National Roundup

Wisconsin
Court OKs ­unconscious drunk drivers’ blood draws
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin state Supreme Court says police can legally draw blood from unconscious drunken drivers.

The court ruled 5-2 Tuesday that drivers automatically consent to a blood draw when they drive on Wisconsin roads. The court found that drivers who drink themselves into unconsciousness forfeit any opportunity to withdraw that consent.

The ruling stems from a case involving Gerald Mitchell, who was arrested for drunken driving in Sheboygan County in 2013. He passed out after he was arrested. Police took him to a hospital for a blood draw. An officer told him he could refuse the draw, but Mitchell was still unconscious and couldn’t respond. The officer directed hospital staff to draw his blood.

Mitchell argued the draw violated his constitutional rights.

Mitchell’s attorney hasn’t commented on the ruling.

Illinois
Man convicted in 1973 death of his wife in ­suburban Chicago
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. (AP) — A 76-year-old man has been convicted in the 1973 killing of his wife in what authorities describe as a staged traffic crash in suburban Chicago.

Donnie Rudd was found guilty of first-degree murder Monday by a Cook County jury. He faces at least 14 years in prison for the death of 19-year-old Noreen Kumeta Rudd a month after they married.

Authorities initially ruled the death accidental. It was classified as a homicide after a 2013 autopsy.

Rudd, an attorney and onetime suburban school board member, was charged with murder in 2015 while living in Sugar Land, Texas.

Prosecutors say Rudd staged the crash so he could collect more than $100,000 in insurance. His attorneys say the woman died in a “tragic accident” and the case lacks solid evidence.

Georgia
Rep seeks ­primary do-over because of ballot errors
HOMER, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia lawmaker is asking a judge to order a new election because some voters received the wrong ballots in a primary that he narrowly lost.

State Rep. Dan Gasaway lost the May 22 Republican primary to Chris Erwin by 67 votes. Both men live in Homer.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports Habersham County election officials sent letters to voters saying “your address was found to have been placed in the wrong House district.”

Gasaway says the election office is a “complete disaster.” He has represented the Homer area since 2013.

An election for Hazlehurst mayor was thrown out in 2015 because of vote-buying allegations, and a Walker County state House race went through three elections in 2003 because of redistricting changes that led to voters being turned away.

New Hampshire
Court: Unmarried man can adopt adult female
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire’s Supreme Court has ruled that an unmarried man may become the adoptive father of an adult female, without changing the status of the woman’s birth mother.

The court on Tuesday reversed a judge’s earlier ruling against the adoption. But it noted there’s a lack of guidance in the statute and questioned whether the adult woman can maintain her legal relationship with her birth mother.

The judge concluded that the woman’s relationship with her birth mother must terminate upon adoption so as not to impact the newly created parent-child relationship. However, the supreme court noted that the adoption of an adult must be distinguished from the adoption of a minor, so the surrender of parental rights isn’t required.

The court said if the Legislature disagrees, it’s free to amend the statute.

New York
U.S.: Ex-federal officer went to NYC to sexually abuse girls
NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors say a former federal law enforcement officer traveled from Minnesota to New York City with plans to sexually abuse two girls.

Ex-Federal Protective Service inspector Jesse Rodriguez was arrested Sunday when he showed up to meet an undercover officer posing as a mother of 8-and-13-year-old girls.

Prosecutors say the 62-year-old Rodriguez brought condoms, lubricant, and restraints.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey ­Berman says Rodriguez chatted online with the officer since April and described in explicit terms what he wanted to do with the girls.

He’s charged with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. He faces at least 10 years in prison if convicted.

A judge ordered Rodriguez jailed pending trial. Court records don’t list a lawyer for him. No one answered a home phone number listed for him in St. Paul.

Missouri
Independence man charged in abuse that left child brain dead
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A 19-year-old suburban Kansas City, Missouri, man is facing charges accusing him of causing injuries that left a 1-year-old boy brain dead.

Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker on Monday announced child abuse charges against Carlos Alaniz of Independence.

The Kansas City Star reports that police were called to Children's Mercy Hospital and learned that the child had a lacerated liver, several broken ribs and bruises, along with signs of previous brain injury. The child is the son of Alaniz's girlfriend.

Police say Alaniz told them he struck the child because the boy would not stop crying, and he didn't like the fact that the boy looked like his biological father.

Alaniz does not yet have a listed attorney.

Connecticut
Man sentenced to 60 years for 2017 death
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man who fatally shot a man in 2017 has been sentenced to several decades in prison.

The Hartford Courant reports 33-year-old Antron Gore was sentenced to 60 years in prison at a Superior Court hearing in Hartford on Monday.

His attorney Francis O'Reilly asked the judge to order a new trial, citing juror misconduct leading to the jury's guilty verdict. The judge denied that request.

Prosecutors say Gore shot and killed 37-year-old Jasun Reddick in 2017, and that he was captured on video doing so. Gore maintains his innocence.

He was found guilty of murder and criminal use of a firearm.