National Roundup

South Dakota
Couple arrested in ax, crowbar attack in dispute over television
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A Sioux Falls couple is facing criminal charges after police say they broke into an apartment armed with an ax and crowbar in a dispute over a TV.

Police spokesman Sam Clemens says the 23-year-old woman and 21-year-old man are facing charges of aggravated assault, burglary and cruelty to a minor.

Clemens says the two went to an apartment building Friday, climbed over a fence and the woman used the ax to break the patio door glass. There were two children and three adults in the apartment.

Police say the woman struck a man in the hand while her partner continued to swing the crowbar. The injury required stitches at the hospital, the Argus Leader reported.

The residents inside the apartment eventually started throwing things back at the pair and they left. They were arrested a short time later. Clemens says the confrontation involved a dispute over who owned a TV.

Washington
Civil lawsuit filed against judge accused of sexual assault
ASOTIN, Wash. (AP) — Two women have filed a civil lawsuit against Asotin County Superior Court Judge Scott Gallina and Asotin County, claiming that when they reported alleged sexual assault by Gallina, Asotin County officials failed to act.

The 33-page document filed in federal court says both women reported Gallina’’s alleged misconduct to multiple county officials at different points from 2016 to 2018, and they say the officials were dismissive, KLEW-TV reported.

The women say county officials either did nothing or told them things including to stay away from him and that nothing could be done because Gallina was an elected official.

Gallina was charged in 2019 by the Washington Attorney General’’s office with six felonies related to sexual misconduct at work, including rape. He has pleaded not guilty.

According to a probable cause statement, prosecutors believe Gallina began harassing one courthouse employee shortly after she began working there in 2017, would call her into his chambers and make sure the door was locked before making inappropriate comments and hugging her without consent. She said at one point the judge put her in a chokehold and sexually assaulted her.

Another woman told investigators that Gallina made sexual comments to her and once forcefully bent her over the end of his desk and another time forced her against a wall and kissed her.

According to the documents, after Gallina’’s arrest, he voluntarily took administrative leave with full pay and benefits. It’’s unclear if he’’s still being paid by the county. An email to the county wasn’’t immediately returned.

The Attorney General’’s office said last week that Gallina’’s trial date was struck due to COVID-19 and they are waiting for a new trial date to be set.

Gallina is not seeking another term as judge.

Florida
Police chief to retire over alleged COVID remarks
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — A South Florida police chief has announced his retirement months after an investigation into alleged remarks he made about the coronavirus death of an openly gay Broward Sheriff’’s deputy.

Davie police Chief Dale Engle told town officials last week that he plans to retire on Sept. 3, the South Florida SunSentinel reported. He has been on paid leave for three months and will continue to be paid until he retires.

Engle was accused of saying Broward Sheriff’’s school resource officer Shannon Bennett’’s died because of his lifestyle. On Monday night, Engle told the SunSentinel he didn’’t make the remark.

Engle was placed on leave shortly after the state’’s Fraternal Order of Police filed a complaint against him.

He said Davie officials didn’’t pressure him to retire. His decision to retire was fueled by a toxic backlash his teenage children received on social media after the allegations surfaced, he told the newspaper.

Engle had been with the department for more than two decades. Officials asked retired chief Patrick Lynn to return to lead the department after Engle was placed on leave.

Bennett was the first law enforcement in Florida to die from COVID-19. He had been in Chicago with friends to celebrate St. Patrick’’s Day days before falling ill, the newspaper reported. He died April 3.

Georgia
Judge in lawsuit over Atlanta coronavirus mask rule recuses
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has recused herself from hearing a lawsuit filed by Georgia’’s governor to get Atlanta to stop enforcing a mask mandate and other measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a hearing scheduled for Tuesday to be canceled, according to the attorney general’’s office.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kelly Ellerbe had scheduled a hearing for 11 a.m. Tuesday on Gov. Brian Kemp’’s emergency motion. But a spokeswoman for Attorney General Chris Carr said the hearing is not happening because Ellerbe is recusing herself. Further details were not immediately available.

The state plans to seek another emergency hearing once the case has been assigned to another judge, Carr spokeswoman Katie Byrd said in an email.

Atlanta is among at least 15 local jurisdictions statewide that has ordered people to wear masks in many public places to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In a lawsuit filed Thursday against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the members of the City Council, Kemp argues that local leaders do not have the authority to impose measures that are more or less restrictive than those in his executive orders.

A pandemic-related executive order issued by Kemp last week strongly encourages but does not require the wearing of face coverings and suspends any local laws or rules that are more restrictive, the lawsuit says. Bottoms and some other mayors responded by saying they would continue to enforce local mask mandates.

Bottoms’’ orders and statements to the press have created uncertainty and confusion, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit asks a judge to overturn Bottoms’’ orders that are more restrictive than Kemp’’s, block her from issuing any more such orders, instruct the City Council not to ratify Bottoms’’ actions or adopt any ordinances inconsistent with Kemp’’s orders, to prohibit Bottoms from making public statements asserting she has authority that exceeds Kemp’’s, and to require city officials to enforce “all provisions” of Kemp’’s existing orders.

The governor filed a motion for emergency interlocutory injunction the following day, essentially asking the judge to order that all those requests take immediate effect while the lawsuit is pending.
Tuesday’’s hearing was to focus on arguments on that motion.