Slain border agent's family alleges lies over ATF gun program

The family of slain U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry charged Wednesday that the top federal prosecutor in Phoenix lied to them about the guns found at the crime scene in an attempt to hide the weapons' connection to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' failed Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation. | 02/02/12 06:25:32 By - Richard A. Serrano

Suspect arrested in Molotov cocktail attacks at the University of South Carolina

A University of South Carolina senior is in jail after police charged him with throwing seven Molotov cocktails at buildings on campus and in downtown Columbia, including the Salty Nut Cafe. | 02/02/12 06:25:32 By - Noelle Phillips

Illinois woman goes to prison for embezzlement

A 57-year-old Jerseyville woman will spend 63 months in federal prison for stealing more than $4.5 million from the bank where she had been employed since 1976. | 02/01/12 13:29:50 By - Carolyn P. Smith

Prosecutors want out-of-county jury for Sandusky trial

Prosecutors think Centre Countians have heard and read too much about the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case and are too connected to Penn State to be unbiased jurors at the trial of the former Nittany Lion defensive coordinator. | 02/01/12 07:15:15 By - Mike Dawson

Kansas man pleads guilty to collecting 1 million images of child porn

A Wichita man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to collecting more than a million images of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said. | 02/01/12 06:38:59 By - Rick Plumlee

Sales of oxydocone pills plunge in Florida, DEA data shows

The number of oxycodone pills sold by Florida doctors dropped dramatically in 2011, following a series of high-profile arrests and a legislative crackdown on the storefront "pill mills" that made South Florida the hub of a nationwide black market in prescription painkillers. | 02/01/12 06:33:06 By - Scott Hiaasen

Florida judge: Abused boy looks like concentration camp victim

Joseph Lee studied a color snapshot of his 9-year-old nephew Monday as a Miami child-welfare judge glanced at Lee. The judge was looking for signs that Lee was as disturbed by the photo as she was. But Lee simply stared at the picture. | 01/31/12 12:58:35 By - Carol Marbin Miller and David Ovalle

Bradenton kidnapping suspect said he would rape girls

A 20-year-old man arrested for trying to kidnap a 7-year-old girl from Pride Park in Bradenton told her and her friends he was going to sexually assault them, an arrest warrant shows. | 01/31/12 12:14:12 By - Laura C. Morel

Man who tied dumbbell to dog in Manatee River gets jail time

A man who placed a dog in the Manatee River with a 30-pound dumbbell tied around its neck has been sentenced to 40 days in jail. | 01/27/12 13:17:11 By - Richard Dymond

Alaska man directed pit bull to attack girlfriend, police say

Police say an Anchorage man has been charged with assault after commanding his pit bull to attack a woman Wednesday in Midtown. | 01/27/12 06:56:31 By - Casey Grove

Teen once accused of cat killings sues Miami-Dade County for false arrest

Tyler Weinman, the youth once accused of mutilating 19 cats across South Miami-Dade, is suing the county and a prominent animal rights organization for botching the high-profile investigation that led to his arrest. | 01/26/12 12:25:38 By - Davie Ovalle

Feds: Illinois man accused in bizarre murder-for-hire plot planned to use ex-stripper wife as bait

A convict with a conscience helped the feds unravel a murder-for-hire plot that involved a carjacking and electrocution by cat, according to federal court records. It also included the suspect's ex-stripper wife being used as bait. | 01/26/12 11:39:13 By - Carolyn P. Smith

Missouri tops national list for rate of black homicide victims

For the second year in a row, Missouri leads the nation in the rate of black homicide victims, according to a national study. And it is the third time in the last five years that Missouri has topped the annual study by the Violence Policy Center based in Washington, D.C. | 01/26/12 07:10:04 By - Tony Rizzo

Prison time asked in Paso Robles ‘slave labor’ case

A Paso Robles couple who ran a senior care business faces 21 months in federal prison and might be ordered to repay more than $700,000 to former employees the couple were convicted of harboring illegally. | 01/24/12 13:13:52 By - Nick Wilson

Alaska militia defendants facing more federal charges

The three Fairbanks militia defendants were in a federal courtroom in Anchorage on Monday, using attorneys to assert their constitutional rights before a presidentially appointed judge, a far cry from the Denny's restaurant that their leader once declared to be his sovereign citizen courtroom. | 01/24/12 06:41:04 By - Richard Mauer

Feds: Charges in Florida tax-fraud case that will be first of many to come

A Broward County couple was charged Monday with cashing millions of dollars of income-tax refund checks issued by the U.S. government to people under investigation for stealing others’ identities to file alleged fake tax returns. | 01/23/12 18:44:55 By - Jay Weaver

Gun used by Bonnie and Clyde auctioned for $130,000

At $130,000, it was a bit more than what Michael Brown was willing to spend, even if it wasn't his own money. Brown had traveled to Kansas City from Las Vegas on Saturday to bid on the famed .45-caliber Thompson submachine gun that was believed to have been used by the bank robbing duo of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. | 01/23/12 07:11:49 By - Glenn E. Rice

Court: Juror questionnaires in Chandra Levy trial must be released

The year-old trial of Chandra Levy's killer is still revealing secrets, with an appellate court ruling Thursday that reporters can see juror questionnaires kept locked up by the judge. | 01/20/12 15:17:00 By - Michael Doyle

Chandra Levy murder trial releasing jurors' questionnaires

The year-old trial of Chandra Levy's killer is still revealing secrets, with an appellate court ruling that reporters can see juror questionnaires kept locked up by the judge. | 01/20/12 12:12:55 By - Michael Doyle

Police thought Novack murder was sex game gone wrong

From the time he was a teenager, Ben Novack Jr. was obsessed with cops, Batman, sex with amputees, child pornography and sadomasochism, his wife, Narcy Novack, told investigators following Novack’s July 2009 violent slaying. | 01/20/12 07:04:13 By - Julie K. Brown

Washington state mom had inkling kin were out to kill her

Judy Hebert had an idea that her daughter and son-in-law allegedly were trying to kill her. When an 18-gallon bin of books fell on her inside her Pasco garage, she took her own crime scene photographs and measurements and noted the incident on her calendar. The 58-year-old grandmother also started sharing her suspicions with others.

Read more here: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2012/01/19/1792536/pasco-mom-had-inkling-kin-were.html#storylink=cpy | 01/19/12 14:06:57 By - Kristin M. Kraemer

7 accused of Dell insider trading that netted $62 million

Federal authorities announced criminal and civil charges Wednesday against seven investment fund managers and analysts whom they accuse of gaining more than $62 million in illicit earnings through insider information passed to them about Texas-based computer giant Dell Inc. | 01/18/12 18:23:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Electronic Arts claims First Amendment rights to use weapons, aircraft images in video games

A leading producer of high-tech and action video and computer games is asking a federal court to rule that it can use images of modern weapons and aircraft, such as Bell Helicopter's V-22 Osprey, without paying licensing fees to their makers. | 01/17/12 07:36:08 By - Bob Cox

Wages of sin: Priest sex abuse cost K.C. diocese $1 million in just 4 months

The report shows a diocese insurance program incurred $631,553 in costs relating to clergy sexual abuse from July through October. It also paid $427,707 in connection with an independent investigation led by former U.S. Attorney Todd Graves at the request of the diocese. | 01/14/12 10:24:43 By - Judy L. Thomas

What was Haley Barbour thinking when he issued those pardons?

"Marsha and I are evangelical Christians, Presbyterians. Christianity teaches us forgiveness and second chances. I believe in second chances. And I try hard to be forgiving," former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour told a news conference Friday in addressing the furor he created with his grant of clemency to 215 convicts, including 17 murders. | 01/13/12 20:58:02 By - Anite Lee

Feds to probe why Ted Stevens witness Bill Allen wasn't tried in teen sex case

The Justice Department has agreed to investigate whether there was misconduct involved in federal prosecutors' decision to stonewall the teen sex crime case against disgraced former Veco Corp. chairman Bill Allen. | 01/13/12 20:51:58 By - Sean Cockerham

Federal judge delays John Edwards trial over heart problem

A federal judge agreed on Friday to delay the trial of John Edwards for at least two months. Edwards has a serious heart condition that affects his ability to travel, his doctor told the judge, but the condition is treatable and the former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate has a good chance of recovery. | 01/13/12 19:49:22 By - Anne Blythe

Where's the legal line drawn in animal-rights activism?

A federal courthouse in Boston and a ranch in California's San Joaquin Valley present competing faces of the animal rights movement. One side is peaceful. The other, decidedly, is not. Both can feel the weight of the law and the sting of being called a terrorist. | 01/13/12 16:50:00 By - Michael Doyle

Alaska wildlife chief charged with hunting violations for 2008 bear hunt

A top official in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game quit his job Thursday after being charged with 12 criminal hunting violations, state officials said. | 01/13/12 06:54:40 By - Kyle Hopkins and Richard Mauer

Among Miss. Gov. Barbour pardons was teacher who had sex with boy

A former East Central High School teacher, Jennifer Joel Wilder, who pleaded guilty in 2007 to sexual battery of a student, is among those former Gov. Haley Barbour pardoned this week. | 01/12/12 22:24:38 By - Margaret Baker

Manning should face court martial over WikiLeaks secrets, officer rules

Pfc. Bradley Manning, accused of providing hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the WikiLeaks website, should stand trial on all the charges that have been brought against him, the investigating officer who conducted a hearing into the charges has last month concluded. | 01/12/12 14:53:38 By -

Mississippi judge halts release of 21 prisoners Gov. Barbour pardoned

Attorney General Jim Hood says former Gov. Haley Barbour appears to have violated the state Constitution with many of the dozens of pardons he granted convicted criminals in his last days in office. A Hinds County judge on Wednesday night halted the release of 21 prisoners Barbour ordered freed who had not yet been released. | 01/12/12 07:27:46 By - Geoff Pender

Illegal immigrants across U.S. obtained Missouri driver’s licenses

Thousands of illegal immigrants living across the United States used fraudulent paperwork to obtain Missouri driver’s licenses in St. Joseph, federal authorities said Wednesday. | 01/12/12 07:11:10 By - Tony Rizzo

Mississippi's Barbour pardons more than 200 as he leaves office

In his final hours as governor Tuesday, Haley Barbour granted clemency to more than 200 convicted criminals -- murderers, rapists, robbers and even a cattle rustler -- even as victims’ families, lawmakers and the public have expressed outrage over other pardons in recent days. | 01/11/12 15:30:47 By - Geoff Pender

Miami con man: I fleeced family, others of $800,000

Michael Scott Segal —the Miami-based con artist who did prison time for stuffing his still-breathing mistress into the trunk of a car, which he planned to dump in a lake — appears destined for another extended stay behind bars. | 01/11/12 13:52:39 By - Adam H. Beasley and Elinor J. Brecher

Animal rights activists take credit for Fresno farm fires

Animal rights activists are behind the burning of cattle trucks at Harris Farms in western Fresno County early Sunday, according to a statement released by a clearinghouse for activists. | 01/11/12 13:26:49 By - Jim Guy

Former Marine gets 10 years for handgun trafficking in England

A former Marine was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday for illegally trafficking dozens of handguns to the United Kingdom. | 01/11/12 07:15:12 By - Kyle Jahner

Detecting metal thefts not always easy

California's Sacramento region is under assault by metal thieves, with copper wiring being stripped from utility poles and air conditioning units, brass plaques being pried from monument walls, and manhole covers and wastewater drains being plucked from city streets. So where is it all going? | 01/10/12 17:52:03 By - Sam Stanton

Lawsuit: Former CompUSA executives stole millions

The Fiorentino brothers were aggressive entrepreneurs who grew a small direct-mail catalog company into what is today CompUSA, a national electronics chain owned by a Fortune 1000 company. Then greed got in the way. | 01/09/12 17:42:57 By - Elaine Walker

Sheriff: Would-be abductor tried to snatch other SC girls

A man being sought in the near abduction of a 9-year-old girl in Lexington County also tried to abduct two other young girls just before trying to grab the 9-year-old, Sheriff James Metts said Sunday. | 01/09/12 17:11:02 By - John Monk

Judge scales back restrictions on news media at Fort Worth capital murder trial

Visiting Judge Elizabeth Berry, who issued a sweeping gag order on news coverage of a capital murder trial on Friday, scaled back restrictions imposed in her courtroom early Monday. | 01/09/12 16:58:01 By - Anna M.Tinsley

Penn State alums fault trustees for missteps in Sandusky scandal

You don’t have to look far to find Penn State alumni calling for change.

Tune into a radio talk show or read the comments on Facebook and message boards. Alumni and other Nittany Lions fans have been dissecting trustees’ decision to terminate legendary football coach Joe Paterno and university president Graham Spanier since the move was announced Nov. 9. | 01/09/12 07:31:01 By - Anne Danahy

Gun violence unlikely to prompt any changes in federal law

At an early learning center in Eatonville, Wash., on Sunday, mourners will light candles to honor Margaret Anderson, the 34-year-old ranger and mother of two toddlers who was shot and killed on New Year's Day while she tried to set up a roadblock in Mount Rainier National Park. | 01/06/12 15:47:00 By - Rob Hotakainen

Sandusky's lawyer questions McQueary's timeline, credibility

Jerry Sandusky’s attorney is insisting that the shower incident that Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary testified he witnessed in 2002 actually happened in 2001, a discrepancy he said undermines McQueary’s credibility. | 01/06/12 07:29:29 By - Mike Dawson

Settlement reached in Fresno in Steven Vargas wrongful-death case

A settlement has been reached between the city of Fresno and the family of Steven Vargas, the man whose shooting death led to a high-profile federal trial last month. | 01/05/12 16:08:11 By - John Ellis

Elisa Baker, stepmother of Zahra, pleads guilty to drug trafficking charges

Elisa Baker, who pleaded guilty last fall to murdering her stepdaughter, Zahra Baker, pleaded guilty in federal court today of conspiring to distribute painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs. | 01/05/12 12:39:01 By - Gary L. Wright

Border helicopter dropped coffee cups to alert Mount Rainier hikers of shooter

Coffee cups dropped from a Bellingham-based border helicopter helped alert hikers on Mount Rainier that a killer was at large in the national park earlier this week. | 01/05/12 12:29:06 By - Caleb Hutton

Slain Park ranger remembered for her positive outlook

Margaret Anderson wrote in her 1995 high school yearbook that “each season allows for growth and wonderful experiences. Memories remain, each new one being dear.” | 01/04/12 13:33:08 By - C.R. Roberts and Debbie Cafazzo

Pa. county fears Sandusky trial could strain courts

If and when Jerry Sandusky stands trial on charges of sexual abuse against boys, local and county officials need to come up with a plan for managing the case that’s attracting international attention. | 01/04/12 07:27:33 By - Anne Danahy

Soldier killed in Washington state accident used 'bath salts'

An Tacoma Washington Army medic who killed himself and his wife on Interstate 5 in April enjoyed “the manic feeling” of his bipolar disorder and occasionally skipped his medication, according to Army and police investigations obtained by McClatchy Newspapers. | 01/03/12 13:58:28 By - Adam Ashton

KC man allegedly had handgun in carry-on luggage

Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged a man with carrying a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage as he attempted to board a Wednesday morning flight at Kansas City International Airport. | 12/30/11 15:06:01 By - Tony Rizzo

Were Army crime lab problems withheld from some defendants?

Did the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory properly notify hundreds of defendants about potential problems that involved a different lab analyst? Some attorneys fear that the answer is no; what happened with Army Staff Sgt. Kirk Holcombe, they worry, may be a recurring problem. | 12/29/11 17:59:00 By - Michael Doyle and Marisa Taylor

Florida mother accused of selling baby will get to see her children

A Miami-area mother who faces charges of trying to sell her baby was told Tuesday she could visit him and her two other children. Kenia Quiala Bosque will be permitted two-hour visits three times a week, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Michael Hanzman ruled. | 12/28/11 07:22:42 By - Melissa Sanchez

Alaska river guide Karen Jettmar indicted in mammoth tusk smuggling case

A longtime Alaska river guide faces charges that she helped a client smuggle a 10,000-year-old, federally protected mammoth tusk out of the state in 2007, according to a Dec. 16 indictment. | 12/23/11 06:52:06 By - Casey Grove

California courts redefining meaning of parent

Even as the definition of family in America expands and shifts, California courts are trying to keep pace by redefining whom the law regards as parents. Judges have moved beyond traditional notions of biology and adoption and have assigned parental rights to adults with no genetic or legal ties to kids. | 12/21/11 07:00:12 By - Hudson Sangree

Four say Philadelphia columnist Conlin sexually abused them as children

Three women and a man say they were molested as children by Bill Conlin, a Hall of Fame baseball writer and Philadelphia Daily News columnist. | 12/20/11 20:39:28 By - Nancy Phillips

'Toxic tush' suspects plead not guilty in Florida court

Two people accused of injecting a toxic mixture of “Fix-a-Flat” and Superglue to enhance women’s tushes were arraigned Monday on charges of practicing medicine without a license. | 12/20/11 07:03:34 By - Julie K. Brown

Penn State's McQueary: I told PSU officials about sexual activity between Sandusky, boy

An assistant Penn State football coach testified this morning that he told former Coach Joe Paterno and two university administrators that he saw Jerry Sandusky engage in a sexual act with a young boy on the Penn State campus in 2002. | 12/16/11 11:07:29 By -

Sandusky attorney says shower comment taken out of context

An attorney who recently joined Jerry Sandusky’s legal defense team speculated in an interview with a Harrisburg-area television station that Sandusky might have showered with boys to teach them personal hygiene, and several hours later issued a news release clarifying his statement. | 12/16/11 07:32:53 By -

Did Penn State violate civil rights laws? Groups urge inquiry

As the U.S. Department of Education investigates whether Penn State University might have broken federal law in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal, legal experts say the university also might have violated civil rights laws designed to protect students and others from sex discrimination. | 12/15/11 17:43:00 By - Curtis Tate

Penn State administrators Curley, Schultz set for preliminary hearing

A national audience eager to hear in Mike McQueary’s own words what he saw in a Penn State locker room shower in 2002 didn’t get that opportunity when Jerry Sandusky waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday. But that testimony may come Friday during a preliminary hearing for Penn State administrators Tim Curley and Gary Schultz in Harrisburg. | 12/15/11 07:36:12 By - Mike Dawson

Drugs, alcohol fuel child abuse in Kentucky

When a little boy reportedly fell off the deck of a house in Lincoln County in July 2009 and hit his head, his mother and her boyfriend were drunk, according to a report by a state child-protection worker. | 12/14/11 13:12:34 By - Bill Estep, Beth Musgrave and Valerie Honeycutt Spears

Sandusky's lawyer Amendola defends his strategy

Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer said he plans to chip away at the motives and character of the alleged victims and prosecution witnesses including Mike McQueary, a graduate assistant in 2002 who told a grand jury he saw Sandusky sexually assault a child. | 12/14/11 07:28:47 By - Anne Danahy

Congress weighs in on child sexual abuse, promises tougher laws

He never thought anyone would believe him, said Sheldon Kennedy, a former NHL player and child sexual abuse victim. | 12/13/11 16:45:00 By - Erika Bolstad

Congress tries again to get military sexual assault laws right

Congress is quietly giving itself a do-over on the military sexual assault law it botched the last time around. The changes included in a massive defense bill attempt to correct Congress' own mistakes, which baffled military judges called "arguably absurd," "almost incomprehensible" and ultimately "unconstitutional." | 12/13/11 15:38:00 By - Michael Doyle and Marisa Taylor

Cartel bust detailed in Merced, Calif.

Details about a major Central Valley law enforcement operation targeting La Familia Michoacana were unveiled Monday during a news conference at the Merced County district attorney's office. Meanwhile, Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse II said potential state cuts could affect the ability of local agents to conduct similar operations in the future. | 12/13/11 12:33:54 By - Yesenia Amaro

Emaciated baby found by Texas teens who call for help

Caleb Fuller, 15, and his cousin Magon Rutledge, 17, knew they could get in trouble Friday evening for attending a party at a Hood County residence near Granbury. That was because there were older people, and alcohol, at the gathering. But the teens didn't hesitate to call Fuller's father, a paramedic for 20 years, for help when they saw an emaciated baby wearing socks that were so dirty they appeared to be petrified. | 12/13/11 12:10:55 By - Domingo Ramirez Jr.

Sandusky waives hearing, attorney vows 'fight to death'

Two hours after Jerry Sandusky waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Centre County Court, his attorney vowed there would be no plea bargain, saying "This is a fight to the death." | 12/13/11 09:05:59 By - Chris Rosenblum and Ed Mahon

S.C. lawyer representing Sandusky case's Victim No. 6

When court opens this morning in one of America’s most closely watched criminal proceedings — the preliminary hearing on sex-abuse charges for former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky — Columbia attorney Ken Suggs will be there representing Victim No. 6. | 12/13/11 07:26:08 By - John Monk

Sandusky hearing draws media throng to tiny Bellefonte

A dozen satellite vans lined Allegheny and High streets Monday evening outside the Centre County Courthouse, and police officers were guiding more to spots. Residents walked downtown to see the spectacle, snapping pictures with their phones. And nearby business owners hung up signs, promoting one-day specials. | 12/13/11 06:52:22 By - Ed Mahon

Belleville man faces prison after investors lose millions

Edward Moskop, 63, owner of Moskop & Associates in Belleville, pleaded guilty to federal charges of mail fraud and money laundering connected to the theft of Cookson's money and 17 other investors, who lost a collective $2.4 million | 12/12/11 14:12:38 By - Beth Hundsdorfer

Sandusky case: What's at stake in Tuesday's hearing

A preliminary hearing in Centre County, Pa., Tuesday will be the first chance for the prosecution and defense in the Penn State child sex abuse case to present evidence and question witnesses. Here's a rundown of who the major players are and what's at stake. | 12/12/11 11:43:01 By -

Sandusky, Penn State police chief who closed '98 sex abuse inquiry were once neighbors

The head of Penn State University's police department who oversaw a 1998 investigation of possible sexual abuse by former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky once lived three houses down from the defensive coordinator, property records show. | 12/12/11 06:29:42 By - Franco Ordonez and Mike Dawson

Jerry Sandusky's wife releases statement supporting husband

Dorothy Sandusky, wife of Jerry Sandusky, the former Penn State football assistant coach who is accused of sexually abusing 10 boys, issued the following statement today: "I want to thank our children, our family, our extended family of former Second Mile participants, and all our friends for standing by us through these difficult times. Jerry and I want to express our sorrow for all the hurt that has come to those who have supported us and our beloved Penn State and State College Communities. | 12/09/11 07:31:11 By -

Jerry Sandusky is under house arrest after posting bail

Former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was released Thursday after 20 hours in Centre County’s jail and escorted home where he was to be equipped with an electronic monitoring device. | 12/09/11 07:28:32 By - Mike Dawson

Baptist priest in California convicted of molesting five girls

The trial came down to the word of a Baptist preacher who castigated as liars the troubled little girls who called him a child molester. | 12/09/11 07:11:35 By - Andy Furillo

Sacramento area officials fight copper wire theft

If your house has been broken into or your car stolen, good luck getting an immediate response from the cash-strapped Sacramento police. But soon, a report of copper wire theft could bring a cop out right away. | 12/08/11 13:35:51 By - Ryan Lillis

The Second Mile charity lays off employees

The charity at the center of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal informed some of its employees Wednesday that they will be laid off. | 12/08/11 07:32:31 By - Ed Mahon

Former altar boy shares abuse stories with dead youth's family

Don and Rosemary Teeman were waiting in the parking lot when Jon David Couzens drove up. Couzens sat in his van, trying to summon the strength to open the door. The Teemans’ son had committed suicide 28 years earlier. The night before last, Couzens had told them that their son was sexually abused by a priest before taking his life. | 12/08/11 07:23:34 By - Judy L. Thomas

Miami police arrest caretakers for false credentials

From a simple gated apartment in Little Havana, Maria Del Consuelo Fernandez advertised an elaborate school for health workers across the county to get trained in the intricacies of CPR, infection control and even consoling the mentally ill. But all along, the 56-year-old woman was running a diploma mill — with no training — taking wads of cash over the fence and giving her customers fake certificate, prosecutors say. | 12/08/11 07:00:13 By - Michael Sallah

BP's 2009 Alaska oil spill case goes to judge

The question of whether the circumstances surrounding a 2009 BP oil spill on Alaska's North Slope amount to another environmental crime by the corporation -- justifying new penalties -- now is before U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline. | 12/08/11 06:42:14 By - Lisa Demer

Testimony of Sandusky's alleged victim's from the latest grand jury report

What started with outings to football games and gifts turned into overnight visits, touching and finally sexual assaults, according to the testimony of a young man that’s recounted in the latest report from the Grand Jury investigating Jerry Sandusky. | 12/07/11 19:41:51 By - Anne Danahy

Sandusky arrested, jailed; bail set at $250,000

Jerry Sandusky, charged last month with sexual abuse of eight boys over 15 years, was arrested at his College Township home Wednesday and jailed on new charges he sexually abused two other boys. | 12/07/11 13:46:52 By - Mike Dawson

Ill. mom throws out their beer, so kids beat her up, police say

A brother and sister are in the St. Clair County Jail in Illinois charged with beating up their mother over beer. | 12/07/11 12:05:34 By - Jennifer A. Bowen

Two alleged Sandusky victims say they'll testify

Attorneys for two of the alleged victims in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case have said their clients will testify at Tuesday’s preliminary hearing in Bellefonte, and an attorney has told the Associated Press that all six victims identified by a grand jury will take the stand. | 12/07/11 07:29:24 By - Mike Dawson

Alaska child therapist gets 22 years for child porn

An Anchorage therapist who worked with children of Alaska military personnel was sentenced Monday to 22 years in prison for producing and receiving child pornography, according to Anchorage police and the U.S. Attorney's Office. | 12/07/11 06:50:57 By - Casey Grove

Another man alleges Sandusky sexually abused him in 2004

A Harrisburg attorney said Tuesday he’s representing a man who’s alleging Jerry Sandusky sexually abused him in 2004 during a Second Mile program on Penn State’s campus. | 12/06/11 13:52:49 By -

BP worker found 'cold' pipe weeks before North Slope spill

The BP lead operator who found signs of a frozen pipeline on Alaska's North Slope back in November 2009 testified in federal court Monday that he stumbled on the problem accidentally when he was checking other equipment with a hand-held laser device no bigger than a calculator. | 12/06/11 06:56:11 By - Lisa Demer

Sex abuse memory haunts Kansas City man for decades

The four boys left first-hour class early and headed over to church. For the next hour they would be serving morning Mass at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Independence — an honorable assignment that filled their parents with pride. The boys wanted everything to be just right. | 12/05/11 16:40:16 By - Judy L. Thomas

When a thief steals your ID, and IRS refund

Without a hitch, Miami natives Ed and Kelley Brill had filed their joint income-tax returns from the same home address for 14 years. But this year, after obtaining an extension, the Miami Shores couple were shocked to learn that the Internal Revenue Service had rejected their electronically filed return. It turned out that a thief had stolen Kelley’s identity, Social Security number and employer’s name, then filed a falsified refund claim — beating the Brills to the punch | 12/05/11 14:14:10 By - Jay Weaver

Jerry Sandusky's attorney says interview was chance to meet client

Jerry Sandusky’s attorney said Saturday his client’s interview with The New York Times was a way to offer Sandusky’s side to “as many people as possible” and familiarize the public with his client’s inarticulate manner of speaking. | 12/05/11 07:43:52 By - Mike Dawson

Penn State trustees committee re-affirms firing of Paterno, Spanier

Penn State trustees’ executive committee, reaffirming decisions the board made three weeks ago, voted this morning to terminate Joe Paterno as head football coach and Graham Spanier as university president. | 12/02/11 13:14:21 By - Anne Danahy

BP employee's critical email over plant maintenance debated at oil spill trial

Two months after one of the biggest oil spills ever on Alaska's North Slope, a BP operator sent an email to managers with a long list of mechanical, management and staffing issues at the production center for the Lisburne oil field, home to the pipeline that ruptured. | 12/02/11 06:52:36 By - Lisa Demer

Penn State students grill administration on Sandusky case

Top Penn State administrators fielded students’ questions on the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal Wednesday night, saying the outlook for the university is strong even as it struggles with how to handle the charges and their aftermath. | 12/01/11 07:38:24 By - Anne Danahy

Lisa Irwin's parents ask for vigils outside home to end

The family of a missing Northland infant has asked that vigils discontinue in front of their home on North Lister Avenue. People praying there for Lisa Irwin were told Tuesday that they no longer were welcome to gather in front the residence. John Picerno, an attorney for Lisa’s parents, Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, said the family will continue private vigils. | 12/01/11 07:19:32 By - Glenn E. Rice

Aerojet, GenCorp pay $3.3M to government to settle fraud case

Rancho Cordova-based rocket-maker Aerojet and parent GenCorp Inc. have paid $3.3 million to the federal government to settle an investigation into corporate costs. Benjamin Wagner, the U.S. attorney based in Sacramento, said the payment settled allegations that Aerojet fraudulently included unallowable costs in calculating overhead rates, resulting in overpayments under government contracts. | 12/01/11 06:50:39 By - Mark Glover

Feds want two experts dropped from John Edwards trial

Federal prosecutors in the John Edwards case are trying to prevent two former Federal Elections Commission chairmen from testifying as expert witnesses in the criminal case against the former presidential candidate. | 11/30/11 07:16:31 By - Anne Blythe

Feds to pay $2.5 million in '01 anthrax attacks, admit no blame

While denying negligence by one of its premier bio-weapons labs, the government has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a wrongful death suit filed by survivors of the first fatality victim of the 2001 anthrax mail attacks, court papers revealed Tuesday. | 11/29/11 18:54:00 By - Greg Gordon, Stephen Engelberg and Mike Wiser

Alaska Sen. Murkowski calls for probe of why feds won't prosecute Bill Allen

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is asking for an investigation into why the federal Justice Department abandoned the teen sex crimes case against former Veco Corp. Chairman Bill Allen and blocked the state's effort to prosecute Allen. | 11/29/11 06:40:20 By - Sean Cockerham

Alaska militia leader says group's rights were trampled

A judge Monday rejected an attempt to derail a federal weapons case against three leaders of a right-wing Fairbanks militia over claims that the government trampled on their rights. The men are accused of trying to secure weapons to overthrow the government in a case that remains set for what's expected to be a month-long trial in February. | 11/29/11 06:37:14 By - Lisa Demer

Bureaucracy has blossomed in military's war on rape

Under the political gun, the Pentagon has bulked up its anti-rape campaign far more than many people realize. It's expensive, aggressive and imperfect. Contrary to public and political impression, an extensive McClatchy review of military sexual assault finds plenty of Pentagon and congressional action. Some works. Some falls short. Some goes too far, in a legal arena that's notorious for its complications. | 11/28/11 15:04:00 By - Michael Doyle and Marisa Taylor

Military's newly aggressive rape prosecution has pitfalls

By the time Marine Staff Sgt. Jamie Walton went to trial on rape charges, his accuser had changed her story several times. A military lawyer who evaluated the case told Walton's commander they didn't have enough evidence to go to trial on sexual assault charges. The prosecutor even agreed. But the Marines ignored the advice. | 11/28/11 14:58:00 By - Marisa Taylor and Chris Adams

Mix of booze and sex can spell trouble for military

It's often the toxic ingredient of a military rape allegation: binge drinking. Many times, the woman knows the man and was drinking alcohol with him. Lots of it. As a result, she says she doesn't remember the entire encounter because she was drunk. Determining what happened can be a challenge for the most experienced lawyer, let alone a jury. | 11/28/11 15:08:00 By - Marisa Taylor

Three associates of N.C Gov. Perdue indicted

A Wake County North Carolina grand jury today handed down indictments alleging that a top aide to Gov. Bev Perdue's 2008 campaign schemed to pay a staffer $32,000 for work that was kept off the books in violation of state election laws. | 11/28/11 14:11:55 By - Dan Kane

Dozens march in support of 'Victim 1' in Sandusky case

To Carolyn Toner, the Clinton County, Pa., boy whose mother reported to authorities in 2009 that her son was molested by Jerry Sandusky shouldn’t be called "Victim One." Instead, to her, the boy is "Hero One." | 11/28/11 07:30:04 By - Mike Dawson

Activist wants Justice Dept. to handle Jerry Sandusky case

Citizen activist Gene Stilp has joined a growing chorus urging the U.S. Justice Department to take over the state’s investigation into child sex abuse allegations against former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and charges of a cover-up by university officials. | 11/25/11 14:08:36 By -

Mexico political parties duel over drug cartel influence

A scandal deepened Wednesday over drug traffickers' political influence as a losing party in a recent state election accused the party it lost to of ties to gangsters. | 11/23/11 17:42:00 By - Tim Johnson

Names of alleged Sandusky victims won't be released to public

The identity of one alleged victim in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case cannot be made public by the courts, Sandusky or his lawyer, an out-of-county judge ordered Tuesday after the victim’s attorneys said their client fears being publicly named. | 11/23/11 07:26:16 By - Mike Dawson

For lucky Louisianans, Mexico casino was a jackpot

Leandrus J. Young says he has no regrets about partnering with the "casino czar" of Mexico. He made money, a lot of money. While others say they were swindled by Juan Jose "Pepe" Rojas-Cardona, Young only sings praises. He is one of a group of Louisiana investors who did well taking bets on the nascent Mexico casino industry. | 11/22/11 16:54:00 By - Tim Johnson

U.S. officials no help, says Indian tribe that lost in Mexico swindle

In hindsight, the investment in a Mexico casino scam by the disadvantaged Lac Vieux Desert Band was unwise. But what's more surprising, tribal members say, is the lack of interest among elected officials into what they say amounts to a racketeering scam in which U.S. Indian tribes were specifically targeted by foreigners using a Louisiana lawyer and intermediaries. | 11/22/11 16:54:00 By - Tim Johnson

For U.S. investors, reclaiming money is tough

It seemed like a chance of a lifetime. William Andrew Graven had in his hands an offer to stake a claim on Mexico's future in gambling just as casinos were opening their doors. Only thing was, it was a scam. The Mexican operator offering the venture emptied Graven's wallet of some $3 million, then said goodbye. When Graven traveled to Monterrey to press his case, a posse of armed men surrounded his vehicle and ordered him to leave. | 11/22/11 16:54:00 By - Tim Johnson

Corruption in Mexico casinos takes a toll in the U.S., too

When a Mexico casino czar named Juan Jose Rojas-Cardona sent an offer to the Chippewa Indian tribe known as the Lac Vieux Desert Band to invest in Mexico's booming gambling industry, it seemed like a godsend. But the disadvantaged tribe's multimillion-dollar "investment" disappeared, adding to a list of victims that includes a mammoth hedge fund in London, an Australian manufacturer of gaming machines, an Arizona investor and two Mexican textile tycoons. | 11/22/11 16:54:00 By - Tim Johnson

Report backs claims of bad behavior by Merced County tax collector

Graphic sex talk, nepotism and retaliation against employees are all detailed in an investigative report on one of Merced County's leaders -- who's been at the helm of a seemingly dysfunctional department for several years. | 11/22/11 13:39:25 By - Mike North

Prosecutors in Ted Stevens case won't face criminal charges

A 2 1/2 year investigation into the bungled prosecution of then-U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens found widespread and sometimes intentional misconduct by Justice Department attorneys in that and other Alaska corruption cases. But the special prosecutor who led the review isn't recommending they face any criminal charges. | 11/22/11 06:39:33 By - Lisa Demer

Ex-FBI director Louis Freeh named special counsel for Penn State investigation

The Penn State Board of Trustees is hiring former FBI director and federal judge Louis Freeh to lead the investigation of how the university handled allegations that former football coach Jerry Sandusky sexually assaulted at least eight boys over a period of 15 years. | 11/21/11 13:48:08 By - Anne Danahy

Inquiry finds 'significant' misconduct in Ted Stevens case

Federal prosecutors pursuing the late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens engaged in "significant, widespread and, at times, intentional" misconduct but should not face criminal contempt charges, a special court investigator has concluded. | 11/21/11 13:07:01 By - Michael Doyle

Ties between Penn State, The Second Mile run deep

The Second Mile and Penn State have been embroiled in a national scandal the past two weeks, since former Penn State coach and The Second Mile founder Jerry Sandusky was accused of sexually abusing eight children over 15 years. From the moment that Sandusky founded the charity in 1977, it was inextricably intertwined with Penn State football, a connection that fueled its growth into a nonprofit with about $9.5 million in assets and that served thousands of children across the state. | 11/21/11 07:30:50 By - Ed Mahon

Sandusky scandal's pain extends deep into 'Penn State country'

While most of the media attention in the Penn State child sex abuse scandal has focused on the state's flagship public university, the impact can be felt in the rural communities 40 miles north of State College, where some of the alleged victims of Jerry Sandusky still live. | 11/21/11 00:01:10 By - Curtis Tate

Penn State's Sandusky took out mortgage just as sex-abuse inquiry began

Jerry Sandusky took out a $25,000 mortgage on his home last fall as investigators continued their far-reaching child sex abuse inquiry against the former Penn State University assistant football coach. | 11/18/11 18:47:00 By - Franco Ordonez

Penn State ignored abuse allegations, Ariz. man claims

A Phoenix, Ariz., man is alleging that he tried, without success, in 2001 and 2002 to reach someone at Penn State who would act on his claims he had been sexually abused as a child by a Penn State professor. | 11/18/11 07:18:52 By - Cliff White

Judge who arraigned Sandusky got donation from Second Mile chairman in 2007

Robert Poole, chairman of the state board of directors for The Second Mile, contributed about $2,400 to the campaign of Magisterial District Judge Leslie Dutchcot in 2007, according to Dutchcot’s campaign finance reports. | 11/18/11 07:09:28 By -

Sandusky told Bob Costas he feels 'unfairly judged by the public'

Joe Paterno never spoke to Jerry Sandusky directly about his behavior, according to a full transcript of Bob Costas' interview with Jerry Sandusky acquired by the Centre Daily Times. | 11/17/11 07:29:37 By - Cliff White

Justice Dept. investigating Miami police in deaths of seven black men

The U.S. Justice Department will investigate whether Miami police violated the constitutional rights of seven black men who were shot to death by officers over an eight-month span, raising tensions in the inner city and sparking demands for an independent review. | 11/17/11 07:03:27 By - Charles Rabin and Jay Weaver

New senior judge in Sandusky hearing from out of Pa. county

A senior district judge from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, will hold the scheduled Dec. 7 preliminary hearing for Jerry Sandusky, who faces sex abuse charges involving children. | 11/17/11 06:10:15 By -

Holocaust survivors argue for quest to sue European companies

Few survived to tell the heart-rending survival story that Leo Bretholz chronicled in his book, "Leap Into Darkness," an account of his daring escape in 1942 from a French train bound for the Auschwitz concentration camp. Bretholz and two fellow Holocaust survivors on Wednesday appealed to Congress for the ability to sue European companies such as Allianz AG, a German insurance giant, in state courts for unpaid life insurance policies sold before World War II. | 11/16/11 18:52:00 By - Erika Bolstad

Penn State sex crime cases are familiar territory for Sandusky's lawyer

State College attorney Joseph Amendola has a reputation as a skilled attorney who has handled a number of high-profile cases, including several that drew national attention because of the defendants’ ties to Penn State and its football program. | 11/16/11 07:33:06 By - Cliff White

Sandusky's NBC interview possible confession to sex crime under Pa. law

Under Pennsylvania's child protection laws, what Sandusky admitted to in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas could fit the definition of indecent exposure. If children under 16 were involved, it could be a first-degree misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. | 11/15/11 17:36:00 By - Curtis Tate

Anti-coal protesters arrested outside Bank of America in Charlotte

Amid chants of "Bank of America, bank of coal," eight protesters were arrested Tuesday morning outside the Charlotte bank's corporate headquarters. The protesters were affiliated with the local chapter of the Rainforest Action Network and demanded an end to the bank's | 11/15/11 15:01:16 By - Andrew Dunn

Sandusky's bail, Second Mile link raise conflict of interest questions about judge

Criticism over Jerry Sandusky’s release on $100,000 unsecured bail and an online resume for the judge who set that bail has raised questions of whether she had a conflict of interest. | 11/15/11 07:07:59 By - Jessica VanderKolk

New book warns how to avoid Ponzi schemes

A book to be published Tuesday and written by a somewhat obscure federal regulator uses real-world examples of recent financial fraud to help investors protect themselves from those who'd prey upon them. | 11/14/11 19:00:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Penn State faculty shares insights on Sandusky scandal

When a solemn John Surma, the vice chairman of Penn State’s board of trustees, announced the board’s termination of university President Graham Spanier and head football coach Joe Paterno on Wednesday, he provided a much-needed voice of leadership to a community in dire need of direction, according to former State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley, who joined Penn State’s faculty earlier this year. | 11/14/11 06:46:51 By - Cliff White

Execution scheduled Friday in Idaho would be state's first in many years

If an execution takes place as scheduled in Idaho on Friday, it will be the first time a state Death Row inmate has been executed against his will since 1957. | 11/13/11 16:35:36 By - Patrick Orr

Love, murder and a suicide run for Cuba

Hunted for gunning down his girlfriend, Noel Sosa Ruiz saw no way out except returning to Cuba. Then his plan ran out of fuel. | 11/13/11 16:12:42 By - By Melissa Sanchez and Susan Carroll

Charges added in Alaska's Ketchikan porn case

One of Ketchikan's most prominent political leaders, already accused of possessing child pornography, now finds himself charged with 80 additional counts including one involving a homemade video featuring himself unclothed with a young girl, according to police. | 11/11/11 13:41:38 By - Lisa Demer

Charity program The Second Mile may not survive Sandusky scandal

Guidance counselors in the State College Area schools have stopped referring students to The Second Mile’s early intervention youth programs. And whether a significant number of schools will continue to participate in the nonprofit’s leadership conferences is one of many uncertainties. | 11/11/11 07:20:00 By - Ed Mahon

Colombian paramilitary leader gets 33-year sentence for drug trafficking in Miami

A Colombian paramilitary warlord who pleaded guilty to exporting tons of cocaine into the United States to fund terrorism in his homeland was sentenced in Miami to 33 years in prison, authorities said Wednesday. | 11/10/11 06:55:13 By - Jay Weaver

Penn State fires Joe Paterno, president in abuse scandal fallout

In an effort to contain a widening scandal, the Penn State board of trustees late Wednesday fired head football coach Joe Paterno, and university president Graham Spanier. The unanimous decision came hours after Paterno announced he would retire in the wake of allegations that a former assistant coach sexually abused at least eight boys over a 15-year period, and that Paterno and university officials failed to report it. | 11/09/11 23:47:01 By - Jeff Rice

Guantanamo trial for Cole bombing suspect delayed for a year

The reputed mastermind of the USS Cole bombing made his first appearance in before a U.S. military commission judge Wednesday, the first time Abd al Rahim al Nashiri had been seen in public since he was arrested in 2002 and spiritied into a series of secret CIA prisons. | 11/09/11 18:14:00 By - Carol Rosenberg

Prescription-abuse babies a growing ‘crisis’ in Bradenton

There’s a growing epidemic of babies being born addicted to prescription drugs ingested by young mothers, representatives of substance abuse organizations told county commissioners Tuesday. | 11/09/11 12:05:19 By - Sara Kennedy

Kansas City gamer stops gunman from stealing 'Call of Duty 3'

How bad did one man want "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," which was released Tuesday? Bad enough to follow a customer home from a Kansas City GameStop, point a gun and try to steal his game, according to court records released Tuesday. But not as bad as the customer, who refused to cough up his copy and fought the would-be robber for control of the gun, the court records said. | 11/09/11 07:15:12 By - Christine Venel

Penn State hurt by media blunders, communications expert says

A stunned silence descended upon the hundreds of reporters, photographers and cameramen representing the national media as a Penn State official announced Joe Paterno’s press conference had been canceled Tuesday. | 11/09/11 06:30:48 By - Cliff White

Holder calls ATF gun operation 'flawed' but doesn't apologize

Attorney General Eric Holder disavowed the controversial Fast and Furious program Tuesday, calling the practice of federal agents letting U.S. guns illegally enter Mexico "unacceptable" during a sometimes tense Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. | 11/08/11 18:07:00 By - Maria Recio

Penn State alums' reactions to Sandusky scandal run the gamut

In downtown State College, you can find Joe Paterno’s face on nearly every block. It’s on paintings, book covers, and — at a Dunkin’ Donuts shop — “We Love Our Joe” mugs. | 11/08/11 12:44:04 By - Jessica VanderKolk, Ed Mahon and Jeff Rice

Police: Penn State failed to stop abuse

Penn State officials had three opportunities to stop Jerry Sandusky from preying on young boys but failed to take action, state police Commissioner Frank Noonan said Monday at a news conference with Attorney General Linda Kelly. | 11/08/11 09:17:15 By - Mike Dawson

Feds say California realty ring defrauded $16 million from banks

The collapse of the housing bubble exposed Sacramento as one of the nation's centers for mortgage fraud. Yet even here, prosecutors say, their latest case stands out for its scope and the number of people involved. | 11/08/11 06:47:06 By - Rick Daysog

Dr. Conrad Murray guilty in death of Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's personal physician has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for causing the pop icon's 2009 death by a powerful surgical anesthetic. | 11/08/11 06:18:09 By -

Penn AG: Paterno is not a target of Sandusky investigation

In a news conference held Monday afternoon to discuss the charges filed over the weekend against former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky and two university administrators, Attorney General Linda Kelly said Joe Paterno is not a target of the investigation. | 11/07/11 14:42:52 By -

Kentucky woman accused of Bosnia war crimes awaits extradition decision

No decision was made Monday during an extradition hearing for a Croation woman facing charges of murder and torture stemming from the unraveling of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. More than three hours of testimony and arguments were heard Monday in U.S. District Court in Lexington in the case of Azra Basic. The U.S. government wants to return Basic, 52, to Bosnia to face charges. Basic's attorney, Patrick Nash, is fighting the extradition. | 11/07/11 14:04:06 By - Jennifer Hewlett

Penn State AD Tim Curley, finance VP step down over Sandusky scandal

Following a board of trustees executive session late Sunday night in Old Main, a Penn State spokesman announced Athletic Director Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, interim vice president for finance and business, will step down while the case surrounding them and former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is investigated. | 11/07/11 07:21:47 By - Jessica Vanderkolk

Lisa Irwin's family feels strain of media scrutiny

Since the mystifying Oct. 4 disappearance of 10-month-old Lisa Irwin, much of the nation has been introduced to her parents, Debbie Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, as the latest breathless, blow-by-blow, cable-crime-case sensation. | 11/07/11 07:01:21 By - Lee Hill Kavanaugh

Miami man tumbles to death battling swarm of angry bees

Donald Mason tumbled from a chair he was standing on while battling a swarm of angry bees in an upstairs bedroom. | 11/06/11 17:17:19 By - David Ovalle

Texas man commits suicide at sea after stealing boat

A 41-year-old Texas, man suspected of killing his wife was found dead from an apparent suicide after a bizarre incident at sea that began Friday after he stole a boat from friends in the Florida Keys and tried to flee to Cuba. | 11/06/11 17:11:51 By - Mike Clary

How deep did coverup go in Penn State child sex abuse case?

A grand jury investigation that led to the indictment of Jerry Sandusky on charges that included the rape of pre-teen in the football locker room shower also led to charges against two senior Penn State officials. According to the grand jury's findings, famed Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno and Penn State President Graham Spanier, both of whom were not charged, also knew of the allegations. | 11/06/11 10:56:39 By - Mike Dawson

What prosecution says Penn State officials knew about Sandusky

Seven years before a state grand jury began investigating a boy’s report that he had been sexually assaulted by former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, Penn State officials were told by an eyewitness that Sandusky has sexually assaulted a boy in a shower room on the University Park campus. | 11/05/11 19:24:42 By -

After years of secrecy, Pentagon seeks order to let public view hearing for accused Cole bomber

Pentagon prosecutors have filed a sealed motion with the Guantánamo war court that apparently proposes allowing the general public for the first time to watch military proceedings against an accused al Qaida terrorist. | 11/05/11 16:05:45 By - Carol Rosenberg

Prosecution: Penn State execs hid child sex claims against football coach

STATE COLLEGE, Penn. — Penn State coaching legend and Second Mile founder Jerry Sandusky was arraigned Saturday on more than 40 charges alleging sex crimes involving minors. | 11/05/11 11:22:52 By -

Court closes Green Duck Lounge, scene of notorious Kansas City murder

Repeated instances of violent crime and illegal drug activity in and near the business prompted the county prosecutor to seek a court order to have it shuttered for as long as a year. | 11/05/11 10:02:11 By - Tony Rizzo

Cops suspected of illegal gun sales in Calfornia probe

Two deputies from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, one Sacramento police officer and one Roseville police officer are the focus of the probe. | 11/05/11 09:33:44 By - Sam Stanton

Witness says Stryker 'kill team' suspect calmly displayed human fingers

Alleged “kill team” ringleader Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs was “very calm, very cool, very collected” last year as he unwrapped a pair of human fingers and threatened a private who raised an alarm about drug use in their platoon, the whistleblower testified Thursday. | 11/04/11 13:11:34 By - Adam Ashton

Zahra Baker's father wants to take her remains to Australia

Adam Baker, whose wife pleaded guilty to murdering his 10-year-old daughter, Zahra, says he feels like a hostage. He can't return to Australia while the felony and misdemeanor crimes he's been accused of committing remain pending. And he can't work, he says, because he's been accused of being in the country illegally. | 11/04/11 07:26:25 By - Gary L. Wright

Convictions in 'Liberty City Seven' terrorism case upheld

Five Miami men convicted of conspiring to support the terrorist organization al-Qaida lost their appeal Tuesday for a new trial. A federal appeals court ruled that U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard did not make a mistake when she removed a main juror and replaced her with an alternate juror during trial deliberations that led to the men’s convictions. | 11/02/11 07:02:21 By - Jay Weaver

In Alaska, soldier, 22, held on suspicion of spying

A 22-year-old Army military policeman from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is in custody in Anchorage on suspicion of espionage, an FBI spokesman said Tuesday. The soldier, Spc. William Colton Millay, was booked in the Anchorage jail at 8 p.m. Friday. He's being held without bail, a jail spokesman said. | 11/01/11 22:23:18 By - Richard Mauer

Afghan 'kill team' leader Gibbs was framed, defense says

Alleged Army “kill team” leader Staff Sgt. Calvin Gibbs would celebrate whenever he or his soldiers shot Afghan men during their deployment with a Joint Base Lewis-McChord Stryker brigade last year, his attorney acknowledged Monday. Gibbs would pose for photos and even clip body parts from the victims as “war trophies,” he said. | 11/01/11 07:33:54 By - Adam Ashton

Wichita mosque damaged by fire had received anti-Islam messages

A Muslim mosque in west Wichita that was heavily damaged by fire early Monday had received anti-Islam letters in recent months. Somebody also had begun turning on its outside water faucet overnight to hike its water bill, its leader said. | 11/01/11 06:56:58 By - Fred Mann and Stan Finger

44 charity pink flamingos stolen in Kennewick, Wash.

A thief with a penchant for pink flamingos pilfered 44 birds from a Kennewick yard Saturday night. Forty-nine flamingos were put in the yard of a home near Fourth Avenue and Joliet Avenue in Hansen Park around 10:30 p.m. But by the time the homeowners returned from a Halloween party at 11:45 p.m., most of the birds were gone, said Jenna Boogerd, owner of Swanky Babies. | 10/31/11 14:21:16 By - Paula Horton

Was autistic man really a Marine? Military court to decide

Los Angeles native Joshua D. Fry had been diagnosed as autistic and was living in a group home for people with mental disabilities when a Marine Corps recruiter signed him up for service. Fry's enlistment three years ago helped the recruiter meet his quota. It turned out far worse for Fry, who ended up being court-martialed on child pornography and other charges. Now his fate is posing a mind-boggling question for military judges: Was Fry never really in the Marine Corps in the first place? | 10/28/11 16:03:00 By - Michael Doyle

Interviews with Lisa Irwin's brothers postponed

Today’s planned interviews of Lisa Irwin’s two brothers has been postponed.

It may never happen now, because the case took a bizarre turn late Thursday as two attorneys for the family appeared to be in open conflict. | 10/28/11 07:07:00 By - Alan Bavley and Donald Bradley

Judge won't dismiss case against John Edwards

A federal court judge rejected efforts by John Edwards, the former presidential candidate facing criminal charges, to have his case thrown out before trial. | 10/27/11 13:23:33 By - Anne Blythe

Police: Couple on way to buy heroin passes out in traffic with 4-year-old in car

A Granite City, Illinois, couple took their 4-year-old daughter on a trip to buy heroin in St. Louis and ended up passing out in traffic, court documents state | 10/27/11 11:33:07 By - Kevin Bersett

Report: S.C. man points gun, cuts woman's hair after argument

A man is accused of threatening a woman with a gun then cutting her hair after an argument Monday. Kenneth Diamond Abner, 35, of Rock Hill has been charged with pointing a firearm and criminal domestic violence. | 10/26/11 13:03:51 By - Nichole Smith

After two months of searching, American finds Jack the Cat

After two months of searching, Jack the Cat has been found by American Airlines. The Fort Worth-based carrier lost the cat on August 25 after its owner Karen Pascoe had checked the cat in to American before she boarded a flight to California. | 10/26/11 12:20:17 By - Andrea Ahles

In Lisa Irwin case, legal wrangling with police is part of the system

Last week Cyndy Short, a lawyer for Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin, said she was setting boundaries for her clients’ cooperation with police and insisting on ground rules in exchange for additional interviews about the disappearance of Lisa Irwin in early October. | 10/26/11 07:12:19 By - Mark Morris and Christine Vendel

Jury awards Sears employee $5.2M for racial harassment

At first, Medro Johnson tried to shrug it off. The African American employee of Sears Home Improvement Products in Natomas, Calif., was at an August 2008 company barbecue with his family, court records say. A co-worker walked up and blurted a racial slur, issued with a "slave dialect." | 10/26/11 06:50:41 By - Loretta Kalb

Woman allegedly drained checking account of Washington state couple

Authorities say a 32-year-old woman used a fake identity and phony checks to drain nearly $330,000 from a Gig Harbor, Wash., couple’s checking account earlier this year. | 10/24/11 16:41:38 By - Adam Lynn

Missing evidence is among military crime lab's new woes

The Army's crime lab, already beleaguered by multiple internal investigations, has something new to explain: missing evidence. Examiners misplaced evidence in a possible suicide investigation and an assault case. Meanwhile, two former senior employees of the lab's high-profile forensics testing in Afghanistan have accused their bosses of firing them in August in retaliation for complaining about mismanagement. | 10/24/11 15:30:00 By - Marisa Taylor

The cocaine road - from Colombia to Columbus, Georgia

It’s a long way from Colombia to Columbus, Georgia. But cocaine finds a way, from the farmer’s field to the dealer’s corner. And between the farmer trying to feed his family and the crackhead feeding his addiction, a lot of people make a lot of money. | 10/24/11 14:24:59 By -

Kansas prosecutors get more time to work around shredded records in Planned Parenthood case

Johnson County, Kansas, prosecutors have more time to try to replace shredded evidence in the country’s first criminal case against Planned Parenthood, a judge ruled this morning. | 10/24/11 14:20:32 By - Joe Lambe

Lisa Irwin case keeping Kansas City police frustrated

After nearly three weeks of searching for 11-month Lisa Irwin, Kansas City police continue to track down leads in a frustrating case that seems to have few. | 10/24/11 06:59:39 By - Laura Bauer and Scott Canon

Elisa Baker insists she didn't do it

Elisa Baker, in her first public interview, insisted from jail Friday that she was innocent despite pleading guilty last month to murdering her stepdaughter Zahra. | 10/23/11 17:36:15 By - Franco Ordoñez and Elizabeth Leland

Cadaver dog ‘hit’ inside Missouri house in Lisa Irwin case

An FBI cadaver dog indicated a “hit” inside the home where Lisa Irwin disappeared from her crib, according to an affidavit police filed to support a request for a search warrant of the house. | 10/21/11 16:36:46 By - Tony Rizzo

Thief botches Tacoma woman's life-saving auction

Money doesn’t usually matter much to Cindi Hayes, but this time it’s a matter of life or death. After 13 years battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia, doctors told her in August that a bone marrow transplant was her last chance. Faced with the procedure and related costs estimated at $600,000, Hayes and her family began saving every penny, seeking donations and collecting items for their big fund raiser – an auction Saturday at the Tacoma Elks Club. | 10/20/11 15:41:11 By - Stacia Glenn

Former Alaska legislators avoid more prison time in oil-tax bribery case

Prosecutors have agreed to not seek any more prison time for two former Alaska legislators, Pete Kott and Vic Kohring, despite their fresh admissions that they accepted bribes to promote oil-tax legislation favored by industry. | 10/20/11 07:36:30 By - Richard Mauer

Citigroup settles for $285 million; no Wall Street exec jailed yet

Global banking giant Citigroup has agreed to pay $285 million to settle charges that it misled investors about a complex financial instrument tied to the now-crippled housing market, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Wednesday. | 10/19/11 18:47:00 By - Kevin G. Hall and Greg Gordon

'Promising' lead in Lisa Irwin case fizzles out

An intensive search Tuesday of woods a few blocks from where 11-month-old Lisa Irwin disappeared turned up nothing substantial, police said. | 10/19/11 07:10:23 By - Tony Rizzo and Glenn E. Rice

Father-daughter Renaissance "fight" ends in arrests

A Washington state man reportedly upset with his 16-year-old daughter because she went to Puyallup without parental approval Saturday night is accused of forcing her to suit up in armor and then beating her with a wooden sword for two hours until she could no longer stand, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. | 10/18/11 12:28:18 By - Jeremy Pawloski

Judge: Watchdog group CREW can help John Edwards

A federal judge will allow a government watchdog group to officially weigh in on the criminal case against John Edwards, the former presidential candidate accused of secretly obtaining campaign contributions to hide his pregnant mistress from the public. | 10/18/11 07:25:10 By - Anne Blythe

Texas man accused of smuggling cash to Mexico

A federal complaint has been lodged against a Texas man accused of smuggling thousands of dollars from Georgia to Mexico, according to U.S. District Court records. | 10/17/11 13:17:21 By - Margaret Baker

Missouri National Guard joins search for Lisa Irwin

Twenty-five Missouri National Guard military police joined about 50 law enforcement officers Sunday in the search for evidence related to the disappearance of Lisa Irwin. | 10/17/11 06:57:37 By - Mark Davis

NOAA takes control of 'pirate' ship seized for drift netting

An illegal high seas drift net fishing boat that a U.S. senator called a "pirate" ship has been turned over to a federal law enforcement office, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. | 10/17/11 06:27:03 By - Lisa Demer

Renewed probe into anthrax killings called unlikely

A senior Republican senator says it would take a powerful grass-roots movement or startling new evidence to reopen the Justice Department's investigation that branded a now-deceased Army researcher as the anthrax mailer who killed five people a decade ago. | 10/16/11 00:01:00 By - Greg Gordon, Stephen Engelberg and Mike Wiser

Kansas City bishop, Catholic diocese indicted for failure to report child abuse

A Jackson County grand jury has indicted Bishop Robert Finn on a misdemeanor charge of failure to report child abuse. The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph also was charged with failure to report. | 10/14/11 15:38:26 By - Judy L. Thomas, Mark Morris and Glenn E. Rice

Wal-Mart heiress arrested on suspicion of DWI

A birthday celebration for Alice Walton last week ended on a sour note when the Wal-Mart heiress was arrested in Weatherford on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. | 10/14/11 12:22:18 By - Deanna Boyd

FBI: Alaskan bank robber left behind personal check for $1 million

A man turned himself in to police Thursday evening in connection with an East Anchorage bank robbery in which the suspect signed his name to a check and left it with a teller, authorities said. | 10/14/11 11:49:07 By - Kyle Hopkins

Police investigating Lisa Irwin case search wooded area again

Investigators spent part of Thursday afternoon searching a wooded area near Missouri 210 looking for any evidence connected to missing Northland baby Lisa Irwin. | 10/14/11 07:11:20 By - Glenn E. Rice

Feds bust another ring of accused painkiller peddlers in Florida

South Florida’s painkiller peddlers have taken a sharp turn into the Medicare rackets, authorities say. On Wednesday, federal agents broke up another major ring of alleged prescription drug peddlers — including a doctor, a pharmacist and two clinic owners — in a takedown across Miami-Dade and Broward counties. | 10/13/11 07:49:58 By - Jay Weaver

Sheriff's clerk tries to fix speeding ticket for teen by faxing to newspaper

St. Clair County (Illinois) Sheriff's Department records clerk Joann Reed wanted a speeding ticket for the son of a deputy dismissed, but she didn't go to a judge or jury in traffic court. She accidentally faxed the request to the News-Democrat's newsroom. | 10/13/11 07:41:05 By - Beth Hundsdorfer and George Pawlaczyk

Saudis don't name Iran in condemnation of alleged murder plot

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday denounced an alleged assassination plot against its ambassador to Washington as "outrageous and heinous" but said it was still trying to determine who was behind it. | 10/12/11 19:49:00 By - Roy Gutman

6 shot in beauty salon in California

| 10/12/11 17:35:52 By -

Domestic violence law repealed in Topeka, Ks., to save money

The Topeka City Council on Tuesday voted to repeal the city’s law against misdemeanor domestic battery, the latest in a budget battle that has freed about 30 abuse suspects from charges. One of the offenders was even arrested and released twice since the brouhaha broke out Sept. 8. | 10/12/11 07:17:06 By - Joe Lambe

Iran accused in alleged plot to kill Saudi ambassador in Washington

For the first time in more than a generation, a foreign power was accused Tuesday of plotting a political assassination in the United States capital, an allegation that stunned analysts who said it would seem to be an incredibly incautious move and a mark of desperation, if proved true. | 10/11/11 20:07:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

U.S. says Iran plot to kill Saudi ambassador hatched in Mexico

For the first time in more than a generation, a foreign power was accused Tuesday of plotting a political assassination in the United States capital, an allegation that stunned analysts who said it would seem to be an incredibly brazen move and a mark of desperation, if proved true. | 10/11/11 18:42:35 By - Kevin G. Hall

Backyard of Lisa Irwin's home is searched by Kansas City police

A few hours after neighborhood kids left stuffed animals outside Lisa Irwin’s house on Monday, investigators returned to the home to search the backyard. It was unclear what they were looking to find. | 10/11/11 07:02:24 By - Glenn Rice and Robert A. Cronkleton

Newly released files cloud FBI's anthrax finding

In early 2002, federal agents who were hunting the anthrax killer were trying to winnow a suspect list that numbered in the hundreds. They knew only that they were looking for someone with access to the rare Ames strain of anthrax used in research labs around the world. Profilers said the perpetrator probably was an American with "an agenda." | 10/11/11 00:01:00 By - Stephen Engelberg, Greg Gordon, Jim Gilmore and Mike Wiser

Was FBI's science good enough to ID anthrax killer?

A look at the scientific aspects of the most expensive federal investigation in history shows that new, more powerful technologies already had overtaken the methods used to pinpoint the flask as the murder weapon when prosecutors revealed their case in August 2008. | 10/11/11 00:01:00 By - Stephen Engelberg, Gary Matsumoto, Greg Gordon and Mike Wiser

FBI's case against anthrax suspect rife with questions

Newly available documents and testimony shed fresh light on the evidence against Bruce Ivins, the accused "anthrax killer" who committed suicide. While prosecutors continue to vehemently defend their case, some scientists wonder whether the real killer is still at large. | 10/11/11 00:01:00 By - Stephen Engelberg, Greg Gordon, Jim Gilmore and Mike Wiser

Wichita cops: Man uncooperative after being stabbed in scrotum with hypodermic needle

A 39-year-old Wichita man told police someone stabbed him in the scrotum with a hypodermic needle after an argument. | 10/10/11 14:48:48 By - Deb Gruver

Mexican drug cartel's impact felt in California's San Joaquin Valley

Recent large-scale marijuana busts have raised questions about whether Mexican drug cartels are active in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. The answer: yes, very active. | 10/10/11 14:23:57 By - Erin Tracy

Man brandishing machete killed by Miami-Dade police

The man was wearing only his underwear when he attacked two people with the machete and threatened the police officer. | 10/08/11 17:07:20 By - Jon Silman

Most dangerous cities in America? Detroit's No. 1, but the others may surprise

What's the most dangerous city in Texas? If you guessed Houston, Dallas or even Fort Worth - not so fast, cowpoke. Lubbock? | 10/08/11 17:01:06 By - Tom Uhler

12-year-old girl's tale of torture ends with escape at DMV office

Duewa Abeana Lee is charged with 12 felony counts of violating California's penal code in a "serious" fashion. Here's what that means: She used a frying pan to beat her boyfriend's 12-year-old daughter, then a hot clothing iron to burn her back. She used an electrical cord to cause permanent scarring on the girl's back, chest and arms, then stapled her ear to cause permanent disfigurement.

She heated a spatula and burned the girl's hand and buttocks, pushed her head through a window and shoved her down a flight of stairs, court papers state | 10/08/11 16:50:27 By - Marjie Lundstrom and Sam Stanton

Feds crack down on California's medical pot dispensaries

Declaring that California's medical marijuana law "has been hijacked by profiteers," U.S. prosecutors announced charges Friday against dispensaries, growers and financial speculators throughout the state's medicinal pot market. | 10/08/11 16:44:46 By - Peter Hecht

Paramilitaries may have entered Mexico's drug wars

The gruesome discovery of 32 bodies scattered in houses in the port city of Veracruz this week is the latest sign that Mexico's drug-fueled violence is entering a new phase in which murky paramilitary-style squads are carrying out mass exterminations. | 10/07/11 17:53:00 By - Tim Johnson

Lisa Irwin's mother says police accused her in infant's disappearance

The parents of Lisa Irwin appeared this morning on national news shows and said they were frustrated with the tactics of Kansas City police investigators. | 10/07/11 13:20:23 By - Brian Burnes

Arrests made in 'Occupy Sacramento' protest

Sacramento Police began arresting a group of about 19 Occupy Sacramento protesters about 12:40 a.m. today. The protesters were either lying or sitting at the entrance to Cesar Chavez Park at Ninth and K streets. | 10/07/11 06:48:36 By - Cynthia Hubert

Haitian mother seeks justice for daughter murdered in Dominican Republic

Rose-Marie Lindor seeks justice. The soft-spoken mother from Haiti gently tells the story of her 20-year old daughter Rooldine, who was tied up with rope, raped and stabbed in the Dominican Republic. Her body was found July 12 in an abandoned house in Hipodromo, a neighborhood in Santo Domingo. | 10/06/11 07:01:02 By - Nadege Green and Frances Robles

Alaska Sen. Begich warns against 'showboat' politics in Native contract hearing

Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey on Wednesday called for hearing to investigate Alaska Native corporation federal contracting in the wake of a massive bribery and kickback scandal involving an executive at a subsidiary of the Eyak Corporation. | 10/06/11 06:40:49 By - Sean Cockerham

Edwards case goes before federal judge in late October

A federal judge will hear arguments later this month on whether the criminal case against John Edwards should be dismissed or move toward trial. In a court document filed this week, federal court officials set a hearing for Oct. 26. | 10/05/11 14:20:25 By - Anne Blythe

Nazi salute lawsuit against California town can proceed

The U.S. Supreme Court has left intact an appellate ruling that a California man who was thrown out of a Santa Cruz City Council meeting and arrested for giving a mock Nazi salute to the mayor is entitled to a jury trial on his freedom of speech damage claims. | 10/05/11 07:34:41 By - Denny Walsh

Eyak Technology executive charged in federal bribery case

Federal agents arrested an executive with an Alaska Native corporation subsidiary Tuesday for his alleged role in a massive kickback scheme likely to intensify scrutiny of the federal contracting privileges Native corporations have used to make billions of dollars. | 10/05/11 06:46:24 By - Sean Cockerham

Soldiers' IDs used in online romance scam

Internet impostors are co-opting the identities of well-known soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in bids to scam people out of thousands of dollars, according to Army reports. | 10/04/11 07:32:23 By - Adam Ashton

Alaska lawmakers seek reduction of prison costs, recidivism

Alaska's growing -- and expensive -- prison population is getting new attention from state legislators, who say they want to try new ways to lower inmate numbers. And they are looking hardest at those who have already been there. | 10/04/11 06:39:35 By - Lisa Demer

Amanda Knox acquitted of murder in Italy

An Italian appeals court has thrown out Amanda Knox's murder conviction and ordered the young American free after nearly four years in prison for the death of her British roommate. | 10/03/11 16:03:24 By -

Lawsuit leaves large gas storage fields in Kansas unregulated

Knox says it's unsettling to know that because of a federal court decision last year, neither the state nor federal governments are inspecting the gas field near his home, or others holding thousands of times the amount of gas that caused havoc in Hutchinson. | 10/03/11 14:19:24 By - Dion Lefler

Montana man faces cold case homicide charge in Alaska

Twelve years and more than 1,200 miles apart, Robert Kowalski shot and killed two women. One died on vacation in Alaska, the other in her Montana home. | 10/02/11 12:39:55 By -

Running booze a way of life on Gulf Coast during Prohibition

Prohibition, forced on Americans in 1919 by the 18th Amendment, wasn’t a big deal to most Mississippians living on the Coast and in the Southern pineywoods. Skirting laws that restricted drinking was, more often than not, an accepted way of life. | 10/02/11 12:31:24 By - Kat Bergeron

Missouri man gets 18 life sentences for 30-year old rapes

A Jackson County judge sentenced Bernard Jackson to 18 consecutive life sentences today for rapes he committed in the Waldo and Armour Hills neighborhoods almost 30 years ago. | 09/30/11 12:36:59 By - Tony Rizzo and Mark Morris

Prosecutor: 15-year-old 'ambushed' victims in Charlotte

Days after he'd been grounded, the 15-year-old accused of killing his father and stepmother ambushed them as part of his plan to run away to Mexico, prosecutors said in court Thursday. | 09/30/11 11:46:46 By - Meghan Cooke

ICE detains 3,000 immigrants with criminal records

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Wednesday detentions nationwide of nearly 3,000 foreign nationals with criminal convictions in the largest operation of its kind since the agency was created in 2003. | 09/29/11 07:01:53 By - Alfonso Chardy

Poll: Californians staunchly support death penalty

As death penalty opponents work to get a ballot measure before California voters next fall to abolish capital punishment, a new Field Poll indicates the initiative would be a tough sell. More than two-thirds of state voters – 68 percent – favor keeping the death penalty, the poll found, with 27 percent favoring abolition and 5 percent expressing no opinion. | 09/29/11 06:51:56 By - Sam Stanton

Pentagon announces trial of alleged Cole mastermind on new Guantanamo website

Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, 46, a former Saudi millionaire, faces the death penalty in al Qaida’s suicide bombing of a U.S. Navy warship in a Yemen port a decade ago. The announcement came on a new website that news organizations had requested. | 09/28/11 17:34:00 By - Carol Rosenberg

Laser hits American Airlines flight near Meacham

An American Airlines flight, westbound from D/FW Airport, reported being hit by a green laser at 10,000 feet late Tuesday, seven miles northwest of Meacham Airport. | 09/28/11 11:46:16 By - Marty Sabota

Suspended Florida immigration official arrested on Internet child-porn charges

The suspended head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for South Florida was arrested Tuesday on charges of possessing and distributing images of child pornography over the Internet, according to authorities familiar with the case. | 09/27/11 18:51:03 By - Jay Weaver

Supreme Court to hear deportation case

Carlos Martinez Gutierrez got caught smuggling three Mexican children into California. Now, his travails have reached the Supreme Court. | 09/27/11 17:22:00 By - Michael Doyle

After North Carolina prison closing, what about the cats?

When the Durham Correctional Center shut down last week and its inmates shuttled off to other facilities, Runt, Bobo, Twinkletoes and Smokey once again faced an uncertain future. Those last four inhabitants - all feline - were treated as pets by inmates and officers, who worried about what would happen to the cats with the prison closed. So prison officials called the same group that had saved the cats' lives more than a year earlier. | 09/27/11 13:05:16 By - Brooke Cain

Georgia man electrocuted while trying to take copper

An Opelika, Ala., man authorities say was trying to take copper from a power pole electrocuted himself on Friday in Chambers County. | 09/27/11 12:46:19 By - Alan Riquelmy

Man offers to resume relationship but only if he gets teen daughter

A 49-year-old Anchorage man offered earlier this month to rekindle a relationship with a former girlfriend -- but only if she would let him have sex with her 14-year-old daughter, police said Monday. | 09/27/11 11:57:46 By - Lisa Demer

EEOC files harassment complaint against Nu-Way Weiners

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed suit against Nu-Way Weiners Inc., claiming that two female employees “were repeatedly subjected to a sexually hostile work environment” and that the restaurant chain didn’t end the alleged harassment. | 09/26/11 15:11:29 By - Amy Leigh Womack

Pentagon plans to transmit Guantanamo trials to U.S. points

The Obama administration’s choice to run prosecutions at the Guantanamo war crimes court is pledging a new era of transparency from the remote base, including the nearly simultaneous broadcast of the proceedings to locations in the United States where reporters and families of victims would be able to view them. | 09/25/11 20:10:44 By - Carol Rosenberg

Miami detective involved in murder love triangle case

North Miami Beach Detective Ed Hill, tasked with investigating a straight-out-of Hollywood love triangle assassination, already suffered a blow in credibility when he began romancing one suspect’s bombshell Russian wife. | 09/23/11 15:35:33 By - David Ovalle

14 indicted in Kansas City in massive tax refund scam

A three-year scheme that allegedly tried to defraud the Internal Revenue Service out of millions in inflated tax refunds unraveled Thursday in Kansas City as authorities announced charges against 14 defendants from around the country. | 09/23/11 15:27:00 By - Mark Morris

Pfc. Andrew Holmes pleads guilty in Afghan 'kill team' case

Pfc. Andrew Holmes had a bad feeling when he followed a command from a higher-ranked soldier to help search a teenage Afghan boy standing in a poppy field. Holmes knew his fellow Stryker infantryman, Spc. Jeremy Morlock, had been talking about killing Afghans in combat-like scenarios. He also knew Morlock was carrying a grenade he wasn't supposed to have. | 09/23/11 07:34:20 By - Adam Ashton

Alaska whaling official charged with theft

For the second time in three months, an official with the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission faces federal charges of stealing and misspending from the organization. | 09/23/11 06:48:37 By - Lisa Demer

'Twitter terrorists' walk free in Mexico amid crime surge

Prosecutors on Wednesday dropped charges against two social media users dubbed the "Twitter terrorists" three weeks after their tweets and Facebook postings enraged authorities in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz. | 09/21/11 18:33:00 By - Tim Johnson

'Flawed' new rape law roils military justice system

Six years ago, Congress tried cracking down on rape in the military. Prompted by disturbing reports of sexual assaults in military academies and war zones, lawmakers rewrote the rules. They wanted to protect victims and help prosecutors. Now it's clear that the effort backfired. | 09/21/11 15:25:00 By - Michael Doyle and Marisa Taylor

Zahra Baker's mom found her too late

While some think Elisa Baker's sentence is too short for killing her stepdaughter Zahra Baker, the 10-year-old's biological mother said she's satisfied knowing Baker is going to prison. | 09/20/11 18:01:21 By - Franco Ordoñez

Mexican leader hints again at U.S. drug legalization

For the second time in less than a month, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has inched toward suggesting that the United States decriminalize narcotics if that's what it takes to reduce the "astronomical profits" of the crime gangs roiling his nation. | 09/20/11 16:57:00 By - Tim Johnson

Release of juror questionnaires sought in Chandra Levy case

Long after Chandra Levy's convicted killer was packed off to prison, his trial has become a test case for public access to courtroom proceedings. | 09/20/11 15:18:00 By - Michael Doyle

Bronze statue of Scout is stolen in Tacoma, likely for metal

A 6-foot bronze statue of a boy commanded respect and emulation from thousands of Boy Scouts coming in and out of the Creighton Scout Service Center for a dozen years. | 09/20/11 13:05:44 By - Stacia Glenn

Zahra Baker case: Both sides said they got best deal possible

In the weeks before Elisa Baker pleaded guilty to murdering her 10-year-old stepdaughter, Zahra, the Catawba County District Attorney feared she might escape responsibility for the killing. But Baker's attorney, Scott Reilly, feared his client could spend the rest of her life behind bars. | 09/17/11 18:09:47 By - Franco Ordoñez

U.S. expands its drug watch list to include all Central America

The White House on Thursday added tiny El Salvador and Belize to its list of drug producing and transit countries, placing for the first time all seven Central American nations on the list in a sign of how awash in illegal narcotics the region has become. | 09/15/11 19:58:00 By - Tim Johnson

Zahra Baker's stepmom Elisa pleads guilty to murder

Elisa Baker entered a guilty plea Thursday morning to second-degree murder and other charges related to the death of her 10-year-old stepdaughter Zahra Baker nearly a year ago. Baker, 43, entered the pleas following an agreement reached between her attorney, Scott Reilly, and District Attorney Jay Gaither. | 09/15/11 12:56:38 By - Franco Ordonez, Bruce Henderson and Joe DePriest

Cocaine is no longer drug of choice in Miami

In these rough economic times, another pricey extravagance appears to be waning in South Florida: cocaine. The city that gave rise to Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs has seen a decline in people seeking treatment for cocaine addiction or dying from the drug. | 09/15/11 06:50:39 By - Frances Robles

Zahra Baker's stepmom Elisa could get plea deal in murder trial

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are in negotiations that could put an end to the nearly yearlong murder case of 10-year-old Zahra Baker of Hickory. Defense Attorney Scott Reilly told the Observer on Monday night that he is in discussions with District Attorney Jay Gaither on resolving the second-degree murder charges against Zahra's stepmother, Elisa Baker, possibly as early as Wednesday. | 09/13/11 07:15:50 By - Franco Ordoñez

Feds charge Colombian drug lord called ‘Loco Barrera’ and two partners

One of Colombia’s most-wanted drug traffickers with alleged ties to a narco-terrorist organization has been charged in Miami along with two other “high-level” partners, U.S. authorities said Monday. | 09/12/11 19:14:50 By - Jay Weaver

Kansas human trafficking law falls short, Polaris Project says

A national anti-trafficking organization is giving Kansas low marks on state efforts to police human trafficking, but Missouri fares much better. Even though Kansas' governor and attorney general have been strong voices against trafficking, an analysis by the Polaris Project found that the state still lacks the full arsenal of laws considered "critical to a comprehensive anti-trafficking effort." | 09/12/11 07:14:34 By - Mike McGraw