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Juror: George Zimmerman Got Away with Murder

George Zimmerman
George Zimmerman

(AP) — A juror says she feels like she let Trayvon Martin’s parents down by agreeing to acquit George Zimmerman in the teen’s fatal shooting.

In a taped interview aired Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” juror B29 said jurors couldn’t find enough evidence under Florida law to convict the neighborhood watch volunteer in the February 2012 death.

The juror agreed to let ABC show her face and use her first name, Maddy. She says she “fought to the end” but stands by the verdict returned earlier this month by the six-member, all-woman jury.

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican mother says the decision was difficult.

But the juror said she wants Martin’s mother to know that her son will always be in her heart.

Aurora Police Chief Injured in Motorcycle Accident

Godfrey-Brokenrope(AP) — The Aurora police chief remains hospitalized at a Lincoln hospital following a motorcycle crash on Interstate 80.

Bryan Medical Center spokeswoman Lori Lee said Godfrey Brokenrope was in critical condition Friday morning. Brokenrope was flown to the hospital after the accident, which occurred about 5 p.m. Thursday on eastbound I-80 near Seward.

Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins says the motorcycle couldn’t stop in time to avoid slower traffic and crashed in the median.

Brokenrope has been Aurora’s chief since 2006.

Vandals Splatter Green Paint on the Lincoln Memorial

lincoln-memorial(AP) — The U.S. Park Police in Washington say the Lincoln Memorial has been temporarily closed after someone splattered a splash of green paint on the statue.

Police say the apparent vandalism was discovered around 1:30 a.m. Friday on the statue, the pedestal and the floor. No words, letters or symbols were visible in the paint.

Capt. Steven Booker says the paint spill “appears intentional based off of the splatter.” He says police are reviewing security camera footage to try to identify possible suspects.

Police say the memorial will be closed until the National Park Service maintenance crew can clean up the paint, which is expected to happen later Friday.

The memorial, one of the most popular sites on the National Mall, was dedicated in 1922 to the nation’s 16th president.

Lincoln Man Caught Stealing Steel Sentenced

Joshua Hoegemeyer
Joshua Hoegemeyer

(AP) — A Lincoln man who was caught stealing steel has been given six to 10 years in prison.

Online court records say 28-year-old Joshua Hoegemeyer was sentenced Thursday to five to seven years for theft and one to three years for drug possession.

Investigators say the owner of a Lincoln field had reported the theft of several items, including steel. Investigators hid near the field on Sept. 10 last year and caught Hoegemeyer as he began using a rented skid loader to put steel onto a trailer.

He later pleaded no contest to felony theft and possession of methamphetamine.

Couple Born Same Day, Married 75 Years, Die a Day Apart

wedding-rings(AP) — A Southern California husband and wife who were born on the same day and celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary last year have died just a day apart.

The couple’s son Les Brown Jr. said Thursday that 94-year-old Helen Brown died July 16 and 94-year-old Les Brown died July 17. She had stomach cancer. He had Parkinson’s disease.

The Browns were born on New Year’s Eve, 1918. Their son said his parents met in high school and eloped in 1937 at age 18 because their parents thought the marriage between a wealthy man and a working-class woman would never last. Last September they celebrated their 75th anniversary.

The couple moved to Long Beach in 1963. He was a photographer, she sold real estate.

They’ll have a joint memorial service Saturday.

Plea Deal Talks Under Way in Ohio Kidnapping Case

Ariel Castro
Ariel Castro

(AP) — A man accused of kidnapping three women, keeping them captive in his Cleveland home for about a decade and raping them repeatedly faces a final pretrial hearing a day after his attorneys and prosecutors said they have entered into plea negotiations.

The 53-year-old Ariel Castro is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning before a Cuyahoga County judge who wants to be updated on the talks.

Plea deal negotiations are hinging on whether the prosecutor would rule out the death penalty as the defense has demanded.

Castro, whose trial is slated to start Aug. 5, has pleaded not guilty to nearly 1,000 counts of kidnap, rape and other crimes. His indictment includes two counts of aggravated murder related to accusations he punched and starved one of the women until she miscarried.

The women escaped to freedom in May.

Nebraska’s Largest County Digitizing Property Records

douglas-county(AP) — Officials in Nebraska’s most populous county are working to digitize more property records and make them available online.

The Douglas County Register of Deeds is working on scanning all of its old records, so they will be more readily accessible.

Currently, images dating back to 1987 are available online. Register of Deeds Diane Battiato says this project has been in the works for several years.

The goal is to have the records available online by early 2014.

Lincoln Man Gets Prison for Threatening Pregnant Woman with Lighter Fluid

Quinton Rivers
Quinton Rivers

(AP) — A 25-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to prison for dousing a pregnant woman with lighter fluid and threatening to set her on fire.

Online court records say Quinton Rivers was sentenced on Wednesday to 20 to 36 months in prison and was given credit for 175 days already served. The records say he made a deal with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to domestic assault of a pregnant person. Prosecutors dropped a charge of terroristic threats.

Police say Rivers and the 20-year-old woman were arguing on Jan. 29, when she was nine months pregnant. Officers say Rivers sprayed lighter fluid on her, told her he’d kill her and the unborn child and then flicked a lighter near her.

Nebraska Ordered to Pay $150,000 for Providing Poor Care

Beatrice Developmental Center
Beatrice Developmental Center

(AP) — A judge has ordered Nebraska to pay $150,000 to a Lincoln woman whose son nearly died because of poor treatment he received at the state-run Beatrice State Developmental Center in 2008.

Gage County District Judge Paul Korslund ruled Wednesday that a doctor at the center was negligent for failing to examine Ian Ham after he had a feeding tube improperly reinserted.

But Korslund rejected the argument that Ham was cared for improperly before the feeding tube incident.

Ian, who is mentally disabled and has diabetes, had a swallowing disorder. His mother, Sandra Ham, filed the lawsuit.

Ian Ham was among nearly 50 people considered medically fragile moved out of the troubled center in 2009 following the death of an 18-year-old who received what state officials have acknowledged was inadequate care.

NE Tractor Driver Dies After Collision with Pickup

fatal-accident(AP) — Authorities say a tractor driver has died after a collision with a pickup in eastern Nebraska.

The accident was reported to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. It had occurred at the intersection of two county roads near Snyder.

Chief Deputy Bob Reynolds says 68-year-old James Tichota, of Fremont, was driving his tractor south when it collided with an eastbound pickup driven by 20-year-old Steven Cleary, of Scribner.

Reynolds says Tichota was pronounced dead at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in West Point. It’s unclear whether Cleary was injured.

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