Pennsylvania
Parents charged after toddler slips into wolf area and gets hurt at Hersheypark zoo
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — The parents of a toddler who suffered a minor injury at a Pennsylvania theme park zoo after squeezing through a fence near a wolf enclosure and making contact with one of the animals have been charged with endangering the welfare of children, police said.
Evidence showed that the parents both walked about 25 to 30 feet (7.6 meters to 9.1 meters) away from the child to a seating area with benches and appeared to be paying attention to their cellphones when they noticed what was happening Saturday at ZooAmerica in the Hersheypark theme park, police said in a news release.
The child went through a small opening in a wooden barrier perimeter fence and entered a restricted area near the wolf exhibit, the Derry Township Police said. The child reached a primary metal fence enclosure and was hurt after placing a hand through that fencing.
“From the injuries sustained, it appears as though one of the wolves in the enclosure instinctively and naturally grabbed onto the child’s hand with its mouth. Several bystanders intervened and helped pull the child away,” police said in the release.
The parents, of Lititz, Pennsylvania, were charged with the misdemeanor offense after an initial investigation and consultation with the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office, police said. Court records posted Monday showed that both await a preliminary hearing on April 28. There were no attorneys listed for them. A phone number associated with one of the parents was not working Tuesday.
The zoo is part of the entertainment complex in Hershey, featuring a chocolate-themed amusement park. The zoo’s website says it has three gray wolves.
The zoo had said in a statement that the wolf’s response “is consistent with natural animal behavior, and was not a sign of aggression.
“Our habitats are designed with multiple layers of protection, and clear signage and barriers are in place to help ensure safe viewing. Guests are expected to remain within designated areas and closely supervise children at all times,” it said.
Hersheypark made headlines last summer when a lost boy wandering a monorail line above a crowd was rescued by a park visitor who climbed onto a building and jumped onto the rails. The child was unharmed and reunited with his family.
Oklahoma
Attorneys say basketball player who died after game wasn’t given proper care
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Lawyers for the family of an Oklahoma junior college basketball player who died after suffering a head injury during a game said Thursday the student had been struck by another player’s elbow and accused the team of not providing proper medical care before putting him back on the court.
Ethan Dietz, 20, died on Nov. 25 after being hit in the head during a basketball game in Texas three days earlier. He was a student at Connors State College in the small town of Warner, Oklahoma.
The school provided few details after Dietz’s death about how he was injured and what care was provided. A spokesperson for the junior college, which has roughly 3,000 students, did not address questions about what kind of medical care Dietz received after his injury in a statement released on Thursday.
“Connors State College’s top priority at this time remains caring for Ethan’s family, the team and the CSC community as they continue to mourn this heartbreaking loss,” the statement said. “The college is unaware of any active or pending litigation related to this matter and is unable to comment on any potential claim.”
Several weeks after Dietz’s death, the college announced that Bill Muse, CSC’s longtime men’s basketball coach and athletics director, was stepping down from the program for “personal reasons.”
Michael Holden, an attorney for the family, alleged in a statement that Dietz was denied immediate medical evaluation and was put back in the game after the injury.
Dietz joined his team on the two-hour bus ride home and was taken to a hospital after having seizures in his dorm room, according to Holden. The law firm said it was investigating the death but has not filed a lawsuit.
Telephone and email messages left Thursday with the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office were not immediately returned. According to Holden’s
statement, a coroner who examined Dietz’s body reported the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head and a collection of blood between his skull and brain.
Dietz was a 6-foot-8 forward from Conway, Arkansas, who was averaging 11 points per game through eight games last season.
Krystal Dietz said in the statement provided by Holden that her son dreamed of becoming a Division I basketball player.
“He grinded year-round to better himself for the upcoming season,” Dietz said. “He had the discipline, dedication, and work ethic required to see that kind of dream through, had he only been given the time.”
Connecticut
Mistrial declared after report that girl killed in 1986 had been placed in used body bag
An 11-year-old Connecticut girl who was raped and killed in 1986 was reportedly placed in a used body bag at the time, a new allegation that led to a mistrial in a murder case Monday over concerns about evidence contamination.
Marc Karun was on trial on murder and kidnapping charges in connection with the killing of Kathleen Flynn, a sixth grader who was attacked walking home from her middle school in Norwalk. Karun, now 60, once lived in Norwalk and was arrested in 2019 at his home in Stetson, Maine.
During the trial in Stamford, Connecticut, on Thursday, prosecutors disclosed that they recently received an email from a retired Norwalk police lieutenant who said a state crime lab official told him shortly after Flynn’s killing that she had been placed in a used body bag. The lieutenant, Robert Fabrizzio, said he was reporting possible evidence contamination.
Fabrizzio said the state crime lab official who told him about the body bag was Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist known for his work on the O.J. Simpson murder case and other high-profile crimes across the country. Lee, who headed the crime lab at the time, died last month at age 87. A message left at a phone listing for Fabrizzio was not immediately returned.
Judge John Blawie declared a mistrial on Monday because of concerns over the evidence, saying he believed he had no choice. But he said he would not dismiss the case.
State’s Attorney Paul Ferencek, who revealed Fabrizzio’s email in court last week, said in a statement that prosecutors will be working with the state crime lab and medical examiner’s office to see if Fabrizzio’s claim is true.
“We’re obviously disappointed by this turn of events, especially for the family members of Kathy Flynn, who have waited forty years for justice and some degree of closure,” his statement said.
The claim about the used body bag came as a surprise to crime lab officials, said Rick Green, a spokesman for the lab and agency that oversees it, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. He said forensic scientists from the lab stand by their trial testimony.
Karun’s lawyer, Francis O’Reilly, declined to comment. Karun remains detained on $5 million bond.
Norwalk police alleged Karun killed the girl on Sept. 23, 1986. He was later convicted of sexually assaulting or kidnapping four other female victims in the 1980s and served about 10 years in prison.
Police said advances in DNA testing technology, and the fact that Karun’s other attacks were similar to how Flynn was killed, led to his arrest in 2019. A state forensic lab official testified last week that testing on scrapings from Flynn’s fingernails showed that the DNA found was 22,000 times more likely to have belonged to Flynn and Karun than from the girl and another person, Hearst Connecticut Media reported.
Shortly after Karun’s arrest, police said they found nearly 90 rifles and handguns at his Maine home. He was barred from having firearms because he was a convicted felon, authorities said. Karun pleaded guilty to federal gun charges in 2024 and is set to be sentenced in that case in July, federal court records show.
Parents charged after toddler slips into wolf area and gets hurt at Hersheypark zoo
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — The parents of a toddler who suffered a minor injury at a Pennsylvania theme park zoo after squeezing through a fence near a wolf enclosure and making contact with one of the animals have been charged with endangering the welfare of children, police said.
Evidence showed that the parents both walked about 25 to 30 feet (7.6 meters to 9.1 meters) away from the child to a seating area with benches and appeared to be paying attention to their cellphones when they noticed what was happening Saturday at ZooAmerica in the Hersheypark theme park, police said in a news release.
The child went through a small opening in a wooden barrier perimeter fence and entered a restricted area near the wolf exhibit, the Derry Township Police said. The child reached a primary metal fence enclosure and was hurt after placing a hand through that fencing.
“From the injuries sustained, it appears as though one of the wolves in the enclosure instinctively and naturally grabbed onto the child’s hand with its mouth. Several bystanders intervened and helped pull the child away,” police said in the release.
The parents, of Lititz, Pennsylvania, were charged with the misdemeanor offense after an initial investigation and consultation with the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office, police said. Court records posted Monday showed that both await a preliminary hearing on April 28. There were no attorneys listed for them. A phone number associated with one of the parents was not working Tuesday.
The zoo is part of the entertainment complex in Hershey, featuring a chocolate-themed amusement park. The zoo’s website says it has three gray wolves.
The zoo had said in a statement that the wolf’s response “is consistent with natural animal behavior, and was not a sign of aggression.
“Our habitats are designed with multiple layers of protection, and clear signage and barriers are in place to help ensure safe viewing. Guests are expected to remain within designated areas and closely supervise children at all times,” it said.
Hersheypark made headlines last summer when a lost boy wandering a monorail line above a crowd was rescued by a park visitor who climbed onto a building and jumped onto the rails. The child was unharmed and reunited with his family.
Oklahoma
Attorneys say basketball player who died after game wasn’t given proper care
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Lawyers for the family of an Oklahoma junior college basketball player who died after suffering a head injury during a game said Thursday the student had been struck by another player’s elbow and accused the team of not providing proper medical care before putting him back on the court.
Ethan Dietz, 20, died on Nov. 25 after being hit in the head during a basketball game in Texas three days earlier. He was a student at Connors State College in the small town of Warner, Oklahoma.
The school provided few details after Dietz’s death about how he was injured and what care was provided. A spokesperson for the junior college, which has roughly 3,000 students, did not address questions about what kind of medical care Dietz received after his injury in a statement released on Thursday.
“Connors State College’s top priority at this time remains caring for Ethan’s family, the team and the CSC community as they continue to mourn this heartbreaking loss,” the statement said. “The college is unaware of any active or pending litigation related to this matter and is unable to comment on any potential claim.”
Several weeks after Dietz’s death, the college announced that Bill Muse, CSC’s longtime men’s basketball coach and athletics director, was stepping down from the program for “personal reasons.”
Michael Holden, an attorney for the family, alleged in a statement that Dietz was denied immediate medical evaluation and was put back in the game after the injury.
Dietz joined his team on the two-hour bus ride home and was taken to a hospital after having seizures in his dorm room, according to Holden. The law firm said it was investigating the death but has not filed a lawsuit.
Telephone and email messages left Thursday with the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office were not immediately returned. According to Holden’s
statement, a coroner who examined Dietz’s body reported the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head and a collection of blood between his skull and brain.
Dietz was a 6-foot-8 forward from Conway, Arkansas, who was averaging 11 points per game through eight games last season.
Krystal Dietz said in the statement provided by Holden that her son dreamed of becoming a Division I basketball player.
“He grinded year-round to better himself for the upcoming season,” Dietz said. “He had the discipline, dedication, and work ethic required to see that kind of dream through, had he only been given the time.”
Connecticut
Mistrial declared after report that girl killed in 1986 had been placed in used body bag
An 11-year-old Connecticut girl who was raped and killed in 1986 was reportedly placed in a used body bag at the time, a new allegation that led to a mistrial in a murder case Monday over concerns about evidence contamination.
Marc Karun was on trial on murder and kidnapping charges in connection with the killing of Kathleen Flynn, a sixth grader who was attacked walking home from her middle school in Norwalk. Karun, now 60, once lived in Norwalk and was arrested in 2019 at his home in Stetson, Maine.
During the trial in Stamford, Connecticut, on Thursday, prosecutors disclosed that they recently received an email from a retired Norwalk police lieutenant who said a state crime lab official told him shortly after Flynn’s killing that she had been placed in a used body bag. The lieutenant, Robert Fabrizzio, said he was reporting possible evidence contamination.
Fabrizzio said the state crime lab official who told him about the body bag was Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist known for his work on the O.J. Simpson murder case and other high-profile crimes across the country. Lee, who headed the crime lab at the time, died last month at age 87. A message left at a phone listing for Fabrizzio was not immediately returned.
Judge John Blawie declared a mistrial on Monday because of concerns over the evidence, saying he believed he had no choice. But he said he would not dismiss the case.
State’s Attorney Paul Ferencek, who revealed Fabrizzio’s email in court last week, said in a statement that prosecutors will be working with the state crime lab and medical examiner’s office to see if Fabrizzio’s claim is true.
“We’re obviously disappointed by this turn of events, especially for the family members of Kathy Flynn, who have waited forty years for justice and some degree of closure,” his statement said.
The claim about the used body bag came as a surprise to crime lab officials, said Rick Green, a spokesman for the lab and agency that oversees it, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. He said forensic scientists from the lab stand by their trial testimony.
Karun’s lawyer, Francis O’Reilly, declined to comment. Karun remains detained on $5 million bond.
Norwalk police alleged Karun killed the girl on Sept. 23, 1986. He was later convicted of sexually assaulting or kidnapping four other female victims in the 1980s and served about 10 years in prison.
Police said advances in DNA testing technology, and the fact that Karun’s other attacks were similar to how Flynn was killed, led to his arrest in 2019. A state forensic lab official testified last week that testing on scrapings from Flynn’s fingernails showed that the DNA found was 22,000 times more likely to have belonged to Flynn and Karun than from the girl and another person, Hearst Connecticut Media reported.
Shortly after Karun’s arrest, police said they found nearly 90 rifles and handguns at his Maine home. He was barred from having firearms because he was a convicted felon, authorities said. Karun pleaded guilty to federal gun charges in 2024 and is set to be sentenced in that case in July, federal court records show.
Florida
Environmental groups urge appeals court panel to lift halt on closing ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Environmental groups on Tuesday asked a federal appellate court panel to drop its temporary halt of a lower court’s order instructing state officials to close an immigration detention center in the heart of the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The Everglades facility remains open, still holding detainees, because the appellate court in early September relied on arguments by Florida and the Trump administration that the state had not yet applied for federal reimbursement, and therefore wasn’t required to follow federal environmental law. State officials opened the detention center last summer to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Questions by the three appellate judges during oral arguments in a Miami courtroom focused on how much control the federal government had over the state-built facility and under what circumstances an environmental review was required to be in compliance with federal law. The judges did not indicate when they would rule.
Jesse Panuccio, an attorney for the Florida Department of Emergency Management, told the judges federal funding and federal control of the facility were the two criteria for determining if the federal environmental law would apply and the federal agencies had no control over the state-run detention center.
Florida was notified in late September that FEMA had approved $608 million in federal funding to support the center’s construction and operation.
“You need both,” Panuccio said. “Even with funding, I don’t think that would follow because they don’t have federal control.”
An attorney for the environmental groups said the law requiring a review applied to the facility because the Department of Homeland Security had authorized the funding and immigration was a responsibility of the federal government, not the state.
“What is different about this property is that immigration is constitutionally a federal function,” said Paul Schwiep,” an attorney representing the Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity. “The state has no role.”
The federal district judge in Miami in mid-August ordered the facility to wind down operations over two months because officials had failed to do a review of the detention center’s environmental impact according to federal law. That judge concluded that a reimbursement decision already had been made. The appellate court halted the order on an appeal.
The environmental lawsuit was one of three federal court challenges to the Everglades facility since it opened. In the others, a detainee said Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state had no authority to operate the center under federal law. The challenge ended after the immigrant detainee who filed the lawsuit agreed to be removed from the United States.
In the third lawsuit, a federal judge in Fort Myers, Florida, ruled the Everglades facility must provide detainees there with better access to their attorneys, as well as confidential, unmonitored, unrecorded outgoing legal calls.
