Free Republic

LEBANON VA - An emergency medical technician who pleaded guilty to killing a co-worker with a defibrillator paddle will be released from jail in early 2007 following a judge's decision Tuesday evening. Russell County Circuit Judge Mike Moore called the June 1, 2005, death of 23-year-old Courtney Leighann Hilton "a senseless, foolish act" before handing down a 12-month jail sentence to Joshua Phillip Martin, 25, who entered an Alford plea in January to one count of involuntary manslaughter. In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains his innocence while acknowledging that the evidence is strong enough that a judge or jury...

ORCHARDS, Wash. - A man who stopped by Washington State Patrol headquarters to ask about a job didn't get what he wanted — but he did find out how a hand-held alcohol tester works. Robert Gulley, an unemployed radio technician, was ticketed for alleged drunken driving as he drove away from the patrol office in this city near Vancouver. He had asked for a job application. "I guess it was a bad time to go there," Gulley, 25, of nearby Sifton, told The Columbian newspaper. "It was a bad judgment call." When Gulley walked into patrol headquarters Wednesday afternoon, he...