New Jersey
Attorney: Woman in alleged scam was duped
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - An attorney for a woman charged with scamming GoFundMe donors with a story about a homeless veteran says she was duped by her former boyfriend.
James Gerrow tells ABC's "Good Morning America" that Mark D'Amico was "calling the shots."
Gerrow says Katelyn McClure thought she was helping Marine vet Johnny Bobbitt.
McClure and D'Amico are charged with conspiracy and theft by deception.
Authorities allege they conspired with Bobbitt to concoct a feel-good story about Bobbitt giving McClure his last $20 when her car ran out of gas.
They raised $400,000, which authorities say was spent on luxury items and casino trips.
Bobbitt also faces charges.
It was unclear which attorney represents D'Amico. An attorney who was representing the couple last week declined to comment Monday on Gerrow's allegations.
Missouri
Man charged with killing witness in 2017 killing
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say a Missouri man who was free on bond while awaiting trial in a deadly 2017 shooting has been charged with killing a key witness in the case.
Twenty-seven-year-old Michael Dumas, of Pleasant Hill, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder and three other felonies.
The charges were filed hours after a shooting in an Independence home left Sarah Simms dead and another person with minor injuries. Simms was a witness against Dumas in the fatal shooting of Phillip Anderson, whose body was found in a convenience store parking lot. Dumas is charged with second-degree murder in that case.
Dumas' attorney, John Picerno, says it isn't uncommon for murder suspects to be released on bond. He added that Simms isn't the only witness against Dumas in Anderson's death.
New York
Corrections officer arrested in ex-wife's killing
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (AP) - Police have arrested a New York county corrections officer in connection with the stabbing death of his ex-wife.
The Poughkeepsie Journal reports 32-year-old Timothy Alexander, of Poughkeepsie, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 34-year-old Terrie DeGelormo.
State police responded to a home in Wappinger around 11 p.m. Thursday and found DeGelormo. Police say they rendered first aid, but DeGelormo was pronounced dead at the scene.
Alexander previously served as president of the Dutchess County Sheriff's Employee Association, and he's currently a sergeant in the county corrections division.
Court records show Alexander and DeGelormo separated in 2016 and divorced in 2017.
Alexander is being held in jail in neighboring Putnam County without bail. The district attorney's office didn't know if he has a lawyer.
The sheriff union's president has declined to comment.
Iowa
Man imprisoned for neglect of wife's disabled daughter
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) - A Davenport man whose wife's intellectually disabled daughter was always locked in a bedroom has been given 10 years in prison.
The Quad-City Times reports that 56-year-old Eugene Harris was sentenced Friday. He'd been convicted of neglect of a dependent person, but the jury couldn't reach an agreement on a charge of dependent adult abuse. It's since been dropped.
Harris' wife, 48-year-old Kimberly Williams, has pleaded not guilty to the same charges. Her trial is scheduled to begin March 4.
Authorities say officers sent to the home May 22 to check a report about a domestic disturbance were led by Harris to a bedroom locked from the outside. That's where they found Williams' daughter. Nearby were soiled adult diapers, a mattress on the floor and a few other items.
Florida
Longtime head of ACLU Florida is retiring
MIAMI (AP) - The longtime head of one of Florida's most visible civil rights organizations is retiring.
Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU Florida, says he is stepping down from his job at the end of the month.
The 75-year-old Simon has spent the past 40 years leading American Civil Liberties Union chapters in Michigan and Florida.
The Miami Herald reports that Simon spent more than two decades with the Florida chapter.
Under his guidance, the ACLU Florida fought to strike down restrictions on abortion access and battled a gag order on doctors talking to patients and their families about the safe storage of guns.
He also clashed with then-Gov. Jeb Bush over a woman's right to die and, most recently, championed the restoration of voting rights for ex-felons.
Florida
UNF dean says he was pressured to resign after sex claim
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A former dean at the University of North Florida is suing the school saying he was pressured into resigning after officials said he engaged in sexual misconduct.
Mark Tumeo, the university's former dean of its College of Computing, Engineering and Construction, filed the lawsuit this month.
The Florida Times-Union reports Tumeo was questioned by a university police officer who saw him and another man engaged in a sex act at a university stadium.
Tumeo told police officials that the officer misunderstood what was going on and that he was talking to the other man.
The lawsuit claims that the school's provost gave Tumeo two minutes to decide whether to resign during a phone call last month.
The lawsuit says after submitting his resignation, Tumeo realized he had made a mistake.
New York
Lawyers seek psych exam for accused shooter
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Lawyers for an upstate New York man accused of robbing a restaurant and fatally shooting his former co-workers say their client will undergo a psychological exam.
Syracuse.com reports lawyers for 32-year-old William Wood Jr. are seeking to avoid him spending life in prison if convicted of murder.
Wood is accused of stealing around $900 from a suburban Syracuse Chili's restaurant where he previously worked and killing employees Kristopher Hicks and Stephen Gudknecht.
Prosecutors say he promised thousands of dollars to his co-defendants in exchange for helping him with the September robbery.
One co-defendant is accused of being Wood's getaway driver, and two others have been charged with illegally selling the gun used in the killings.
All defendants remain in jail pending their next court hearings.
Published: Tue, Nov 20, 2018
