Washington
Police: Man arrested after body parts found
SEATTLE (AP) - Three body parts - including a foot - found in a homeowner's recycling bin likely belong to a woman who was reported missing Saturday morning, Seattle police said Monday.
Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole said at an evening news conference that an arrest had been made in the case and detectives believe the human remains are that of Ingrid Lyne, a 40-year-old mother of three who works as a nurse in Seattle.
"All evidence leads in the direction of that missing woman," O'Toole said.
Friends of Lyne said they last saw her Friday afternoon and that she had planned to go on a date to a Mariners baseball game Friday night with someone she met online.
The King County Medical Examiner's Office will make the final determination of identity.
Police arrested John Robert Charlton, 37, on Monday morning in Snohomish County, north of Seattle. He's been booked into jail on investigation of homicide. It wasn't immediately clear if Charlton had an attorney.
Police don't believe there are any other suspects, O'Toole said.
A homeowner in Seattle called police at 4 p.m. Saturday after discovering the body parts. Police say the body parts had been packaged in plastic bags and placed in the bin sometime late Friday or on Saturday. The bin had been emptied of recyclables Friday.
Police previously described the remains as fresh. They said they had searched other bins in the area and found nothing of note.
Police are still searching for Lyne's vehicle, a grey 2015 Toyota Highlander with Washington license plates.
New York
Lawsuit: School gave 'Dora' actress a pass
NEW YORK (AP) - The teenage actress who voices Nickelodeon's spunky "Dora the Explorer" character was given special treatment after she was caught vaping in a private high school bathroom, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by another student's parents.
The parents of a 14-year-old former student at Manhattan's Avenues: The World School, identified as M.S. in a state Supreme Court civil case, say their child was forced out of the private school while 15-year-old actress Fatima Ptacek was only suspended for three days after they were caught using a vapor pen to inhale caramel-flavored water last December.
The lawsuit refers to Ptacek by her initials but identifies her as being the voice of Dora and an actress in an Oscar-winning movie.
"The fact that F.P. is a known actress for being the voice of Dora Explorer may have played a role in why she was ultimately not expelled even after the school threatened as much, and M.S. was expelled instead as a scapegoat," says the lawsuit by the parents, Nadia Leonelli and Fredrik Sundwall.
Ptacek's publicist did not return a request for comment on Monday. Neither did a spokesman for Nickelodeon.
School spokesman Bruce Bobbin said disciplinary matters are "private and confidential," and he declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Leonelli and Sundwall want their daughter reinstated in the school and are seeking $40,000 in damages to cover tuition payments and legal fees, according to their court filing. Their daughter had never been in trouble before and succumbed to peer pressure because she wanted to appear "cool" in front of Ptacek, the lawsuit said.
"Dora the Explorer," which premiered in 2000, features a bilingual Latina main character and her adventures inside an animated world. Ptacek voiced the title role from 2012-2015 and has voiced Dora's character on the spinoff "Dora and Friends: Into the City!" since 2014, according to her website.
Connecticut
Man turns self in on charge of stealing television
NORWALK, Conn. (AP) - Police say a man charged with stealing a television in Connecticut 27 years ago flew from his Florida home and voluntarily turned himself in last weekend after recently learning there was a warrant out for this arrest.
Police in Norwalk, Connecticut, tell The Hour newspaper that 60-year-old Randy Iannacone, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, arrived at headquarters Sunday with the letter notifying him of the warrant.
Iannacone was arrested and charged with third-degree larceny. He was released with a promise to appear in court next week.
The charge stemmed from the 1989 theft of a television from the Norwalk Jewish Center, where Iannacone worked as a custodian.
Lieutenant Paul Resnick says it was "pretty cool" that Iannacone turned himself in.
Iannacone didn't immediately respond to the paper's requests for comment.
Florida
School suspends teacher for asking gender questions
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A Tampa, Florida, middle school teacher has been suspended after parents complained that she gave students a questionnaire on personal information including their sexual orientation, gender identity and religion.
School officials said 23-year-old Yoselis Ramos didn't collect the forms given to seventh and eighth grade Spanish students at Monroe Middle School, but that she used the April 4 assignment as a starting point for discussion on inequality. The lesson was aimed at discussing how much privilege various groups have.
Hillsborough County School District spokeswoman Tanya Arja told local news outlets the district doesn't collect such information on students.
When parents complained to principal Peter Megara the next day, Ramos was immediately suspended. He sent a recorded message about the assignment to parents.
Arja says an investigation should be completed this week. While Ramos isn't teaching, Arja didn't provide her current assignment.
Georgia
Wild arrest: Viper, cobras, gator seized from home
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Georgia wildlife authorities say they've arrested a man accused of keeping exotic snakes, an alligator and other critters inside a zoo-like home in suburban Atlanta.
An arrest warrant lists a Gaboon viper, two cobras, an alligator, a squirrel and a raccoon among animals seized from the Gwinnett County home of Jesus Cruz-Concepcion. Jail records show that he is charged with unlawful possession of wildlife and marijuana possession.
WSB-TV reports that Cruz-Concepcion was taken into custody Sunday by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
WSB reports that on Monday, he had an initial court appearance where his bond was set at $22,000. Jail records do not list an attorney who could be reached for comment on his behalf.
Published: Wed, Apr 13, 2016
