crime

Shootings on Sunday Give Louisville its 7th, 8th and 9th Homicide of 2013

Joseph Lord — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:21:13 +0000

Three men died Sunday afternoon outside an apartment complex near Berry Boulevard, bringing Louisville's number of criminal homicides to nine as we near the end of the first quarter of 2013.

The shooting appears to have followed a drug deal, said Lt. Barry Wilkerson, the Louisville Metro Police Homicide Unit commander.

Indiana Lawmaker Seeks to Reduce Marijuana Penalties

The Associated Press — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 19:25:25 +0000

An influential Indiana lawmaker says he'll introduce legislation that would reduce penalties on people found in possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Republican state Sen. Brent Steele of Bedford plans to introduce a bill next session that would make possession of 10 grams or less an infraction, rather than a criminal misdemeanor. Ten grams is equivalent to about one-third of an ounce or roughly enough to make 20 to 30 marijuana cigarettes.

Accused Homeowners' Association Shooter Pleads Not Guilty

The Associated Press — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 20:18:27 +0000

The Louisville man charged with fatally shooting two of his neighbors at a homeowners' association meeting has pleaded not guilty to two murder charges and seven counts of wanton endangerment.

Mahmoud Yousef Hindi is being held without bond. He said he has no money and needs a public defender.

Hindi had longstanding disputes with neighbors and the homeowners' association over a fence and driveway he put in his front yard in an eastern Louisville suburb.

Violence Prevention Task Force Seeks Volunteers for Response Teams

Gabe Bullard — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:49:08 +0000

In its first official public action, Louisville's Violence Prevention Work Group has put out a call for volunteers for a new crisis response team.

As the name implies, the response team will be sent to crisis situations (typically crime scenes) to work with bystanders, family members, witnesses, etc. and help alleviate the trauma. The team would ideally help prevent the actions that spurred the creation of the Violence Prevention Work Group in the first place.

Man Dies After Being Shot on TARC Bus

Cameron Price — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 21:45:52 +0000

A Louisville man is dead following a shooting on a TARC bus.

The shooting was reported at 3:00 pm today, and officers declared the victim dead on the scene.

Police say the victim was in his late teens or early 20s and the shooter entered the bus, shot, then fled in an unknown direction. No other passengers where injured.

The police do not have any suspects in custody and described the incident as "unusual".

Contempt Motion Against Sexual Assault Victim Who Tweeted About Attackers Withdrawn

Gabe Bullard — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:32:53 +0000

Attorneys have withdrawn a contempt motion against 17-year-old Savannah Dietrich of Louisville.

The motion was filed after Dietrich tweeted about the two boys who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting her. By naming them, their attorneys said, Dietrich violated the confidentiality of a juvenile hearing. But the filing gathered national attention, and has now been withdrawn.

From the Courier-Journal:

Defense attorneys for two boys who pleaded guilty to assaulting a 17-year-old Savannah Dietrich have withdrawn their motion that she be held in contempt for tweeting the names of her attackers in defiance of a court order.
David Mejia, an attorney for one of the teens, said now that the Louisville teen’s story has gone global because of a Courier-Journal article on Saturday there was no reason to continue the contempt motion.

Sexual Assault Victim Faces Contempt Case for Tweeting About Attackers

The Associated Press — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 13:05:00 +0000

A 17-year-old Kentucky girl faces contempt charges for tweeting the names of two teens who sexually assaulted her.

Savannah Dietrich of Louisville told The Courier-Journal she is frustrated by what she feels is a lenient plea bargain.

The boys' attorneys have asked a judge to hold Dietrich in contempt for violating the confidentiality of a juvenile hearing.

Contempt carries a possible sentence of 180 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Kentucky Will Use Single Drug for Executions

Gabe Bullard and The Associated Press — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:50:07 +0000

Kentucky is the latest state to switch to a single-drug execution method for inmates on death row.

The state previously used the a three-drug cocktail in lethal executions. But Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd ordered the state to rethink that process to avoid accusations of cruel and usual punishment.

Officials have spent the last two months doing just that, and a new brief filed this week says executions will be done with either the anesthetic sodium thiopental or the barbiturate pentobarbital.

Kentucky Woman Sues Pornographers for Extortion

Gabe Bullard — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 20:23:16 +0000

A Kentucky woman is suing a group of pornography producers for extortion after they sued her alleging that she violated their copyrights by illegally downloading adult movies with BitTorrent software.

From Ars Technica:

Author Charles Newton on Why He Writes Fiction

Laura Ellis — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:56:13 +0000

"Charlie Newton is an over-sized character," WFPL's Erin Keane says, "almost like a character in one of his books." Newton, author of "Start Shooting," will read and lead a workshop at Second Story Books this week, and Erin spoke with him about why he writes fiction (with a heavy emphasis on authenticity) rather than non-fiction. She joined us on Friday's Byline to talk about their conversation.