The state/region in brief
Posted on Sunday, October 5, 2008
Man gets 2 years for 1-block escape TEXARKANA — A man who walked away from the recreation yard at the Southwest Arkansas Community Correction Center and was captured less than a block away has been sentenced to serve two more years in jail. James Reid, 37, was serving a two-year sentence when he walked away in July, officials said. He pleaded guilty Thursday to an escape charge. “Mr. Reid, here’s the sad question,” Miller County Circuit Judge Jim Hudson said. “How much time did you have left on your sentence when you escaped ?” Reid, who stood with his defense attorney, Jason Mitchell, told Hudson he had seven months left to serve when he escaped. Hudson sentenced him to two years in prison following the completion of his original sentence. Rhonda Sharp, spokesman for the Department of Community Correction, said Friday that Reid was serving two years for a drug conviction. He was being held in the Miller County jail Friday morning.
— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 4 arrested at fair in gambling inquiry PINE BLUFF — The operator of a Midway Monopoly booth, along with three workers, at a southeast Arkansas fair has been arrested on suspicion of running a gambling house. Jefferson County sheriff’s investigators Thursday raided the booth at the Southeast Arkansas Livestock Show, Rodeo and Fair midway. Charles Chenowith, 57, and Frank Dell, 36, both of Louisiana, Robert Bren, 40, of Maryland and Stanley Ray, 58, of Alabama were arrested on probable cause of operating a gambling house and possession of a gambling device. Circuit Judge Rob Wyatt Jr. released the four Friday, pending further investigation. Deputies will present their findings to prosecutors for filing formal charges, sheriff’s Capt. John Mc-Neil said.
Authorities seized about $ 25, 000, mostly in cash, along with a 42-inch flat-screen television, several Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 games, CD players and an ATM that was attached to the booth.
According to an affidavit from investigators Todd Davis and Mickey Buffkin, an undercover police officer equipped with an audio-video device played a Midway Monopoly game using money provided by the prosecutors office. All four men had a game board in front of them and allowed customers to reach inside the booth with a net to get a Ping-Pong ball with a number on it. The balls were in the center of the booth and were blown into the air by an air pump. According to the affidavit, the undercover officer placed a $ 20 bet and received a ball called 2-to-1. The officer said he received $ 40 from a worker, played the booth several times and received money after winning on different plays. In the search, investigators reported, they found an ice chest containing $ 10, 500 in cash. Chenowith also was carrying about $ 10, 000 in cash when he was arrested, the affidavit states. After his arrest, Chenowith told the officers he was “just a little fish and did not know why he was targeted by investigators.” Bren said he had worked with Chenowith for only a short time and did not know they were breaking any laws.
— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Missouri law backs English-only usage ST. LOUIS — For a decade, Missouri law has recognized English as the state’s common language, but the law carries no real weight.
A proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot would change that. Voters will consider whether to approve a constitutional amendment making English the “official” language for all governmental proceedings conducted in Missouri. Amendment 1 would prohibit the use of other languages in meetings ranging from local committees to the state legislature.
Lawmakers recognized English as the “common” language in 1998. That law carries no stipulations or requirements. “We have gotten reports during testimony in the Legislature that there have been city council meetings in the state of Missouri done partially in languages other than English to accommodate business owners, which is a huge problem in my mind,” said state Rep. Brian Nieves, R-Union, who sponsored the measure. “The issue, in my opinion, is when an American citizen walks into any official proceeding, be that a city council meeting or something being done by the state Legislature, anyone should be able to understand what his or her government is doing.” Saint Louis University political scientist Ken Warren said the measure might cause an uproar in some states, but not Missouri, where the immigrant population is relatively small.
— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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