At a Glance . . .

 Evidence issues set in  referee death case

DETROIT (AP) — Jurors in the case of a Detroit-area soccer player charged with killing a referee won’t hear about a past assault conviction.

A Wayne County judge held a hearing last week to go through pre-trial matters in the case against Bassel Saad. He’s charged with second-degree murder in the death of John Bieniewicz, who was punched in the head during a game.

In 2005, Saad struck another player and was convicted of assault. Judge Thomas Cameron says it can’t be used by prosecutors, but they can show photos of Saad extending his middle finger as he drove away from the field in Livonia last summer.

A trial is expected next year. Saad’s lawyer says the second-degree murder charge is excessive.

Court to weigh impact of law on police

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will consider whether police must comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act when confronting armed or violent suspects who are mentally ill.
 
The justices said Tuesday they will hear an appeal from the City and County of San Francisco arguing that disability laws do not apply to officers facing violent circumstances.

The case arose when two San Francisco police officers checked on Teresa Sheehan, a woman with a history of mental health problems. She pulled a knife and the officers ended up shooting her.

A federal district court rejected Sheehan's claims that the officers and the city violated disability laws and entered her room without a valid search warrant. 

But an appeals court reversed, saying the officers should face a trial on both issues.
 

Girl wins settlement in suit against district

ORONO, Maine (AP) — A court is awarding a transgender girl $75,000 in a settlement of her lawsuit against a school district where administrators made her use a staff bathroom.
 
Nicole Maines won her lawsuit against the Orono school district in January at the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. The Portland Press Herald reports a lower court awarded her the settlement last week. Penobscot County Superior Court issued an order Nov. 25 that prohibited the district from “refusing access by transgender students to school restrooms that are consistent with their gender identity.”

The order says the district must pay $75,000 to Boston-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders and Berman Simmons, a Portland law firm that represented Maines. The money will cover legal expenses and related costs.
 

Police: Man fits in a nap after break-in

 
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Police have arrested a 28-year-old man who they say broke into an Austin business, stole a couple of sausages and fell asleep.
 
KXAN-TV reports that surveillance video from Hudson Meats shows the man trying to break down the front door for about 20 minutes.

The intruder then takes some sausages from the meat-processing business, goes back outside and then returns, grabbing a coat and falling asleep in the back office.

Austin police officers woke up Ricardo Cardona, who told police he’d been out drinking, and charged him with criminal trespassing. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Cardona has an attorney.
The store owner says insurance money paid for a replacement door.

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