National Roundup

Virginia Alexandria man gets 2 life senten ces for 2 deaths ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- An Alexandria man who cut the throats of his ex-girlfriend and their 3-year-old daughter last year has been sentenced to two life sentences in prison plus 20 years. Judge Lisa Kemler sentenced 35-year-old Simon Bahta on Thursday for two counts of first-degree murder. An Alexandria Circuit Court jury found him guilty in March. Bahta killed 27-year-old Seble G. Tessema and their daughter, Eden, on April 11, 2010 in a South Reynolds Street apartment. Bahta's attorneys had said at trial that he was not guilty by reason of insanity. Tennessee Shelby schools fire teacher charged with rape MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- A teacher arrested on sex charges involving teenage boys has been fired by the Shelby County school board. Board members voted unanimously on Thursday to terminate physical education teacher Stacy Hopkins from her job at Arlington High School. The 28-year-old Hopkins has been charged by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office with three counts of statutory rape by an authority figure and two counts of soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor. Court records show the three male students are now 16, 17 and 18 years old, according to The Commercial Appeal. Hopkins is free on bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 2. Idaho Illegal outfitter faces 10 years in federal prison BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A convicted illegal Idaho hunting outfitter pleaded guilty to breaking the law yet again, acknowledging in federal court that he operated an unlicensed guiding business and misrepresented bankruptcy information. Sidney R. Davis of Soda Springs faces up to 10 years in prison when he's sentenced on Aug. 31. Davis has operated Trail Creek Lodge near Soda Springs, Idaho since 1993, but he had his outfitting and guiding license revoked in 1996 after violating Idaho regulations. In the latest case, Davis admitted to illegally guiding a mule deer hunt in October 2008. He also acknowledged omitting material information from his 2005 Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing. In 2006, Davis garnered national attention by accusing his former business partner, NBA basketball player Karl Malone, of bribery. A judge threw that case out. Alabama Former seafood exec sentenced in mislabeling case MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- A federal judge in Mobile sentenced a former seafood company executive to 13 months in prison for his role in a fraud involving mislabeled fish. John J. Popa of Lisbon, Conn., was the last of three defendants to be sentenced in U.S. District Court. Judge Ginny Granade noted Popa's assistance to investigators and recommended that he be placed in a prison equipped to deal with his health problems. Popa was vice president of a Pensacola, Fla. wholesale operation which sold fish to restaurants and stores along the Gulf Coast. He pleaded guilty in September, admitting that he passed off imports of sutchi, swai and basa as grouper and other more expensive seafood. Popa also admitted the he instructed employees to change the harvest dates of expired oysters purchased from suppliers. Illinois Champaign man gets 10 years for spitting on guard URBANA, Ill. (AP) -- A judge in central Illinois has sentenced a 25-year-old man to 10 years in prison for spitting on a correctional officer at the Champaign County Jail. A jury convicted Emmanuel Chapple of aggravated battery to a correctional officer. The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports that Chapple earned the hefty sentence Wednesday because it was his third serious felony conviction, making him eligible for a mandatory prison term of between six and 30 years. Authorities say Chapple was in the Urbana jail on other charges in January when he spat on the officer through the talk hole of the cell door. Oklahoma Attorney: Tulsa council can't discipline mayor TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- The attorney for the Tulsa City Council says the council has no authority to discipline Mayor Dewey Bartlett for ethics violations. Bartlett was found by the city Auditor's Office to have violated two sections of the Ethics Code for accepting free personal legal services from an attorney who was under contract to represent the city. Council attorney Drew Rees told the council Thursday that the Ethics Code provides penalties that could include removal from office. Rees told the Tulsa World that he believes the removal process would go through a grand jury. Bartlett's attorney -- Joel Wohlgemuth -- said in a letter to the Auditor's Office that its finding of ethics violations by Bartlett is "unreasonable and impractical" and misinterprets the Ethics Code. Nevada Vegas anesthesiologist wins $8.8 M in hospital suit LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A Las Vegas anesthesiologist suspended from University Medical Center has won an $8.8 million jury award after accusing the hospital of not properly notifying him of allegations against him. A lawyer for Dr. Charles Williams told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the judgment will be reduced to $6.5 million under an agreement with hospital lawyers that prevents them from appealing the ruling. Williams was suspended after a kidney transplant performed by Dr. Gary Shen had complications. Willams' lawyer Jacob Hafter says hospital staff put all the blame for the complications on the anesthesiologist. Williams had sought $24 million in compensatory damages plus punitive damages. He was awarded no punitive damages. California Jury deadlocks in machete attack trial SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- A mistrial has been declared in the attempted murder and mayhem trial of three people charged with conspiring to kill an Orange County man with a machete. The Orange County Register says the jury deliberated for about two days before announcing Thursday that it was hopelessly deadlocked and could not reach a verdict on any defendant in the 2008 attack on Frank Sharpski. Prosecutors alleged that Mary Sharpski conspired with her boyfriend Michael Shores II, to murder her husband and hired Antonio Ortega to do the job. Frank Sharpski survived, but his thumb, index finger and middle finger of his left hand were cut off, his nose was barely attached and his skull was fractured. The judge scheduled a hearing July 1 to select a date for a retrial. Published: Mon, May 30, 2011