National Roundup

Oregon
Judge hears oral arguments in Klamath Tribes case

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge heard arguments in a case filed by the Klamath Tribes of southern Oregon seeking greater protections for endangered sucker fish in Upper Klamath Lake.

San Francisco District Judge William Orrick listened to the arguments Friday in a lawsuit that requests an injunction to hold more water in the lake for shortnose and Lost River suckers, a culturally significant food for the tribes, the Capital Press reported.

However, farmers and ranchers worry the injunction would shut off surface water irrigation in the Klamath Project, costing about $400 million in lost annual economic value.

Orrick did not issue a ruling, and is considering a motion to move the case to a different court. He did not give a timetable for his decision.

The non-ruling means irrigators in the Klamath Project will be allowed to continue watering their crops — for now, said Mark Jackson, deputy director of the Klamath Water Users Association.
“Things are looking pretty promising in the short-term,” he said.

The lawsuit names the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service as defendants.

The Klamath Water Users Association, Sunnyside Irrigation District and California farmer Ben DuVal filed to intervene in the tribes’ lawsuit. They argue an injunction would have a devastating effect on local agriculture, and claim there is no scientific evidence linking higher water levels in Upper Klamath Lake with healthier sucker populations.

Both the shortnose and Lost River suckers — known to the tribes as C’waam and Koptu — were listed as endangered in 1988.

The tribes’ lawsuit, filed in May, claims the bureau continues to operate the Klamath Project “in a manner inimical to the continued existence and ultimate recovery of the C’waam and Koptu and in direct violation of the (Endangered Species Act).”

Don Gentry, tribal chairman, said the intent is not to harm agriculture, but to do what is necessary to protect the fish.

If the Klamath Tribes succeed with their injunction for more water in Upper Klamath Lake, Johnson said it would essentially shut down surface water irrigation for about 360 square miles (932 square kilometers) in the project.

South Carolina
3 dating app related crimes lead to warnings from police

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina police department is promoting safety tips for online daters after recent meetings turned into criminal cases.

The Greenville News reports that the warnings from the Greenville Police Department follow three incidents.

Police reports indicate two cases are thought to be linked to the same individuals. In each instance, a man met a woman using the mobile dating app Plenty of Fish. In each of the July 16 incidents, the men went to a designated meeting point, only to be assaulted and robbed by two to three other men.

The third case involved a man picking up another man he had just met on the dating app Grindr. Police said the victim passed out at some point and later determined that he had been raped.
No arrests have been made in the cases. All three remain under investigation, police said.

Greenville police are now reminding users of mobile dating apps to use caution whenever meeting someone for the first time. The department has posted a safety video about dating apps on its Facebook page.

Those using dating apps are urged to do their own background check on the individual to see what comes up on a web search and see if they have other social media profiles. This ensures that the person on the app is using their true identity when asking about a date.

Residents are also reminded to pick a safe, public space when meeting with the individual for the first time.

Lentz also said to make sure at least one other person knows about your date, to include where and when the date will take place.

She said it’s possible that such incidents are happening more often but that victims are too embarrassed to come forward.

Maryland
Man convicted in son’s 2012 death now charged in 2nd death

BALTIMORE (AP) — A Baltimore man who spent almost three years in prison for child abuse that caused the death of his infant son is now charged with killing his girlfriend’s son as well.

Baltimore police announced the first-degree murder charge Monday against 35-year-old Francois Browne in the death of 18-month-old Zaray Gray. Media outlets report the toddler died last week with a broken clavicle and internal injuries.

Police wrote in charging documents that Zaray stopped breathing after Browne took him to a playground Wednesday. Browne told police Zaray fell while going down a slide.

Browne was convicted of child abuse resulting in death after his 7-month-old son Kendall suffered fractured ribs and bleeding in his brain in 2012.

Brown is now held without bail. Online court records didn’t list an attorney.

Nevada
Judge denies new sentence for confessed child killer

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A state court judge in Las Vegas has denied a request to resentence a confessed killer who has lost several appeals of his life prison term in the 1997 rape and strangulation of a girl.

District Judge Douglas Smith in an order Monday said Jeremy Strohmeyer’s actions were the result of “pre-existing motives” and not impulsive adolescent behavior, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported .

Strohmeyer was 18 years old when he killed 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson inside the Primadona Resort and Casino near the Nevada-California border. He avoided death row by pleading guilty to murder, kidnapping and sexual assault. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Strohmeyer has argued that he was pressured into taking the plea deal by his lawyers at the time. Strohmeyer’s attorneys have since argued he lacked the emotional maturity to control adolescent impulses.

At a court hearing earlier this year, Laurence Steinberg, a Temple University psychology professor, told the judge that “young people are more impetuous and impulsive than adults, so they’re more likely to make decisions without thinking about them or thinking about future consequences.”

Attorney Tom Pitaro said he intends to appeal the decision to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Prosecutors have said they would seek the death penalty if Strohmeyer gets a new sentencing hearing.