National Roundup

Massachusetts Woman sues Little League over son's injury PEABODY, Mass. (AP) -- The mother of a Peabody boy who suffered severe injuries when he was struck in the head by a baseball during a Little League practice in 2007 has filed suit against the organization, two officers and a coach. The lawsuit filed Monday in Salem Superior Court accuses Peabody American Little League officials of gross negligence for ignoring the rule that requires players to wear helmets. The Salem News reports that then 12-year-old Brandon Welch was taking part in a base-running drill in 2007 when he was struck by a ball thrown by another player. He suffered bleeding and bruising in his brain and still suffers problems, according to the suit. The suit seeks damages and $25,000 in reimbursement for medical bills. Little League officials says they cannot comment on pending litigation. Ohio Ex-teacher files insanity plea in sex case LEBANON, Ohio (AP) -- A former high school teacher is claiming insanity as she faces trial on 16 counts of sexual battery involving students in southwest Ohio. Attorneys for 33-year-old Stacy Schuler filed a one-sentence plea this week in Warren County court in Lebanon (LEH'-buh-nuhn) stating that she is not guilty by reason of insanity. A message was left for the lawyers on Wednesday. Schuler resigned as health and gym teacher at Mason High School in the aftermath of her arrest this year. She was charged with 16 counts of sexual battery allegedly involving several teenage boys. She also faces three counts of providing alcohol to minors in the trial scheduled to start Aug. 8. She was released from jail in February and ordered to have no contact with unrelated minors. Virginia Woman sentenc ed for taking 10th husband's money GLOUCESTER, Va. (AP) -- A Gloucester woman has been sentenced for embezzling money from her 10th husband. Shirley Smith-Smart pleaded guilty in June to taking more than $11,000 from Kenneth Smart's bank account. The Daily Press reports that Visiting Judge Joseph E. Spruill sentenced Smith-Smart to five years in prison on Tuesday in Gloucester County Circuit Court. If she pays restitution, she will only serve one year. Smith-Smart is already serving a year in Western Tidewater Regional Jail on a bigamy conviction. In January, she entered an Alford plea to a bigamy charge in Isle of Wight. The charge stemmed from the eighth of her 10 marriages. Prosecutors say she was already married when she wed again. Oregon Death Row in m a te says his law y e rs work against him SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- An Oregon Death Row inmate who has said he wants to proceed with his execution says he plans to ask a Marion County judge to give him a new lawyer. In a phone interview with The Oregonian, Gary Haugen said Tuesday that his current lawyers are working against him as they attempt to prevent his death. The inmate says lawyers Andy Simrin and W. Keith Goody are "doing it without my consent." The lawyers argued in a motion filed earlier Tuesday that Circuit Judge Joseph Guimond's (guh-MAWND's) "open hostility" toward them and his writings raise concerns about his ability to assess Haugen's mental competence. A spokesman for the judge did not comment. The judge agreed last week to cancel an Aug. 16 execution date after the Oregon Supreme Court called for a competency hearing for Haugen. Defense lawyers say the 49-year-old inmate is delusional. Haugen was convicted in 1981 of killing a former girlfriend's mother and in 2003 for killing another inmate. North Carolina Defense tests str ategy in nursing home shooting ABLEMARLE, N.C. (AP) -- Lawyers for a man accused of killing eight people at a North Carolina nursing home are focusing on a strategy of limited mental capacity as their client admits his role in the shootings. The Fayetteville Observer reported Robert Stewart said in court Tuesday that he killed the victims March 29, 2009 at the Pinelake Health and Rehabilitation Center in Carthage. Stewart's lawyers say he was under the influence of alcohol and prescription medicine and is not legally responsible for his actions. A jury is being selected in Stanly County because of publicity about the shooting in Moore County. Superior Court Judge James Webb questioned Stewart about letting jurors know that he shot the victims. Stewart says he trusts his lawyers. He could face a death sentence if he is convicted. Pennsylvania Testing under way on brain of man in shooting spree MEDIA, Pa. (AP) -- Testing is under way to determine if a brain tumor contributed to a Pennsylvania ex-convict's shooting rampage that left three people dead before he was killed in a standoff with police. The Delaware County medical examiner is performing tests on the brain of 51-year-old Mark Geisenheyner, who was killed by police on July 4, two days after shooting five people in neighboring Montgomery County. Dr. Fredric Hellman tells the Delaware County Daily Times results could take weeks. Authorities say Geisenheyner was seeking revenge over an insurance scam when he barged into the vacation home of a New York City couple and opened fire. A 2-year-old boy from Massachusetts was among those killed. An acquaintance tells the newspaper Geisenheyner disclosed the tumor to him about a week before the shootings. Iowa Man convicted of assaulting wife DAKOTA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- A 42-year-old Bradgate man has been convicted of assaulting his wife but has been acquitted of kidnapping her last year. The Messenger of Fort Dodge reports that Reginald Benjamin was found guilty Tuesday by a Humboldt County jury of assault with intent to commit serious injury and going armed with intent. He was found not guilty of kidnapping. Benjamin was accused of forcing his wife, Kris, into a vehicle and driving off with her the night of Nov. 25. Authorities say Benjamin pointed a gun at her and struck her several times. Published: Thu, Jul 14, 2011