National Roundup

Indiana
Court affirms man’s sentence in toddler’s death
ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana’s high court has affirmed a man’s sentence of life without parole for the 2018 killing of his girlfriend’s 18-month-old son.

A Madison County jury convicted Dylan Tate, 29, in 2019 on charges of murder, child molesting, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and other charges for Harlan Haines’ death.

In appealing his life sentence, Tate argued that the trial court erred by admitting certain testimony and that there was not enough trial evidence to support the torture and child molesting aggravators of his sentence.

But the high court, which reviewed two issues Tate had raised, ruled against him in affirming his sentence, The Herald Bulletin reported.

“We find sufficient evidence supporting these two aggravators and reject Tate’s invitation to reweigh the evidence,” the court’s opinion reads.

The court also found that the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Tate had killed Haines.

The child died in February 2018, two days after Tate brought him to an Anderson hospital, where doctors revived him after finding that he was not breathing and his heart had stopped.

Doctors noted signs of severe physical abuse on his body, according to court records. Neither Tate nor the boy’s mother, Jennifer Harris, could explain the injuries to police, officers said.

Harris, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for neglect of a dependent resulting in death. Her sentence was affirmed in February by the Indiana Court of Appeals.

Louisiana
Suspension of jury trials amid pandemic ending
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana Supreme Court is ending the suspension it enacted on jury trials around the state because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The high court announced that trial courts can resume jury trials April 1, if the local courts have determined they can meet safety protocols including social distancing provisions and mask mandates.

“It is imperative that members of the public feel safe in returning to our courthouses for jury duty,” Chief Justice John Weimer said in a statement. “Serving as a juror is one of the most important civic responsibilities to be undertaken by our citizens, and it is the courts’ responsibility to ensure their safety.”

Weimer said the Supreme Court’s decision to end the jury trial moratorium came after consultation with legal and medical experts, including the governor’s top public health adviser, Dr. Joe Kanter with the state health department, and Louisiana’s state epidemiologist, Theresa Sokol.

A backlog of cases has built up because of the delay in jury trials.

“In the past year, courts have used video technology to conduct certain legal proceedings virtually,” Weimer said. “In the current phase, with the introduction of vaccine options, it is prudent to the judicial process that we adopt practices that allow us to serve the public in person.”

Arizona
Legislator welcomes court plan to review no-knock warrants
PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona lawmaker who sought unsuccessfully to ban no-knock search warrants during the current legislative session says she is pleased that a court task force has been appointed to review how the warrants are issued and whether there should be changes to stiffen safeguards.

Democratic Rep. Alma Hernandez of Tucson sponsored a bill to ban no-knock warrants but says she is abandoning her proposal because it was amended to still allow unannounced entries by police in certain circumstances.

Hernandez told the Arizona Capitol Times that she would like to see the task force’s eventual recommendations before deciding whether she will propose a ban again next session.

Arizona is among states nationwide examining no-knock warrants in the wake of a 2020 raid in which police fatally shot Breonna Taylor in her home in Louisville, Kentucky.

Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel’s order creating the task force said no-knock warrants can create dangerous situations and that any bad outcomes “can seriously impact the public’s trust in the justice system.”

The 19-member task force is scheduled to submit its recommendations to the court by Oct. 21.

California
Ex-employee sues state legislator for   sex harassment
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A former employee of California Sen. Bob Archuleta has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Pico Rivera Democrat and the state Senate, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The former employee is referred to as “Jane Doe” in the lawsuit, which was filed last Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. She began working for the Legislature in 2006 and worked for Archuleta for 1½ years before leaving in September 2020.

The lawsuit claims Archuleta made inappropriate comments about her breasts, spoke to her about affairs he had and publicly reprimanded and embarrassed her.

The lawsuit claims she experienced workplace discrimination and retaliation after refusing his advances and had to resign after she complained of sexual harassment to a superior.

Archuleta said in an email to the Bee that the claims are false and he looks forward to disproving them in court.

The lawsuit said the employee filed a complaint with the Legislature’s Workplace Conduct Unit but it failed to carry out its duties in a timely manner.

Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, said the Senate Rules Committee was made aware of some but not all the allegations. He said the Workplace Conduct Unit’s probe is on hold because the lawsuit was filed before the investigation was complete.