National Roundup

New Jersey Family sues after boy loses toes in escalator mishap TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey family whose son got his foot stuck in a mall escalator and had to have his toes amputated has filed a lawsuit. Celestino Rivas and Maria Jimenez say in the suit filed last month that their then-7-year-old son was left disabled and disfigured by the December 2014 accident at the Oxford Valley Mall in Pennsylvania. The Simon Property Group owns the mall and declined to comment. The Schindler Corp. made the escalator and didn't respond to calls seeking comment. NJ.com reports that the boy's right foot was dragged into a gap between the step he was standing on and the edge of the escalator. He later had to have the toes on his right foot amputated. Missouri Man in jail for wife's killing faces federal charge CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) - A man already serving 20 years in state prison for killing his wife in Missouri could be facing a life sentence if he's convicted on a federal charge for moving her body to Illinois. U.S. District Judge Abbie Crites-Leoni ruled Tuesday that Clay Waller, 46, is mentally competent to stand trial for violating the interstate domestic violence act. The Southeast Missourian reports that the ruling followed two psychiatric reports filed with the court last month. Prosecutors say Waller beat and strangled his wife at their home in Cape Girardeau in June 2011, then took her body in a boat to nearby Devil's Island in Alexander County, Illinois. Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Ferrell said the reports concluded that Waller was capable of realizing "what he did was wrong." Waller's attorney, John Lynch, said he had no objection to the findings of the reports. Jacque and Clay Waller were the parents of 5-year-old triplets when she disappeared shortly after the two met with a divorce lawyer. Clay Waller was immediately suspected in the crime, but it was difficult to prove his guilt without a body. Cape Girardeau County prosecutors eventually agreed to a plea deal in which Waller pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and a 20-year sentence. As part of the deal, he agreed to lead police to his wife's body on the island in the Mississippi River. A federal grand jury in May charged Waller with interstate domestic violence. A trial date has not been set, but the maximum penalty is life in prison. Federal prosecutors said Waller's plea deal in Cape Girardeau County did not provide immunity from federal prosecution. The county prosecutor's office said the new charge does not meet the standard of double jeopardy - being tried twice for the same crime - because the case is being prosecuted by a different agency. Minnesota Man gets 3 years for lying about Islamic State group contact ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A Minnesota man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for lying to the FBI about his social media exchanges with Islamic State group recruiters. Twenty-three-year-old Abdul Raheem Ali-Skelton, of Glencoe, pleaded guilty in April to lying about his communications with the group. Prosecutors argued Tuesday for a five-year sentence. Minnesota Public Radio reports that Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kovats said Ali-Skelton maintained secret contact with "the worst of the worst of terrorist organizations." Ali-Skelton apologized and distanced himself from IS ideology, saying he never supported terrorism. His attorney cited mental health issues, saying communicating with the group made Ali-Skelton feel important. The case was separate from a terrorism conspiracy case that ended in the sentencing of nine young Minnesota men in November. Tennessee @ROUND UP Briefs Headline:Lawsuit: Sheriff denied woman access to abortion in jail COLUMBIA, Tenn. (AP) - A 29-year-old woman is suing a Tennessee sheriff after she says she was denied an abortion while in jail, violating her constitutional rights. The Tennessean reports Kei'Choura Cathey filed the federal lawsuit in Nashville last month against Maury County Sheriff Bucky Rowland. Cathey found out she was pregnant in 2015 while in custody on robbery and murder conspiracy charges. The lawsuit says that she told Rowland she wanted to have an abortion, but he denied her access to one, saying Cathey's life was not in danger and her pregnancy was not the result of a crime. Cathey had the child in April of 2016 and now wants a judge to order Rowland to pay damages of $1.5 million. Neither Rowland nor Cathey's attorney responded to requests for comment by The Tennessean. Ohio Woman pleads guilty over fatal heroin injection COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio woman accused of injecting her father with a lethal dose of heroin has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and has been sentenced to three years in prison. Prosecutors say 27-year-old Lindsay Newkirk, of Columbus, injected heroin into the arm of her 55-year-old father in February after injecting herself. When she woke up, her father was unresponsive. She pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday under a deal with prosecutors, and a charge of corrupting someone with drugs was dropped. The Columbus Dispatch reports defense attorney Thomas Lininger said that Newkirk and her father were both drug users and that it was clear she didn't intend to kill him. The judge indicated she was glad Newkirk is interested in taking advantage of programs to address her addiction while in prison. Florida Man, 83, fatally shoots woman searching for dog PARRISH, Fla. (AP) - Sheriff's officials say an 83-year-old Florida man fatally shot a woman after her daughter and brother-in-law knocked on his front door while searching for a missing dog. Manatee County Sheriff's officials tell local news outlets Eugene Matthews opened the door about 7 p.m. Tuesday and started firing a handgun. The bullets struck 64-year-old Rebecca Rawson who had stayed in the car parked outside. She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Matthews was taken to the Manatee County Jail, where he remained without bond on Wednesday. Jail records don't list an attorney. Authorities say 62-year-old Rodney Rawson and 26-year-old Kathryn Rawson were looking for their dog when they went to Matthews' house. Spokesman Dave Bristow tells news outlets no other injuries were reported. Published: Thu, Jan 12, 2017