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DUFFEL BAG BANDIT-SENTENCE
'Duffel Bag Bandit' gets 5 years in prison
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bank robber dubbed the "Duffel Bag Bandit" has been sentenced to five years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced that 57-year-old Gerald Edward Massey of Shreveport, La., received the sentence Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boise.
Massey in January pleaded guilty to robbing a U.S. Bank branch in Boise of $64,500 in March 2013. He also pleaded guilty to trying to obstruct the investigation by telling a witness to lie to the FBI.
The plea agreement calls for Massey to pay $84,600 in restitution, which includes money obtained in three other robberies that dated back to December 2012.
U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill also sentenced Massey to three years of supervised release after he leaves prison.
SEX OFFENDER PLEA
Idaho man pleads guilty to hiding offender status
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A southeastern Idaho man is facing up to a decade behind bars after admitting he didn't register as a sex offender when he moved to the state.
Thirty-five-year-old Jeramie James McGuire was convicted of third-degree felony rape in Oregon in 1997.
Idaho law requires sex offenders to register with the state within two days of moving.
But prosecutors say McGuire lived and worked in Pocatello without disclosing his status.
He pleaded guilty to the felony in federal court Monday.
Failing to register as a sex offender is punishable by up to ten years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.
McGuire is set to be sentenced July 7.
ARROWROCK CRASH FUGITIVE
Police hunt for driver after early prison release
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho man who spent time in prison for a drunken crash that killed his four-year-old stepdaughter is on the run.
KTVB reports David Persons received a ten-year sentence in September for vehicular manslaughter.
A judge opted to suspend it early after Persons completed prison treatment programs, and he was released in March.
But police say he hasn't been checking in with his probation officer, sparking a hunt for the now-fugitive.
Four-year-old Pearl Sittner died in 2012 after her stepfather's vehicle veered off an embankment and plunged into the Arrowrock Reservoir.
Persons escaped along with a woman and two children, but Pearl drowned before anyone could reach her.
Police say the fugitive may be in the Boise area, and urged anyone who knows where he is to contact authorities.
DBSI-SECURITIES FRAUD
SW Idaho company officials convicted of fraud
(Information in the following story is from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com)
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal jury has convicted four officials with a failed southwest Idaho property management company of fraud after they misled investors.
The Idaho Statesman reports the jury deliberated three days before returning the guilty verdicts Monday in the trial involving failed real estate company DBSI of Meridian.
Company President Douglas Swenson was found guilty of 44 counts of security fraud and 34 counts of wire fraud.
Company secretaries Jeremy Swenson and David Swenson, sons of Douglas Swenson, were convicted of 44 counts of security fraud.
Company attorney Mark Ellison was also convicted of 44 counts of security fraud.
U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill did not set a sentencing date.
More than 22,000 claims have been filed with the bankruptcy trustee seeking to recover more than $102 billion.
LEWISTON-SMOKING BAN
N. Idaho council approves voluntary smoking ban
(Information in the following story is from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com)
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — The Lewiston City Council has approved a voluntary ban on smoking in some public outdoor spaces.
The Lewiston Tribune reports the council voted 5-2 on Monday to approve the ordinance.
Lewiston Parks and Recreation Director Tim Barker says the city's health department will pay for signs asking people to use tobacco away from crowded areas.
Councilor Bob Blakey says there's a problem with people using tobacco in places where people gather.
Councilors who voted against the ordinance say a voluntary ban with no penalties for violators is pointless.
ACLU-DIRECTOR LEAVING
Executive director of ACLU-Idaho takes post in WDC
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The executive director of the ACLU of Idaho has been hired for the same post at the ACLU in Washington, D.C.
Monica Hopkins has led the Idaho ACLU affiliate since 2008. During her tenure the organization has pushed for improved safety and health conditions for Idaho inmates, lobbied for ordinances in seven Idaho cities to prevent discrimination against gay and transgender residents, and pushed for free speech protections for protesters on state property.
ACLU Board President Michael Bartlett said in a prepared statement that the organization will begin a thoughtful and deliberative process to find Hopkins' successor.
Her last day in the Idaho job will be May 16.
CARBON MONOXIDE-POISONING
3 S. Idaho family members hospitalized
(Information in the following story is from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com)
BURLEY, Idaho (AP) — Authorities in south-central Idaho say a girl and her parents have been flown to a hospital after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning.
Burley Fire Chief Shannon Tolman tells The Times-News the daughter called from a home on Tuesday morning but dispatchers lost contact with her.
Tolman says the family was running a gas-powered generator for electricity during the night before planning to have the electricity turned on Tuesday.
Tolman says a police officer kicked down the door and emergency responders found three unresponsive victims.
He says they were transported to Cassia Regional Medical Center and then flown to another hospital. Tolman didn't know which hospital.
Names haven't been released.
IDAHO EARTHQUAKES
6 more earthquakes near Challis in central Idaho
CHALLIS, Idaho (AP) — Six more earthquakes have occurred near the central Idaho town of Challis.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the temblors started at about 1 p.m. Monday and ranged from 2.5 to 4.6 in magnitude.
Three of the quakes took place within a 40-minute span starting at about 9:12 p.m. Monday.
The quakes ranged from 6 to 15 miles northwest of Challis in lightly populated Custer County.
The quakes near Challis follow a 4.9-magnitude shaking on Sunday and a 4.1-magnitude quake on Thursday.
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