Month: March 2024

Attorney general seeking evidence of groundwater overpumping in rural Arizona, may sue

Ana R. Cheatwood

WENDEN — Attorney General Kris Mayes told La Paz County residents she’s considering a lawsuit to stop corporate farms from overpumping groundwater there and in Cochise County.

Her investigators are seeking examples of harm such as dry wells, cracked foundations and dust on which to build a possible case using the state’s nuisance laws, she said Thursday. She outlined her plans to 150 or so people gathered at a town hall meeting in a combination community center and library 100 miles west of Phoenix. She also urged residents to push state lawmakers to enact legislation to protect rural Arizona’s largely unregulated groundwater.

Arizona’s existing water law leaves most rural parts of the state unshielded from unlimited and unreported pumping, which has allowed corporate dairies, nut companies and alfalfa growers to tap and accelerate depletion of aquifers that support counties including La Paz and Cochise. But state law enables legal action against activities that harm neighbors, Mayes said.

“Arizona is an easy target because we made it easy for them,” Mayes said. “Except that I don’t think nuisance law allows it.”

La Paz County in western Arizona has been the site of some of the state’s most high-profile groundwater politics. It’s where Middle Eastern farm interests have sunk wells to grow and ship alfalfa for dairies in their home countries, and where Gov. Katie Hobbs canceled some state leases enabling such projects. In southeastern Arizona, Cochise County is home to a growing dairy industry that is drawing down the aquifer around Willcox.

While state water law allows deep wells that drain an aquifer, Mayes found a template for action in her office’s filing for an injunction against a proposed Chino Valley aggregate mine last year. That action relied on state law enabling lawsuits against public nuisances, such as the dust and

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Fort Smith couple found guilty of posing as fake lawyers

Ana R. Cheatwood

Attorney Joey McCutchen said Annie and David Saffer used local police reports to find car accident victims as potential clients.

FORT SMITH, Ark. — Sebastian County District Court Judge Amy Grimes delivered a guilty verdict against Leigh Ann (Annie) Saffer and David Saffer for the unauthorized practice of law.

The Saffers solicited business for car accident victims on behalf of chiropractors under false pretenses. 

“Accident victims are being targeted, and they are suffering the consequences,” Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen said. 

According to the press release sent to 5NEWS by McCutchen, the Saffers own Accident Claim Specialists off of Waldron Street in Fort Smith.

McCutchen said the couple used local police reports to find car accident victims as potential clients. They then contacted the victims and presented themselves as legal experts capable of interpreting legal documents and negotiating with insurance companies. 

“These chiropractic runners are being paid by chiropractors to solicit cases from vulnerable people, people who have just been in a car crash. Oftentimes, they’ll show up at their house. They’ll call them, text them. And they’re relentless,” McCutchen said.

He adds the victims were directed to a chiropractor in exchange for a referral fee. Several victims testified in trial that they were repeatedly solicited by the Saffers to go to Arkansas Chiropractic Group. 

“If folks are contacted by a runner, they need to call the prosecutor and give them specifics, because it’s happening across the state,” McCutchen said. 

Mccutchen said his law firm plans to file a civil lawsuit against the Saffers and the Arkansas Chiropractic Group.

“The chiropractors pay these folks directly for each referral, and I think they’re also paying them for getting these cases settled as quickly as possible so that the chiropractor can make a quick buck,” he said. “Not all chiropractors are involved

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Washington puts new laws on the books to become an attorney

Ana R. Cheatwood

Washington is now the fourth state in the country not to require attorneys to pass the bar exam.

This week, the Washington Supreme Court filed a pair of orders approving alternative pathways for someone to become a licensed attorney. This will be the first time in state history that lawyer admissions rules do not necessitate some form of bar exam to demonstrate competency to earn a law license.

“These alternative methods often include some sort of apprenticeship, actually working in the field under somebody who is licensed,” legal analyst Ashlynn Mejia, told The Gee & Ursula Show on KIRO Newsradio. “The sooner you can get into your field and start learning from people around you, the better off you are going to be.”

Legal analyst on Wash. rights regulating gun control: ‘A lot has changed’

The National Conference of Bar Examiners’ NextGen bar exam addresses many of the identified flaws in the current bar exam by focusing on real-world skills and practice.

“The court’s decisions in adopting the NextGen Bar Exam, a revised cut score, and the alternate pathways to licensure will protect the public, allow law school graduates a choice of modalities to demonstrate their competency, and will immediately help address the severe shortage of licensed attorneys in broad swaths of the state,” Seattle University Law School Deam Anthony Varona told KIRO Newsradio.

Law students now have 3 alternatives to become attorney

Create three experiential-learning alternatives to the bar exam: one for law school graduates, one for law school students, and one for law clerks (who are enrolled in a non-law school course of study).

For graduates, this would entail a six-month apprenticeship under the guidance and supervision of a qualified attorney. During that time, the graduates would be required to complete three courses of standardized coursework.

“These recommendations

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Attorneys for Delphi murders suspect accuse prosecutors of hiding evidence – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic

Ana R. Cheatwood

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two major developments happened Tuesday in the lead-up to the Delphi murders trial.

Richard Allen, 51, of Delphi, was arrested on Oct. 28, 2022, for the February 2017 murders of 13-year-old Abigail “Abby” Williams and 14-year-old Liberty “Libby” German near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi.

Allen’s attorneys filed new paperwork in court that accuses the prosecution of hiding evidence that could help prove Allen proof he’s not guilty of the murders. The motion says the prosecution has taken months longer than allowed to hand over major pieces of evidence, including what the defense labels potential exculpatory evidence.

The filings specifically cited video and audio of police interviews; the name of an expert who consulted with police on the possibility the killings were part of a “ritualistic sacrifice,” as the defense has hinted; and details on a map showing cellphone activity near where the girls were found. The cellphone activity is said to have happened at the time police believe the girls were killed, and Allen’s attorneys say none of the phones have a connection to Allen.

“What’s interesting is there are some points in there where they admit some of the evidence they’re asking for may not even exist,” said Kevin Greenlee, an attorney and host of the Murder Sheet Podcast. “They’re just guessing it’s likely to exist, in their opinion.”

The filing came less than a week after the defense filed a request for a speedy trial. Under Indiana law, the trial must start in 70 days. This gives a mid-May deadline, and an official trial date of May 13 was set.

The attorneys’ motion to compel, though, could delay the trial.

“The defense is specifically asking for sanctions (on) the prosecutor in the form of, if this gets continued, it could be blamed

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Bexar County DA’s office untruthful about dismissing DWI for witnesses’ testimony in trafficking case

Ana R. Cheatwood

SAN ANTONIO – A longtime San Antonio defense attorney has accused the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office of being untruthful about its reasons to dismiss a DWI charge against a victim in a human trafficking case.

Attorney Carolyn Wentland represents Jarvis Anderson, who faces charges of attempting to compel prostitution and aggravated promotion of prostitution in connection with his 2017 arrest by San Antonio police.

SAPD investigators said Anderson and his younger brother, Lawrence Jackson, forced two teenage girls into prostitution.

Officers testified this month that they learned of the trafficking after one of the teens fled from a North Side hotel in November 2017 and alerted her family, who then contacted police.

Jackson was sentenced to 10 years in prison in late 2022 after being convicted of trafficking a person under the age of 18, court records show.

Defendant Jarvis Anderson sits in court during a motion to suppress evidence hearing earlier this month. (KSAT)

Anderson is free on bond awaiting trial on the now nearly seven-year-old allegations.

Anderson’s four-count indictment, which included three charges of trafficking, was reduced to two counts in late 2022 after prosecutors refiled their case.

Prior to Anderson going to trial, however, Wentland has made claims that prosecutors did not properly hand over evidence in her client’s case and were untruthful about their decision to dismiss a 2021 elevated DWI charge against one of the victims.

Trafficking victim crashed into SAFD ambulance while driving drunk, records show

KSAT is not identifying either woman at the center of the trafficking case.

One of them, a then-teenager found by SAPD with Jackson in a room at the Drury Plaza Hotel near the airport in November 2017, was accused of driving drunk with a blood alcohol content over .15 during an unrelated February 2021 crash off of

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Charleston lawyer, former lawmaker charged in hit-and-run | Palmetto Politics

Ana R. Cheatwood

A former state lawmaker and one-time head of the Charleston County Republican Party is free on bond following a reported hit-and-run in downtown Charleston he contends is being blown of proportion.

John Kuhn, 61, was booked into the county jail after his arrest March 14 following the investigation into an incident near Meeting and Columbus streets in which his blue 2022 Range Rover allegedly struck another vehicle and drove off from the scene.

Kuhn spent several hours in custody before being released on a $10,232 personal recognizance bond covering two charges: hit-and-run resulting in property damage and improper passing. 

The hit-and-run charge is a misdemeanor; improper passing is a traffic violation.


Charleston GOP chair quits after 11-minute tirade: 'I cannot work with my executive board'

In a lengthy statement to The Post and Courier, Kuhn called the incident a “mirror to mirror accident, which we all know, happens all the time in Charleston.”

Additionally, Kuhn said a “Wasted Drugged-Up-Man” tried to block the path of his SUV after the accident as he was attempting to drive away post-collision and get to a meeting.

In his 719-word statement to the newspaper, Kuhn used the term “Drugged-Up Man” nine times and accused him of being a danger after the accident.

The unidentified Black man is described in a police incident report as someone who ran from the adjacent sidewalk and “placed himself in front of the suspect vehicle to confront him about the collision.” 

The report continues: “When the light turned green, the driver of the SUV drove past the unknown subject before continuing east on Columbus Street and fled the scene. The subject (the pedestrian) fell and other pedestrians in the area helped him up and out of the roadway.”

No injuries were reported.

A witness recorded a video of part of the confrontation, with the recording turned over to police. The Post and

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Meet the candidates for Milwaukee City Attorney | WUWM 89.7 FM

Ana R. Cheatwood

Milwaukee city attorney is one of the competitive races on the ballot this spring — the election is Tuesday, April 2, 2024.

The city attorney acts as the chief legal advocate for the City of Milwaukee, representing the city of Milwaukee in litigation and providing legal advice to elected officials.

Who are the candidates?

Jump to: Evan Goyke | Tearman Spencer

Incumbent City Attorney Tearman Spencer is running for a second term, four years after unseating Grant Langley, who was Milwaukee’s city attorney for 36 years. Spencer is running against state Rep. Evan Goyke.

WUWM reached out to both candidates for an interview. Goyke responded to our request for an interview, Spencer did not.

At WUWM, we believe politicians are here to serve you. When they’re running for office, it is part of our election mission to ask them the questions you want answered and share what they believe in. When a candidate does not agree or respond to requests for an interview, we run what we call a “non-interview” to try to outline their positions for listeners.

Goyke’s interview has been edited for length and clarity, and Spencer’s non-interview covers topics we would have asked about if Spencer had agreed to an interview.

Evan Goyke

Interview with candidate Evan Goyke.

State Rep. Evan Goyke
State Rep. Evan Goyke is running for Milwaukee city attorney.

What does the city attorney do and why are you seeking the job?

The city attorney’s office is a full-scale law firm for the city as an entity. So, we represent the city and provide legal advice to city actors in almost every capacity. Residents, unfortunately, most commonly interact with the city attorney’s office in municipal court [where] we staff as prosecutors — speeding tickets, things like that.

And then, we represent the city when sued, and that could

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Police, district attorney share details about deputy’s death

Ana R. Cheatwood

Officials are still waiting on an autopsy report to determine if any further charges are necessary against the 2 suspects.

BATAVIA, N.Y. — We know charges have been filed against two suspects in connection with the weekend death of a Genesee County Sheriff’s Office deputy. But there are still many questions about the circumstances around that fatal encounter.    

On Wednesday, for the first time,  police and the district attorney spoke directly to reporters about their investigation.  

Outside the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office headquarters in the Town of Batavia, people are placing tributes. U.S. flags and more flowers are being placed on a patrol car as a memorial to Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello.

Sanfratello died following what investigators call a “very violent” resisting arrest encounter from “physically combative” suspects, identified as 33-year-old Michael J. Elmore and his girlfriend, 39-year-old Lyndsey Jean Wilcox.

Elmore was in Batavia Town Court on Tuesday to plead not guilty to manslaughter and aggravated assault on a police officer charges. Wilcox was also in court to face an assault charge.

2 On Your Side asked Genesee County District Attorney Kevin Finnell if additional or upgraded charges could be filed against Elmore and Wilcox.

“A grand jury will certainly review the evidence,” Finnell said. “The evidence is not in. We have the investigation, as you just heard, is ongoing. Until the investigation is concluded, we cannot predict what additional charges, if any, might be filed in connection with this case.”

Batavia Police, which is the lead agency on the case, indicate it was a two to three-minute encounter in which Elmore is said to have used a necklace or a thick rope metal chain, which is described as a “weapon” in court documents.

Batavia Police Chief Shawn Heubusch said his detectives have determined that “during the altercation you can

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More clients claim Houston-area attorney stole settlement checks after car crash

Ana R. Cheatwood

HOUSTON – The Houston-area personal injury attorney first exposed by KPRC 2 in January for allegedly stealing settlement checks from clients after their car crashes, apparently has more victims.

After the story aired, several more alleged victims reached out claiming they had similar experiences with David Lee Pettus, the attorney who operates his law firm out of a virtual office in League City.

The new victims tell KPRC 2 they haven’t seen any money they were owed, haven’t heard from Pettus, and some haven’t been able to get much-needed medical treatment.

So far, KPRC 2 has vetted allegations made by at least five of his clients who claim their money was stolen and he left them in the dark. Despite that, Pettus is still licensed to practice law in Texas.

The State Bar of Texas and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office would not confirm or deny any investigations involving Pettus. He denies all claims raised by the new alleged victims.

Pettus, who previously told KPRC 2 in a statement he looks forward to sharing his side of the story in a proper venue such as a courtroom, appears to be avoiding the legal process altogether, according to court documents in two civil cases that accuse him of legal malpractice.

New victims

In November, Houston Police chased a carjacking suspect, which ended in a crash followed by a shootout near the Galleria.

The suspect crashed into several vehicles on Highway 59 near Interstate 610, including the Volkswagen Tiguan occupied by Alexandra Alameda, her husband, and their 8-year-old son.

“One minute we came to a stop, the next we’re on the other side of the freeway,” Alameda said. “That suspect hit us, caused us to flip twice and land on the other side of 59, so it really turned our whole

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Hennepin County Attorney presents teen car theft plan

Ana R. Cheatwood

According to Mary Moriarty 7,856 vehicle theft cases were reported in Minneapolis last year. Her office received 2.3% of those cases for charging.

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s a growing and very dangerous problem in the Twin Cities.

So far this year, Minneapolis Police are reporting 54 carjackings across the city, and often teenagers are the ones being arrested for the crimes.

On Wednesday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty shared some new data on prosecuting these cases. This data was presented to members of the Minneapolis City Council’s Public Health and Safety Committee.

According to Moriarty, 7,856 cases of motor vehicle theft were reported in the city of Minneapolis. She says her office received 2.3% of those cases for charging consideration.

She says the numbers in Hennepin County as a whole are very similar, with 9,763 cases reported in 2023 and 3.4% of those cases were referred to her office for charges.

“We cannot charge cases unless they are brought to us by law enforcement,” Moriarty said.

Her presentation explained why car theft cases are so difficult for police to investigate and attorneys to prosecute.

“You can have five or six people running away from a car, they’re all wearing masks,” Moriarty explained. “These cases require an intense investigation and time.”

Moriarty says, of the cases her office does receive, often times her attorneys decide they don’t have enough evidence to charge the case.

“There are times that cases have been submitted to us where we can certainly prove a young person was in the car, we can’t prove that they stole it,” Moriarty said.

That’s why attorneys and law enforcement started a new program last summer.

Police provide the names of the teens they couldn’t charge and the Hennepin County Attorney’s office assigns social workers to track down the teens’ families

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