National Roundup

Washington
Gurney holding deceased person falls from van into traffic
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Police say a gurney holding a dead body fell from the back of a coroner’s van into Olympia traffic
The Olympian reports the van was heading back to the county coroner’s office Monday after responding to a home death.
Olympia Police Department Lt. Paul Lower says two gurneys fell out of the van at the intersection of Martin Way East and Phoenix Street Southeast.
The gurney holding the deceased person was found in the intersection, while the second gurney rolled down the street and was found in a parking lot.
Lower says officers rerouted traffic while the coroner’s office was notified and returned to load the gurneys back into the van.
Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock says an investigation has started to determine the cause of the incident.
He says there was no trauma to the body and the family was notified.

New York
Hackers demand millions for stolen HBO data
NEW YORK (AP) — Hackers using the name “Mr. Smith” posted a fresh cache of stolen HBO files online Monday, and demanded that HBO pay a ransom of several million dollars to prevent further such releases.
The data dump included what appear to be scripts from five “Game of Thrones” episodes, including one upcoming episode, and a month’s worth of email from the account of Leslie Cohen, HBO’s vice president for film programming. There were also internal documents, including a report of legal claims against the network and job offer letters to top executives.
HBO, which previously acknowledged the theft of “proprietary information,” said it’s continuing to investigate and is working with police and cybersecurity experts. The network said Monday that it still doesn’t believe that its email system as a whole has been compromised.
This is the second data dump from the purported hacker. So far the HBO leaks have been limited, falling well short of the chaos inflicted on Sony in 2014. In that attack, hackers unearthed thousands of embarrassing emails and released personal information, including salaries and social security numbers, of nearly 50,000 current and former Sony employees.
Those behind the HBO hack claim to have more data, including scripts, upcoming episodes of HBO shows and movies, and information damaging to HBO.
In a video directed to HBO CEO Richard Plepler, “Mr. Smith” used white text on a black background to threaten further disclosures if HBO doesn’t pay up. To stop the leaks, the purported hackers demanded “our 6 month salary in bitcoin,” which they implied is at least $6 million.

California
Former deputies get probation for pot trafficking
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — Two former California sheriff’s deputies have been sentenced to probation and community service for selling marijuana that had been seized by law enforcement.
Thirty-four-year-old Derrick Penney and 30-year-old Logan August pleaded guilty in May to drug conspiracy charges.
The former deputies with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office faced up to five years in jail. KBAK-TV reports the judge on Monday said that he decided for probation because he didn’t want the public paying for their incarceration. The judge said the pair had already lost their jobs, pensions and community respect.
Court documents show Penney and August conspired with former Bakersfield police detective Patrick Mara and others to steal marijuana from a sherriff’s storage unit.
Mara and his former police partner, Damacio Diaz, were sentenced to prison in a separate case for dealing confiscated methamphetamine.

Kentucky
Sheriff: Woman set man on fire after argument
CORBIN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky woman who authorities say set her husband on fire and then drove him to a hospital has been arrested and charged with assault.
News outlets report the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office says 40-year-old Vera Wooten poured gasoline on her husband and set him ablaze following a fight at their home in Corbin Monday night. Deputies say she then drove him to a hospital for treatment.
The husband was flown to a Cincinnati hospital in critical condition, with burns on more than 50 percent of his body.
Wooten is being held in the Laurel County Detention Center. It’s unclear if she has a lawyer.
The sheriff’s office is investigating.

North Dakota
Man sentenced to time served for biting off co-worker’s ear
MINOT, N.D. (AP) — A 53-year-old North Dakota man has been sentenced for biting off a co-worker’s ear during a fight.
Authorities say Gary Eiland and the other man were fighting over where to place merchandise at a Minot lumber and hardware store in September 2015 when Eiland bit off 80 percent of the other man’s ear. Doctors weren’t able to reattach it.
Eiland said he was acting in self-defense, but he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.
The Minot Daily News reports that he was sentenced Monday to time served of two days and ordered to spend three years on supervised probation. He also was ordered to pay nearly $3,000 in restitution and $1,100 in court costs.

Washington
25-year-old man imprisoned 16 years for killing teenage boy
PASCO, Wash. (AP) — A 25-year-old man who took a first-degree manslaughter plea deal after being accused of fatally shooting a teenager sat silent at his sentencing while the victim’s family asked for answers.
The Tri-City Herald reports Nathan T. Quintero was sentenced to 16 years and two months in prison on Monday for killing George Garcia Thacker. Quintero’s lawyer says his client didn’t feel comfortable addressing the court amid pleas from Garcia Thacker’s father asking Quintero to explain why he killed his 18-year-old son.
Quintero has a history of gang-related gun violence. In October 2015, he is accused of shooting Garcia Thacker five times in the head and neck.
Garcia Thacker was found dead near his crashed car. A witness reported seeing Quintero and his brother get into Garcia Thacker’s car minutes before the shooting.
Prosecutors said it was a circumstantial case.