Court Roundup

Oregon Man accused of threatening to kill former teachers PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon authorities have arrested a man who posted a threat on the Internet suggesting he planned to kill former teachers at two Christian schools he attended. Zachariah M. Peterson, 29, was arrested Friday morning after police and federal agents traced the IP address from an online posting that described plans to find the teachers and "mow them down with a shotgun," according to a federal criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Portland. Police learned about the threats on Thursday when the host of an unidentified online community forum emailed them about a disturbing Sept. 4 post, reported The Oregonian. The poster said he was abused by teachers and administrators at a Christian middle school. He wrote that he would "enter the middle-schooler building" and "catch each one of the abusive teachers and mow them down with a shotgun," according to the complaint. The poster said he would then enter the elementary school building to kill as many of his alleged abusers as possible as well as personnel in the administrative office, the federal affidavit said. Court records do not identify the schools Peterson is accused of targeting. FBI agents, state police, Portland police investigators and members of the FBI-led Portland Joint Terrorism Task Force visited the Southwest Portland mailing address associated with the poster's IP on Thursday. Peterson let investigators into the home, where they found four guns and ammunition. According to the affidavit, Peterson admitted to writing the online threats and was taken into custody. The guns found in Peterson's apartment were a Mossberg shotgun, a .22-caliber handgun, a 10-22 Ruger rifle with two 25-round magazines attached and one Remington 700 rifle with a Leupold scope, FBI special agent kevin J. Strauss wrote in the criminal complaint affidavit. Peterson is charged with possessing a weapon as a felon. He was convicted in 2007 of felony possession, manufacturing and distribution of marijuana, according to court records. Nevada DA: Driver well over DUI limit in crash that killed 2 LAS VEGAS (AP) - The district attorney in Las Vegas says blood tests show that a Las Vegas man was 2.5 times over the legal limit for alcohol before a fiery three-vehicle crash that killed a tour bus driver and a German tourist. Jonathan Donner remained hospitalized Monday and unable to appear in court while charges were filed in the Sept. 5 crash at a busy downtown Las Vegas intersection. Killed were Jose Francisco Cosenza of Las Vegas and a 34-year-old German whose name hasn't been made public. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson says the 25-year-old Donner faces two charges of DUI causing death and three charges of DUI causing substantial bodily harm. Police say Donner was driving a BMW that hit the shuttle bus, causing it to overturn and burst into flames. @ROUND UP Tagline:New York Former Cornell student on trial in father's slaying ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - A former Ivy League college student is on trial for the shotgun slaying of his father at the family's suburban Rochester home earlier this year. Charles Tan is in Monroe County Court in Rochester Monday, where lawyers will choose a jury for the 19-year-old's second-degree murder trial. The former Cornell University student is charged with fatally shooting 49-year-old businessman Liang "Jim" Tan at the family's home in the upscale suburb of Pittsford, just southeast of Rochester, in February. Tan's attorney claims that Jim Tan was abusive for years toward Tan and the teen's brother and mother. Pennsylvania Man facing retrial after acquittals, hung jury in killing ERIE, Pa. (AP) - Northwestern Pennsylvania prosecutors say they'll retry a man who's accused of killing an aspiring rapper. Keith Horton's first trial ended in a homicide acquittal and a hung jury on voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in the death of 21-year-old Arbie Wilson Jr. The Erie Times-News reports Monday the Erie County District Attorney's Office is seeking convictions on the deadlocked charges. Prosecutors say they're still considering whether to retry Horton's co-defendant Jameele Williams. Horton and Williams were convicted of recklessly endangering a man who survived the shooting but did not testify. Prosecutors say Wilson was killed when a fight spilled out of the lounge at the Downtown Erie Hotel. They say Horton and Williams pursued Wilson and killed him in the drive-thru lane of a closed bank. Connecticut @ROUND UP Briefs Headline:Teacher pleads not guilty to taking photos STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - A former Connecticut high school teacher accused of taking "upskirt" photos and videos of female students has pleaded not guilty. Court records show Brien McMahon High School administrators and police received complaints from students in May saying 30-year-old David Marchetti was taking cellphone photos and videos from an "upward angle from the bottom of shorts and skirts." He was placed on administrative leave May 5 and he resigned on June 30. Marchetti, of Greenwich, is charged with felony voyeurism and felony risk of injury to a minor. Illinois Ex-officer charged with threatening investigators CHICAGO (AP) - A retired Chicago police officer is charged with threatening to harm a coroner and other officials who are investigating the fatal shooting of a northern Illinois officer unless they categorized that death a suicide, authorities said Sunday. Joseph A. Battaglia, 54, was arrested at his suburban Chicago home on Saturday on two counts of felony disorderly conduct and remains behind bars at the Lake County Jail on $100,000 bond, Lake County Sheriff's Office said. The Oak Lawn man is due in court again Tuesday. The Sept. 1 shooting death of Fox Lake Police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz prompted a massive manhunt for potential suspects. But the county coroner, Dr. Thomas Rudd, said last week that he couldn't rule the death a homicide, an accident or suicide. Gliniewicz, a 30-year police veteran who was nearing retirement, radioed he was chasing three suspects before the shooting, but no suspects have been arrested. Battaglia allegedly threatened Rudd and his staff and task-force investigators in a telephone call Friday. In a statement announcing the allegations Sunday, the sheriff's department didn't offer other details, including Battaglia's possible motive. Published: Tue, Sep 15, 2015