Free Republic

CLINTON — An East Feliciana judge denied an early release for a man who killed seven people in a 2012 drunk driving crash. Brett Gerald pleaded guilty to seven counts of vehicular homicide after he drunkenly drove on La. 67 in Slaughter, causing a head-on collision that killed a family of six and their friend. His blood-alcohol concentration at the time was nearly twice the legal limit, and he has a history of DUI arrests. Gerald was originally sentenced to 10 years of hard labor for each count, a total of 70 years. However, his sentence was cut in half...

Hate found its way to Mississippi’s largest Jewish house of worship, Congregation Beth Israel, when an arsonist intentionally set fire to the synagogue at about 3 a.m. Saturday, damaging the only synagogue in Jackson. The alleged suspect’s name, Stephen Spencer Pittman, was released late Monday. According to the FBI, he faces charges of maliciously damaging or destroying a building by fire or an explosive. Russ Latino, a native Mississippian and founder of the Jackson-based Magnolia Tribune Institute, said an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi alleges Pittman admitted to law enforcement that he set...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KCTV) - Prosecutors charged a 20-year-old man with killing a Kansas City woman while driving drunk in Independence. Jackson County, Missouri, Circuit Court records filed on Tuesday, Dec. 30, revealed that Mason R. McIntyre faces one count of DWI causing death and two counts of second-degree assault. Court documents show that McIntyre’s blood alcohol level was more than double the legal limit. The charges stem from a Saturday night crash that killed 36-year-old Jennifer Jensen and critically injured 2 others.

Prosecutors announced they will be seeking the death penalty for a Pennsylvania man accused of raping and killing his 2-year-old son in August. The McKean County District Attorney’s Office announced the filing on Monday against 33-year-old Tyler Prescott of Bradford, citing four reasons that support the commonwealth’s first execution this century. That sentence, however, would hinge on Prescott being convicted of first-degree murder, which is the only crime that can be punished by death according to PA law, but also comes with an alternative sentence of life in prison. McKean County DA Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said the Commonwealth will list the...

Fire and sheriff's officials are seeking the public's help in an investigation into William Reed Brock, 44, who was arrested Oct. 24 on suspicion of impersonating a firefighter at the Rice fire. Brock was detained in North County driving an older-model Ford pickup with personalized firefighter license plates. Inside the truck, authorities found fire equipment, including hoses, and clothing from fire agencies. Authorities want to know if anyone has seen Brock at the fires or at fire stations. Contact sheriff's Detective Clayton Lisk, (760) 451-3110, or Cal Fire investigator Gary Eidsmoe, (800) 468-4408.