National Roundup

Ohio Candy thief targets mostly peanut butter cups LORAIN, Ohio (AP) -- Police in northern Ohio are trying to identify a candy thief who has stolen hundreds of dollars in peanut butter cups from a gas station store. Employees reported that a young man usually comes in after midnight, snatches Reese's peanut butter cups and exits the store before they can call police. The workers say the candy stolen over the past few months was worth $400 to $600. The Morning Journal reports the latest theft happened early Tuesday morning. A police report indicates the man stole peanut butter cups and went for a saltier snack, grabbing a bag of chips. He was dressed in black clothing, with a hooded sweatshirt over his head. A clerk says he tried to stop the thief, who spun him around and fled on foot. New Mexico College prez 'prostitution' site ruled not illegal ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A state judge has ruled that the website of a former University of New Mexico president accused of helping run an online prostitution ring was legal. The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/LBgbfj ) District Judge Stan Whitaker ruled this week the website, an online message board and a computer account of former University of New Mexico President F. Chris Garcia did not constitute a "house of prostitution." He also said the website wasn't "a place where prostitution is practiced, encouraged or allowed." The case was scheduled to go before a grand jury this week. The ruling means that prosecutors will now have to decide how to proceed with a case involving Garcia, Fairleigh Dickinson University physics professor David C. Flory and others who were arrested last June on a criminal complaint charging them with promoting prostitution. The men were among seven people suspected of overseeing a prostitution website called Southwest Companions. Investigators said the prostitution ring had a membership of 14,000, including 200 prostitutes. Members paid anywhere from $200 for a sex act to $1,000 for a full hour. Prostitutes were paid with cash, not through the website, according to police. Chief Deputy District Attorney Mark Drebing says the state's options are to reschedule the grand jury presentment and abide by Whitaker's order, come up with different charges or appeal the judge's order to the state Supreme Court. No decision has been made, Drebing said, but regardless, the case has been delayed. If prosecutors decide to go with different charges, their options are limited at the state level, he said. New Mexico has laws on the books for computer fraud and use of computers and the Internet for child pornography but none specifically geared toward prostitution. Drebing said there may be federal laws that could come into play. Garcia's attorney, Robert Gorence, did not immediately return a telephone call from The Associated Press. Gorence last month called on District Attorney Kari Brandenburg "to issue a statement exonerating Dr. Garcia" after owning up to "the mistake she made when she bought in to APD's flawed investigation and exaggerated charges." Gorence told the Journal prosecutors and police know that Garcia "never received a penny from any such activities nor did he control or direct the activities of women who advertised as escorts." Statements to the media about the alleged conspiracy were "ludicrously false," he said. South Carolina Court: Predator program not just for latest arrest COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- The state's highest court says someone can be committed to South Carolina's sexually violent predator program even if their most recent arrest wasn't for something classified as a sexually violent crime. The state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a man who had previously been deemed safe to be released was appropriately committed to the program later after an indecent exposure arrest. Bobbie Manigo served more than two decades for assault and attempted sex offenses. Before his 2004 release, officials said they didn't have enough evidence he had a sexual disorder and would likely re-offend. The next year, Manigo was arrested for indecent exposure and sentenced to nine months. He was evaluated again, and the same officials civilly committed Manigo, finding he was dangerous and would likely commit sexually violent acts. Kansas Motion seeks DNA testing in 1999 Oskaloosa murder LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- Attorneys supporting a man convicted in the 1999 murder of an Oskaloosa teenager are asking for a new DNA test. The Project for Innocence filed a motion this week in Jefferson County seeking the DNA test for Floyd Bledsoe. He is serving a life sentence for the death of his 14-year-old sister-in-law, Zetta Arfmann. The 35-year-old Bledsoe has always maintained his innocence. Bledsoe's attorneys argue that new technology could produce a DNA profile of the killer. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Bledsoe's brother, Tom Bledsoe, was initially charged with killing Arfmann and confessed. But he later recanted and implicated his brother. In 2008, a U.S. District Court ruled that Bledsoe should be freed because of ineffective counsel but an appeals court overturned that decision. Connecticut Judge rejects probation deal in cat killing case NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) -- A judge has rejected a probation deal proposed by a New Britain man charged with killing three cats and hurting four others. Stanislaw Ternacki applied for the accelerated rehabilitation program, which allows charges against first-time offenders to be dismissed after a probation period. The Herald of New Britain reports that a Superior Court judge refused Ternacki's request Tuesday. Ternacki now has until July 30 to accept or reject a deal proposed by prosecutors that calls for a four-month jail sentence if he pleads guilty to animal cruelty. Witnesses say they saw the 63-year-old Ternacki throw the cats off an outdoor staircase and beat them with a stick. His lawyer said he was defending himself from aggressive cats he was helping remove from a vacant apartment. Ternacki pleaded not guilty. Published: Thu, Jun 21, 2012