National Roundup

Indiana
Woman accused of involvement in death of child found in suitcase makes plea deal
SALEM, Ind. (AP) — A Louisiana woman accused of involvement in the death of a 5-year-old Atlanta boy whose body was found in a suitcase in Indiana last year has reached a plea deal with prosecutors, news outlets reported.

Dawn Coleman, 41, of Shreveport, will be sentenced Tuesday, at which time details of the plea deal will be released, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt as saying in a report Friday.

Coleman is accused of playing a part in the death of Cairo Ammar Jordan. The child’s body was found inside a suitcase in the woods about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northwest of Louisville, Kentucky, in April 2022. Coleman was charged with “aiding, inducing or causing murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death and obstruction of justice.”

A felony murder arrest warrant was issued for the child’s mother, Dejuane Ludie Anderson, in November 2022, but she has eluded authorities for more than a year, WTHR-TV reported.

An autopsy found that Cairo died from vomiting and diarrhea that led to dehydration, Indiana State Police said. Investigators said the boy had died about a week or less before a mushroom hunter discovered his body.

Texas
Attorney accused of smuggling drug-laced papers to inmates in jail
HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas attorney has been accused of using work-related visits to a county jail to smuggle in legal paperwork laced with ecstasy and synthetic marijuana to inmates over the past several months, authorities announced Monday.

Ronald Lewis, 77, was arrested on Friday after arriving at the Harris County Jail in Houston to visit an inmate, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said at a news conference.

During his arrest, Lewis had 11 sheets of paper believed to be laced with narcotics, according to authorities.

Lewis has been charged with two counts of bringing a prohibited substance into a correctional facility. He is free after posting bonds totaling $15,000. An attorney for Lewis did not immediately return a call seeking comment on Monday. Records with the State Bar of Texas show that Lewis has been a licensed attorney since 1982.

His arrest came after a monthslong investigation by the jail-based Criminal Investigations and Security Division, a new unit created earlier this year to probe an increase in drug overdoses at what is the largest county jail in Texas, Gonzalez said.

In June, following two inmate deaths that were possibly drug-related, the new unit began investigating information that illegal narcotics were being smuggled into the jail in paperwork that was sprayed or dipped with a chemical compound, said sheriff’s office Lt. Jay Wheeler.

Investigators received tips that led them to Lewis.

Authorities allege that from July until this month, Lewis visited 14 inmates at the jail and he provided them with sheets of drug-laced papers, which were disguised as legal mail or other legal documents, Wheeler said.

Lewis was paid from $250 to $500 per transaction to smuggle in the papers, authorities said.

During the investigation, approximately 154 sheets of paper believed to be laced with narcotics were confiscated, Wheeler said.

“We’re currently working with the Texas Rangers to determine if any of the narcotics introduced in the jail by Mr. Lewis contributed to the death of any inmate,” Wheeler said.

Other attorneys are also suspected of smuggling drug-laced paperwork into the jail but “we don’t think it’s actually widespread,” Gonzalez said.

“There’s incredible attorneys out there that uphold their oaths and work very hard to take care of their clients and make sure that they’re representing them effectively,” Gonzalez said. “There’s always going to be those that choose illegal ways of doing things ... and if they are, it doesn’t matter who they are. We’re going to make sure we investigate it fully and hold them accountable.”

Gonzalez said the county jail is like others around the country that have seen an increase in overdoses. The county jail has had at least 18 inmate deaths this year, some of them believed to be drug-related.

To restrict the flow of illegal drugs into the jail, the sheriff’s office is transitioning to a new system that will digitize inmate documents, including legal paperwork and letters.

“We’re going to continue to raise the bar and do everything we can to make sure that we’re keeping a safe facility, as safe as possible,” Gonzalez said.

Massachusetts
Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic pleads not guilty to assaulting wife
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic was released on personal recognizance bail Tuesday after pleading not guilty to assaulting his wife.

According to a Boston Police Department report, Lucic appeared intoxicated when officers arrived at his North End apartment early Saturday after his wife reported that he tried to choke her. Brittany Lucic told the responding officers that her husband had pulled her hair, but said he did not try to strangle her. She declined an offer of medical treatment.

Milan Lucic, a member of the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup championship team, was arrested on suspicion of assault and battery on a family member, which carries a maximum penalty of 2½ years in prison.

Lucic did not speak at his arraignment Tuesday morning. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, and a pre-trial hearing was set for Jan. 19. As condition of his bail, Lucic was prohibited from abusing the alleged victim and from consuming alcohol.

The judge granted a motion from Lucic’s attorney that he be allowed to attend the next hearing by video call.

Lucic’s agent did not reply to an email seeking comment over the weekend, and did not respond to a text message seeking comment Monday.

The 6-foot-3, 236-pound Vancouver native has not played since Oct. 21 because of injury. He has two assists in four games this season.

The Bruins said Saturday that Lucic was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team. Coach Jim Montgomery and captain Brad Marchand said they would provide Lucic’s family any support necessary but declined to otherwise comment on the arrest.