California
State will appeal rejection of lawsuit over Huntington Beach voter ID law
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — California will appeal a judge’s decision to reject a state lawsuit over a measure allowing the city of Huntington Beach to require voter identification at the polls, officials said Thursday.
State officials said they plan to continue to fight over the measure — passed by voters in March in the coastal city of 200,000 people — in the court of appeal. An Orange County Superior Court judge last month found it was too soon for the state to bring litigation over the local law, which allows the city to implement voter identification requirements in 2026.
“With preparations for the 2026 elections beginning late next year, we want and need a state appellate court to weigh in expeditiously,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.
Michael Gates, Huntington Beach’s city attorney, said he supports the court’s ruling and noted that the voting public supported the local measure.
“Voter ID in Huntington Beach is the law of our land here, it’s our Constitutional right, and, it’s here to stay – I will make sure of that,” Gates wrote in an email.
The Huntington Beach measure also lets the city increase in-person voting sites and monitor ballot drop boxes in local elections.
The state sued, saying the measure violates state law and could disenfranchise poor, non-white, elderly and disabled voters, and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom later signed into a law a state measure banning local governments from establishing laws requiring residents to provide identification to vote.
Huntington Beach, which has been dubbed “Surf City USA” and is known for its scenic shoreline dotted with surfers, has a history of sparring with state officials over the measures it can take under its city charter on issues ranging from immigration to housing. The city is led by a politically conservative city council, and the GOP is dominant in Huntington Beach with nearly 57,000 registered voters versus 42,000 Democrats, county data shows.
Oklahoma
Officer charged for slamming 71-year-old man to the ground
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Prosecutors charged an Oklahoma City police officer with felony assault on Thursday after he slammed a 71-year-old man to the ground, breaking his neck, following an argument over a traffic ticket.
Sgt. Joseph Gibson, 28, was charged in Oklahoma County with one count of aggravated assault and battery in connection with the Oct. 27 dispute. Body-worn camera video released by police shows Gibson throwing Lich Vu to the ground after Vu touched Gibson during an argument following a non-injury traffic accident.
“We evaluate the law and the facts in each individual case, and in this particular case determined the officer’s actions were an unreasonable use of force,” Behenna said in a statement.
Vu suffered a brain bleed, and a broken neck and eye socket and remains hospitalized, prosecutors said.
Oklahoma City Police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn declined to comment on the charge and referred to a statement the department released in October, indicating Gibson was placed on administrative leave while his actions were being investigated.
“We want our community to know that this case is being thoroughly investigated, and the review process will take time to complete,” according to the statement, which was also released in Vietnamese.
The use of force prompted outrage in Oklahoma City’s Vietnamese community, particularly since the video shows Vu had difficulty communicating with Gibson during the interaction and appeared not to understand what the officer was telling him.
Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Nelson said the organization is sympathetic to Vu and recognizes the severity of his injuries but expressed concern about the impact the charges will have on officers in the field.
“It is very disappointing to see a police officer face felony charges for actions taken in good faith while serving in the line of duty,” Nelson said in a statement. “Sgt. Gibson followed his de-escalation training and protocol when assaulted.”
Arizona
Woman who conspired to kill her 2 children can be tried in death of husband
PHOENIX (AP) — A woman convicted of conspiring to kill her two youngest children and another woman was found competent on Thursday to stand trial on additional charges.
Two court-appointed doctors in Arizona deemed Lori Vallow Daybell fit to face charges of conspiring to kill her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, and a niece’s ex-spouse. She has already been sentenced to life in prison in Idaho for conspiring in the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and Tammy Daybell.
Vallow Daybell’s fourth husband, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed in 2019 by Vallow Daybell’s brother, who told police he acted in self-defense and was never charged.
Vallow Daybell was already in a relationship with Chad Daybell, a self-published writer of doomsday-focused fiction loosely based on Mormon teachings. She moved from Phoenix to Idaho to be closer to him.
Chad Daybell became Vallow Daybell’s fifth husband and was later sentenced to death for the murders of both children and his then-wife, Tammy Daybell.
Prosecutors in the Idaho case called dozens of witnesses to bolster their claims that Chad Daybell and Vallow Daybell conspired to kill the two children and Tammy Daybell to eliminate any obstacles to their relationship and for the survivor benefits and life insurance.
Prosecutors say the couple justified the killings by creating an apocalyptic belief system that people could be possessed by evil spirits and turned into “zombies,” and that the only way to save a possessed person’s soul was for the possessed body to die. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge tentatively set Vallow Daybell’s trial for Feb. 24.
Texas
Man claims he shot his son after mistaking him for an intruder, later burns the body
HOUSTON (AP) — A father has been charged with fatally shooting his adult son with Down syndrome at a home in East Texas after claiming he had mistaken him for an intruder and then later burning his body in what authorities on Thursday described as a “bizarre crime.”
Michael C. Howard, 68, who is an attorney in Houston, told investigators he was at a home he owns in Sabine County on Sunday evening when he accidentally killed his 20-year-old son, Mark Randall Howard, with a shotgun, Sabine County Sheriff’s Office Deputy J.P. MacDonough said at a news conference.
Howard did not call the sheriff’s office until Monday afternoon, about 17 hours after he had used a tractor backhoe to take his son’s body about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away to a remote area on his more than 2,500-acre property and placed the body on a wood trash pile and then “cremated” him, MacDonough said. Howard and his son had arrived at the home in Sabine County — located about 170 miles (274 kilometers) northeast of Houston — either Thursday or Friday, authorities said.
Deputies found body parts and bones in the trash pile and sent them to the medical examiner’s office in Jefferson County.
Howard told investigators that the whole thing was a “horrible accident.” MacDonough said Howard told investigators that he “cremated his son in accordance with what he felt his son would have wanted.”
“It is a bizarre crime anywhere you are just because of the nature of the event,” MacDonough said. “Mr. Howard committed this act and in the furtherance of that, burned the body and cleaned the crime scene, which as an investigator, I would take as indicative of nefarious purposes or for nefarious purposes.”
Howard’s son had been diagnosed with Down syndrome but was high functioning and did have a job, MacDonough said.
Two days before the shooting, authorities responded to a call Howard made in which he had reported the theft of some property, including a large mower and a trailer. MacDonough declined to say if the thefts might have played a role in Howard thinking his son was an intruder.
Howard remained jailed in Sabine County on bonds totaling $20 million after being charged with murder and tampering with evidence. Authorities said additional charges could be filed.
It was not immediately known if Howard had an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Massachusetts
City council member is arrested on fraud and theft charges
BOSTON (AP) — A Boston city councilor was arrested Friday on federal fraud charges, the U.S. attorney’s office and the FBI said.
The agencies, which announced the arrest on the social platform X, did not name the councilor and planned to announce more details at a news conference Friday morning. But a document filed in U.S. District Court in Boston shows that Tania Fernandes Anderson was arrested Friday on five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.
The document did not show that she had an attorney. Email and phone messages seeking comment were left at her office.
An indictment alleges that Fernandes Anderson hired a staff member in 2022 who is related to her and agreed to give that person a $13,000 bonus, most of which they would kick back to her.
“At defendant Fernandes Anderson’s instructions, Fernandes Anderson and Staff Member A arranged to meet at a bathroom at City Hall where Staff Member A would hand approximately $7,000 in cash to Fernandes Anderson,” court document said.
The two exchanged texts ahead of that meeting, the document said.
Fernandes Anderson became the first African immigrant and first Muslim elected to the council in November 2021, according to her biography on the city government’s website. She was reelected in 2023.
Alabama
Prison guard arrested on drug trafficking charge
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A security guard at an Alabama prison was arrested on drug trafficking charges, the state prison system said Thursday.
Law enforcement agents arrested Alesia Jarrett on Tuesday, the Alabama Department of Corrections said. Jarrett is a prison guard at Elmore Correctional Facility.
Jarrett was found in possession of about 250 grams of methamphetamine, the prison system said in a news release. She had been under investigation for suspected drug smuggling into the facility, the agency said.
Court records were not immediately available to show if Jarrett has a lawyer to speak on her behalf.
She is charged with conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, promoting prison contraband and an ethics charge of using her position for personal gain. Jail records show that she is being held on a $1.5 million bond.
State will appeal rejection of lawsuit over Huntington Beach voter ID law
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — California will appeal a judge’s decision to reject a state lawsuit over a measure allowing the city of Huntington Beach to require voter identification at the polls, officials said Thursday.
State officials said they plan to continue to fight over the measure — passed by voters in March in the coastal city of 200,000 people — in the court of appeal. An Orange County Superior Court judge last month found it was too soon for the state to bring litigation over the local law, which allows the city to implement voter identification requirements in 2026.
“With preparations for the 2026 elections beginning late next year, we want and need a state appellate court to weigh in expeditiously,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement.
Michael Gates, Huntington Beach’s city attorney, said he supports the court’s ruling and noted that the voting public supported the local measure.
“Voter ID in Huntington Beach is the law of our land here, it’s our Constitutional right, and, it’s here to stay – I will make sure of that,” Gates wrote in an email.
The Huntington Beach measure also lets the city increase in-person voting sites and monitor ballot drop boxes in local elections.
The state sued, saying the measure violates state law and could disenfranchise poor, non-white, elderly and disabled voters, and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom later signed into a law a state measure banning local governments from establishing laws requiring residents to provide identification to vote.
Huntington Beach, which has been dubbed “Surf City USA” and is known for its scenic shoreline dotted with surfers, has a history of sparring with state officials over the measures it can take under its city charter on issues ranging from immigration to housing. The city is led by a politically conservative city council, and the GOP is dominant in Huntington Beach with nearly 57,000 registered voters versus 42,000 Democrats, county data shows.
Oklahoma
Officer charged for slamming 71-year-old man to the ground
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Prosecutors charged an Oklahoma City police officer with felony assault on Thursday after he slammed a 71-year-old man to the ground, breaking his neck, following an argument over a traffic ticket.
Sgt. Joseph Gibson, 28, was charged in Oklahoma County with one count of aggravated assault and battery in connection with the Oct. 27 dispute. Body-worn camera video released by police shows Gibson throwing Lich Vu to the ground after Vu touched Gibson during an argument following a non-injury traffic accident.
“We evaluate the law and the facts in each individual case, and in this particular case determined the officer’s actions were an unreasonable use of force,” Behenna said in a statement.
Vu suffered a brain bleed, and a broken neck and eye socket and remains hospitalized, prosecutors said.
Oklahoma City Police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn declined to comment on the charge and referred to a statement the department released in October, indicating Gibson was placed on administrative leave while his actions were being investigated.
“We want our community to know that this case is being thoroughly investigated, and the review process will take time to complete,” according to the statement, which was also released in Vietnamese.
The use of force prompted outrage in Oklahoma City’s Vietnamese community, particularly since the video shows Vu had difficulty communicating with Gibson during the interaction and appeared not to understand what the officer was telling him.
Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Nelson said the organization is sympathetic to Vu and recognizes the severity of his injuries but expressed concern about the impact the charges will have on officers in the field.
“It is very disappointing to see a police officer face felony charges for actions taken in good faith while serving in the line of duty,” Nelson said in a statement. “Sgt. Gibson followed his de-escalation training and protocol when assaulted.”
Arizona
Woman who conspired to kill her 2 children can be tried in death of husband
PHOENIX (AP) — A woman convicted of conspiring to kill her two youngest children and another woman was found competent on Thursday to stand trial on additional charges.
Two court-appointed doctors in Arizona deemed Lori Vallow Daybell fit to face charges of conspiring to kill her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, and a niece’s ex-spouse. She has already been sentenced to life in prison in Idaho for conspiring in the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and Tammy Daybell.
Vallow Daybell’s fourth husband, Charles Vallow, was shot and killed in 2019 by Vallow Daybell’s brother, who told police he acted in self-defense and was never charged.
Vallow Daybell was already in a relationship with Chad Daybell, a self-published writer of doomsday-focused fiction loosely based on Mormon teachings. She moved from Phoenix to Idaho to be closer to him.
Chad Daybell became Vallow Daybell’s fifth husband and was later sentenced to death for the murders of both children and his then-wife, Tammy Daybell.
Prosecutors in the Idaho case called dozens of witnesses to bolster their claims that Chad Daybell and Vallow Daybell conspired to kill the two children and Tammy Daybell to eliminate any obstacles to their relationship and for the survivor benefits and life insurance.
Prosecutors say the couple justified the killings by creating an apocalyptic belief system that people could be possessed by evil spirits and turned into “zombies,” and that the only way to save a possessed person’s soul was for the possessed body to die. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge tentatively set Vallow Daybell’s trial for Feb. 24.
Texas
Man claims he shot his son after mistaking him for an intruder, later burns the body
HOUSTON (AP) — A father has been charged with fatally shooting his adult son with Down syndrome at a home in East Texas after claiming he had mistaken him for an intruder and then later burning his body in what authorities on Thursday described as a “bizarre crime.”
Michael C. Howard, 68, who is an attorney in Houston, told investigators he was at a home he owns in Sabine County on Sunday evening when he accidentally killed his 20-year-old son, Mark Randall Howard, with a shotgun, Sabine County Sheriff’s Office Deputy J.P. MacDonough said at a news conference.
Howard did not call the sheriff’s office until Monday afternoon, about 17 hours after he had used a tractor backhoe to take his son’s body about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away to a remote area on his more than 2,500-acre property and placed the body on a wood trash pile and then “cremated” him, MacDonough said. Howard and his son had arrived at the home in Sabine County — located about 170 miles (274 kilometers) northeast of Houston — either Thursday or Friday, authorities said.
Deputies found body parts and bones in the trash pile and sent them to the medical examiner’s office in Jefferson County.
Howard told investigators that the whole thing was a “horrible accident.” MacDonough said Howard told investigators that he “cremated his son in accordance with what he felt his son would have wanted.”
“It is a bizarre crime anywhere you are just because of the nature of the event,” MacDonough said. “Mr. Howard committed this act and in the furtherance of that, burned the body and cleaned the crime scene, which as an investigator, I would take as indicative of nefarious purposes or for nefarious purposes.”
Howard’s son had been diagnosed with Down syndrome but was high functioning and did have a job, MacDonough said.
Two days before the shooting, authorities responded to a call Howard made in which he had reported the theft of some property, including a large mower and a trailer. MacDonough declined to say if the thefts might have played a role in Howard thinking his son was an intruder.
Howard remained jailed in Sabine County on bonds totaling $20 million after being charged with murder and tampering with evidence. Authorities said additional charges could be filed.
It was not immediately known if Howard had an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Massachusetts
City council member is arrested on fraud and theft charges
BOSTON (AP) — A Boston city councilor was arrested Friday on federal fraud charges, the U.S. attorney’s office and the FBI said.
The agencies, which announced the arrest on the social platform X, did not name the councilor and planned to announce more details at a news conference Friday morning. But a document filed in U.S. District Court in Boston shows that Tania Fernandes Anderson was arrested Friday on five counts of wire fraud and one count of theft concerning a program receiving federal funds.
The document did not show that she had an attorney. Email and phone messages seeking comment were left at her office.
An indictment alleges that Fernandes Anderson hired a staff member in 2022 who is related to her and agreed to give that person a $13,000 bonus, most of which they would kick back to her.
“At defendant Fernandes Anderson’s instructions, Fernandes Anderson and Staff Member A arranged to meet at a bathroom at City Hall where Staff Member A would hand approximately $7,000 in cash to Fernandes Anderson,” court document said.
The two exchanged texts ahead of that meeting, the document said.
Fernandes Anderson became the first African immigrant and first Muslim elected to the council in November 2021, according to her biography on the city government’s website. She was reelected in 2023.
Alabama
Prison guard arrested on drug trafficking charge
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A security guard at an Alabama prison was arrested on drug trafficking charges, the state prison system said Thursday.
Law enforcement agents arrested Alesia Jarrett on Tuesday, the Alabama Department of Corrections said. Jarrett is a prison guard at Elmore Correctional Facility.
Jarrett was found in possession of about 250 grams of methamphetamine, the prison system said in a news release. She had been under investigation for suspected drug smuggling into the facility, the agency said.
Court records were not immediately available to show if Jarrett has a lawyer to speak on her behalf.
She is charged with conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine, promoting prison contraband and an ethics charge of using her position for personal gain. Jail records show that she is being held on a $1.5 million bond.
