National Roundup

New Jersey
White man who pushed Black neighbor in racist rant arrested
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (AP) — A white man who is seen in video footage pushing a Black neighbor with his chest and using racist slurs to address the neighbor and others on Friday has been arrested.

Edward C. Mathews, 45, was arrested on Monday evening after protesters gathered outside of his Mount Laurel home for multiple hours.

“Now, what I did was not acceptable. It’s completely wrong,” Mathews is seen saying in another video filmed by a protester on Monday before his arrest.

In the footage showing the confrontation on Friday, Mathews gives his address several times before finally walking away saying, “Come (expletive) see me.”

In a statement posted online Monday morning, the Mount Laurel police department said Mathews was charged with harassment and biased intimidation but was initially issued a summons and was not arrested.

On Monday evening, prosecutors said at a press conference that they were bringing new charges against Mathews based on additional video footage, but did not say what the new charges were. An email to the Burlington County prosecutor seeking additional information was not immediately returned.

Police officers stood at the door of Mathews home while protesters gathered outside on Monday. When police moved to arrest Mathews around 7:30 p.m., footage posted by a reporter shows protesters throwing objects towards officers and Mathews as they walk to a police car and then at the car as it drove away.

Police say they are investigating other incidents involving Mathews. It was not immediately clear if Mathews has an attorney to represent him. A working phone number for Mathews could not immediately be found.

Mount Laurel is located 19 miles (30 kilometers) east of Philadelphia.

Missouri
Al Jazeera journalists settle tear-gas suit
ST. LOUIS (BridgeTower Media Newswires) — Three Al Jazeera America journalists who were tear-gassed while covering the 2014 protests in Ferguson settled their federal suit against a St. Charles County law enforcement officer for $280,000, according to their attorney.

On June 23, Bernie Rhodes of Lathrop GPM in Kansas City announced the settlement for his clients, Ash-har Quraishi, a correspondent; Marla Cichowski, a producer; and Sam Winslade, a photojournalist.

They sued St. Charles County and Deputy Michael Anderson of the St. Charles Regional SWAT Team in 2016. The suit alleged that Anderson deployed a tear gas canister in the area near the journalists, after they identified themselves as members of the press. They were covering unrest that followed the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer.

They alleged violations of their First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights against the county and Anderson and included a battery claim against Anderson.

A judge granted the county summary judgment on all of the claims but allowed the First and Fourth Amendment claims and the battery claim to proceed against Anderson. In January, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that Anderson was entitled to qualified immunity on the Fourth Amendment claim, but otherwise upheld the denial of summary judgment.

Rhodes noted that the settlement is significantly larger than those in prior suits brought by journalists covering the protests in Ferguson.

“Earlier settlements happened before America saw Derek Chauvin kneel on George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 31 seconds as Chauvin squeezed the life out of Mr. Floyd,” he said in a statement. “The jury’s verdict finding Chauvin guilty of George Floyd’s murder represents a turning point in America: jurors will no longer rely on law enforcement’s version of what happened, especially where there is video that affirmatively disproves the police.”

County spokeswoman Mary Enger in a statement that the county continues to deny the allegations and maintains that the deputy exercised proper judgment  “during a period of unprecedented public disorder in the region.”

Missouri
Lawsuit: Former sheriff stole drugs, assaulted plaintiff
BETHANY, Mo. (AP) — A woman has alleged in a civil rights lawsuit that a former northwest Missouri sheriff gave her drugs and sexually assaulted her.

The St. Joseph News-Press reports  that the claims involve former Harrison County Sheriff Joshua Eckerson. He killed himself last year after a special prosecutor charged him with misdemeanor counts of misuse of official information by a public servant, trespassing and domestic assault.

It’s unclear if those charges are related to the lawsuit because the criminal court documents are sealed.

A woman identified only as Jane Does alleges in the suit that Eckerson drove her home after a 2015 criminal interview, made a suggestive comment, returned later in uniform and coerced her into sexual intercourse in his sheriff’s department vehicle.

“Over the ensuing months, Eckerson coerced plaintiff into having sexual intercourse or performing other sexual acts in exchange for the sheriff’s department’s assistance in criminal charges against herself or her family members,” the lawsuit states.

Eckerson also allegedly directed Doe to trade illegal narcotics for steroids, which he used on himself, the lawsuit states.

Then, when Doe broke off the sexual encounters, Eckerson arrested Doe and pressed charges. The suit said he also initiated a relationship with a probation officer who oversaw Doe’s case.


Louisiana
CITGO agrees to settlement for 2006 Louisiana refinery spill
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — CITGO Petroleum Corp. has agreed to pay $19.7 million to restore natural resources damaged during a 2006 spill at its southwest Louisiana refinery that saw millions of gallons of waste oil and wastewater sent into the Calcasieu River estuary.

The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports the agreement involving CITGO's Westlake refinery came in a consent decree the company entered with the U.S. Justice Department and federal and state trustees in federal court.

Combined with earlier settlements, the new deal means CITGO must pay almost $115 million in fines over the damage the spill caused.

Plans call for using almost $19.2 million of the new settlement in Calcasieu Parish to restore parts of the 150-mile stretch of the estuary damaged by the spill, said Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator Sam Jones.