Nation/World Briefly: Businessman purposely crashed plane, grand jury says
Published 9:49 pm Tuesday, January 20, 2009
PENSACOLA, Fla. — A federal grand jury indicted an Indiana investment adviser Tuesday on charges of deliberately crashing his small airplane in the Florida Panhandle to try to fake his own death as part of a plan to escape financial ruin.
Authorities say Marcus Schrenker, 38, a businessman and an amateur daredevil pilot, secretly parachuted to the ground before the crash on Jan. 11 and sped away on a motorcycle he had stashed away in central Alabama.
A three-day search came to an end on Jan. 13, when authorities finally caught up to Schrenker at a campground near Tallahassee, where they say he tried to take his own life by slashing one of his wrists. He remained jailed Tuesday.
The grand jury also charged him Tuesday with making a fake distress call.
In Indiana, he faces two felony counts alleging that he worked as an investment adviser without being registered, and he is the subject of more than a half-dozen lawsuits seeking millions of dollars over disputes of his financial dealings.
Minnesota: Franken says law lets him join Senate
A single sentence in Minnesota law allows Democrat Al Franken to at least temporarily join the U.S. Senate while Republican Norm Coleman’s election lawsuit is pending, Franken’s lawyers said Tuesday. Franken is up by 225 votes over Coleman after a statewide recount. Franken has asked the state Supreme Court to overrule decisions by Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie denying him an election certificate until Coleman’s lawsuit is settled. Franken’s lawyers, in a lengthy brief filed Tuesday, pointed to a section of Minnesota election law regarding recounts and lawsuits (or “contests”) in U.S. Senate races. It says, “no certificate of election shall be prepared or delivered until after the recount is completed. In the case of a contest, the court may invalidate and revoke the certificate.” That section of law “anticipates that a certificate will be issued before a contest,” Franken’s lawyers wrote in their brief.
N.Y.: Cuomo considered for Senate
Gov. David Paterson acknowledged Tuesday that he is considering Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for appointment to the U.S. Senate seat about to be vacated by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. The latest polls show New Yorkers narrowly favor him over Caroline Kennedy, another contender.
Michigan: Boy spent 10 days with dead mother
An 8-year-old boy lived for more than a week with the body of his dead mother before telling a concerned shopkeeper at a nearby store that his mom was “in a better place,” police said. The store worker phoned police. The woman, 41, apparently died Jan. 9 in their apartment in the Detroit suburb of Romulus, and the boy survived in part by eating dried rice, butter and flour, authorities said. Foul play was not suspected in the woman’s death.
New Jersey: Bomb threat turnpike not credible
A bomb threat on the New Jersey Turnpike on Tuesday night snarled traffic for hours before state police determined the threat was not credible. State police stopped the car in Woodbury Heights after receiving a tip from federal authorities that the driver, a 27-year-old Massachusetts man, might be armed and dangerous, and possibly carrying a bomb. Jones said the original tip came from a member of the man’s family.
Illinois: Man pleads not guilty in Hudson slayings
Jennifer Hudson’s brother-in-law pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges he shot to death the Oscar-winning actress’s mother and brother and the 7-year-old son of his estranged wife.
William Balfour, 27, is married to Jennifer Hudson’s sister, Julia Hudson. He is charged in the October deaths of the sisters’ mother, Darnell Donerson; their brother, Jason Hudson; and Julia Hudson’s 7-year-old son, Julian King. Prosecutors allege Balfour shot the three in a jealous rage because he was upset Julia Hudson had been dating another man.
Russia: Gas flowing to Europe again
Russian natural gas finally flowed into Europe through Ukraine once again Tuesday, after Moscow and Kiev pulled back from an energy war. Russia halted the supplies on Jan. 7 amid a dispute with Ukraine over 2009 gas prices, alleging that Ukraine was stealing gas destined for Europe, which Ukraine denies. The 27-nation European Union gets about a quarter of its gas from Russia.
U.A.E.: Security worry closes U.S. Embassy
The U.S. Embassy in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai will be closed today because of security information provided by authorities. The statement doesn’t elaborate on the nature of the security information.
From Herald news services
