Latest news with #misdemeanor
CBS News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Sacramento County supervisors agree to reverse budget cuts to district attorney's office
Sacramento County DA says budget cuts to department would mean no misdemeanor prosecutions Sacramento County DA says budget cuts to department would mean no misdemeanor prosecutions Sacramento County DA says budget cuts to department would mean no misdemeanor prosecutions SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors agreed Wednesday night to restore proposed budget cuts to the district attorney's office. The move comes after District Attorney Thien Ho testified inside the chambers that the cuts would lead him to halt prosecutions of all misdemeanor cases. He turned the board chambers into more of a courtroom, arguing his case against cuts. "The word 'recommendation' means that I approve of it, that I consent to it, and I'm going to say right now I've never consented, approved, or recommended any of these cuts," Ho said. "If we cut by $1.7 million, I won't have the vacancies to fill the misdemeanor cases." Ho said his department was already working with limited resources. "Because we are hanging together by duct tape and superglue," Ho said. Ho made the case that cuts of $1.7 million would force him to cut seven attorney positions from his staff. Low-level crimes like vandalism and burglary would be left with no staffing to prosecute. "I can't cut enough photocopies to meet $1.7 million," Ho said. The packed chambers watched as Ho made the case that these recommendations were not his, but forced on him by the board. A point that Supervisor Phil Serna refuted, leading to an exchange between the two inside the chamber. "This recommendation of the cuts is coming from the CO's office and I've also been very clear about what that would be reflected in," Ho said. "I disagree wholeheartedly," Serna said. "He doesn't have the authority to make the recommendations. He just doesn't. It's not a fact, so we can agree to disagree, but it's not a fact." "Well, we'll disagree, respectfully, mister chair," Ho said.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Huge update emerges on Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley after arrest for allegedly punching ex-girlfriend in face
Olympic medalist sprinter Fred Kerley has reportedly pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge after being a ccused of punching ex-girlfriend Alaysha Johnson earlier this month. The 30-year-old, who is one of only three men to have run sub-10 seconds in the 100m sprint, was arrested back on May 2 over the alleged incident at a hotel in Dania Beach, Florida. According to the arrest report, Johnson told an officer she was struck once in the face by Kerley with a closed fist, causing her nose to bleed, after he had become aggressive and continued to approach her. The report also said her injuries were 'consistent with her statements' and that the athlete was charged with one count of 'battery-touch or strike.' Yet according to TMZ Sports, Kerley's lawyer, Richard Cooper, notified the court in Broward County last week that he intends to fight the charge of misdemeanor battery in front of a jury of his peers. At a court appearance on Friday May 3 he was granted a $1,000 bond and told not to get in contact with Johnson or return to the place of arrest. In a statement just after his arrest the Olympian, who won a bronze medal in Paris last year, said: 'While there was a physical altercation, my arrest was not due to any criminal act. Rather, it resulted from my decision to remain silent until my legal counsel was present. 'I chose not to speak to law enforcement without my attorney present, and for that reason alone, I was booked.' Cooper also said in a statement that his client was 'attacked' during his interaction with Johnson. 'We ask Fred's sponsors, fans, and the public for patience and respect as we let the State Attorney conduct his investigation,' the attorney said. 'We are confident that this case will be summarily dismissed shortly.' Kerley dated Johnson, who is also a 100m runner, for about six months before they broke up last October, according to the arrest report. It comes after the track star was also tased and arrested by police during a night out in Miami Beach in January with his new lover. Days later his estranged wife, Angelica, relived the horrifying moment she thought she would 'die at his hands' in an emotional interview with Angelica, the mother of their three young children, said that she had to fight for air as Kerley choked her during an alleged early morning attack back in May 2024 in the bedroom of their home just south of Miami. Former college heptathlete Angelica claimed Fred only stopped and fled after their 9-year-old daughter Mia bravely tackled her super fit six-feet three-inches father from behind, and began desperately clawing at his eyes. Speaking exclusively to about what she said was the inside story of her turbulent 10-year relationship with the track icon – Angelica claimed he's a serial cheater who leads a 'double life'. Kerley's attorney labeled her account 'fabrications,' pointing out they were not sufficient for cops to arrest him at the time. 'The only ones being hurt by these imaginative claims are their three young children who will remember how their mother sacrificed their privacy and their father's reputation for fleeting fame,' said Cooper.
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Associated Press
High school coach who did naked fat tests found not guilty of child molestation, sexual assault
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A jury has found a former Rhode Island high school basketball coach not guilty of second-degree child molestation and second-degree sexual assault after he spent decades asking hundreds of male student-athletes if they were 'shy or not shy' before asking them to get naked so he could their check their body fat. Instead, the 12 jurors found Aaron Thomas guilty of a lesser charge, misdemeanor battery, in their verdict handed down Monday. In the final days of the trial, attorneys agreed that the jury could consider convicting Thomas of misdemeanor battery rather than the harsher charges originally issued against the coach. Throughout the nearly six-week trial, defense attorneys for Thomas argued that the so-called naked fat tests conducted by the once-beloved coach at North Kingstown High School were wrong but not a crime. The defense said Thomas didn't touch the boy athletes for sexual gratification or arousal, a key requirement under the charges he faced. 'We'd like to thank the jury for their attention, their hard work, and for their verdict. We are very satisfied that the jury saw the case as we saw it, no sexual intent whatsoever,' defense attorney John MacDonald told reporters outside the court. Prosecutors maintained Thomas created and implemented a program that allowed him to have unfettered access to young naked boys for decades. 'Above all else, this case is about the victims who suffered greatly behind closed doors,' said Attorney General Peter Neronha in a statement. 'And despite what the defendant and his defense would have you believe, pseudo-science is not an excuse for abuse, nor is winning more important than well-being. We believe that what took place here was not just bad judgment, it was, and always has been, criminal conduct.' Neronha added that the statute of limitations on second-degree assault in Rhode Island is three years, a limit that he has pushed to increase to 10 years and would have allowed him to pursue more charges. Under Rhode Island law, misdemeanor battery carries a maximum one-year prison sentence and a possible fine as high as $1,000. Sentencing for Thomas will take place June 26. Although Thomas performed the tests on multiple students over many years, the charges related to just two former students, including one who was under 14 at the time, in September 2000 and February 2002. Thomas' attorneys argued that these former students' testimony were unreliable — pointing out one of the boy's mental health struggles — and stressed that they really wanted a monetary payment under a separate civil lawsuit. During his testimony, Thomas told the jury that he likely saw more than 600 students throughout his career, with 'roughly 80%' of them taking their underwear off during the test. The tests involved Thomas pinching various areas of their bodies, including near the groin and buttocks. The tests were conducted behind closed doors, first in a small closet-like room and then eventually in Thomas' office. Thomas acknowledged while on the stand that removing the underwear was not necessary, while body fat composition experts said pinching near the groin was not backed by science as a way to determine body fat. More than a dozen students testified throughout the trial, as well as law enforcement officers, body composition experts and former school officials.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
HCSO deputy gets 75 days for two crash deaths
A Harnett County Sheriff's deputy was sentenced to 75 days in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of misdemeanor death by vehicle in the March 3, 2023 death of a Minnesota couple. Kevin Joseph Letarte, 38, drove his HCSO-issued Dodge Durango into a Ram 1500 pickup driven by Brian Anthony Finch, 65, while on NC 210 between Anderson Creek and Spring Lake, court documents say. Finch and his wife, Patricia Lynn Finch, 64, died as a result of the crash in which they had a green light to cross NC 210 from Sandclay Drive to Ray Road, according to court records. Letarte, who was originally charged with two counts of felony involuntary manslaughter, had those dismissed as part of a plea agreement. However, he didn't get everything he asked for as Superior Court Judge C. Winston Gilchrist denied a request for 'prayer for judgment,' a term used in North Carolina in which sentencing would be postponed until after a probationary period. In such cases, the charges could be eventually dismissed. In addition to 75 days in the Harnett County Jail, Letarte was ordered to pay court costs of $365 and complete 18 months of unsupervised probation. On Thursday, he was not listed on the jail roster. According to a press release from Sheriff Wayne Coats on May 7, the day Letarte was sentenced, Letarte is still employed with HCSO, 'while complying with the restrictions imposed during sentencing.' The release states that Letarte would ride with another deputy when necessary and would maintain his assigned canine and continue training with such. The regular conditions of his sentencing include not possessing a firearm, ammunition or deadly weapon as defined in state law. Special conditions include continuing with mental health treatment. His only prior conviction was in Rhode Island in 2005 for use or possession of Class C fireworks, according to eCourts. Letarte was arrested May 18, 2023 and released on an unsecured $5,000 bond the next day. He was given no credit for jail time at sentencing, however. According to a bill of particulars filed by prosecuting attorney Suzanne L. Matthews on Oct. 14, 2024, Letarte violated HCSO's policy on vehicle pursuits, along with some state laws. The Sanford Herald previously reported that Letarte was traveling at speeds up to 95 mph prior to the crash. According to a court document, he was chasing Jimmy Lewis White Jr., who was traveling 15 mph more than the speed limit of 65 mph. WHITE FACES TRIAL White, 49, faces two felony counts of aggravated flee and elude stemming from the crash. He was arrested March 27, 2023 and posted a $15,000 bond on May 1, 2023 by paying $700 and promising to pay $700. He bonded out with the help of Jimmy and Larry White, according to eCourts. Jimmy White faces a jury trial on Oct. 6 and has a disposition hearing set for Aug. 18. White, who listed addresses at 1820 Nursery Road and 102 and 109 Grapefruit Lane in Lillington, also has had addresses in Sanford and Spring Lake over the years, according to eCourts. He has pending charges for possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia stemming from Jan. 18 in Harnett County. He was arrested that day and posted a $30,000 bond on Jan. 27 by paying $1,200 and promising to pay $3,000. He was guilty of misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury in 2022. District Court Judge Craig James sentenced White to supervised probation for six months and ordered him to pay $500. He later violated the terms of his probation and was ordered to jail for 10 days in 2023. Charges of assault with a deadly weapon and injury to personal property, both misdemeanors, were dismissed without a reason given, stemming from Aug. 8, 2021. A felony charge of disclosing private images stemming from March 6, 2019 was also dismissed without a reason given, according to eCourts. However, White pleaded guilty to second-degree trespass stemming from 2014, and charges of breaking and entering and communicating threats were dismissed.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Ex-US Olympian Ivan Lee sentenced after pleading guilty to sex offenses
Former US Olympic fencer Ivan Lee has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor sex offenses involving a female he previously coached. The 44-year-old was a member of Team USA at the Athens Olympics back in 2024, where he just missed out on a medal. But he now faces six years of probation - and must enroll in a sex offenders program - after pleading guilty to sexual abuse and forcible touching. The offenses involved a female athlete he worked with while head coach of the women's fencing team at Long Island University in New York.
