National Roundup

Florida
California ICE contractor accused in child sex sting
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A 35-year-old computer engineer working on contract for Immigration and Customs Enforcement is accused of trying to lure a Florida girl to California to fulfill a “daddy-daughter” sex fantasy.

The Palm Beach Post reports that Majid Dedihban exchanged phone calls and thousands of text messages with someone he thought was a teen-aged girl. It was a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy all along.
Federal court records show Dedihban made contact with the deputy posing as the girl in December.

Dedihban was arrested in San Diego and has agreed to be brought to Florida to face charges of attempted enticement of a minor and attempted transportation of a minor to engage in sexual activity. He’s being held without bond. A lawyer isn’t listed on records.

Wisconsin
Future of ­‘Halloween Killer’ to be determined
FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) — The future of the Wisconsin convict known as the “Halloween Killer” will be decided in a Fond du Lac County courtroom.

The proceedings will determine whether Gerald Turner will be set free or committed to a mental health facility for the rest of his life.

A state appeals court has ruled Turner’s case should be heard in Fond du Lac County, where the crime occurred in 1973. Turner was convicted of sexually assaulting and killing 9-year-old Lisa Ann French on Halloween night when she went trick-or-treating in his neighborhood.

Turner’s Feb. 1, 2018 mandatory release date prompted the state Department of Justice to file a petition to commit the 69-year-old, arguing that he is a sexually violent person and should not be released.

Turner is currently held at the Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center in Mauston.

Kansas
Man ordered to stand trial in killing of drug informant
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A judge has found sufficient evidence for a Kansas man to stand trial in the killing of a confidential drug informant whose body was found by deer hunters.

The Manhattan Mercury reports that Steven Meredith, of Junction City, was bound over for trial Wednesday on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of 48-year-old Carrie Jones.

During the preliminary hearing, witnesses testified that Meredith believed Jones might reveal information about him and others in a 2013 drug-related case. One witness testified that Meredith told her that he and another man drove Jones to a field, forced her to get out of the vehicle and then shot her.

He was arrested almost a year after her body was found in October 2017 in rural Riley County.

Alabama
Man accused of placing child in washer, dryer
COLUMBIANA, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man accused of placing a child in a clothes dryer and turning it on is charged with aggravated child abuse.

Court documents allege 25-year-old Steven Garrett Todhunter of Wilsonville repeatedly put a child in a dryer or washing machine, over the course of a year.

A warrant filed in Shelby County claims the man sometimes would use a chair to secure the dryer’s door and turn it on.

Police in Alabaster tell news outlets the man also sometimes placed the child in a washing machine and threatened to turn it on, saying the water was going to be “very hot.”

Court documents don’t list an attorney for Todhunter, who is free on bond following his arrest Saturday. He’s been ordered to avoid any contact with the child.

Tennessee
Man accused of fleeing, shooting arrow at deputies
WINCHESTER, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man is accused of ignoring deputies at a crash scene and leading them on a short-lived car chase after which he shot an arrow at them with a compound bow.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office says 39-year-old James Michael Ferguson approached the crash scene Sunday night and told deputies his car was in the wreck but then fled. Spokesman Sgt. Chris Guess tells the Chattanooga Times Free Press deputies knew who Ferguson was and decided to nix the chase and go to his home.

Guess says deputies found Ferguson’s car blocking his driveway and noticed Ferguson hiding in weeds growing nearby with a compound bow in hand. Ferguson shot an arrow, striking a cruiser and fled on foot. He was caught and arrested on charges including domestic assault.

Florida
Deputy fired, 9 released from jail after false drug arrests
STUART, Fla. (AP) — Officials say a Florida deputy has been fired, and nine people he arrested on drug charges have been released from jail.

Treasure Coast Newspapers reports that Martin County Sheriff Will Snyder announced Deputy Steven O’Leary’s termination during a news conference Tuesday.

The sheriff didn’t release any information about the nine people arrested. He said in three separate cases, O’Leary reported positive field tests for drugs, but those substances came back from laboratory testing lacking any narcotics.

O’Leary has made 80 drug-related arrests in the 11 months he worked for the sheriff’s office. Snyder says detectives combing through all those reports to make sure there aren’t any other discrepancies.

No charges were immediately filed against O’Leary. Snyder says a charge of official misconduct is possible.

Missouri
Lesbian couple’s housing ­discrimination lawsuit ­dismissed
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that alleged a suburban St. Louis senior living community discriminated against a married lesbian couple by denying them housing.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that U.S. District Judge Jean C. Hamilton said in the decision issued Wednesday that the Fair Housing Act doesn’t protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Mary Walsh and Bev Nance sued the Friendship Village location in Sunset Hills in July 2018.

After they submitted their application and a $2,000 deposit, they were notified that their request was denied. They were told Friendship Village’s cohabitation policy defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, “as marriage is understood in the Bible.”

One of the couple’s attorneys says they are considering what to do next.