Missouri police kill suspect in 2 deaths
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man accused of holding his former girlfriend captive in a crate at their home in western Missouri and then fatally shooting her and her teenage son, was shot and killed Saturday, authorities said.
Law enforcement officers killed James Barton Horn Jr., 47, at a state wildlife area in western Missouri, south of Knob Noster, Henry County Sheriff Kent Oberkrom said.
Authorities have been searching for Horn since late April when he was charged in the kidnapping of 46-year-old Sandra Kay Sutton. Prosecutors said Sutton told police that Horn kept her in a wooden crate off-and-on for four months at their home in Sedalia, some 90 miles southeast of Kansas City, Mo.
Sutton and her 17-year-old son, Zachary Wade Sutton, were found dead Thursday at a relative's home in Clinton, about 45 miles from Sedalia. Police said the victims had been shot to death. Sutton moved in with her relatives after she escaped the home she had shared with Horn.
Oberkrom said officers found Horn hiding in a closet in a building at the J.N. Turkey Kearn Memorial Wildlife Area, about 70 miles southeast of Kansas City. He said officers were led to the area by a tip they received Saturday morning.
When officers told him to surrender, Horn threatened the officers with a weapon, Oberkrom said. He did not know what kind of weapon Horn had.
Hospital whistleblower pay $3.5M for 1
JACKSON, Miss. -- A former employee of a Mississippi hospital is getting almost $3.5 million as part of a string of settlements where 18 hospitals in seven states have agreed to pay $20.4 million over allegations they broke federal law by receiving Medicare reimbursements for psychiatric services that were not "medically reasonable or necessary."
Ryan Ladner worked for Allegiance Health Management at what's now Merit Health Wesley in Hattiesburg when, his lawyer says, Ladner saw illegal billing.
As the person who brought the fraud to the attention of the federal government, Ladner is getting 17 percent of the settlement amounts. None of the hospitals admits liability in their settlements. However, LifePoint Hospitals self-reported the practices to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2011.
Settlement documents indicate Ladner has been pursuing a whistleblower lawsuit in federal court in Arkansas since 2010 against Allegiance, which is based in Shreveport. The case remains under seal.
Allegiance denies wrongdoing and still operates outpatient therapy programs at 17 locations in five states, according to its website.
Rules laid out for domestic drone use
WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department is acknowledging that the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal law enforcement agencies are likely to increase use of unmanned aerial drones in the United States.
The department on Friday issued its first written guidelines for domestic drone use and emphasized the need to respect civil and constitutional rights.
The unmanned aircraft already have been used in kidnapping, drug and fugitive cases, as well as search-and-rescue operations, the department said. They also can be operated relatively cheaply.
The five-page policy document comes 19 months after the agency's inspector general recommended drone-specific policies that consider privacy rights. That report said unmanned drones raised greater privacy concerns than pilot-operated aircraft because they can fly closer to homes and operate for days at a time.
The department said drones can't be used solely to monitor protests and other constitutionally protected activities.
Traffic-fine amnesty urged in California
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Calling California's traffic court system a "hellhole of desperation" for the poor, Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing an amnesty program for people who can't afford to pay off spiraling fines and penalties that have resulted in 4.8 million driver's license suspensions since 2006.
The push by the Democratic governor spotlights concern among lawmakers and court administrators that California's justice system is profiting off minority groups and low-income residents.
Under Brown's plan, drivers with lesser infractions would pay half of what they owe, and administrative fees would be slashed from $300 to $50.
Advocates for the poor have likened California's problem to the police and municipal court structure in Ferguson, Mo., which was criticized by the U.S. Department of Justice as a revenue-generating machine.
Traffic fines have been skyrocketing in California and courts have grown reliant on fees as a result of budget cuts during the recession.
Brown hopes to offer relief to the poor with the 18-month amnesty program that would start Oct. 1.
A Section on 05/24/2015