New Mexico
Embarrassed burglar leaves $200, flees home with his AR-15
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The owners of a New Mexico home were doubly surprised over the weekend to find a burglar in their house with an AR-15, and then to have him apologize, give them money and leave embarrassed.
The man had slept, bathed, dined and had some beer at the home on the outskirts of Santa Fe before the owners returned and discovered him, according to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office police report cited by the Albuquerque Journal.
He had an AR-15 scoped rifle but didn’t threaten them, or take any of their jewelry or other belongings.
Instead, he gave the homeowners $200 as “reimbursement for the window he broke,” the report said.
The suspect — about 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and in his late 20s — also shared a bit of his story, telling the owners he was running from someone and that his family had been killed in east Texas, according to the report. He said his car had broken down outside Santa Fe.
The homeowners told authorities the man was “extremely embarrassed and apologetic about the situation,” the report states.
The suspect left the home with his duffel bag and gun, walking down a ditch. His alleged larcenies totaled $15, the report said.
Sheriff’s deputies came to the home and searched the ditch but didn’t find anyone.
Georgia
Bill to end license requirement for guns advances
ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia bill that would do away with the need for a license to carry a handgun in public advanced Tuesday despite concerns from a Democrat that it would make it easier for criminals to get guns and increase violence.
Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp, has backed the revocation, saying Georgia residents should have their constitutional rights protected and be able to protect themselves and their families amid a spike in violent crime.
The bill in front of the state Senate Judiciary committee Tuesday would do away with the need for a license to carry a handgun in public — either openly or concealed on one’s body. The current license requirement includes a background check to keep guns from certain people, including convicted felons.
Sen. Jason Anavitarte, the Republican co-sponsor of the so-called constitutional carry legislation, said gun purchases would still trigger background checks, and criminals were unlikely to go through the state’s permit process anyway. He also rejected concerns about the bill’s effect on violence.
“The requirement to have a permit does not deter nor disincentive a criminal from carrying a firearm concealed,” he said before the Judiciary committee passed the bill. “They will do it regardless. Permitless carry gives criminals a reason to fear that any potential victim could be armed.”
Sen. Elena Parent, a Democrat who represents parts of DeKalb County, pressed Anavitarte about the loss of a background check, suggesting he was presenting a bill that would “remove one of the very small” ways of keeping guns from criminals and certain other people.
Other Democrats on the committee questioned whether the license presented a significant burden to 2nd Amendment rights and whether law enforcement groups had been consulted.
Anavitarte said concerns about gun violence and safety were best addressed by investing in law enforcement and policing.
Georgia currently requires people to obtain a license to carry a loaded handgun outside their own homes, businesses or cars, although people can carry rifles and shotguns in many places without a permit and carry unloaded guns in cases.
To obtain a weapons license, state residents must submit an application and fee and undergo fingerprinting in addition to a background check. Convicted felons and people who have been hospitalized for mental health problems or received treatment for drugs or alcohol in the years preceding the application are not eligible.
Arkansas
Jail, doctor seek dismissal of ivermectin lawsuit
LITTLE ROCK, Ark (AP) — A northwest Arkansas jail and its doctor are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit by inmates who say they were unknowingly given ivermectin to treat COVID-19, despite health officials’ warnings that the drug shouldn’t be used for that purpose.
Attorneys for the Washington County sheriff, the county jail and Dr. Robert Karas cited several grounds in a court filing Monday for why they believe the lawsuit filed last month should be dismissed.
The four-page document says there’s no constitutional violation because “physicians are permitted to exercise medical judgment in the treatment of inmates.”
Sheriff Tim Helder in August revealed that Karas had prescribed ivermectin to treat some inmates with COVID-19.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved ivermectin for use by people and animals for some parasitic worms, head lice and skin conditions. The FDA has not approved its use in treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans. According to the FDA, side effects for the drug include skin rash, nausea and vomiting.
The inmates said they were never told ivermectin was among the medications they had been given to treat COVID-19, and instead were told they were being given vitamins, antibiotics or steroids.
Karas was originally scheduled to appear this week before the state Medical Board, which was investigating complaints about the drug’s use at the jail. But the panel has rescheduled that hearing to April due to winter storms expected to hit the region this week.
Indiana
County judge rejects blocking online school fraud lawsuit
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A judge is allowing state officials to continue with a lawsuit against several people and companies linked with two now-closed Indiana online charter schools facing allegations of a fraud scheme that cost the state more than $150 million.
A Hamilton County judge issued an order Monday rejecting arguments from those connected with Indiana Virtual School and Indiana Virtual Pathways Academy that the lawsuit was not specific enough about how they violated state law, WFYI-FM of Indianapolis reported.
The lawsuit filed by the state attorney general’s office in July accused the two online schools of padding their student enrollments and inappropriately paying money to a web of related businesses before they were shut down in 2019.
The schools closed amid a state investigation that found they improperly claimed about 14,000 students as enrolled even though they had no online course activity. A state audit linked much of the misspending to Thomas Stoughton, who headed the schools until 2017.
Judge Michael Casati ruled that the lawsuit against Stoughton could proceed, writing that its allegations provided sufficient detail.
Casati also denied requests for delays from two defendants who said they might be under an ongoing federal criminal investigation.
The FBI and federal prosecutors have declined to comment on the status of any investigation.
