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Colorado officer found guilty of homicide in Elijah McClain case, 2nd officer acquitted

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) – A jury has returned a split verdict in the case against two Aurora, Colorado police officers charged with Elijah McClain's death in 2019. One officer, Randy Roedema, was found guilty of criminally negligent reckless homicide and third-degree assault. The other officer, Jason Rosenblatt, was acquitted of all charges.Sentencing for Roedema is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.Roedema has been on suspension from the Aurora Police Department during the investigation while Rosenblatt had been fired by the department.Aurora Police Chief art Acevedo released the following statement on X, formerly known as Twitter:“I know many have been waiting a long time for the involved parties to have their day in court. As a nation, we must be committed to the rule of law. As such, we hold the American judicial process in high regard. We respect the verdict handed down by the jury, and thank the members of the jury for their thoughtful deliberation and service. Due to the additiona...

Texas Republicans divided over US Speaker fight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Congress is moving further away from electing a speaker to lead a paralyzed House of Representatives, and some Texas congressmen are leading the charge of opposition against U.S. Rep Steve Scalise, their party's designee for speaker."I'm not going to be with Steve on the floor," Central Texas Republican Congressman Chip Roy said Thursday. "We need to figure out what to do. Let's pick the right speaker, let's unite, and let's move forward."Roy is calling for stronger assurances regarding federal spending cuts, border security legislation, and safeguards placed on aid to Israel.Victoria-area Congressman Michael Cloud is also opposing Scalise.Other Texans, however, are calling on the House to swiftly approve Scalise as Speaker to address urgent issues like aid to Israel and border security legislation. "We need to immediately come to the floor, vote in a speaker, because the world is on fire," South Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales said. "You see what's happening in ...

Jurors convicts Colordo police officer in death of Elijah McClain, acquits a second

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

Elijah McClain is pictured in this undated photograph. (Photo provided by family of Elijah McClain)BRIGHTON — Jurors on Thursday delivered a split decision in the trial of two Aurora police officers charged in the death of Elijah McClain, convicting one officer but acquitting the other after nearly three weeks of testimony.The jury found Aurora police officer Randy Roedema, 41, guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault — the two lesser charges he faced.Jurors acquitted former officer Jason Rosenblatt, 34, on all charges. He put his head in his hands on the defense table after the verdict, then cried as he hugged supporters and his attorneys. He had been charged with reckless manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and second-degree assault.Roedema sat quietly when the verdict was read and did not comment when he left the courtroom. Some of his supporters wept when they heard the guilty verdict. Criminally negligent homicide is a low-level felony, while thi...

White Bear Township couple mark two milestones at the hospital: their first baby, and their wedding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

Ellie DeMars Zepper and Eric Zepper of White Bear Township were planning to get married at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul this week, but their son had other plans.Arlo Marcos Zepper — all 8 pounds, 13 ounces and 21¼ inches of him — was born at 7:11 a.m. Sunday at M Health Fairview St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood, six days before his due date.“We knew we were pushing it,” Eric Zepper said. “We kind of like to do things at the last minute.”When the couple arrived at St. John’s in the wee hours of Sunday morning, staff asked if they wanted to speak with a hospital chaplain. “I jokingly asked, ‘Do they do marriages?’” Ellie Zepper said. “Because that was the one thing we wanted to do before the baby arrived. We wanted to tie the knot and make it official.”The couple got engaged and exchanged rings last month during an outing to the Renaissance Festival in Shakopee. “We’ve known for awhile that we were going to do this,” Eric Zepper said. “It wasn’t a big sur...

Doctors group calls its 2009 ‘excited delirium’ paper outdated and withdraws its approval

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

A leading doctors group on Thursday formally withdrew its approval of a 2009 paper on “excited delirium,” a document that critics say has been used to justify excessive force by police.The American College of Emergency Physicians in a statement called the paper outdated and said the term excited delirium should not be used by members who testify in civil or criminal cases. The group’s directors voted on the matter Thursday in Philadelphia.“This means if someone dies while being restrained in custody … people can’t point to excited delirium as the reason and can’t point to ACEP’s endorsement of the concept to bolster their case,” said Dr. Brooks Walsh, a Connecticut emergency doctor who pushed the organization to strengthen its stance.Earlier this week, California became the first state to bar the use of excited delirium and related terms as a cause of death in autopsies. The legislation, signed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, also prohibits police officers from using it in ...

ATV/UTV accidents involving minors on the rise in Missouri

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Missouri State Highway Patrol is warning parents about the dangers that off-road vehicles, like ATVs and UTVs, present for children. Of the nearly 300 ATV crashes last year in Missouri, more than 70% of them resulted in injuries, leaving 26 people dead. This year, MSHP says those numbers are on the rise and include too many kids. All-terrain vehicles, better known as ATVs, don't just exist in rural areas anymore. The vehicles are popular for all ages on trails, fields and neighborhoods. The problem is, some behind the wheel are driving without much experience. Football coach shot in front of players at practice, St. Louis community shocked "We just have seen an increase in the number of crashes, particularly with younger kids that are being injured or killed in these crashes," said Captain John Hotz with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. "You're seeing a lot of kids out there, particularly in unsupervised roles, where they are driving these big, powerfu...

DEA takes new course of action as powdered fentanyl plagues streets and schools

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

FERGUSON, Mo. - A room full of grieving families gathered Thursday at St. Louis Community College in Florissant Valley, all in an effort to work with St. Louis’ DEA division to combat powdered fentanyl overdose deaths. The Drug Enforcement Administration looks to a new course of action as powdered fentanyl not only plagues the streets, but is also making way into St. Louis-area schools. Last month, during the DEA's division summit, special agent Michael Davis informed us of new statistics in the St. Louis metro. On average, seven out of every 10 pills sold over the table now contain fentanyl here in the area. Football coach shot in front of players at practice, St. Louis community shocked Davis says a surge in overdoses and seizures is what’s forcing the need for a new course of action. He says the region could surpass 1,000 deaths by the end of the year. "We're seeing record numbers of powdered fentanyl and fake pills, and these are pills that look like legitimate prescription pi...

Nuggets Podcast: Nikola Jokic dominates NBA GM survey, Jamal Murray’s ESPN ranking, the rookies and remembering Brendan Malone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

In the latest edition of the Nuggets Ink podcast, beat reporter Bennett Durando is joined by editor Matt Schubert to discuss training camp in San Diego, Denver’s first preseason game and all things NBA. Among the topics discussed: A trio of rookies are looking to crack coach Michael Malone’s notably veteran-heavy lineup. Who has risen to the challenge early on in preseason and who still has some maturing to do?The annual NBA general managers poll was released this week. Where does Nikola Jokic rank according to the GMs? Is Jamal Murray now flirting with All-NBA status based on recent polls?A remembrance of Brendan Malone, NBA legend and father of current head coach Michael Malone.Is it Benny, Benito, Ben? And how do you even pronounce Durando in modern America?Subscribe to the podcastSoundCloud | iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | RSSProducer: AAron OntiverozMusic: “Follow the Leader” The Trujillo CompanyWant more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to g...

CU Buffs set to face Stanford in kicking off second half of season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

Conference wins have been hard to come by since Colorado joined the Pac-12 before the 2011 campaign.Beating conference foes has been so difficult, in fact — CU is 28-78 against the Pac-12 since 2011 — that there’s rarely been a reason to complain about any of those wins.That’s not the mindset of the Buffaloes’ first-year head coach, however. Deion Sanders wasn’t happy with CU’s performance in last week’s 27-24 win at Arizona State — just the second win for the program ever in Tempe.There is an opportunity in front of the Buffaloes to get right on Friday, though, when Stanford visits Folsom Field.“He knows what he’s looking for on the field and he knows what he’s looking for, for his players and his coaches how to act,” said CU linebackers coach Andre Hart, who has worked with Sanders for several years. “So when he doesn’t see that, he will get directly in your face and let you know exactly where he is and where you should be. I love that about him. He lets you do your job, but at th...

Junior high students building tiny home to help family experiencing homelessness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

Woodshop students at an Orange County junior high school are hard at work building a tiny home that they hope will ultimately help a family experiencing homelessness in their community. As the Nicolas Junior High eighth graders prepare for that big project, their teacher, Mucio Vidales, has them scaling it down and working on an even tinier model home first. "Right now, we’re working on a one-twelfth small scale of our tiny home that we’re going to be building here at Nicolas,” student Marina Damito told KTLA’s Chip Yost. “Right now, we’re building the insulation, the floorboards the walls, all the framing.” Fullerton School District Assistant Superintendent Jeremy Davis said the project really started last year when the then seventh graders built a shed to understand some of the skills they would need to build a real tiny home. The superintendent also said that the project is being funded by community partners, as well as funds from grants.  “Our goal is to not only ...