Connecticut
Police officer charged with posting explicit photos of wife
ROCKVILLE, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut police officer is in trouble after allegedly posting explicit photos of his estranged wife online and saying she wanted to engage in sex with strangers.
Windsor police officer Dennis Adams was arrested Dec. 22 on a single count of second-degree breach of peace. He was released without bail after pleading not guilty. He is due at Superior Court in Rockville on Jan. 21.
Windsor police have placed Adams is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case and an internal investigation.
According to Adams' arrest warrant, he posted an explicit picture of his estranged wife on Craigslist, and listed her phone number.
Adams' attorney tells The Courant his client denies the allegations and the estranged wife made similar allegations in the past that were determined to be unfounded.
New York
Lawyer: Suspect in mall shooting is 'in shock'
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) - A defense lawyer says a man charged in a shooting that sent holiday shoppers fleeing a busy Long Island mall has psychological troubles and has been "in a state of shock" since the episode.
Oliver Lee had a court date Monday on robbery and other charges stemming from the Dec. 22 episode at the Roosevelt Field mall. The 21-year-old has pleaded not guilty.
His lawyer, Anthony Colleluori (cahl-uh-LOHR'-ee), suggested outside court that he might mount a psychological defense. He says Lee is "very confused" and has been through traumas Colleluori wouldn't detail.
Police say Lee asked to see an $18,000 Rolex watch at a Tourneau store at the mall, then flashed a gun, which went off as he struggled with a security guard. A bystander was shot in the shoulder.
California
More Chinese students seeking U.S. community college degrees
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Wealthy Chinese undergraduates aren't the only ones looking to get a college degree in the U.S. So are a growing number of Chinese students from lower middle-class families who are enrolling in community colleges.
The number of Chinese students in U.S. community colleges has increased from 2,500 in 2007 to more than 16,200, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Many are searching for an alternative to China's high-pressure and overcrowded educational system.
Thousands of Chinese students from affluent families enroll in U.S. colleges each year. But for every Chinese student who shows up with unimaginable wealth, there are several who are struggling financially, said Amy Yan, assistant director of the international student center at Pasadena City College.
"It is a stereotype that all Chinese students are rich and have (Mercedes) Benzes and Bentleys. It's just not true," she said. "It's just that the rich students show off more."
According to a 2014 report by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., nearly half of the 20,000 students from China studying in LA County attended community colleges.
In China, intermediary agencies are marketing U.S. community colleges as a stepping stone to a four-year university.
"It used to be that only the top students could come to the U.S.," Michael Wan, chief executive of the Irvine-based Wenmei Education Consulting Group, told the newspaper. "Now, anybody with money can come."
Some in academia worry community colleges are not equipped to handle the growing number of international students. University of California regents voted earlier this year to cap the number of out-of-state and international students at UCLA and UC Berkeley.
Meanwhile, supporters note foreign students contribute billions to the U.S. economy and expose students to other cultures and help them build international networks.
Chinese students say they are attracted to the freedom the U.S. educational system offers in comparison to their country's more rigid approach.
Lantian Xiang, the only child of two white-collar workers from Hunan province, said he found the pressure of taking the Chinese college entrance exam stifling. He ended up attending Pasadena City College and is now a third-year financial actuarial mathematics major at UCLA.
"I wanted to have an experience in a foreign country," said Xiang, 22. "And I wanted to figure out what my heart wanted."
Oregon
Damages paid in gay wedding cake case by bakery
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Oregon bakery owners who denied service to a same-sex couple have paid $135,000 in state-ordered damages - after refusing to do so for nearly six months.
The Bureau of Labor and Industries says Aaron Klein, co-owner of the Portland-area bakery, dropped off a check Monday for $136,927.07. That includes accrued interest. Klein also paid $7,000 earlier this month.
Damages were awarded in July for emotional suffering caused by Sweet Cakes by Melissa, which two years ago refused to make a wedding cake for Laurel and Rachel Bowman-Cryer. The bakers said their refusal was prompted by religious beliefs.
A 2007 Oregon law protects the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations. The state ruled it also bars private businesses from discriminating against potential customers.
South Carolina
Police: Man on the lam since 1986 caught
SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - Authorities say a fugitive from North Carolina who had been on the run for nearly 30 years has arrested in Surfside Beach, South Carolina.
Multiple media outlets report that 71-year-old James Edward Coe was arrested by Horry County police Sunday morning for shoplifting. Records from the North Carolina Department of Corrections show Coe had escaped a North Carolina prison on June 23, 1986.
Coe was convicted in April 1984 on two counts of receiving stolen goods in Forsyth and Stokes County. Court records show Coe's expected release date was November 1989.
A police report says Coe was arrested Sunday for stealing jewelry from a flea market.
Coe was denied bond Monday and will be extradited to North Carolina.
Published: Wed, Dec 30, 2015
