National Roundup

Iowa
Trial set for mother accused of killing daughter
GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — A southwestern Iowa mother accused of giving her 8-year-old daughter fatal amounts of an antidepressant drug is set to stand trial in December.

Mills County court records say 34-year-old Misty Frazier, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, child endangerment and giving prescription drugs to a minor without a prescription. The trial is set to begin Dec. 12 for the Glenwood resident.

Prosecutors say an autopsy shows the girl died in October of an overdose of the antidepressant amitriptyline, commonly sold under the brand name Elavil.

Glenwood is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Omaha, Nebraska.

New?York
Judge acquits activist in protest case 
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has acquitted a police reform activist in an unusual case where a New York City police lawyer acted as prosecutor.

Cristina Winsor was arrested during a protest in July 2016 on a disorderly conduct charge. According to the New York Daily News, the judge said Monday during her brief trial that police witnesses misrepresented facts later seen on video. She was cleared of the charges.

Police department lawyers stepped in to prosecute the case because the low-level court where the proceeding was held doesn’t usually have prosecutors. NYPD officials have said they are tired of being sued by people in cases that start in the court.

Winsor is one of two activists challenging the unusual arrangement where the NYPD lawyers argue the cases with the blessing of the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Tennessee
Mail carrier sentenced for stealing opioids
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee mail carrier who pleaded guilty to stealing at least 33 packages of medications intended for veterans has been sentenced to probation.

The Kingsport Times-News reports that Bronson Cobble was sentenced last week to three years’ probation and ordered to pay $1,154 in restitution following his June plea to one count of theft of mail.

Prosecutors in a sentencing memorandum recommended a bottom-range sentence, saying his admission of guilt and request for court-appointed counsel makes him unlike most defendants and suggests a low risk of recidivism.

Court records state that between August 2016 and March, Cobble stole the packages mailed from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to patients in East Tennessee and used the narcotics himself because of a severe opioid addiction.

Tennessee
Sheriff: Machine guns, 900 rounds found during traffic stop
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Police in Tennessee say they found a large cache of weapons, including two machine guns, on a driver pulled over for speeding.

The Johnson City Press quotes Washington County Sheriff Ed Graybeal as saying deputies found a .357-caliber Magnum, a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic, a .223-caliber fully automatic AR rifle, a .308-caliber fully automatic AR rifle, more than 900 rounds of ammunition, and survival equipment.

Graybeals says the discovery was made after the deputies stopped 43-year-old Scott A. Edmisten for speeding early Monday.

He says Edmisten threatened the arresting officer and lunged toward investigators who tried to question him after he was taken to a detention center.

Edmisten is charged with possession of prohibited weapons, speeding, and felony evading arrest. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer.

Massachusetts
Man who sexually exploited 150 boys sentenced
BOSTON (AP) — Authorities say a Massachusetts man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for sexually exploiting about 150 boys by posing as a 14-year-old girl and convincing them to send him nude photos and videos of themselves.

Twenty-four-year-old Curtis Simoneau of Framingham was sentenced in federal court Monday after pleading guilty in June to coercion and enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography.

Prosecutors say Simoneau told a 13-year-old boy he was a girl living in Maine. Authorities say the victim believed he was in an online relationship with the girl and the two exchanged nude photos and videos.

Prosecutors say investigators found nude and sexually suggestive photos and videos in Simoneau’s home that were sent by boys who thought they were sending them to a girl.

Ohio
Company asks for dismissal of ex-athlete’s lawsuit
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A talent management company is asking a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit that links the company to alleged improper use of ex-athletes’ photos by Ohio State University.

IMG says the lawsuit filed earlier this year by former Ohio State linebacker Chris Spielman doesn’t provide facts showing the company did anything wrong.

Among programs targeted by the complaint is a Honda-sponsored collection of 64 banners hung around Ohio Stadium featuring photos of former players, including Spielman.

The university says Honda’s banner contract was with IMG, not Ohio State.

Spielman’s class-action lawsuit wants the marketing programs stopped and the ex-athletes compensated.

A message was left with Spielman’s attorney, who is expected to oppose IMG’s request.

Massachusetts
Business groups sue to stop ‘millionaire tax’
BOSTON (AP) — Several business-backed organizations in Massachusetts have filed a constitutional challenge against a proposed surtax on the state’s highest earners.

The lawsuit filed with the Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday asks the justices to bar the so-called "millionaire tax" from going before voters on the November 2018 state ballot.

The plaintiffs include the Massachusetts High Technology Council, Associated Industries of Massachusetts and the state chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

The proposed constitutional amendment calls for a 4 percent surtax on any portion of an individual’s annual income that exceeds $1 million. Revenues from the tax would be dedicated to education and transportation.

The suit argues the proposal violates the state’s initiative petition process.

Backers of the millionaire tax said Tuesday they were confident it would survive the challenge.