National Roundup

Montana Lawmaker wants to make yoga pants illegal HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A Montana legislative panel moved to kill an indecent exposure bill Wednesday after the lawmaker who introduced it said he thinks yoga pants should be illegal. Members of the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to table House Bill 365, which Rep. David Moore introduced Tuesday. The proposal would have expanded the definition of indecent exposure to include garments that give the appearance of a person's buttocks, genitals, pelvis or female nipple. The Republican from Missoula said he wouldn't have a problem with people being arrested for wearing provocative clothing such as tight-fitting beige garments. Moore also said yoga pants should be illegal. Although members of the committee giggled about the bill, no discussion was allowed before a voice vote to table it. Moore and retired professor Walt Hill drafted HB 365 after last year's Bare as you Dare bicycle event outraged some residents last summer. Fearing that denying organizers an event permit would breach free speech, city officials allowed participants, many of them completely nude, to ride through downtown Missoula on Aug. 17. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1991 that state prohibitions on public nudity are constitutional given that nudity itself is not an expression. Bare as you Dare organizers call the event a celebration of body image and bicyclists' right to use public roads. Currently, a person convicted of indecent exposure three times in Montana can be sentenced to life in jail and up to $10,000. Ohio Three exonerated men wrongfully imprisoned CLEVELAND (AP) - An Ohio judge has declared three exonerated men once convicted and sentenced to death in a 1975 Cleveland slaying to have been wrongfully imprisoned, opening the door for them to receive millions of dollars in compensation. The ruling allows Wiley Bridgeman, Ricky Jackson and Kwame Ajamu to file cases in the Ohio Court of Claims. The Plain Dealer reports that under Ohio law, wrongfully imprisoned former inmates can be paid more than $40,000 for each year they were incarcerated. The three men were exonerated last year. Ajamu was released from prison in 2003. Bridgeman and Jackson were released in November after nearly 40 years behind bars. The case against them fell apart when the prosecutor's key witness - a then-13-year-old-boy - recanted his testimony in 2013. Massachusetts No charges for woman who threw bacon at police FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (AP) - A judge has dismissed charges against a Massachusetts woman who threw uncooked bacon and sausage inside a police station while saying she was there to "feed the piggies." Lindsey McNamara, of Ashland, was charged with disorderly conduct and malicious destruction of property after the Dec. 26 incident, which was caught on video surveillance. Police say the 24-year-old McNamara entered the Framingham station with a box of meat and started throwing it and smearing it on the dispatch window. A judge Wednesday dismissed the destruction charge, saying police had provided little evidence that McNamara had damaged anything. The MetroWest Daily News reports that the judge said the charge could be restored if police can prove damage. The disorderly conduct charge will be dismissed upon payment of $150 in court costs. Kentucky @ROUND UP Briefs Headline:Grand jury clears college athlete of rape charge LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - A grand jury has cleared Kentucky defensive end Lloyd Tubman of a rape charge. The Courier-Journal quoted Fayette County Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson (http://cjky.it/1AZJc0K) as saying Wednesday night that the county grand jury heard evidence during three days before deciding not to return an indictment against the freshman. Larson said Tubman, the alleged victim and investigators testified during the closed proceedings. Tubman, who did not play for the team this season, was arrested and charged in October and pleaded not guilty. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing, sending the case to a grand jury. The newspaper said that Tubman's attorney, Jim Lowry, declined to comment. Ohio Court: Trash bin evidence justifies search warrant COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld the use of evidence of alleged drug activity pulled from a trash bin for the issuing of a Cleveland search warrant. The court's ruling said the trash, along with tips and background information, was sufficient proof for issuing the warrant. The unanimous decision Thursday involved the 2012 indictment of Lauren Jones of Cleveland on eight felony counts related to making and selling methamphetamine. Justice Judith Lanzinger said lower courts that threw out the search warrant improperly ruled that the evidence, including empty bottles of chemicals associated with meth production, had to be considered apart from other evidence. Lanzinger said police linked Jones' address to meth activity from multiple sources. A message was left with Jones' attorney seeking comment. Florida Police: Marital issues may have led to shooting MELBOUNE, Fla. (AP) - Investigators say marital issues may have caused a man to shoot his wife in a food court at Melbourne Square mall. The Jan. 17 shooting injured Idanerys Garcia-Rodriguez and killed 36-year-old pizza restaurant owner Leonardo Coppola. Rodriguez then fatally shot himself. Police said Thursday that the couple had been having marital problems for about six months. They say the 33-year-old woman may have told her 57-year-old husband that morning that their marriage was over. She has recovered from her injuries and is cooperating with authorities. Witnesses have told investigators that Rodriguez was "very jealous." Surveillance video from the mall shows a man believed to be Rodriguez approaching the victims in the restaurant. About 10 to 12 shots were fired. Police are awaiting a final report from the medical examiner Published: Fri, Feb 13, 2015