National Roundup

Louisiana Construction company loses harassment case NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal jury has awarded $451,000 in damages to a post-Katrina bridge repair worker who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Boh Bros. Construction Co. in 2009. Kerry S. Woods, a 33-year-old ironworker represented in the suit by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, said his site superintendent flashed him and routinely taunted him about seeming feminine, among other things. At the end of a three-day trial in front of U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle last week, jurors on Thursday found that Woods was harassed but not retaliated against. Ann Barks, a Boh Bros. spokeswoman, said the company respectfully but strongly disagreed with the case's outcome. Barks says Boh Bros. plans to appeal the verdict. Louisiana Arnaudville settles lawsuit over police shooting LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) -- Arnaudville has settled a lawsuit with a Grand Coteau man who sued the town after a police officer shot him twice in the legs during an altercation that occurred after an Aug. 22 traffic stop. Marlon Rendell Eaglin filed suit in federal court in January, naming as defendants Dallas Barron III, the former Arnaud ville police officer, Arnaudville Police Chief Richard Mizzi and the town of Arnaudville. After reaching a settlement earlier this month, both sides filed a joint motion seeking to have the case dismissed. U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik granted that order Tuesday. Terms of the settlement were not immediately available. The shooting occurred during a routine traffic stop on La. Highway 31. Authorities said Barron attempted to arrest Eaglin after he discovered Eaglin had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for failure to appear in court, authorities have said. Eaglin resisted arrest and allegedly attempted to wrestle Barron's stun gun away from him and use it against the officer, authorities said. Barron shot Eaglin once in the rear of each leg as the man allegedly was attempting to run away. North Dakota Woman accused of ramming husband's vehicle BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- A North Dakota woman who pleaded guilty three years ago to making threats at her children's school is now accused of chasing her husband through central Bismarck with her three children in the back seat of her vehicle and ramming his vehicle, sending it into a house. No one was hurt in the Monday night incident, but damage to the two vehicles was estimated at $15,000, The Bismarck Tribune reported. A damage estimate for the house was not immediately available. Judge Sonna Anderson set bond at $2,500 for Ella Bowen-Davis, 43, of Bismarck, on a felony reckless endangerment charge and restricted her contact with her children. Bowen-Davis said in court that she and her children were chasing her 50-year-old husband, Gary Bowen, because he had taken money from her. "Me and my children were chasing our rent money," she said. "I can't lie and say it didn't happen. It happened." Bowen-Davis said she planned to hire an attorney to represent her. In the school case in Mandan, Bowen-Davis pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. She initially faced a felony terrorizing charge for allegedly making remarks about a "blood bath" at the elementary school after going there in September 2007 to talk with a principal about a bus driver. She was given a suspended 10-day jail term and a year of probation. Police say Bowen-Davis also has a criminal history in Tennessee and West Virginia, though Bowen-Davis said she has never been to West Virginia. California Case against drug agent prompts appeal PITTSBURG, Calif. (AP) -- Criminal allegations against a California narcotics officer have prompted an appeal of a judge's ruling that Pittsburg police were justified in opening fire on a man in 2008. The appeal filed by the family of Timothy Wayne Mitchell Jr. cites testimony in support of the shooting by Norman Wielsch, who has been charged with stealing drugs from evidence lockers. Wielsch has pleaded not guilty. Attorneys for the Mitchell family say Wielsch's credibility has been badly damaged. The appeal is before the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. According to the Contra Costa Times, Mitchell was fatally shot by officer Les Galer on March 11, 2008. Mitchell's family filed a wrongful death suit that also named Wielsch as a defendant. A federal judge ruled that Galer had reason to fear for his life when he opened fire. In the lawsuit, Eaglin alleged that he was not armed, posed no danger to anyone and was running away for his life. A St. Landry Parish grand jury cleared Barron of any wrongdoing in October, finding no criminal conduct in the officer's actions. Barron left the department late last year after finding employment elsewhere, Mizzi has said. "I think both sides were happy to get it behind them," said Kevin Stockstill, an attorney for Eaglin. Stockstill said the two sides began negotiating a settlement immediately after the suit was filed, a process that typically occurs before a lawsuit is filed. The delay was due to confusion about which attorney would be representing Arnaudville, he said. Stockstill said he could not disclose the terms of the settlement. Joy C. Rabalais, who represented the town, said by email that she did not have the authority to release documents pertaining to the settlement. Wisconsin Man who attended high school accused of fraud DARLINGTON, Wis. (AP) -- A 21-year-old man accused of posing as a 16-year-old high school student in southern Wisconsin is in the custody of federal immigration officials. Investigators say the man's only reason for committing fraud is that he wanted an education. Police say the man enrolled at Darlington High School in January 2010. Principal Doug McArthur says he was well-behaved, had good attendance and was making academic progress. Darlington police began investigating after receiving a tip. Chief Jason King says investigators' findings suggest the man's only motive was learning. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald says a 38-year-old Darlington woman was also arrested and accused of posing as the man's mother, as well as falsifying enrollment documents. The newspaper says future court hearings and deportation proceedings are pending. Published: Thu, Mar 31, 2011