Free Republic

NEW ROADS - Just before noon, on Christmas Eve, police from New Roads arrested Kyandrea Thomas. Thomas is accused of giving birth in a Walmart bathroom, then dumping her newborn baby in a bathroom trash can before leaving the store. Thomas was arrested after she checked herself in to Lane Memorial Hospital, in Zachary. Around 8:00 p.m., New Roads Police and District 5 firefighters responded to reports of an unresponsive baby left in the Walmart bathroom on Hospital Rd. Firefighters performed CPR on the little girl in the bathroom before rushing her to Pointe Coupee General Hospital - a couple...

A man who admitted killing a knife-wielding robber who took his son's iPhone has been jailed for six years. Derek Grant, 38, confronted Patrick Bradley after the 29-year-old had held up his son Jordan in Greenock on 30 August last year. During the confrontation, Bradley stabbed Grant in the eye, after which Grant then fatally stabbed him. Grant was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of culpable homicide. At the High Court in Livingston judge Lord Boyd noted that Bradley "was a man of violence" and had "10 convictions for assault" prior to his death....

TUCUMCARI – A Tucumcari man’s five-year effort to be exonerated of charges for having an open container of O’Doul’s non-alcoholic beer in his car ran into a procedural hurdle Tuesday in 10th District Court. Judge Albert Mitchell threw out Gary Southern’s motion to have his conviction for having an open container of an alcoholic beverage in his car set aside because it was based on a writ of coram nobis, a procedural device that has been abolished in New Mexico courts. Mitchell then advised Southern that he had two options: He could appeal Mitchell’s decision of Tuesday or file a...

Though extensive due process protections apply to the investigation of crimes, and to criminal trials, perhaps the most important part of the criminal process -- the decision whether to charge a defendant, and with what -- is almost entirely discretionary. Given the plethora of criminal laws and regulations in today's society, this due process gap allows prosecutors to charge almost anyone they take a deep interest in. This Essay discusses the problem in the context of recent prosecutorial controversies involving the cases of Aaron Swartz and David Gregory, and offers some suggested remedies, along with a call for further discussion.

17-Year-Old's Parents Signed Consent Form for Their Daughter to Marry Her 27-Year-Old Teacher A 27-year-old teacher in Texas has been arrested after he applied for a marriage license with his underage student, even though her parents gave consent. Cases of teachers trying to marry their students are on the rise. Randy Arias taught Spanish and coached track at the Austin high school where 17-year-old Brenda Guerra was enrolled. Police say that the pair secretly started dating one month ago and that they learned of the relationship from an anonymous caller. "Whoever did call made a good judgment call," said Lt....