National Roundup

Michigan
Biker nabbed after post about eluding cops
LAKE ORION, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit motorcyclist was apparently fast enough to leave police in the dust during a chase, but not swift enough to stop from bragging about it on Facebook.

Lake Orion police say 33-year-old Michael Brown, of Rochester Hills, turned himself in on Tuesday, three weeks after the incident. He’s charged with fleeing police and reckless driving.

Police say an officer pulled up to Brown outside a restaurant after seeing loud motorcycle maneuvers in the street. Brown sped off and the officer eventually stopped pursuing him.

Police say Brown boasted on Facebook that he was going “140 in a 35 mph” zone. He added: “#nojailthisweekend.” Someone shared the post with police.

Brown doesn’t have a listed phone number and couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday. He’s due in court Aug. 2.

Nevada
Vegas judge orders swastika face tattoos covered for trial
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas judge has ordered a cosmetologist to cover up a defendant’s neck and facial tattoos that include a swastika and the words “Most Wanted” on each day of his robbery trial.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that District Judge Richard Scotti decided that Bayzle Morgan’s tattoos should be concealed in an effort to get him a fair trial.

Morgan has tattoos including a swastika inside a clover under his eye, the words “Skin Head” on his eyebrows and “Baby Nazi” written across his neck.

It comes after an entire group of potential jurors said last month that they couldn’t be impartial after seeing Morgan’s tattoos. A new group will see him in makeup starting Monday.

Defense attorney Dan Bunin says he supports the move.

Morgan also has been charged with murder in a separate case.

New York
Man pleads guilty to killing son of former NFL player
WATERVLIET, N.Y. (AP) — A 49-year-old man has pleaded guilty to killing the son of a former NFL player in an upstate New York apartment house.

Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares said Michael J. Fox of Watervliet pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder and attempted murder.

Fox was charged with shooting his neighbor, 29-year-old Brandon Sherwin, with a shotgun and stabbing him on Jan. 8 in Fox’s apartment. Sherwin was the son of Tim Sherwin, a tight end from Watervliet who spent most of his career with the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts from 1981-87.

Fox was also charged with shooting at a woman who was at the house.

He faces up to 25 years to life in prison when he’s sentenced on Sept. 16.

Pennsylvania
Appeals Court rejects child rape plot case
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — An appeals court has turned down the appeal of a northeastern Pennsylvania man convicted in a plot to impregnate a 15-year-old girl so his wife could raise the child as her own.

Thirty-year-old Gary Machinshok pleaded no contest in Luzerne County in 2014 to rape, statutory rape, aggravated sexual assault and other offenses and was sentenced to 13½ to 27 years in prison.

The Citizens’ Voice reports that Machinshok argued that the judge didn’t’ give enough consideration to mitigating factors, but the Superior Court said that wasn’t enough to warrant a review.

Thirty-three-year-old Misty Machinshok was sentenced to 15 to 30 years after pleading guilty to rape and aggravated assault. Prosecutors say the couple conspired to impregnate the teen because Misty was unable to bear children herself.

Idaho
Woman sentenced after waving gun at funeral
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho Falls woman has been sentenced to a rider program after waving a handgun and threatening people during her estranged husband’s funeral.

The Post Register reports that 53-year-old Kimberly Dodge pleaded guilty in May to aggravated assault, among other charges.

The rider program is an intensive rehabilitation program that can last between 90 days and a year. If Dodge is successful during the rider, District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. will review her case and could place her on probation.

Watkins sentenced Dodge to an underlying prison term of three to 12 years.

Court records show that Dodge pulled a pistol from her purse during the January funeral and threatened the presiding bishop and several attendees.

No one was injured.

Ohio
Judges order that air conditioning keep flowing
MEDINA, Ohio (AP) — Uncomfortable working conditions have prompted judges in a northeast Ohio county to order that courthouse air conditioning remain on throughout the day after it was switched off on warm afternoons as a cost-saving measure.

The Medina Gazette reports that four Medina County judges issued the order Tuesday, with one judge noting that decades ago the historic courthouse would close on hot days before air conditioning.

County administrator Scott Miller said the county could save $23,000 by participating in an incentive program to reduce the load on the region’s power grid on peak cooling days. County commissioners said at a meeting Tuesday that the county could ill-afford to lose that money.

The newspaper reports that employees in other county buildings had similar complaints about uncomfortable working conditions.

Michigan
Man caught in Minnesota pleads guilty in slaying
MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — An ex-convict charged in the death of a woman found after a Michigan house fire is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in the case.

Gregory Rose was arrested in November in Carlton County, Minnesota, after a high-speed chase. He was traveling in a vehicle stolen from the Army Corps of Engineers. He was returned to Michigan and charged with home invasion and other crimes before being charged with murder.

Sixty-seven-year-old Connie Eileen Pajunen of Shepherd was found dead with stab wounds Nov. 13 in Midland County's Greendale Township.

The Midland Daily News reports Rose pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder, arson, home invasion and other charges. Court documents say he faces at least 31 years in prison when sentenced. H’s due in court Sept. 22 to learn his punishment.

Texas
Deputies found thousands of marijuana plants
CORSICANA, Texas (AP) — Law officers have located thousands of marijuana plants at a pot farm hidden in a wooded area of North Texas.

The Navarro County Sheriff’s Office says some of the plants discovered Saturday were flourishing at a height of 10 feet. Officers acting on a tip located the illegal crop.

Sheriff Elmer Tanner says investigators are trying to determine who tended the site in northeast Navarro County. Hoses and other watering mechanisms were at the scene.

Investigators say the property owner was not aware of the marijuana operation that yielded plants with a street value of several hundred thousand dollars.

Authorities didn’t immediately provide specifics on the location of the marijuana plot or how many plants were found and face eradication.

Navarro County is about 60 miles southeast of Dallas.

Michigan
Man caught in Minnesota pleads guilty in Michigan slaying
MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — An ex-convict charged in the death of a woman found after a Michigan house fire is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in the case.

Gregory Rose was arrested in November in Carlton County, Minnesota, after a high-speed chase. He was traveling in a vehicle stolen from the Army Corps of Engineers. He was returned to Michigan and charged with home invasion and other crimes before being charged with murder.

Sixty-seven-year-old Connie Eileen Pajunen of Shepherd was found dead with stab wounds Nov. 13 in Midland County's Greendale Township.

The Midland Daily News reports Rose pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder, arson, home invasion and other charges. Court documents say he faces at least 31 years in prison when sentenced. He's due in court Sept. 22 to learn his punishment.