Rhode Island: Reputed gang leader pleads guilty to charges
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Providence man federal authorities describe as the leader of a violent street gang has pleaded guilty to weapons and drug charges that could send him to prison for more than a century.
Prosecutors say John J. Polanco sold two guns and the drug Ecstasy to an undercover FBI informant last summer. He was on probation for a prior felony conviction at the time and was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet.
Prosecutors say the 28-year-old Polanco is the leader of the local chapter of the Trinitarios, a Dominican gang.
U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith told Polanco on Wednesday that he faces up to 120 years in prison and $5.5 million in fines at sentencing scheduled for May 20.
Missouri: Branson approves displaying motto in city hall 5-0
BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — The Branson Board of Aldermen say the city should give the motto “In God We Trust” a prominent display at city hall.
Despite some objections, the board voted Tuesday 5-0 to approve the type of display.
That came after Preston Dunn Jr., of the group In God We Trust-America Inc., asked the aldermen in January to put up the display. He also said the God in the phrase is “the God of Abraham.”
Two people objected to Dunn’s statement. Greg Davis says courts have ruled that the phrase is constitutional because it has lost a specific religious meaning. But he says Dunn’s statement attached a specific religious meaning to the phrase.
The Springfield News-Leader reported that Mayor Pro Tem Rick Davis said the resolution supports the motto, not Dunn’s beliefs.
South Carolina: State suing New York bank for $200 million
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina is suing a New York bank saying the state lost $200 million on bad investments.
State Treasurer Curtis Loftis sued the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation and the Bank of New York Mellon on Wednesday in state court in South Carolina.
The suit alleges the bank failed to adhere to investment guidelines and honor its obligations in managing state investments.
A spokesman for the bank did not immediately return a telephone message from The Associated Press.
Loftis says the state’s contract called for “conservative, high quality” investments. But he says the bank inappropriately invested in securities backed by sub-prime mortgages and invested in debt instruments in the now bankrupt Lehman Brothers.
Louisiana: Appeals court upholds murder verdict of man
MONROE, La. (AP) — The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a man found guilty of beating his wife to death with a bottle.
A 4th Judicial District Court jury found Harold Wayne Johnson guilty of the second-degree murder of Linda “Gail” Johnson in January 2010. A judge later sentenced him to life in prison without parole.
Fourth Judicial District Attorney Jerry Jones prosecuted the case along with Assistant District Attorneys Cindy Lavespere and Josephine Heller. Lavespere said she is please the ruling was upheld and called the crime brutal and horrible.
“The conviction was solid and they upheld the jury’s decision and the decision of the judge,” Lavespere said.
According to court documents, Harold Johnson and his wife were high school sweethearts who had a child together. The couple lost touch when Johnson joined the U.S. Army but later reconnected and married in 2007.
According to family members, Johnson began using drugs and the couple began arguing over money, his drug use and other women.
Monroe police found the body of Gail Johnson, 50, Aug. 5, 2008 in a ditch off Parker Road, just south of Interstate 20 in Ouachita Parish two days before Harold Johnson reported her missing to police.
Pennsylvania: Police: Boy, 14, tried to abduct woman at stop
MCKEESPORT, Pa. (AP) — Police in the Pittsburgh suburb of McKeesport say a 14-year-old boy tried to abduct a 35-year-old woman at a bus stop and threatened to sexually assault her in some nearby woods.
McKeesport police Capt. Timothy Hanna says the boy took the woman to a wooded cemetery where he threatened to rape her. When she pulled out a cell phone, police say the boy ran away and police chased him through a parking garage before he was apprehended Wednesday.
The boy is not being identified because he’s been charged in juvenile court.
He’s being held in the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center in Pittsburgh on charges of attempted kidnapping, unlawful restraint and indecent assault.
Kansas: KU denies claim that race, religion led to dismissal
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas is denying claims by a former associate vice provost that he was harassed because of his race and religion and then fired for complaining.
Dilawar Grewal sued the university, alleging that he was fired in November 2009 after complaining about treatment by co-workers. He says he was subjected to racial and religious slurs, including being told he looked like a terrorist. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in India. He’s also a member of the Sikh religion.
The Lawrence Journal-World reported Thursday that the university said in court filings that Grewal’s firing was based on legitimate reasons and not related to race, color, religion or his natural origin.
The university has asked that the case be tried in U.S. District Court in Topeka.
Montana: Notification begins in $3.4B Indian settlement
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A court-appointed media company has started a campaign to notify hundreds of thousands of Native Americans they may be beneficiaries of a $3.4 billion settlement.
Last month, a federal judge granted preliminary approval of the settlement over mismanaged money accounts held in trust by the federal government for Indian landowners. The settlement is the result of a 14-year lawsuit by Elouise Cobell of Browning, Mont.
Kinsella Media has begun notifying potential beneficiaries through the mail and through newspaper, radio, television and online advertising.
Beneficiaries have to register within 45 days of the court’s final approval of the settlement. A fairness hearing has been set for April 20.
