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Man convicted of child rape in St. Louis Circuit Court

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It took members of a jury less than an hour to convict a St. Louis man for the 2021 rape of a 12-year-old girl.The crime happened at a children's sleepover at a Home2Home Suites Hotel in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood on Jan. 30, 2021.The defendant, Devin Laselle Hughes, 36, was found guilty of first-degree statutory rape.Hughes will be sentenced on Feb. 2, 2024. He faces between five and 30 years, or life imprisonment.

Man who sparked standoff in Shrewsbury sentenced

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis man appeared in federal court on Wednesday to be sentenced after being repeatedly caught with a firearm. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Stephen Joseph Diani, 49, pleaded guilty in June to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.Diani admitted being caught with a gun on three different occasions.On Sept. 8, 2021, St. Louis County police officers questioned Diani about the car he was driving because the license plate was not registered to the vehicle. Police found a 9mm handgun between the driver's side door and seat. They also discovered plastic bags containing cocaine base and heroin.More than two weeks later, on Sept. 23, county police answered calls about a suspected prowler checking car doors. Officers arrived and located Diani inside someone else's SUV. Diani was arrested, and police found a .223-caliber rifle and tools that had been reported stolen that evening.Finally, in December 20...

Former Platteville officer accused of parking patrol car hit by train on railroad tracks pleads guilty

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

DENVER — A former Platteville police officer pleaded guilty Dec. 5 to one count of reckless endangerment for parking his patrol car on railroad tracks before a handcuffed woman was put inside and seriously injured when it was hit by a freight train.Pablo Vazquez had been charged with five misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment in connection with the crash that injured Yareni Rios last year but reached a plea deal with prosecutors.A judge sentenced Vazquez to 12 months of unsupervised probation. If he stays out of trouble during that time, the misdemeanor charge will be dismissed and the case will be sealed, KUSA-TV reported.Another former officer who put the woman in the patrol car after a traffic stop, Jordan Steinke, was found guilty of reckless endangerment and assault for the crash near Platteville. A judge acquitted her of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter after a bench trial in July.Related ArticlesCourts | Part 1: Failures in Colorado’s courts, men...

Family of girl, 12, raped by home intruder in Culver City speak out

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

While police search for the dangerous predator, the family of a 12-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted in her own bedroom by a home intruder earlier this month is speaking out and asking for the public’s help to identify the man.  The incident, according to a news release from the Culver City Police Department, occurred on Dec. 2.  The adult male suspect allegedly entered the residence at around 2-3 a.m., assaulted the victim and left the residence approximately four to five hours later, at around 7 a.m., on foot.   The young girl’s parents, who only wanted to be identified by their first names, were alerted to the assault after their daughter woke them up.  “She came to wake me up and just straight out said, ‘Mom, I need to call the police,’” Alexis, the victim’s mother, told KTLA’s Kimberly Cheng.  Alexis added that the family is devastated and in disbelief that this happened to their daughter, especially in the safety of their own...

All Metrolink service will be down for 4 days. Here's why:

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

In November, Metrolink announced that it would be shutting down service systemwide near the end of the year to allow for essential cleaning, repairs and upgrades along its nearly 550 miles of tracks.Among those upgrades is a modernization project at Los Angeles Union Station that will replace Depression-era technology with new, state-of-the-art equipment.Currently, Metrolink uses relay technology from the 1930s that limits the number of trains it can run on multiple tracks as they enter and depart the facility. A new microprocessor-driven signal system will allow for increased capacity during arrivals and departures, which will in turn reduce the number of delays and improve safety throughout the heavily trafficked train corridor, the transit agency says.The new signal system is part of the final stages of a three-year modernization project at Union Station, according to Justin Fornelli, Metrolink’s Chief of Program Delivery. Union Station is the agency's central hub and connects si...

Buster Posey: SF Giants’ free agency efforts impacted by city’s issues

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

Despite offering the same contract as his other suitors, the Giants lost out on Shohei Ohtani, extending their drought of landing superstars.Via either free agency or trade over the past several years, the Giants have tried unsuccessfully to land Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton and now Ohtani. Although they reportedly signed Korean center fielder Jung Hoo Lee this week to a six-year, $113 million deal — the richest position player contract in franchise history — a true blockbuster acquisition has escaped the Giants since Barry Bonds.In an interview with Andy Baggarly of The Athletic, part-owner Buster Posey pointed to the city of San Francisco’s issues with crime and homelessness, and the perception of those issues, as a factor in their failed free-agent pursuits.“Something I think is noteworthy, something that unfortunately keeps popping up from players and even the players’ wives is there’s a bit of an uneasiness with the city itself, as far as the state of the city, ...

Four-bedroom home sells in Danville for $2.2 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

340 Rutherford Drive – Google Street ViewA house located in the 300 block of Rutherford Drive in Danville has a new owner. The 1,944-square-foot property, built in 1958, was sold on Dec. 1, 2023. The $2,200,000 purchase price works out to $1,132 per square foot. This single-story house offers a spacious layout with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. In addition, the home includes an attached two-car garage, offering generous space for vehicles and storage requirements.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:A 1,961-square-foot home on the 300 block of Hartford Road in Danville sold in July 2022, for $2,810,000, a price per square foot of $1,433. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Calmar Vista Road, Danville, in November 2022, a 2,164-square-foot home was sold for $1,899,000, a price per square foot of $878. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In October 2023, a 1,905-square-foot home on Harper Lane in Danville sold for $5,750,000, a price per square foot of $3,018...

Letters: Monstrous crime | Advocating violence

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Israel must not drivePalestinians from GazaSince President Biden’s initial declaration of unconditional support for Israel, Israel’s forces have killed over 18,000 Gazans, 70% women and children. Facing growing international condemnation, administration officials have tried to hide behind ineffectual pleadings to Israel to reduce civilian casualties, but the continued provision of a flood of U.S. weapons has only fueled the slaughter. The U.S. veto of a recent Security Council cease-fire proposal has exposed U.S. complicity in the relentless carnage.Claiming to target Hamas, Israeli forces have actually destroyed much of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. Fuel, electricity, fresh water and food have been choked off. Housing, medical facilities and sanitation infrastructure have been targeted and destroyed creating wastelands of rubble that could be used to justify the forced displacement o...

Russian missile attack on Kyiv wounds dozens

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

By Hanna Arhirova and Karl Ritter | Associated PressKYIV, Ukraine — A barrage of Russian missiles targeted Kyiv on Wednesday, wounding at least 53 people, officials said, as the Ukrainian president sought more military support in Europe after a trip to Washington secured no new pledges.Loud explosions rocked Ukraine’s capital at 3 a.m. as the city’s air defenses were activated for the second time this week. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 10 ballistic missiles toward Kyiv and all were intercepted by air defenses, but their debris struck homes and a children’s hospital.The attack underscored the continuing threat to Ukraine from the Kremlin’s missile arsenal in the 21-month war. Russia has been stockpiling its air-launched cruise missiles from its heavy bomber fleet, according to a recent assessment by the U.K. Ministry of Defense.That may herald another heavy winter bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid. Moscow last year targeted energy inf...

Protesters try new tactics as Berkeley council shuts down discussion on Gaza ceasefire resolution

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:10 GMT

BERKELEY – All nine chairs reserved for the Berkeley City Council were yet again vacated earlier than expected Tuesday night, when the biweekly meeting was forcibly adjourned only 96 minutes after it started.It’s become a regular occurrence since councilmembers abruptly walked out of their Nov. 14 meeting only 20 minutes after protesters pressing them to call for a ceasefire in Gaza disrupted the agenda’s proceedings.This week, Mayor Jesse Arreguín attempted to keep a tight grip on public comments during the council’s final meeting of 2023, directing the city clerk to draw only 10 speaker cards from people physically at the meeting and call the first 10 raised hands on Zoom.But organizers who want the council to act on Gaza have quickly adapted their toolbox of tactics to get their comments in.After three different ceasefire resolutions — each drafted by Berkeley councilmembers Rigel Robinson, Terry Taplin and Ben Bartlett — were abandoned in the days before Tuesda...