National Roundup

Pennsylvania Teen in 'Jihad Jane' case pleads not guilty PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A high school honors student has pleaded not guilty in federal court in Philadelphia to charges he helped the American terror suspect dubbed "Jihad Jane" raise money and recruits. Eighteen-year-old Mohammad Hassan Khalid of suburban Baltimore entered the plea Monday at his first public court appearance since his arrest in July. U.S. prosecutors say Khalid tried to recruit men to wage jihad in Europe and South Asia, and women with passports. The indictment filed last week says he met Colleen "Jihad Jane" LaRose of Pennsylvania in an Internet chat room. Neither family nor friends were in court to support Khalid. He faces a 15-year prison term and deportation to his native Pakistan if convicted. Defense lawyer Jeffrey Lindy says his client's online posts are less sinister than the government believes. Kentucky Amish charged in second county over emblem LEITCHFIELD, Ky. (AP) -- A second western Kentucky county has begun prosecuting Amish men who are refusing to put a required slow-moving emblem on their horse-drawn buggies. Three men have been charged with the misdemeanor in Grayson County, according to The Courier-Journal. One man was convicted earlier this month charges against the other two are pending. Grayson County Attorney Clay Ratley told The Courier-Journal that the prosecutions began after the Kentucky Court of Appeals turned down challenges to the law earlier this year by Amish men in Graves County, who said using the emblem is prohibited by their religion. In Graves County, eight men who refused to use the slow-moving emblem have served jail sentences after being convicted and not paying fines and court costs. New Mexico Murder trials facing delays for years LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) -- There have been five murders in the Las Cruces area so far this year, and none of the cases are ready for trial. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that Judge Fernando Macias, one of the only three judges who primarily take criminal cases, said there are just too many cases for too few prosecutors, defense attorneys, and support staff. The Dona Ana County courts have been confronting the overload for years as state budgets have shrunk staffs at the district attorney's and public defender's office. But since April, it's been especially difficult because Judge Michael Murphy is off the bench pending a bribery investigation and Judge Jim T. Martin has been assigned away from criminal cases because he is a witness in the Murphy case. Massachusetts 70-year-old Springfield man accused of murder SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- Springfield police say a 70-year-old man has been charged with murder for allegedly shooting his neighbor in a dispute that stemmed from a minor traffic accident. Walter Dorsett was arrested Sunday afternoon following the shooting that occurred at about 1 p.m. at an apartment building at the corner of State and Hancock streets. Police say the victim had been shot in the chest. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Authorities did not immediately release the victim's name or age pending notification of family. Police say the alleged shooter and victim lived in the same building. Officers say the two men had been involved in some sort of minor traffic accident earlier. Dorsett is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court. Mississippi Deputy acquitted in K-9 attack ABERDEEN, Miss. (AP) -- A Mississippi deputy has been acquitted of federal charges that he allowed his police dog to attack a man for no reason. WCBI-TV reports that a federal jury in Aberdeen on Friday found Choctaw County Deputy Billy Charles Scott innocent of charges that he allegedly allowed his dog to unnecessarily attack William "Donte" Dubose on April 1, 2010. He also was acquitted on charges of falsifying a police report. An indictment alleged Scott's K-9 bit Dubose at least three times. Prosecutor say Scott allegedly did not stop the attack until Dubose's mother came out of her house and yelled at Scott to get the dog off her son. Massachusetts Lawyer sues Boston agency, alleging discrimination BOSTON (AP) -- A white lawyer for the Boston Public Health Commission has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit in which she alleges she was passed over for promotion in favor of a less-qualified minority candidate. Christine Hayes' lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court names the commission as well as executive director Barbara Ferrer as defendants. Hayes, the commission's deputy general counsel, says in the suit she applied for the job of general counsel. One qualification for the job was a minimum of five years of civil litigation experience. The suit says the black woman hired did not meet that qualification. The suit seeks promotion to general counsel, lost wages and benefits as well as damages. A spokeswoman for the commission tells The Boston Globe they intend to fight the complaint. New York NYC man wants 88-year-old judge removed from case NEW YORK (AP) -- A 60-year-old New York City man suing for age discrimination wants the judge removed from the case because he says he's too old. Martin Stoner wrote in a judicial complaint that 88-year-old federal Judge Robert Patterson could barely see unless he put his face almost on top of a document. The Daily News says the suit was filed in March after Stoner, a violinist, was rejected from a young artists' competition limited to musicians a third his age. The judge threw out the case Oct. 7 after finding mistakes in Stone's court briefs. Stoner says the judge is biased against him because he's representing himself. He refiled the case and asked for a new judge. Patterson declined to comment. He has degrees from Harvard and Columbia Law School. Published: Tue, Oct 25, 2011