Ark. inmate's isolation
The case of an Arkansas prisoner who has spent 13 years isolated from other prisoners after he was attacked by another inmate should be given a second look, a federal appeals court panel ruled Monday. Read More
Review order keeping inmate isolated from others, court says
A federal appeals panel Monday told Arkansas prison officials to take another look at an order that has kept a man serving life without parole isolated from other state inmates for 13 years. Read More
Napolitano OKs child-custody-enforcement measure
Child Protective Services caseworkers must make a "good-faith effort" to obtain and obey court orders regarding child custody, according to a bill signed into law Monday by Gov. Janet Napolitano. Read More
Legislature to get another look at DUI bill
In a deal struck between Arizona House and Senate Republicans, DUI legislation vetoed by Gov. Janet Napolitano last month is expected to be revived today - without a controversial provision the governor had opposed. Read More
High court lets prosecutor remain on 'Alpha Dog' case
SAN FRANCISCO - The state's high court ruled Monday that a Santa Barbara deputy district attorney who helped in the making of the movie "Alpha Dog" can stay on the real-life death penalty case on which the film is based. Read More
Federal judge stays order for governor, Rincon band to reach gambling agreement
SAN DIEGO - A federal judge has put on hold, for now, his order that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and North County's Rincon Indian band reach an agreement on a gambling expansion by July. Read More
California Supreme Court rules for prosecutor who advised filmmakers
SAN FRANCISCO - When a Santa Barbara County prosecutor decided to give a filmmaker his files on fugitive Jesse James Hollywood, he figured that the publicity might help catch the accused killer. Read More
Ruling to lift ban on state's unclaimed property program affirmed
A federal appellate court Monday affirmed a Sacramento judge's decision to lift an injunction that had halted operation of the state's multibillion-dollar unclaimed property program. Read More
Connecticut prison inmate donations help police departments
BROOKLYN, Conn. - Two eastern Connecticut police departments have received $3,000 donated by prison inmates to help investigate domestic abuse cases. Read More
Del. AG finds abuse at hospital
The Delaware Attorney General's Office has found "systemic violations" of the state's Mental Health Patient's Bill of Rights during a 10-month investigation into allegations of patient abuse at the Delaware Psychiatric Center. Read More
Seatbelt awareness program resumes
People driving in or through Delaware should be buckled up -- that is the message Office of Highway Safety officials want to get across in their 2008 Click It or Ticket campaign, which began Monday and runs through May 26, just after Memorial Day. Read More
Company fined over prison food
One of the two companies that feed state prisoners has racked up nearly $250,000 in fines since the beginning of the year for violations including not having enough food and staffing shortages. Read More
Inmates say prison food made them sick
Florida's prison system had already fined its food provider $241,000 this year over staffing and supply issues. And then 277 inmates said they became sick last month after eating chili. Read More
After 3 years of failures, Gov. to sign bill allowing 'credit freeze'
Georgians soon will be allowed to freeze their credit to thwart identity thieves. Governor Sonny Perdue is expected to sign a measure Tuesday that allows residents to place a freeze on their credit for $3 - or a total of $9 for the three major credit reporting agencies. Read More
Culver 'very troubled' by allegations
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver has formed a working group of top state officials to help the community of Postville after a raid on its meatpacking plant by federal immigration officials Monday. Read More
Feds say more than 300 arrested in Postville immigration raid
Federal authorities say more than 300 workers at the Agriprocessors meat processing plant in Postville in northeast Iowa have been arrested for immigration violations. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered the plant at ten this morning (Monday). Read More
Immigration raid at Postville plant
There's been an immigration raid at the meat packing plant in Postville and sources tell Radio Iowa as many as 700 people may be arrested. Postville Police Chief Michael Halse isn't participating in the action, but the plant on the west corner of town appears to be surrounded. Read More
Immigration raid -- Town's Hispanics shutter businesses, scatter
POSTVILLE, Iowa -- The phone calls started at 5 a.m. They carried the same message: Immigration was coming. Read More
ID fraud claims bring state's largest raid
POSTVILLE, Iowa -- The largest workplace raid in Iowa history Monday resulted in the arrest of more than 300 people and reignited the debate over immigration. Read More
What Vilsack said -- Ex-governor was not surprised by the raid
Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said Monday that the Postville investigations may be warranted, despite his concerns that federal officials violated the rights of people during past immigration raids. But a state senator who represents Postville expressed doubt about the motivation for Monday's raid. Read More
Idaho responds to ballot lawsuit
The Idaho secretary of state has asked the Idaho Supreme Court to throw out a lawsuit from a man who says he is illegally being kept off the primary election ballot. Read More
Republicans' lawsuit against Idaho stalled
It's been a month since the Idaho Republican Party filed a federal lawsuit against the state, attempting to restrict the Republican primary election to registered GOP party members. But the second step in moving the case forward -- formally serving the state with a summons or notice of the lawsuit -- has yet to be taken. Read More
Idaho Supreme Court candidates keep it civil
Previous election campaigns for the Idaho Supreme Court bench have garnered a reputation for being nasty affairs, complete with contentious advertisements and bitter feelings. But so far the race between incumbent Idaho Supreme Court Justice Joel Horton and his challenger, 2nd District Judge John Bradbury, is anything but. Read More
Court clears path for O?Hare expansion
Ending years of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for Chicago to acquire and relocate a cemetery needed for the continued expansion of O'Hare International Airport. Read More
The promise of prisoners
THOMSON, Ill. ? Construction workers completed a $140 million state-of-the-art maximum-security prison here seven years ago. But today the prison remains mostly empty, filled only to a fraction of its capacity. Read More
Rezko lawyer savages Levine
CHICAGO ? Political fundraiser Antoin ?Tony? Rezko?s defense attorney ripped into the government?s star witness against his client Monday, describing him as an admitted lifelong liar and swindler whose brain was all but rendered useless by three decades of abusing powerful narcotics. Read More
U.S. Supreme Court will not hear church's appeal on O'Hare cemetery plans
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal filed by a church attempting to save a cemetery in the path of planned runways at O'Hare International Airport. Read More
Lawmaker wants state to cancel lease with firm linked to Rezko
A state senator on Monday called for the state to cancel its office lease with a firm linked to political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko and seek the return of $3.4 million in rent the state has paid since 2004. Read More
Corrupt mastermind or victim of frame-up?
Antoin "Tony" Rezko was attacked by the prosecution as the mastermind of an elaborate fraud scheme but excused by the defense as a total bystander as closing arguments began Monday in the trial of the Blagojevich administration insider. Read More
Rezko defense rips Levine as 'Pinocchio'
The star witness in Tony Rezko's corruption trial unwittingly stole the spotlight in Monday's closing arguments, with prosecutors admitting Stuart P. Levine is the "embodiment of corruption," while the defense disgustedly tossed him onto the government's doorstep. Read More
Daniels backs Costas for attorney general
Gov. Mitch Daniels sent state Republican Party leaders a letter Monday endorsing Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas' bid for Indiana attorney general. Read More
Daniels makes endorsements for AG, state school chief
Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels endorsed Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas for attorney general on Monday and Tony Bennett, superintendent of Greater Clark County Schools, for superintendent of public instruction. Read More
Ky.'s new chief justice hailed for fairness
Kentucky Supreme Court Justice John D. Minton Jr., a moderate Democrat from Bowling Green, has been chosen by his peers on the high court to replace Joseph Lambert as the state's chief justice. Read More
State lab's DNA testing halted in 1979 murder
With Kentucky lab technicians just hours away from completing DNA testing that could exonerate death row inmate Brian Keith Moore in the 1979 murder of a Louisville man, the testing was halted at the request of state prosecutors last week, Moore's attorney said. Read More
State chief justice chosen
The Kentucky Supreme Court elected Justice John D. Minton on Monday to be the next chief justice. Read More
Most Mass. doctors face lower cost for malpractice coverage
Despite assertions that high malpractice rates are driving them out of the state, Massachusetts doctors are paying less than they were in 1990, after adjusting for inflation, according to a Suffolk University Law School study. Read More
DiMasi looks to clear 'good name,' vanquish 'enemies'
In an extraordinary bid to reassert control over a divided House, Speaker Sal DiMasi yesterday accused unnamed "enemies" of concocting ethics charges to undermine his authority. Read More
EMU hopes presidential pick allows it to start new chapter
Eastern Michigan University regents are poised to hire a new president, marking what they hope will be a new chapter for the Ypsilanti campus that has been dogged by scandal over the cover-up of a student's murder. Read More
Detroit City Council to vote on Mayor Kilpatrick ouster options
A fragile majority of City Council members could be poised today to launch a double-barreled effort to topple Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick by starting their own impeachment-like process and petitioning Gov. Jennifer Granholm to oust him. Read More
Immigration bill loses steam
This just in from the Missouri legislature, which wraps up its 2008 session Friday: A Senate immigration bill was sent back to committee today, lessening the chances that legislators will enact measure to crackdown on those who employ illegal immigrants. Read More
Mo. House panel rejects Senate immigration bill
A House committee rejected a Senate-approved immigration bill Monday while the governor's office touted state troopers' arrest of 250 illegal immigrants since last summer. Read More
State high court gets wind-water case
The Mississippi Supreme Court should follow federal precedent and rule out insurance coverage for hurricane damage caused by a combination of wind and water, the USAA insurance company argues. Read More
Barbour signs most bills
Gov. Haley Barbour has signed into law the final batch of bills passed by the 2008 Legislature. Read More
Barbour vetoes metal theft bill
Gov. Haley Barbour has vetoed bills to increase the number of local prosecutors and investigators and to toughen penalties for metal theft. Read More
Gov. OKs measures on ethics, ID theft
Mississippians will find public officials' sources of income on a Web site. A training school for troubled teens will close its doors in seven weeks. A conviction for identity theft committed through a violent crime will mean more prison time. Read More
Mississippi high court asked to reconsider Berry execution
Lawyers for condemned inmate Earl Wesley Berry have asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to reconsider its setting of a May 21 execution date. Read More
Republican AG hopeful vows tough stand on sex offenders
Tim Fox, a Republican candidate for attorney general, said this month that he'd fix the state's sexual offender registry within six months of taking office and make tracking and prosecuting sex offenders a top priority. Read More
Law silent on illegals in colleges
North Carolina is free to admit illegal immigrants to public colleges and universities, federal officials said. "It is left for the school to decide whether or not to enroll" illegal immigrants, said a statement released last week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Read More
Cooper refuses to expand on admissions advice
Attorney General Roy Cooper has steadfastly refused to discuss the advisory letter his office sent out last week, which recommended barring illegal immigrants from the state's 58 community colleges. Read More
NC law enforcement to help launch crime database
WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Local, state and federal law enforcement officials are meeting on the USS North Carolina to launch a new information sharing program. The North Carolina Law Enforcement Information Exchange, or LInX, will be announced today. Read More
Background checks ruled as optional for North Dakota schools
North Dakota schools are allowed - but not required - to perform criminal background checks on employees, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem says. Read More
Senator files complaint against judge in regional center case
Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers filed an official complaint against a Sarpy County judge for sending a man to the Lincoln Regional Center in handcuffs. Read More
Bruning takes housing discrimination fight to CNN
OMAHA, Neb. -- Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning on Monday defended his refusal to prosecute housing discrimination cases on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight," again couching his stance in the nationwide debate over illegal immigration. Read More
McGreevey talks fizzle, so it's time for testimony
After failing to make headway yesterday during a full day of settlement negotiations, the McGreeveys are preparing for testimony in the second phase of their high-profile divorce trial. Read More
Republican - Allegation by colleague false
A prominent Nevada Republican alleged to have engaged in inappropriate conduct with the daughter of a GOP colleague denied the accusation Monday and vowed not to speak further on the subject. Read More
Court upholds dress codes
A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Clark County's school dress codes do not violate students' right to free speech after considering a case involving a junior suspended for wearing T-shirts expressing her religious faith. Read More
Blurred line in pension rules
An Albany County judge accrued nearly two decades' worth of taxpayer-funded pension credits while working as the legal adviser for the Albany City School District. Read More
Police gun plan aims for the truth
State Sen. Eric Adams pulled a gun from a holster on his hip Monday and started waving it around as photographers grabbed their shots. The gun was a fake version of the Glock 9mm pistol used by many police officers. Read More
Pay raise suit no excuse for judges
New York's judges can't refuse to hear cases involving state lawmakers or legislators' law firms because Chief Judge Judith Kaye and the Unified Court System are suing the Legislature for a judicial pay hike, the Commission on Judicial Conduct said Monday. Read More
Ex-wildlife officer guilty of tampering, falsification
TROY, Ohio - A former state wildlife officer assigned to Miami County pleaded guilty Monday, May 12, to tampering with records and falsification. Read More
House veto override on lawsuit reform bill falls short
Gov. Brad Henry?s veto of legislation intended to make it tougher to file some lawsuits was sustained Monday when House Democrats blocked a Republican-led override attempt. Read More
'Operation Safe Surf' warns of Web dangers
Teenagers don't know everything, but they know more than their parents when it comes to computers and technology. And that puts them at risk, state Attorney General Tom Corbett said Monday. Read More
Court rules R.I. needn't hear cases on asbestos
In a matter closely followed by national business groups, the state Supreme Court is ordering the dismissal of 39 asbestos cases that Canadian residents had filed in Rhode Island. Read More
House mulls change in sentencing rules
As summer dawned on Smith Hill in 1988, panic was escalating. It was the height of the Reagan-era war on drugs and Rhode Island, like other states, believed it was grappling with a serious social problem. Read More
State prison system asks to run $4.3 million deficit
The state's prison system, which already spends less per inmate than any other in the nation, won't have enough money to finish the fiscal year and has asked to run a $4.3 million deficit, records released today show. Read More
House panel to consider requiring DNA samples after arrests
A House committee is to consider a bill to require anyone charged with a felony punishable by at least five years in prison to give DNA samples for a state database. Read More
SC Supreme Court -- Casino boats don't have to report wagers
The state Supreme Court says casino boats operating out of South Carolina do not have to report how much money they take in each month to the state Revenue Department. Read More
SC prison agency says it will run $4.3 million deficit
Despite a frugal daily diet of $1.43 worth of macaroni, rice, turkey parts and organ meat for each of its 23,977 prisoners, the South Carolina Department of Corrections can't pay its bills and the agency is considering closing some facilities. Read More
Vote sets up battle on video lottery
Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota could be heading for a legal showdown after councilors Monday expanded restrictions on video lottery businesses. Read More
Caregivers blast Texas' treatment of polygamous sect's women, children
Children living in crowded quarters that led to upper respiratory illnesses. Youngsters plagued with diarrhea from unhealthy foods they usually did not eat. Distressed mothers enduring widespread rudeness -- such as flashlights shined in their faces as they tried to sleep. Read More
A second FLDS mother gives birth in custody
Another child has been born to a woman taken into Texas custody in the raid on the Fundamentalist LDS Church's YFZ Ranch. The young woman gave birth to a boy around noon Monday. Read More
Polygamy sect parents say state has scattered children
More than a month since their children were taken into custody by the state of Texas in a raid on an FLDS compound in Eldorado, Texas, two sets of parents and a representative for the families alleged that the state has deliberately scattered and isolated the children. Read More
Allstate cuts deal on excess charges in Texas
Allstate Insurance agreed Monday to refund $51.6 million to Texas customers it overcharged for homeowners insurance, but the company will not have to return another $19.2 million in overcharges under a settlement with state regulators. Read More
Shurtleff deposition set in child-bride suit
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff will give a deposition in a former child bride's multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the Fundamentalist LDS Church and its leader, Warren Jeffs. Read More
Guns in restaurants fail to cause outcry in N.Va.
RESTON, Va. -- The patrons at Champps, a restaurant and bar chain, were eating ribs and drinking beer on a recent Saturday when customer Bruce Jackson stood up and made an announcement. He was armed, and so were dozens of other patrons. Read More
Court will decide case of Va. man on death row
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday granted a temporary reprieve to a death row inmate in Virginia to consider whether lower courts correctly weighed his claim that his lawyer did a poor job of representing him. Read More
Court stays execution of Va. man, takes case
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday stayed the July execution of a Virginia man convicted of killing a Winchester police officer after the killer's appeals lawyers pointed out that the jury heard no positive "mitigating" evidence about him before sentencing him to death. Read More
Lawmaker's former girlfriend faces charges
An ex-girlfriend of State Representative Scott Suder faces 15 felonies and 4 misdemeanors for allegedly using his checkbook and credit cards without permission. Read More
Budget fix includes borrowing, some cuts, but no hospital tax
Legislative leaders announced a deal Monday to fix a $527 million hole in the state budget by nixing a major tax hike, cutting some spending, increasing borrowing and delaying payments. Read More
Scandal clouds W.Va. court race as 3 states vote
Photos of West Virginia's top jurist vacationing with the chief executive of a massive coal producer have transformed an otherwise run-of-the-mill election into that state's most closely watched race, while voters in two other states prepared to cast ballots on key congressional seats. Read More
WVU faculty unmoved by president's remarks
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University President Mike Garrison expressed anger, disappointment and regret during his first face-to-face meeting with the Faculty Senate since it demanded his resignation over a master's degree scandal involving the governor's daughter. Read More
Judge delays decision on turning over Maynard's e-mails
Supreme Court Justice Spike Maynard's e-mail records won't be turned over to The Associated Press a day before West Virginia's primary election after all. Read More |
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