News Roundup

With the midterm elections and the resignation of the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, there was a lot of news this week.  At the time of writing, however, those stories were being reported below the fold as the nation grappled again with the uniquely American recurring tragedy of a mass shooting.  As the L.A. Times reports, Ian David Long killed 12 people and injured 18 others at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, on Wednesday night before killing himself.  Many of the victims were college students at the bar for line-dancing lessons and birthday celebrations.  Keep reading for more news.

California.  The L.A. Times story cited in the lead says that suspected perpetrator Ian Long served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including an eight-month tour in Afghanistan, and suggests that he may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.  Long apparently was evaluated for an emergency psychiatric hold earlier this year after Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports that he was disturbing the peace and behaving irrationally.

As is often the case with mass shootings, a law enforcement officer was among the victims.  Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus and an unnamed California Highway Patrol officer were the first officers on the scene, arriving minutes after the shooting was reported.  The Times says that Helus was shot as he entered the bar and died later at a hospital.  He was a 29-year veteran of the department.

Kidnapping.  The Fayetteville Observer reports that law enforcement authorities are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a Lumberton teenager who was kidnapped earlier this week.  Hania Noelia Aguilar allegedly was kidnapped from an area just outside her home on Monday morning.  An SUV used in the kidnapping has been located but Aguilar still is missing.  The number for the tip line is 910-272-5871.

ASI Supplement.  Many of the readers of this blog know that Bob Farb’s book Arrest, Search, and Investigation in North Carolina is an indispensable resource for anyone involved in criminal law in our state.  We’ve got big news this week – the 2018 Cumulative Supplement to ASI is hot off the presses and available for purchase.  How have North Carolina appellate courts applied Rodriguez?  Didn’t the U.S. Supreme Court recently say something important about historical CSLI?  You’ll find the answers to these questions and many others in the new supplement.

APD Resignation.  The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Asheville Police Chief Tammy Hooper has announced that she will resign effective January 2, 2019.  The Citizen-Times says that the department has experienced tumultuous times following the public revelation that former officer Christopher Hickman beat a black pedestrian during a jaywalking stop.

DOJ Resignation.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned this week at the request of President Donald Trump.  Trump has been openly critical of Sessions for months and his resignation has been expected for some time, though many in Washington were surprised to see it come just a day after the midterm elections.  President Trump appointed Sessions’ chief of staff Matthew Whitaker to serve as acting attorney general, but questions are being raised regarding the constitutionality of the appointment.

Back to School CLE.  Reading the headline for this blurb may have caused you to panic as you realized that you have not yet signed up for Back to School: CLE @ SOG.  The stress will be short-lived – you still have 2 days to sign yourself up for 6.25 hours of CLE here at the SOG next Friday, November 16.

Ginsburg.  As the New York Times reports, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized this week after falling in her office and fracturing three ribs.  Though she’s 85, Ginsburg is known for her demanding exercise routines.  If the force of the fall was sufficient to claim three ribs, I assume maintenance crews have been dispatched to repair the floor.