Nevada
2nd forensic investigator reaches gender discrimination deal
RENO, Nev. (AP) - The second of two female forensic investigators who sued the Washoe County sheriff's office for gender discrimination has won a $124,000 settlement for alleged violations of federal equal pay laws.
A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit last week after Toni Leal-Olsen and Washoe County reached the settlement.
The county agreed to pay her more than $102,000 in back pay and pension credit, plus well nearly $22,000 in attorney fees and costs. Both said the "compromise settlement ... shall not be an admission of any liability or obligation."
The county agreed last year to pay $62,000 to Leal-Olsen's co-plaintiff, Marci Margritier. The county board of commissioners approved Leal Olsen's settlement in February.
The sheriff's office hired Leal-Olsen in 1996 and Margritier in 2000 as forensic technicians.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Reno in July 2017 said two male counterparts were paid annual base salaries $10,000 higher for performing the same jobs under the same conditions.
Among other things, they investigated crime scenes, developed fingerprints, prepared photographs, did autopsy-related work, collected physical evidence from deceased crime victims and testified as expert witnesses in court
"Defendants intentionally discriminated against Leal-Olsen and Margritier, based on their gender, by paying them less than their male counterparts, who performed the same or substantially equal work," the suit said.
It said the two women first complained about their job classification distinguishing them from deputies who worked as forensic investigators who did the same work. Their titles eventually were changed but their requests for raises were denied, the suit said.
"Such reasons were not predicated on the actual work performed, or the skills, efforts, responsibilities or conduction of work ... and the resulting difference in pay was not rooted in legitimate business-related differences in work responsibilities and qualifications for the particular positions at issue," the suit said.
The Washoe County Employees Association filed a grievance on their behalf in 2017 and they filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for sex discrimination and Equal Pay Act violations. The EOC issued them a right-to-sue letter in April 2017 based on the claims regarding the county's "intentional, unlawful and discriminatory conduct."
Washoe County lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
South Dakota
Second trial scheduled in fatal stabbing
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A second trial has been set for a Rapid City woman after a jury couldn't reach a verdict on a murder charge against her.
Lorraine Swallow will be tried again beginning Sept. 9 on a second-degree murder charge in the fatal stabbing of her 28-year-old nephew, Tyrell Bull Bear, last December.
After four days of testimony from witnesses and hours of deliberation, a jury couldn't decide if the 33-year-old woman acted in self-defense.
Defense attorney Angela Colbath urged Judge Matt Brown to acquit Swallow after the jury couldn't reach a verdict, saying there was no evidence she acted with a "depraved mind." Brown declined. Prosecutor Stacy Wickre said Swallow could have walked away or asked for help after fighting with Bull Bear.
Maryland
Man described as 'career criminal' gets16 years in prison
BALTIMORE (AP) - A Baltimore man who prosecutors have described as an "armed career criminal" has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake on Thursday sentenced 32-year-old Kirk Gross to the prison term and five years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Gross has had previous felony convictions, including three armed robberies and a shooting.
In Baltimore, U.S. Attorney Robert Hur portrayed Gross as an "armed career criminal with a history of committing violent gun crimes" in Maryland's biggest city.
Prosecutors say officers also found more than 2 grams of cocaine in multiple baggies.
Ohio
Man pleads guilty to slaying, placing remains in freezer
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio man has pleaded guilty to murder, corpse abuse and other charges in the killing and dismemberment of his former girlfriend, whose remains were found in a freezer.
Thirty-three-year-old Arturo Novoa entered his pleas Thursday on dozens of felony counts in the Youngstown-area case.
Messages seeking comment were left with Novoa's attorneys.
Novoa was charged in the slaying of 28-year-old Shannon Graves, whose limbs were found in July 2017 in a freezer at a property in Campbell (CAM'-uhl), just outside Youngstown.
His sentencing is scheduled for June 14.
In a related case, prosecutors are asking a judge to vacate a plea deal for a woman charged with helping hide the remains. They allege she lied to investigators and violated the deal.
Maine
Man convicted in killing of police informant seeks new trial
AUBURN, Maine (AP) - A Maine man convicted of killing a man who told police about a friend's involvement in a burglary is seeking a new trial.
The Sun Journal reports 29-year-old Michael McNaughton has filed a petition for post-conviction review and appeal claiming his constitutional rights were violated and that his attorneys were ineffective.
Prosecutors say McNaughton and another man beat and strangled 20-year-old Romeo Parent, of Lewiston, in 2013 for being a "snitch."
McNaughton was sentenced to life in prison.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court rejected his conviction appeal in 2017.
His current petition includes nearly a dozen claims, including that his attorney failed to call necessary expert witnesses and failed to object to misleading and false statements made by the prosecutor.
Testimony on the petition will be heard next month.
Published: Mon, Jun 03, 2019
