Yesterday, Alabama became the first state in the nation to execute a prisoner using nitrogen hypoxia. The AP reports here that “Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m. . . . after breathing pure nitrogen gas through a face mask to cause oxygen deprivation.” Smith was sentenced to death three decades ago for his role in a contract killing. Alabama attempted to execute him by lethal injection in 2022, but the attempt failed when authorities were unable to attach an IV to his veins. The Supreme Court declined to block the nitrogen gas execution earlier this week, over a dissent from three liberal Justices. The linked story contains some details of the execution. Keep reading for more news.
Oregon reversing course on decriminalization? The AP has this story, reporting that “Democratic lawmakers in Oregon [have] unveiled a sweeping new bill that would undo a key part of the state’s first-in-the-nation drug decriminalization law, a recognition that public opinion has soured on the measure amid rampant public drug use during the fentanyl crisis.” Specifically, “[t]he bill would recriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs as a low-level misdemeanor, enabling police to confiscate them and crack down on their use on sidewalks and in parks.” Not everyone is ready to back away from decriminalization, with some arguing that the approach needs more time and better funding for treatment and support services.
“Gas station heroin.” That’s what some are calling tianeptine, a substance sold at convenience stores as a dietary supplement or mood booster. WRAL reports here that although the substance is not regulated by the FDA, the FDA nonetheless is asking retailers not to stock it, consumers not to take it, and manufacturers to recall it, citing concerns about serious adverse reactions. At least one manufacturer apparently has complied. The FDA itself has this statement up about the substance, which apparently is approved for medical uses in some other countries. [Update: an attentive reader alerted me to the fact that Phil covered this in last week’s news roundup, which I missed while away on vacation. Sorry about that. The only really new development is the voluntary recall.]
Dockable drones. This local story covers the “drone in a dock” now being used by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office. Apparently it is one of a handful of agencies in the world using such drones, which can be launched and piloted up to two miles away without an officer having the drones in sight. I’ve written about drones a few times on the blog, most recently here. I’ll be interested to learn more about this new application of the technology.
Speaking of technology, software bugs sent 900 people to prison. At least, that’s what it sounds like. Ars Technica has this story asserting that “Fujitsu’s faulty accounting software aided in the prosecution and conviction of more than 900 sub-postmasters and postmistresses [in the UK] who were accused of theft or fraud when the software wrongly made it appear that money was missing from their branches.” As if that weren’t bad enough, Fujitsu apparently knew about at least 29 separate software faults from the beginning, yet no one mentioned them to the defense. Things are different across the pond, but if something like this were to happen here, I would feel a class action lawsuit coming on!
Crime rates are down. Or up. This new report from the Council on Criminal Justice says that homicide and violent crimes fell last year in 38 studied cities, but property crimes were mixed and car thefts were way up. Violent crimes are still above pre-pandemic levels, but seem to be getting closer to that baseline. The report has much more detail for interested readers.
Trial begins for mother of Michigan school shooter. CNN reports here that a manslaughter trial has just begun against the mother of Ethan Crumbley, who killed four students and wounded seven others at his high school in Oxford, Michigan. The prosecution contends that Jennifer Crumbley is “responsible for those deaths.” The story notes that she and her husband “bought a gun for their son four days before the shooting, even though he was struggling with his mental health and contemplating violence. They also say the parents did not mention the gun to school officials in a meeting to discuss Ethan’s disturbing drawings just hours before the fatal shooting.”
Florida Man. Someday, perhaps we will run out of Florida Man stories. But not today. According to this local report, a Florida resident recently found himself behind bars for . . . assault with a sandwich. The story asserts that the man was ordering a sandwich at a Subway franchise and became enraged when he determined that the bread on his sandwich was not cut all the way through. (As a side note, I have eaten at Subway many times and believe that to be standard practice, perhaps because leaving a bread “hinge” enhances the structural integrity of the sandwich.) Words were said, but things got really ugly when the customer launched the sandwich at the employee, striking her in the “mid- to lower body.” The story has no information on the severity of any injuries, nor whether there were any hard-to-remove mayonnaise stains on the employee’s clothing.
Have a good weekend, and be safe out there – including at the sandwich shop.