Louisiana
Police: Burglary suspect identified by name on shirt
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) - Police say a suspect had his first name stenciled on a sweat shirt he wore while breaking into a western Pennsylvania taxi company where he used to work.
That's why 26-year-old Joshua Jording, of Latrobe, faces a preliminary hearing on burglary, theft and related charges Dec. 14.
State police security video showed the suspect wearing a shirt with the name "Josh" on it. They searched Jording's home and found that shirt, as well as two guns and two smartphones taken during the burglary Dec. 2 at the Veterans Cab Co. in Unity Township.
Police also found marijuana and drug paraphernalia during the search.
Jording is free on bond. He didn't immediately respond to a Facebook message and The Associated Press could not immediately locate a listed phone number for him.
Georgia
Police: Ad sought baby for mother's teen daughter
CUMMING, Ga. (AP) - Police say a Georgia woman has been arrested for placing an online ad telling mothers they could drop off unwanted babies at her home because she wanted one for her teenage daughter.
Forsyth County sheriff's Deputy Epifanio Rodriguez said in a statement Monday that detectives received a tip about the Craigslist ad, suggesting mothers drop off any unwanted baby in a "baby box."
Rodriguez says an investigation found that the 47-year-old woman placed the ad to get a baby for her 14-year-old daughter. Rodriguez says the woman said her daughter wanted a baby and would find a way to get one, so she decided to help.
Police say the daughter faces juvenile charges related to the ad.
The Associated Press doesn't generally name juveniles charged with crimes and is not naming the mother to avoid identifying the daughter.
Illinois
Ruling sought on death benefit for ex-husband, son
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) - An insurance company is asking a southern Illinois judge to decide who should inherit the $50,000 death benefit of the son and ex-husband of an Illinois woman convicted in the deaths of her two baby daughters.
Paula Sims is serving a life sentence in a northern Illinois prison. She was convicted in 1990 of first-degree murder for one daughter's death, and later pleaded guilty to charges in the death of the other daughter.
Sims' ex-husband, Robert, and son, Randall, died in June when their Jeep was forced off an Interstate 55 overpass in Mississippi. Madison Mutual Insurance Co. has filed a complaint in Madison County asking that a judge decide on the beneficiaries of their estate, including whether Paula Sims should be included.
"This is a very recognized method by which insurance companies asked the court who the appropriate beneficiaries should be," Edwardsville attorney Kevin Babb, who represents the insurance company, told the Belleville News-Democrat.
The decision by a judge would clarify how the death benefit money will be divided. Robert Sims remarried and his wife would be the sole heir to his estate, and Paula Sims would be her son's heir.
But Babb said the decision isn't that simple. He said if Robert Sims died before his son, some or all the money would be left to the son. And when the son died, his share would go to his mother, Paula Sims.
"This cause of action will clarify any possible implications as to the order of death," Babb said.
Robert Sims' wife and his brother have both made claims for the money, according to Madison Mutual's complaint.
Paula Sims has filed an affidavit saying she wants everything from her son's estate given to her ex-husband's wife. But Babb said that affidavit may not be enough to remove her from inheriting part or all of the estate.
"It's up to the judge," he said.
A judge hasn't yet been appointed, and no court date has been set for a hearing.
N. Carolina
Court to decide whether sheriffs can fire deputies
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina's Supreme Court is grappling with whether county sheriffs can fire deputies who don't donate dollars for their election campaigns.
The court heard Monday from attorneys arguing over lawsuits brought by four ex-employees fired by former Mecklenburg County Sheriff Chipp Bailey after his 2010 victory.
Justices quizzed Bailey's lawyer about whether the oath deputies take to uphold the law fairly and impartially also requires pledging support for the sheriff in office. The attorney said personal loyalty to the boss is part of the deputy's duties because sheriffs are held responsible for what their deputies do or don't do.
Courts have ruled that while deputies are paid by county taxpayers, they aren't county employees and don't enjoy the same job protections when they exercise their free speech or association rights.
Washington
Supreme Court seems to favor limits on tribal court lawsuits
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court appears ready to impose limits on lawsuits in a Native American court against people who are not members of the Indian tribe.
The justices heard arguments Monday in a closely watched appeal by Dollar General Corp. over a civil lawsuit in the court of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
The Tennessee-based company was sued in tribal court in 2005 over allegations that a store manager made sexual advances toward a 13-year-old boy placed in his store by a tribal youth employment program. Dollar General asked federal courts to block the lawsuit. Justice Anthony Kennedy and his more conservative colleagues indicated they would side with the company.
Washington
Supreme Court rejects appeal of Minnesota priest
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has turned away an appeal from a Minnesota priest who was convicted of having sex with a woman who was seeking his spiritual advice.
The justices on Monday left in place the sexual misconduct conviction of the Rev. Christopher Wenthe. The priest was convicted in 2011 of third-degree criminal sexual conduct for having sex with the woman at a meeting in which she sought counseling in 2003.
State law makes it a felony for clergy members to have sex with people they are spiritually advising. Wenthe acknowledged that he and the woman had a 15-month sexual relationship, but he denied that he was providing spiritual aid in those months.
An intermediate appeals court threw out the conviction, but the Minnesota Supreme Court reinstated it in June.
Published: Tue, Dec 08, 2015
