National Roundup

Louisiana
Lawyer: Man shot former NFL player in self-defense

GRETNA, La. (AP) — A lawyer for the man accused of fatally shooting Joe McKnight says his client shot the former NFL running back in self-defense.

In an email sent to The Associated Press late Thursday, Matthew Goetz wrote that “information provided from our sources” indicate the 28-year-old McKnight was shot while threatening 55-year-old Ronald Gasser and trying to climb into Gasser’s car through the passenger-side window. He did not elaborate on the sources or immediately return a phone call Friday.

Gasser was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence.

Authorities have said both men were driving erratically and yelling at each other before they stopped.

Goetz says McKnight drove from behind Gasser’s vehicle and blocked him in.

New Jersey
Court: Police with warrant can view private tweets

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that law enforcement agencies can view private messages and tweets from private accounts on Twitter if they get a warrant.

The court on Thursday ruled in favor of Essex County prosecutors who attempted to access video posts from two Twitter profiles.

The case turned on what type of warrant is needed: a communications data warrant or a wiretapping warrant, which is needed for electronic communications in transit and has tougher legal requirements.

Essex County officials argued they were trying to access audio that had already been transmitted as opposed to live transmissions. The court agreed, ruling that law enforcement could use a data warrant.
Defense attorney Lawrence Lustberg says that investigators should only have a right to see private message if they get a wiretap because they happen in real time.

Pennsylvania
Board: Casino served player 27 drinks in 9 hours

MOUNT POCONO, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has fined a casino $25,000 for serving a gambler 27 drinks in a nine-hour period.

Mount Airy Casino Resort says it won’t comment on the fine. The gambling board says the fine was levied as part of a consent agreement, meaning the casino isn’t contesting the penalty.

The board says the customer was playing table-top slot machines at a casino bar when he was served. The board found the customer was showing signs of intoxication after nine drinks.

New Jersey
Wawa vs. Dawa: Convenience store chain sues store over trademark

PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey convenience store called Dawa has been sued by Wawa.

Pennsylvania-based Wawa, which has more than 700 convenience stores in six states, has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the store in Paterson. Wawa says Dawa is taking advantage of its hard-earned reputation.

“Dawa” is a casual way to say “come in” in Korean and is interpreted to mean “welcome.”

Dawa owner Mike Han told the Courier-Post that he named it that, because everyone is welcome at the store in an industrial area between a rail line and the Passaic River.

But Wawa spokeswoman Lori Bruce says that the company has an obligation to protect its consumers from any confusion and protect the brand name.

Wawa’s name is derived from a Native American word for Canada goose.

Pennsylvania
Report: Cheating, misconduct at police academy

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Investigators found evidence of cadet cheating, instructor misconduct and training and testing shortcomings at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, the state inspector general said in a report released Friday, a year after the scandal first became public knowledge.

The 47-page inspector general’s report on the probe suggested that the exchange of answer codes, test notes or other forms of advanced test answers was widespread in the class being investigated, as well as in prior cadet classes.

In some cases, instructors and troopers provided those materials to cadets, some of the cadets in the 144th class told investigators. Test content did not often change, even for years, and the academy seemed to lack any guidelines that prohibited troopers and instructors from providing direct answers to cadets in advance. It also seemed to lack a manual for instructors.

Several cadets told investigators “that during test review sessions, instructors provided actual or direct test answers for upcoming Traffic Law, Taser, and Emergency Medical Response examinations,” the report said.

One cadet told investigators that instructors held test review sessions in which the questions they asked would match exam questions.

In one case, an investigator, using only a study guide, passed an emergency medical response test.

The report said the state police began an internal investigation after an academy staff member found a folded, handwritten piece of paper in a hallway that was determined to be a cheat sheet containing 20 answers on a traffic law test.

The state police disclosed their investigation last February and requested the inspector general’s investigation. Cadets are subject to a battery of written tests during the more than six months of training. Dozens from the 144th class were dismissed or resigned. With about 6,000 uniformed and civilian personnel, the Pennsylvania State Police is one of the nation’s largest law enforcement agencies.
In its response, the state police said they were awaiting final to institute a software program that could create unique tests for cadet classes. It also said it had written a new academy policy on the exchange of information.

California
Truckers file lawsuit against engine filter rule

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A group of California trucking companies has filed a lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board, alleging diesel particulate filters have caused truck fires.

KNTV-TV reports that a number of trucking businesses are challenging the state’s rules requiring the filters, arguing they are expensive and dangerous. They are also calling for restitution for truck repairs.

The California Air Resources Board began requiring diesel particulate filters in 2007. The devices trap harmful soot produced by diesel engines.

This is Alliance for California Business owner Bud Caldwell's second lawsuit attempting to roll back the filter requirement. In March, a Glenn County judge ruled in favor of the state.