10 November 2005

At a Glance...

1) Michigan prosecutors can use evidence of a defendant's past conduct in domestic violence cases under legislation that received unanimous approval in the State Senate. The two bills are aimed at better protecting domestic violence victims who endure a pattern of abuse.

2) Sex offenders in Kentucky would face harsher sentences, including life in prison without parole for repeat offenders, under recommendations by a state task force. It called for repeat sex offenders to face life sentences without parole, all felony sex crimes to be considered violent offenses, and juvenile sex offenders to be treated as adults.

3) A Montgomery, Alabama man who held 110 children and adults hostage at a private Tuscaloosa school in a 1988 standoff that lasted nearly 12 hours was denied parole. Some of the hostages told the state parole board how the takeover affected their lives. No one spoke at the hearing on behalf of hostage taker, now 60. He had claimed he took the hostages to demand help for the homeless.

4) Washington D.C. Police say their relationship with Crime Solvers is paying off. Since the program was launched in the capital in 1981, nearly $5 million in cash and $15 million in illegal drugs have been seized or recovered. U.S. Attorney Kenneth Weinstein said the program has provided information leading to 1,000 felony arrests. In the past 14 years, Crime Solvers has awarded about $60,000 in the District.

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