Latest news with #Morris'
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
DC man found guilty of distributing PCP
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — A D.C. man was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute phencyclidine (PCP). The U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) for D.C. said in a news release that a jury found 44-year-old Norman Morris — also known as 'Fibble' — guilty on Tuesday. Court documents say that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the FBI started conducting an investigation in September 2023 into a group that included Morris and some other co-defendants. DC man sentenced for robbing woman, stealing car Prosecutors say that Morris was conducting drug transactions outside of his home in the 200 block of 58th St. NE. Law enforcement monitored these transactions for several months, during which time officers saw Morris' co-defendants meet with him to exchange possible narcotics and cash. The USAO said that one of his co-defendants, 45-year-old Jamar Bennett, sold over two kilograms of PCP to undercover officers over nine different transactions. Another co-defendant, 44-year-old Lamont M. Langston, provided the PCP, and a third co-defendant, 43-year-old Kelvin Sanker, prepared and stored the PCP at his home. Bennett pleaded guilty to charges on April 11, 2024. Sanker pleaded guilty on Oct. 22, 2024. Langston pleaded guilty on Dec. 19, 2024. The date for Morris' sentencing would be set later. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Louisiana state employees could lose jobs under Civil Service amendment
Louisiana Senate chambers during the close of the 2023 legislative session on June 8, 2023. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) Louisiana lawmakers are trying to change the state constitution to wrestle power away from the Civil Service Commission to eliminate state worker protections and allow for the quick firing of thousands of employees for any reason, creating fear among critics that some dismissals could be politically motivated. Senate Bill 8, sponsored by Sen. Jay Morris. R-West Monroe, is nearing final passage in the Louisiana Legislature, though voters will get the final say on a constitutional amendment on a ballot that could have significant consequences for how state government operates. Morris' proposal would give state lawmakers power that currently rests with the Civil Service Commission, a seven-member independent review panel that oversees the hiring and firing of 28,000 'classified' state workers. The commission hears complaints from classified employees and appeals from any who want to contest their dismissal or demotion, affording them due process when it comes to discipline and terminations. In an interview Tuesday, Morris said his bill would let lawmakers 'unclassify' state employees, removing them from the oversight of the commission. An unclassified employee does not have Civil Service protections and can be fired 'at will' for no reason. The bill's current version would also apply to local civil service workers such as municipal police and firefighters, but Morris said he intends to change his measure to exclude them and restrict it to only state employees. 'If you believe in democracy or republicanism — [because] we're a republic — then the Legislature should have some ability to alter how our civil service system works,' Morris said. 'Right now we can't do anything because the constitution prevents it.' Some Democrats have taken issue with the latest iteration of the ballot language in Morris' bill because it doesn't explicitly mention classified employees and could mislead voters into thinking the amendment doesn't affect those state workers who are currently protected under Civil Service. When asked about the proposal following Tuesday's meeting of the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure, Rep. Wilford Carter, D-Lake Charles, said the ballot language doesn't align with what's in the bill. The ballot language states: 'Do you support an amendment to allow the legislature to remove or add officers, positions, and employees to the unclassified civil service?' Critics have pointed to other issues that have not been addressed or debated in any of the committee hearings on Morris' proposal. One of those is the vague use of the word 'remove,' which could be interpreted to mean 'fire' or 'terminate,' said Peter Robins-Brown, who opposes the bill on behalf of Louisiana Progress, which advocates for low and middle-income people. He said lawmakers have not drafted any kind of companion measure that would establish statutes or regulations to implement the specific necessary changes. 'No one has really been paying attention to the details,' Robins-Brown said. 'I'm not sure how the average voter will be able to figure it out, especially when the bill doesn't have a statutory companion to prove the goal of this exercise.' Gov. Landry fails to remove civil service protections from 900 state jobs Rep. Nicholas Muscarello, R-Hammond, who chairs the House Committee on Civil Law and Procedure, said the intent of the amendment is to give lawmakers the power to unclassify state employees, not fire employees. Hiring and terminating decisions would be left up to the executive branch, he said. The Civil Service Commission, a nonpartisan entity, has taken a neutral position on Morris' proposal. When asked about it Wednesday, commission administrators said they assume 'remove' means the act of changing an employee's classification status, but they pointed out the word is not actually defined in the bill. State Civil Service Director Byron Decoteau said Morris' civil service amendment amendment, if adopted, could technically allow lawmakers to simply 'remove' an unclassified job position with no intention of classifying it, leaving a current employee in a limbo with neither a classified nor unclassified status. Sherri Gregoire, Civil Service general counsel, said the lack of a clear definition invites different interpretations, including that the amendment gives lawmakers the power to remove governor's staff members, and creates a situation that would certainly end up in court. The more likely course of events, if voters decide to approve the amendment, would be that the legislature designates all future hires as unclassified employees — a move that would eventually end the classified civil service system altogether, Gregoire said. The Civil Service Commission, itself, would still exist under the constitution but would effectively become pointless because it would no longer have anything to oversee. 'Eventually you won't have any classified employees, so why do you need a commission?' Gregoire said. Morris said he doesn't yet have a vision for how lawmakers would exercise their new power if voters approve the amendment. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has tried repeatedly to exert authority over the commission. In February, he tried unsuccessfully to revoke civil service classifications from 900 state jobs, mostly positions for engineers, shortly after President Donald Trump made a similar move at the federal level. The state Civil Service Commission rejected Landry's request in a 4-2 decision in February. Because unclassified workers can be subject to political punishment and coercion, removing such a large number of engineers from the classified service could create ethical conflicts and unnecessary risks to the public, the commissioners said. A similar version of Morris' bill stalled on the House floor last year, but some Republicans who likely would have supported the bill were absent when the final vote took place. Morris' bill is expected to earn final passage before the regular session ends June 12 and will be placed before voters on the Nov. 3, 2026, statewide election ballot. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Metro
4 days ago
- Metro
Benefits cheat mum said she had severe MS while posting about running 10k races
A mum-of-three convicted of exaggerating her disability to claim more than £22,000 in benefits has been ordered to repay the money. Sara Morris, 50, who has Multiple Sclerosis, said it left her struggling with balance and too weak to stand at the cooker or get out of the bath without help. She also said she suffered anxiety leaving the house which left her in tears after a trip to the pharmacy to collect medication. But photos Morris posted to her Facebook account showed her regularly running 5km and 10km races as part of the Stone Master Marathoners club in her home town of Stone, Staffordshire. Investigators carried out surveillance over a 15-day period in 2023 and saw her running twice, including in a five-mile race, which she completed 'without assistance and showed no signs of balance problems'. Further checks confirmed she had taken part in 73 races between May 2019 and December 2022. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Morris was diagnosed with MS in 2005. Last year she pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit in 2020, and was jailed for eight months. She was found to have been overpaid £20,528.83 between October 2020 and April 2023, benefiting from the false statement to the tune of £22,386.02 in total. Multiple Sclerosis symptoms vary widely from patient to patient, and in some cases can disappear completely before coming back in a relapse. When interviewed in May 2023, Morris said her MS had worsened. She admitted to being a member of the running club, a fact she did not mention in her benefits claim, but said she filled out the form on her 'worst day'. Paul Cliff, mitigating, said Morris' marriage had broken down in early 2020 and that 'she lost her home because of financial problems and was struggling to keep her head above water financially'. He said the 'severity of [Morris' condition] ebbs and flows to a degree', adding: 'But it is accepted by her that the application did not give the full picture. 'It crossed over into the realms of dishonesty. 'The application did not give the full picture. She did say running was one of the ways she tried to manage her MS. 'She has found it difficult to come to terms with her dishonesty.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Rest easier with Emma Sleep's Summer Sale – shop our top picks with up to 20% off MORE: Moment Scottish gangster chased through his Spanish pub and shot dead MORE: Thomas Frank odds-on favourite to become next Tottenham manager if Ange Postecoglou gets sacked
The South African
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs set to offload January signing after quiet spell
Kaizer Chiefs are preparing to shake things up ahead of the new season, and Tashreeq Morris could be the first to go, according to Soccer Laduma . The club plans to loan out the striker, who joined in January, in a bid to make space for new attacking talent. Morris, 31, arrived at Naturena from SuperSport United with high expectations. However, he has failed to deliver the impact the club hoped for. Despite featuring in 19 matches across all competitions, the forward has managed to score only twice. While Morris offers more than just goals through his physical presence and pressing ability, the club's technical team appears unconvinced. Chiefs insiders reveal that his performances have prompted urgent discussions about his future. 'There was apparently a meeting believed to be held just before the final game of the season where both management and the technical team are believed to have agreed that it would be a great idea to loan Morris out next season. So he is set for a loan at the start of next season,' the source confirmed. Amakhosi are determined to secure a new frontman before greenlighting Morris' temporary exit. Club officials are actively pursuing multiple striker targets, although no agreements have been finalised yet. 'As much as they are looking at loaning him out, the club's first priority is to find a striker and sign that player first. From how things are now, they have targeted several strikers but no deal has been reached with anyone yet and that's what could probably delay Morris' loan move. But they are working on that,' the source added. Although Morris hasn't lit up the scoreboard, he remains a forward who contributes in other ways. His ability to hold up the ball and link play brings others into the game. Off the ball, his pressing forces opponents into costly mistakes. Should they loan Morris or keep him and give him more time at Kaizer Chiefs? Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Yahoo
A 'well-orchestrated execution': Mystery surrounds school official's killing at L.A. Live
It was the height of the dinner rush at L.A. Live, a glittering, neon-drenched complex of restaurants and bars steps from Arena. Around 6 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2023, a white Ford Escape pulled out of rush hour traffic on Figueroa Street, stopping along the curb outside Fixins Soul Kitchen. A man stepped out of the Ford, wearing a dark jogging suit with white trim, white sneakers and a baseball cap with the words "No F—Given" on the front. A black balaclava covered his face as he entered the restaurant. L.A. Live's security cameras captured what happened next: In front of about 20 diners and employees, he walked up behind a man eating alone at the bar, aimed a pistol with two hands and shot him in the back of the head. At a court hearing Wednesday, Los Angeles Police Department detectives revealed how they identified the alleged shooter and a second man accused of coordinating what police called a "very well-orchestrated execution." Detectives testified that surveillance footage, license plate readers and an analysis of cellphone and car location data helped solve the case — but only partially. Read more: Spirit Air, cramped hotels, In-N-Out: Police say Chicago hit men killed in L.A. on a budget It remains a mystery why the two defendants, alleged gang members with prior convictions for violent crimes, would target Sidney Barrett Morris, who until shortly before his death held a high-level post at California State University, Northridge. In search of a motive, detectives got a search warrant for the victim's CSUN email account, court records show. Morris' colleagues told detectives he'd been investigating players on the school's men's basketball team who'd been accused of sexual misconduct and harassment. His co-workers theorized the investigation had something to do with his homicide. The tip went nowhere, the lead detective told The Times. A review of public records related to Morris, 43, revealed no obvious signs of a life in distress. No rancorous divorces or business disputes, restraining orders or recent financial trouble — nothing connecting him to the two men accused of his murder. "I've been screaming to the D.A. myself: 'What is the motive?'" Theida Salazar, a lawyer representing one of the suspects, said in an interview. "My client's got no ties to this guy." Morris' killer could have hardly picked a more conspicuous place to commit murder. L.A. Live is bristling with cameras. Armed with a clear shot of the getaway car's license plate, authorities found the Ford Escape two days later, set ablaze on the side of a road in Palmdale. The Hertz rental had burned down to its frame, precluding the collection of DNA evidence, Det. Joshua Byers of the LAPD's Robbery Homicide Division testified at the hearing Wednesday. Read more: A rich L.A. neighborhood donated surveillance technology to the LAPD — then drama ensued Police license plate readers showed the Ford was in South Los Angeles the morning that Morris was killed, Byers wrote in a search warrant affidavit reviewed by The Times. Detectives obtained footage from that morning, which showed a woman park the Ford outside a building on 2nd Avenue before entering one of the units. The unit was rented by a man named Santana Jermaine Kelly, Byers wrote. Kelly, then 49, had been released from prison in 2019. According to a 2001 probation report reviewed by The Times, the Baldwin Village native was a longtime member of the Rollin' 40s gang nicknamed "Ice Man." First arrested at 16 for carjacking a woman, Kelly went in and out of the California Youth Authority and state prison until 2000, when he was charged with following Asian patrons of the Hollywood Park Casino to their homes and robbing them, the report said. After serving 19 years of a potential life sentence for fleeing police, Kelly was released, court records show. The morning that Morris was killed, Byers wrote, Kelly was seen in the surveillance footage with two distinctive hats. He wore the baseball cap later seen on the shooter, the detective wrote. He was also holding a wide-brimmed straw hat that detectives saw on the footage from L.A. Live, obscuring the face of the getaway driver. At the South L.A. building, detectives also caught a glimpse of the killer's face, Byers testified. A man entered Kelly's unit wearing the same clothing as the shooter. "Mask, jacket, pants, shoes — everything is identical," Byers testified. At L.A. Live, the killer was careful to cover his face. But in South L.A., he pulled down his balaclava, Byers testified. Detectives identified him as Phillip Pasco Clark, then 33, a convicted robber and burglar. Arrested on suspicion of Morris' murder on March 22, 2024, Clark called a woman from jail. "I ain't never shot nobody," he declared in the recorded call, which was played in court. Nor, he said, had he ever been to L.A. Live. Clark said he told the detectives that, as a member of the Carver Park Compton Crips, he didn't get along with the "40s," a reference to Kelly's gang. Read more: L.A.'s Rollin' 60s Crips: The rise of a notorious gang and its reputed boss 'Big U' The woman, furious, told Clark he shouldn't have said anything. "Stop talking!" she yelled. "I don't shoot people," Clark said. "I'm a robber. I love you." Detectives arrested Kelly the same day at his Palmdale home, about 10 miles from where the getaway car was torched, Det. Martin Mojarro testified. Inside his black Dodge Durango detectives found the baseball cap from the video, Byers said. Searching through Kelly's phone, Mojarro testified, he found two videos time-stamped a month before Morris was killed. The detective recognized where they were filmed: an alley behind the Westchester apartment complex where Morris lived. "This is the place," Kelly said as he drove around the building, according to Mojarro. "Hmmm. It's kind of secure. There's red cameras. So he's tight-knit. As you can see, there's cameras everywhere." The second video showed a parking garage beneath Morris' building. "I think it'd be better to get him at the other location," Kelly said, according to Mojarro. Kelly and Clark have both maintained their innocence. The getaway driver, whose face was covered by the straw hat, remains unidentified, according to Byers' affidavit. Although detectives made arrests within four months of Morris' death, they were still no closer to knowing the motive. Morris went through financial problems in the past. He declared bankruptcy in 2013, stating in a petition that his $76,000-a-year salary as human resources administrator at the University of San Diego couldn't cover the $224,000 he owed in student debt, unpaid taxes and personal loans. But Morris' fortunes had seemingly improved by 2019, when he was hired as CSUN's director of equity and compliance with a $150,000 salary, according to school records reviewed by The Times. By 2023, his annual pay had risen to $185,000. He had also opened a restaurant, B-You, about three blocks from L.A. Live. Some of Morris' colleagues at CSUN theorized his death was connected to his work. Acting on their tips, Byers in April 2024 wrote a search warrant for his CSUN email account. Read more: How the Aryan Brotherhood used O.C. punk rockers to grow beyond prison walls Before his death, Morris was investigating the CSUN men's basketball team, Byers wrote in a search warrant affidavit. According to university records reviewed by The Times, a female student accused a basketball player of sexual assault and two other players of retaliation after she reported it in July 2023. Morris also ran a consulting business to provide Title IX compliance training. When he hired his own firm to advise the school at a cost of $12,000, it led some CSUN officials to accuse him of self-dealing, Byers wrote in the affidavit. Morris resigned three weeks before his death. Byers wanted to read Morris' emails. The notes may "provide insight into the investigations conducted by the victim," he wrote in his affidavit, as well as reveal "any concerns, threats or fears the victim may have had." But after reviewing the emails, Byers told The Times, he did not find evidence to connect Morris' death to his work at the university. Deputy Dist. Atty. Jonathan Chung, who is prosecuting Kelly and Clark, said he still does not know the motive for Morris' homicide. Carmen Ramos Chandler, a spokeswoman for CSUN, said university officials have "no reason to believe that his death is related to his work." The school will continue to cooperate with the LAPD, she said, "to bring the perpetrators to justice." The preliminary hearing for Clark and Kelly will continue May 22. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
