Florida
A federal judge orders better attorney access at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A state-run immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” must provide people detained there with better access to their attorneys, a federal judge ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell issued a preliminary injunction saying Alligator Alcatraz officials must provide access to timely, free, confidential, unmonitored, unrecorded outgoing legal calls. They must also provide at least one operable telephone for every 25 people held in the facility. The order also outlined information that must be made available to the detained people and their attorneys in multiple languages.
Attorneys previously filed statements with a federal court in Fort Myers saying their clients were unable to call them using staff cellphones and the attorneys were unable to make unannounced visits to the facility.
A state contractor testified in January that both options were available to detained people and their attorneys during a hearing over whether people held at the facility were getting adequate access to their lawyers.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management, the state agency overseeing the detention center, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry Friday. The Everglades facility was built last summer at a remote airstrip by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to support President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Florida also has built a second immigration detention center in north Florida.
The lawsuit from people formerly held at the Everglades facility claims that their First Amendment rights were violated. They say attorneys have to make an appointment to visit three days in advance, unlike at other immigration detention facilities where lawyers can just show up during visiting hours; that detained people often are transferred to other facilities before their attorneys’ appointments to see them; and that scheduling delays have been so lengthy that detainees were unable to meet with attorneys before key deadlines.
State officials who are defendants in the lawsuit have denied restricting detained people’s access to their attorneys and cited security and staffing reasons for any challenges. Federal officials who also are defendants denied that detainees’ First Amendment rights were violated.
Washington
Musician who canceled Kennedy Center holiday performance asks for suit to be dismissed
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chuck Redd, the musician who canceled a Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center in protest of President Donald Trump’s influence over the venue, is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit the performing arts institution brought against him.
In a motion filed in D.C. Superior Court on Friday, lawyers for Redd said the breach of contract suit should be dismissed because he wasn’t contractually obligated to perform. The motion included the contract provided by the Kennedy Center, which the artist never signed.
But his lawyers argued there was more at stake than contract law, portraying the Kennedy Center’s suit as an effort to intimidate artists.
“The Trump Kennedy Center filed this lawsuit to send a message to anyone who dares to publicly disagree with the decisions of those in power,” lawyers Debra S. Katz and Lisa J. Banks said in a statement.
Representatives for the Kennedy Center didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the motion.
Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player who has toured with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Ray Brown, has presided over holiday “Jazz Jams” at the Kennedy Center since 2006. He called off last year’s performance shortly after Trump’s handpicked board at the Kennedy Center voted to add the president’s name to the facility.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press in an email at the time.
Within days of his decision, Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s president at the time, sent him a letter calling the cancellation “classic intolerance and very costly to a nonprofit Arts institution.” Grenell threatened to seek $1 million in damages and the Kennedy Center filed suit on March 6.
Grenell left his post earlier this month and was replaced by Matt Floca, who previously managed the Kennedy Center’s facilities operations. Trump is closing the Kennedy Center later this summer for renovations that are expected to last roughly two years.
California
Man convicted in the deadly 2021 assault of a Thai grandfather in San Francisco avoids prison
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man convicted in the fatal 2021 attack of an older Thai man in San Francisco, which galvanized a movement against anti-Asian hate, will be able to avoid prison time, a judge ruled Thursday.
Antoine Watson, 25, was sentenced to eight years for manslaughter in the death of Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84. But, having already spent five years in jail awaiting trial, Watson received credit for time served, and San Francisco Superior Court Judge Linda Colfax said he could have the remaining three years suspended if he follows the rules of his probation.
Ratanapakdee’s daughter, Monthanus, expressed her family’s disappointment in a statement shared by Justice For Vicha, the foundation named for her father.
“We respect the court process. However, this is not about revenge — it is about accountability,” she said. “When consequences do not reflect the seriousness of the harm, it raises concerns about how we protect our seniors and public safety.”
Vicha Ratanapakdee was out for his usual morning walk in the quiet neighborhood he lived in with his wife, daughter and her family when Watson charged at him and knocked him to the ground. Ratanapakdee never regained consciousness and died two days later.
Watson testified on the stand that he was in a haze of confusion and anger at the time of the unprovoked attack, according to KRON-TV. He said he lashed out and didn’t know that Ratanapakdee was Asian or older.
His attorney, Anita Nabha, a managing attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, said the judge “rightfully” weighed other factors such as Watson’s age at the time of the attack and the importance of rehabilitation.
“Today was an important day for everyone impacted by this case,” Nabha said, adding, “Watson and his mother read statements expressing remorse and compassion on behalf of their family for Mr. Ratanapakdee’s family.”
Footage of the attack was captured on a neighbor’s security camera and spread across social media, prompting a surge in activism over a rise in anti-Asian crimes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of people across several U.S. cities commemorated the anniversary of Ratanapakdee’s death in 2022, seeking justice for Asian Americans who have been harassed, assaulted and even killed in alarming numbers.
Asians in America have long been subject to prejudice and discrimination, but the attacks escalated sharply after COVID-19 first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. More than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition from March 2020 through September 2021.
While the Ratanapakdee family asserts he was attacked because of his race, hate crime charges were not filed and the argument was not raised in trial. Prosecutors have said hate crimes are difficult to prove absent statements by the suspect.
Colorado
Grand jury indicts half the officers in a rural county in criminal misconduct investigation
DENVER (AP) — Four of the current seven law enforcement officers in a rural Colorado county, including the sheriff, as well as a former deputy have been indicted in an investigation into allegations of misconduct, prosecutors said Friday.
A grand jury indicted Costilla County Sheriff Danny Sanchez and former Deputy Keith Schultz on charges of allegedly mishandling human remains discovered in October 2024, according to court documents. A man who found the remains and reported them to the sheriff’s office said Sanchez and Schultz took only the skull and left the other remains behind, including teeth, court documents state.
Two months passed before Schultz wrote a report, saying he left bones in a bag on his desk and went on another call, the documents state. A coroner’s official said he received the skull in an unlabeled paper bag from the sheriff’s office, the documents state.
Sanchez and Schultz are charged with official misconduct and corpse abuse.
Separately, Undersheriff Cruz Soto, Sgt. Caleb Sanchez — the sheriff’s son — and Deputy Roland Riley are charged in connection with the use of a Taser against a man who was having a mental health crisis in February and tried to leave when they insisted he go to the hospital, according to the documents. The man said he was “roughed up” by deputies and was left with broken ribs, according to the indictments.
Soto was charged with failing to intervene, failure to report use of force, third-degree assault and official misconduct, according to court documents. Caleb Sanchez and Riley were charged with second- and third-degree assault.
In announcing the indictments, 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly said she’s committed to investigating and prosecuting crimes no matter the offender.
“I cannot and will not ignore violations of the trust that a community should have in their police. No citizen of the San Luis Valley should have any doubts about the integrity of their police force,” Kelly said at a news conference Friday evening.
A person who answered the phone Friday at the sheriff’s office said there are seven law enforcement officials on staff. The person offered no immediate comment but said a statement would be posted online.
Phone numbers listed for Danny Sanchez, Soto and Riley did not work. Caleb Sanchez did not have a listed number. An unidentified person who answered a number for Schultz referred The Associated Press to an attorney, Peter Comar. The AP left a message Friday for Comar seeking comment.
Kelly said all five turned themselves in to authorities. She said they were expected to post bond Friday and be released.
A federal judge orders better attorney access at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — A state-run immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” must provide people detained there with better access to their attorneys, a federal judge ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell issued a preliminary injunction saying Alligator Alcatraz officials must provide access to timely, free, confidential, unmonitored, unrecorded outgoing legal calls. They must also provide at least one operable telephone for every 25 people held in the facility. The order also outlined information that must be made available to the detained people and their attorneys in multiple languages.
Attorneys previously filed statements with a federal court in Fort Myers saying their clients were unable to call them using staff cellphones and the attorneys were unable to make unannounced visits to the facility.
A state contractor testified in January that both options were available to detained people and their attorneys during a hearing over whether people held at the facility were getting adequate access to their lawyers.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management, the state agency overseeing the detention center, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry Friday. The Everglades facility was built last summer at a remote airstrip by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to support President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Florida also has built a second immigration detention center in north Florida.
The lawsuit from people formerly held at the Everglades facility claims that their First Amendment rights were violated. They say attorneys have to make an appointment to visit three days in advance, unlike at other immigration detention facilities where lawyers can just show up during visiting hours; that detained people often are transferred to other facilities before their attorneys’ appointments to see them; and that scheduling delays have been so lengthy that detainees were unable to meet with attorneys before key deadlines.
State officials who are defendants in the lawsuit have denied restricting detained people’s access to their attorneys and cited security and staffing reasons for any challenges. Federal officials who also are defendants denied that detainees’ First Amendment rights were violated.
Washington
Musician who canceled Kennedy Center holiday performance asks for suit to be dismissed
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chuck Redd, the musician who canceled a Christmas Eve performance at the Kennedy Center in protest of President Donald Trump’s influence over the venue, is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit the performing arts institution brought against him.
In a motion filed in D.C. Superior Court on Friday, lawyers for Redd said the breach of contract suit should be dismissed because he wasn’t contractually obligated to perform. The motion included the contract provided by the Kennedy Center, which the artist never signed.
But his lawyers argued there was more at stake than contract law, portraying the Kennedy Center’s suit as an effort to intimidate artists.
“The Trump Kennedy Center filed this lawsuit to send a message to anyone who dares to publicly disagree with the decisions of those in power,” lawyers Debra S. Katz and Lisa J. Banks said in a statement.
Representatives for the Kennedy Center didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the motion.
Redd, a drummer and vibraphone player who has toured with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Ray Brown, has presided over holiday “Jazz Jams” at the Kennedy Center since 2006. He called off last year’s performance shortly after Trump’s handpicked board at the Kennedy Center voted to add the president’s name to the facility.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd told The Associated Press in an email at the time.
Within days of his decision, Richard Grenell, the Kennedy Center’s president at the time, sent him a letter calling the cancellation “classic intolerance and very costly to a nonprofit Arts institution.” Grenell threatened to seek $1 million in damages and the Kennedy Center filed suit on March 6.
Grenell left his post earlier this month and was replaced by Matt Floca, who previously managed the Kennedy Center’s facilities operations. Trump is closing the Kennedy Center later this summer for renovations that are expected to last roughly two years.
California
Man convicted in the deadly 2021 assault of a Thai grandfather in San Francisco avoids prison
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man convicted in the fatal 2021 attack of an older Thai man in San Francisco, which galvanized a movement against anti-Asian hate, will be able to avoid prison time, a judge ruled Thursday.
Antoine Watson, 25, was sentenced to eight years for manslaughter in the death of Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84. But, having already spent five years in jail awaiting trial, Watson received credit for time served, and San Francisco Superior Court Judge Linda Colfax said he could have the remaining three years suspended if he follows the rules of his probation.
Ratanapakdee’s daughter, Monthanus, expressed her family’s disappointment in a statement shared by Justice For Vicha, the foundation named for her father.
“We respect the court process. However, this is not about revenge — it is about accountability,” she said. “When consequences do not reflect the seriousness of the harm, it raises concerns about how we protect our seniors and public safety.”
Vicha Ratanapakdee was out for his usual morning walk in the quiet neighborhood he lived in with his wife, daughter and her family when Watson charged at him and knocked him to the ground. Ratanapakdee never regained consciousness and died two days later.
Watson testified on the stand that he was in a haze of confusion and anger at the time of the unprovoked attack, according to KRON-TV. He said he lashed out and didn’t know that Ratanapakdee was Asian or older.
His attorney, Anita Nabha, a managing attorney in the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, said the judge “rightfully” weighed other factors such as Watson’s age at the time of the attack and the importance of rehabilitation.
“Today was an important day for everyone impacted by this case,” Nabha said, adding, “Watson and his mother read statements expressing remorse and compassion on behalf of their family for Mr. Ratanapakdee’s family.”
Footage of the attack was captured on a neighbor’s security camera and spread across social media, prompting a surge in activism over a rise in anti-Asian crimes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of people across several U.S. cities commemorated the anniversary of Ratanapakdee’s death in 2022, seeking justice for Asian Americans who have been harassed, assaulted and even killed in alarming numbers.
Asians in America have long been subject to prejudice and discrimination, but the attacks escalated sharply after COVID-19 first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. More than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition from March 2020 through September 2021.
While the Ratanapakdee family asserts he was attacked because of his race, hate crime charges were not filed and the argument was not raised in trial. Prosecutors have said hate crimes are difficult to prove absent statements by the suspect.
Colorado
Grand jury indicts half the officers in a rural county in criminal misconduct investigation
DENVER (AP) — Four of the current seven law enforcement officers in a rural Colorado county, including the sheriff, as well as a former deputy have been indicted in an investigation into allegations of misconduct, prosecutors said Friday.
A grand jury indicted Costilla County Sheriff Danny Sanchez and former Deputy Keith Schultz on charges of allegedly mishandling human remains discovered in October 2024, according to court documents. A man who found the remains and reported them to the sheriff’s office said Sanchez and Schultz took only the skull and left the other remains behind, including teeth, court documents state.
Two months passed before Schultz wrote a report, saying he left bones in a bag on his desk and went on another call, the documents state. A coroner’s official said he received the skull in an unlabeled paper bag from the sheriff’s office, the documents state.
Sanchez and Schultz are charged with official misconduct and corpse abuse.
Separately, Undersheriff Cruz Soto, Sgt. Caleb Sanchez — the sheriff’s son — and Deputy Roland Riley are charged in connection with the use of a Taser against a man who was having a mental health crisis in February and tried to leave when they insisted he go to the hospital, according to the documents. The man said he was “roughed up” by deputies and was left with broken ribs, according to the indictments.
Soto was charged with failing to intervene, failure to report use of force, third-degree assault and official misconduct, according to court documents. Caleb Sanchez and Riley were charged with second- and third-degree assault.
In announcing the indictments, 12th Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly said she’s committed to investigating and prosecuting crimes no matter the offender.
“I cannot and will not ignore violations of the trust that a community should have in their police. No citizen of the San Luis Valley should have any doubts about the integrity of their police force,” Kelly said at a news conference Friday evening.
A person who answered the phone Friday at the sheriff’s office said there are seven law enforcement officials on staff. The person offered no immediate comment but said a statement would be posted online.
Phone numbers listed for Danny Sanchez, Soto and Riley did not work. Caleb Sanchez did not have a listed number. An unidentified person who answered a number for Schultz referred The Associated Press to an attorney, Peter Comar. The AP left a message Friday for Comar seeking comment.
Kelly said all five turned themselves in to authorities. She said they were expected to post bond Friday and be released.
