National Roundup

New York
Man sentenced for killing other using brick, hockey stick
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A Buffalo man has been sentenced to prison for killing another man using a brick and a hockey stick.

Wayne Wilson was sentenced Tuesday to 20 years to life in prison. The 39-year-old pleaded guilty in March to manslaughter and robbery for his role in two separate incidents that happened a week apart in December 2014.

In the first, authorities say Wilson threw a brick at a 61-year-old man’s head, and then beat him with a hockey stick and stabbed him, killing him.

In the second case, Wilson robbed a victim of $900 at gunpoint on a Buffalo street.

Prosecutors say Wilson is a persistent violent felony offender who was convicted of robbery in 1997 and attempted robbery in 2003.

California
Man guilty of murder in death of wife, sons
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Sacramento man has been found guilty of murder for killing his wife and two sons in 2010.

The Sacramento Bee reports that a jury convicted 53-year-old Kouei Saetern on Monday. He told a reporter in 2010 that he saw his wife, 46-year-old Chio Saechao, turn into a wolf and watched the faces of his sons, 22-year-old Jerry Saetern and 19-year-old Vern Saetern, darken and become animal-like.

Saetern was found mentally incompetent in 2011. After several years at a mental hospital, he was found competent. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s office says the court found Saetern was legally sane at the time of the killings.

Police say Saechao opened the front door so the couple’s 12- and 6-year-old daughters and 13-year-old nephew could escape.

Saetern’s sentencing is May 20.

Ohio
Woman pleads no contest to charges after grandpa’s death
TROY, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio woman has pleaded no contest to charges including corpse abuse and evidence tampering in connection with the death of her grandfather, whose body was found in a sleeping bag in a Kentucky creek last summer.

Twenty-four-year-old Hope Earnshaw-York could face more than nine years in prison at her sentencing, set for June 7. The Tipp City woman entered her pleas Monday in Miami County court in Troy.

Richard Terrel, of Troy, also is charged in the death of 88-year-old William York Sr., of Tipp City. Terrel pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, felonious assault, corpse abuse, evidence tampering and receiving stolen property.

Police say the victim died of a blunt force head injury. His remains were found June 3 in a creek in Union, Kentucky.

New York
Christian store employee gets prison for ­stealing $100K
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to prison time after admitting to stealing $100,000 from a western New York business that sells Bibles and other religious items.

Richard Pascucci was sentenced on Tuesday to four to eight years behind bars for stealing money from Bender’s Christian Store over a two-year period. Prosecutors say the Lancaster man falsified gift certificate records and pocketed the cash.

WGRZ-TV reports Pascucci sobbed in court as he apologized for stealing the money while being employed by the store. He says he took the cash to feed his gambling addiction at casinos.
He has two previous convictions, including for stealing money from two elderly clients while he was working as a financial adviser. He also was convicted of filing a false state tax return.

Alabama
Town’s mayor and wife charged with assault after fight
ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (AP) — A city council member in Alabama says the town’s mayor punched him in the face at the end of a council meeting, leading to a fracas involving several others.

Alexander City Councilman Tony Goss tells Al.com that Mayor Charles Shaw slugged him as Monday night’s meeting was concluding and that he punched back. No one was seriously hurt.
Shaw tells the news site that Goss swore at his wife, which prompted the brawl. The mayor said he’d hit Goss again if he swears at his wife again.

Al.com reports that the fight happened after a heated discussion of finances during the meeting.

Tallapoosa County Chief Deputy Sheriff David McMichael says Shaw and his wife Lavern are charged with assault and each was released on $1,000 bail.

California
Judge rules man ­innocent after 18 years in prison
LAKEPORT, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California judge has ruled that a 71-year-old man was wrongfully convicted 18 years ago of child molestation, declaring the man factually innocent of the crime.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports Wednesday that the ruling is a formality that improves his bid to seek almost $1 million in compensation from the state for the time he spent in prison.

The action came after the woman who accused Luther Jones of molesting her when she was 10 years old came forward in February and recanted her allegation, the newspaper reported.
Jones was released from a California prison hospital shortly after, but Tuesday’s ruling was a critical step to clearing his name in the crime.

In addition to proclaiming Jones’ innocence, Tuesday’s court ruling clears his name of the child molestation conviction, the newspaper reported.

New York
Man admits to stealing $250K in ­equipment from college
BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (AP) — A former employee of an upstate New York college has admitted to stealing more than $250,000 in electronics equipment from the school.

The Times Union of Albany reports 47-year-old Clifford Williams pleaded guilty Tuesday in Saratoga County to second-degree grand larceny.

The Rensselear County man was arrested in September and accused of stealing more than $258,000 in electronics from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs between January 2011 and September 2015. State police say he would order and purchase the equipment using a college credit card and take the items home.

Troopers say Williams manipulated school business records to cover up the thefts.
Williams faces up to 15 years behind bars when he’s sentenced on June 21.