Court Roundup

Pennsylvania Sexting extortionist sentencing delayed PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The sentencing hearing has been delayed for a Pittsburgh-area man who extorted sexually explicit cellphone images from teen girls using information he downloaded from the cellphone of a female relative. Friday's sentencing of 41-year-old Russell Freed in Pittsburgh was postponed indefinitely because of a last-minute medical issue. Prosecutors want a federal judge to sentence Freed to far more than the 15-year minimum sentence he faces for posting as a young woman and blackmailing teen victims through their Facebook pages. Freed's attorney says his client didn't realize the girls who sent him pictures were minors. The attorney says Freed contacted the teens using the discarded cellphone of a 21-year-old female relative and assumed that woman's "contacts" were also about that age. Authorities say the girls' pages made clear they were students. Kentucky Judge sets trial for Jan. in case of father killed HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A judge in southwestern Kentucky has set a Jan. 22 trial date for a man charged with murder in the shooting death of his father. Christian County Circuit Judge Andrew Self set the date for Darrell Tidwell of Oak Grove after attorneys in the case couldn't come to an agreed time in September, October or November because of scheduling issues, the Kentucky New Era reported. Kentucky State Police arrested Tidwell in November after an argument between Tidwell and his father, 86-year-old Kenneth Tidwell , escalated to a shooting. Kenneth Tidwell told police he shot his father as the two wrestled for a gun. Tidwell later tried to hang himself in jail. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital in LaGrange where he was found competent to stand trial. Illinois Prosecutors: Cellini deserves 8 years in prison CHICAGO (AP) -- Federal prosecutors in Chicago contend that longtime Illinois powerbroker William Cellini deserves to go to prison for up to eight years. A federal jury convicted Cellini in November of conspiring to shake down the Oscar-winning producer of "Million Dollar Baby" for a contribution to imprisoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's campaign. Cellini is scheduled to be sentenced July 23. Prosecutors have filed a sentencing memorandum in Cellini's case that argues for a "meaningful" prison sentence and contends giving him probation would "send exactly the wrong signal." The prosecutors, however, note they'd understand if U.S. District Judge James Zagel gives Cellini less than eight years due to his age and health problems. The 77-year-old Cellini recently suffered a blood clot, just weeks after he had a heart attack. Oklahoma Hearing ends when witness admits to hallucinating NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- The preliminary hearing for a man charged with murder stopped abruptly when the prosecution's key witness admitted on the witness stand that he saw his alter ego in the courtroom. Brandon Reed was testifying against Billy Dean Battenfield when a defense attorney asked about an alter ego named "Max." Reed testified that "Max" was in the courtroom. Special Judge Steve Stice then halted the hearing, ordered a competency evaluation for Reed and placed a gag order on the proceedings. Battenfield has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the November beating, suffocation and stabbing death of 80-year-old Clair Owen Pollard. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty. Reed was testifying as part of a plea deal with prosecutors and said he and Battenfield killed Pollard during a robbery. Montana Court: No marijuana transactions between providers HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- The Montana Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's decision that says medical marijuana providers can't exchange delivery or cultivation services with each other or with contractors. Lee Newspapers of Montana reports that the justices upheld Kalispell District Judge Stewart Stadler's decision in a 5-0 ruling last week. Stadler had ruled against three caregivers, two couriers and the Medical Marijuana Growers Association. They had asked the judge to declare that state law allowed them to work together to manufacture, transport and deliver marijuana. Justice Patricia Cotter wrote in the Supreme Court opinion that a caregiver is authorized to provide marijuana to qualifying patients only. The court is also considering whether to uphold a judge's block of a 2011 law that would ban commercial sales of medical marijuana. Georgia Reports: Worker raised concerns before teen died MABLETON, Ga. (AP) -- A caseworker raised serious concerns about a teenage girl more than 20 months before she died at age 16, weighing just 43 pounds, documents from Georgia's child protection agency show. CBS Atlanta obtained documents from the Georgia Division of Family and Children's Services showing the caseworker visited the home of Markea Berry in November 2010. The girl's ribs were visible, the caseworker wrote in her reports, also noting that she had concerns the child was being isolated in a room and was not being fed. The state agency closed the investigation on Dec. 10, 2010, after telling the girl's mother she needed to schedule medical exams for her children, the documents show. They do not indicate whether those appointments were ever scheduled. Police last month arrested the girl's mother, 38-year-old Ebony Espree Berry, who is now facing a murder charge. DFCS Director Ron Scroggy declined to be interviewed by the station. Berry's attorney told a judge Thursday the murder charge is too strict because the woman couldn't control her daughter's actions, WSB-TV reported. Berry told investigators she didn't want to be ridiculed for how the teenager looked and was afraid if she took her to a doctor, she'd be charged, Detective Chris Twiggs said. Published: Mon, Jul 16, 2012