The nation in brief

N.J. justices order passcode disclosure

TRENTON, N.J. -- The Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled a defendant must turn over the passcodes for his two phones in response to a search warrant, opening the way for law enforcement agencies to compel other defendants in the state to do the same.

The court's majority decision on Monday was supported by four justices with three dissenting in the case of Robert Andrews, a former Essex County sheriff's officer who is suspected of helping a man charged with trafficking drugs, NJ Advance Media reported. Andrews was charged in 2016 with official misconduct and other counts over accusations of passing on information about an investigation to the suspect.

Andrews had appealed an order from a lower court to turn over the passcodes to his phones so authorities could execute a search warrant on phone calls and texts between the two men.

Charles Sciarra, Andrews' attorney, argued, in part, that Andrews did not have to turn over the codes because the Fifth Amendment protected him from self-incrimination. But the court found the passcodes were not "testimonial" and noted that Andrews did not challenge the search warrants, which give the state "the right to the cellphones' purportedly incriminating contents," the majority decision said.

Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, who wrote the dissenting opinion, said the law had reached a crossroads on compelling "a defendant to disgorge undisclosed private thoughts -- presumably memorized numbers or letters -- so that the government can obtain access to encrypted smartphones?"

Gunshot hits military copter in Virginia

WASHINGTON -- The FBI is investigating the shooting of a military helicopter during a training mission this week in northern Virginia, injuring one crew member who was aboard, officials said Wednesday.

The Air Force helicopter was flying over Middleburg on Monday when it was shot at from the ground, according to authorities. The helicopter made an emergency landing at Manassas Regional Airport, and federal agents were called to the scene to investigate, the FBI said in a statement.

The crew members aboard the UH-1N Huey helicopter, assigned to the 1st Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, were on a routine training mission when the helicopter was struck by a bullet, the Air Force said in a statement. The helicopter was about 10 miles northwest of the airport, near Middleburg, and was flying about 1,000 feet above the ground when it was hit, according to officials.

One crew member in the helicopter was injured but has since been treated and released from the hospital, according to authorities. Initial findings show that while the helicopter sustained some damage, it was able to land safely, the Air Force said.

Accountant arrested in island graft case

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Federal agents on Wednesday arrested an accountant in a corruption investigation involving Puerto Rico's former education secretary.

FBI spokeswoman Limary Cruz identified the man as Anibal Jover, who once was president of Puerto Rico's Association of Certified Public Accountants. Cruz said that there's a gag order in the case and that she could not provide further details.

Jover is the seventh person arrested in a case in which authorities say contracts were fraudulently obtained from Puerto Rico's Department of Education and its Health Insurance Administration. He entered an innocent plea and was being held in lieu of a $250,000 bond.

A federal grand jury last year returned indictments for three contractors, a former government adviser, former Education Secretary Julia Keleher and the former director of Puerto Rico's Health Insurance Administration. At least two of the contractors have pleaded guilty, while Keleher's attorneys have said she is innocent.

Keleher, who resigned in April 2019, is accused of giving school property to a private company in exchange for living in an upscale apartment complex for six months on a $1 lease even though the agreement stipulated a $1,500 monthly rent.

Deputies kill man in shootout in S.C.

ANDERSON, S.C. -- A shooting in a small South Carolina city involving sheriff's deputies has left a man dead and a woman injured.

The deputies were searching for two people who ran out of a car after an attempted traffic stop Tuesday night when they were caught in an "ambush situation" and fired upon from a hill next to a Lowe's parking lot, Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride said.

The deputies returned fire and struck two people, McBride said. A police dog named Roscoe was injured in the shooting and died Wednesday morning, WYFF-TV reported.

The sheriff's office has handed the case to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The agency said that it would not release any further information while the investigation is ongoing.

It was unclear from the reports how many deputies were involved in the shooting. At least two have been put on paid administrative leave.

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