National Roundup

North Carolina
Judge awards $4.7 million in shooting death
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — The family of a man shot to death outside a strip club in North Carolina has been awarded nearly $5 million from the operators of the club.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported a judge granted a default judgment Monday against John D. Boyd and his company, Salisbury Ridge Ventures, Inc.

The newspaper reported Salisbury Ridge Ventures operated Paper Moon, where 41-year-old Eric Jermaine Pegues was shot and killed May 25, 2016.

Pegues’ wife sued Boyd and Salisbury Ridge, saying the club failed to provide adequate security.

Forty-two-year-old Sierras Deshan Cobb of Winston-Salem faces a first-degree murder charge in Pegues’ death, with trial tentatively scheduled next year.

Judge Patrice Hinnant granted the default judgment after Boyd and Salisbury Ridge Ventures did not respond to the lawsuit within a specified time.

Nebraska
Man who used dating app to set up robberies gets 24-40 years
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man has been given 24 to 40 years in prison for setting up the armed robberies of seven men who thought they were going to meet women they’d messaged on a dating app.

Court records say 20-year-old Jordan Kellogg was sentenced Monday in Douglas County District Court. He’d pleaded no contest to four counts of robbery. Prosecutors dropped three more counts and one of attempted robbery in exchange for Kellogg’s pleas.

Police say each robbery last fall involved two or three assailants. The robbers posed as women online and arranged dates the same day they started talking to the victims.

Police also say Kellogg had an accomplice, Janonta Liggins. He’s awaiting trial after pleading not guilty to two counts of robbery and three weapons counts.

Arizona
Prosecutor: Judge accused of sex abuse won’t face charges
PHOENIX (AP) — Prosecutors said Monday they will not file criminal charges against an Arizona judge who was investigated on allegations that he sexually abused a girl from when she was 13 until she reached adulthood.

Charges will not be filed against Pinal County Superior Court Judge Steven Fuller because prosecutors don’t have the level of evidence needed to win a conviction, said Alan Goodwin, who leads the special victims bureau at the Pima County prosecutor’s office, which reviewed the investigation.

The alleged victim, now 25, told investigators last year that Fuller touched her genitals and buttocks repeatedly and also showed her pornography, according to a police report. Fuller, through his attorney, had vehemently denied the allegations.

The woman said she and the judge knew each other before the alleged abuse occurred but the Associated Press is not identifying her because it generally does not name alleged sexual assault victims.

Dennis Wilenchik, an attorney who represents Fuller, said his client is pleased to have the investigation behind him.

“He did everything to cooperate,” Wilenchik said, noting Fuller underwent a police interview. “What else can you do when someone makes a charge like this with no evidence?”

Fuller is a former prosecutor who has served as an elected judge for the last seven years in Pinal County just south of metro Phoenix.

An attorney representing the woman who made the allegations had said Fuller presided over criminal cases after the allegations were made against him, raising questions about whether the allegations would affect his judicial decisions.

Wilenchik said he believes Fuller will seek a return to the criminal bench.

The alleged abuse was reported in late September to police in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa by a lawyer for the Mormon church, who said the alleged victim revealed the alleged abuse to her bishop.

Mesa police initially investigated but turned over the case to Pinal County authorities after discovering the alleged abuse happened there. Pinal County officials seeking to avoid a conflict of interest handed the case to Pima County sheriff’s department.

The alleged victim made a “confrontation call” to Fuller in early February in an attempt to get him to acknowledge wrongdoing.

Wilenchik has said Fuller denied the allegations and hung up.

He said Fuller would not be making public comments about the investigation.

Georgia
Woman seeking liposuction suffered brain damage; son sues
GWINNETT, Ga. (AP) — A malpractice lawsuit says a Georgia woman has permanent brain damage after going in for liposuction and a tummy tuck. News media report that the dermatologist who operated on her made more than 20 YouTube videos of herself singing and dancing during other operations.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV report that Dr. Windell Boutte of Gwinnett declined to comment on their joint investigation.

A lawsuit filed by 26-year-old Ojay Liburd says his mother’s heart stopped after eight hours on the operating table. The lawsuit says Boutte’s office was not equipped to handle the emergency, and Icilma Cornelius now can do almost nothing for herself.

Attorney Susan Witt filed that lawsuit and two others alleging that Boutte uses unqualified staff and an office that isn’t safe for the surgeries done there.

Iowa
Man accused of stealing around 150 pigs from confinement
FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — A 20-year-old man has been accused of stealing around 150 pigs from a confinement near Lake Mills in northern Iowa.

Winnebago County Court records say Robert Morales, of Buffalo Center, is charged with theft and burglary. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 8. The Associated Press was unable to reach his attorney Tuesday.

The pigs were reported stolen Nov. 4 from a Christensen Farms operation.