Wyoming
Couple accused of keeping child in outdoor cage
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - Authorities in Wyoming are pressing felony charges against a man and a woman alleging they kept a 7-year-old child in an outdoor cage.
The Laramie Boomerang reports that the child's mother and the man face one count each of child abuse and three counts each of felonious restraint.
The pair were arrested July 24 after Albany County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a tip that the child was caged outside a home on Fox Creek Road.
The man faces a circuit court hearing Thursday. The mother already has been bound over to district court.
Deputies said the child reported living in the cage on and off for three weeks, taking meals there and sleeping there overnight even during rainstorms.
Neither defense attorney was available for comment Tuesday.
New York
Woman found with stolen snake after car crash
NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. (AP) - Authorities say a New York woman who crashed her car into a Long Island fire house was found to be in possession of marijuana - and a stolen snake wrapped around her neck.
Nassau County police say 22-year-old Sarah Espinosa, of Albany, was driving on Jericho Turnpike on Monday when she crossed the median and collided with a vehicle. They say she continued through the front door of the New Hyde Park fire house and hit two fire trucks.
Fire personnel found a small ball python around her neck.
Authorities say the snake was stolen from a nearby pet store before the accident.
Espinosa was arraigned Tuesday on charges including petit larceny, reckless endangerment and driving while intoxicated. Bail was set at $5,000.
A court-appointed lawyer did not immediately comment.
Tennessee
Man pleads guilty in package-bomb deaths of in-laws
LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) - A Tennessee man pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges that he killed his mother- and father-in-law with a package bomb, and prosecutors said he killed the couple because he owed them thousands of dollars.
Richard Parker entered the plea Tuesday in Wilson County Circuit Court in a deal that calls for him to serve life in prison without parole.
Parker is the son-in-law of Jon and Marion Setzer, who were killed after a package bomb exploded at their house in February. Parker lived directly behind them in rural Wilson County, which is about 30 miles east of Nashville.
Prosecutors also revealed a motive in the deaths, saying Parker owed the Setzers thousands of dollars.
Parker became emotional at times as prosecutors recounted details of the crime.
The blast killed 74-year-old Jon Setzer, a retired lawyer. His wife, 72-year-old Marion Setzer later died at a Nashville hospital from her injuries.
Video surveillance showed Parker buying items at a local Walmart to make the bomb.
Before his arrest, Parker sat for hours at Marion Setzer's bedside along with her other children, said Kevin Ulmet, senior pastor of the Nashville First Church of the Nazarene.
Parker's pastor said there was never any sign of trouble between the son-in-law and the Setzers.
Richard and his wife, Laura, were longtime members of the church, Ulmet said. The Setzers had been members for years before moving to Lebanon, but they still had close ties to the Nashville congregation, he said.
Parker had been in trouble before. In 1990, he burned down a home that he was supposed to be renovating. In that case, his father-in-law, who concentrated his practice around estates and trusts, helped represent him. Setzer's former law partner said the father-in-law helped because he didn't believe the arson charge was justified.
Parker served four years of probation and was ordered to pay $40,000 restitution.
New Mexico
Man blames robbery on stomach scratch
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - An Albuquerque man facing robbery and larceny charges says he merely scratched his stomach and didn't pull a gun when a grocery store clerk handed him cash.
KRQE-TV reports that Patrick Silva told police he only asked for change Sunday when a grocery store clerk thought he was robbing her and handed him more than $1,600.
Silva told police anyone handed lots of cash would take it and run, so that's what he did.
But the cashier told authorities Silva threatened to shoot her if she didn't turn over the money during a robbery.
Police found Silva at a nearby gas station lying in the bed of a pickup.
Silva is being held on $10,000 cash or surety bond.
It was not known if he had an attorney.
Ohio
Man, 90, gets 4 years in wife's 'mercy' killing
ELYRIA, Ohio (AP) - A 90-year-old Ohio man has been sentenced to four years in prison for killing his wife of 65 years - but he could be released after serving six months.
Robert Shaw from the Cleveland suburb of Avon was originally charged with aggravated murder for smothering his 84-year-old wife, Virginia, in November 2008. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in June as part of a plea deal.
Shaw's daughter thanked prosecutors and the Lorain County judge during a hearing Monday for how they treated their father.
Shaw's attorney had said his client killed his sick wife to end her suffering caused by medical problems. The attorney said Monday his client accepts responsibilities for his actions and is at peace with the sentence.
New York
Flea infestation shuts down courthouse
ALBION, N.Y. (AP) - A western New York courthouse is closed for a second consecutive day because of an infestation of fleas.
New York state court officials tell The Daily News of Batavia that the Orleans County Courthouse in Albion was closed Monday and will remain closed Tuesday.
The courthouse includes the Orleans County state Supreme Court and county and Surrogate courts. Family Court matters have been shifted to the village hall in rural Albion, located 30 miles west of Rochester.
Court system officials say remediation work began Monday against a flea infestation was found throughout the courthouse. Officials say the courthouse should reopen Wednesday morning.
Published: Wed, Aug 06, 2014
