K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For May 18th, 2017 – Morning

NEW YORK (AP) - A CAR TRAVELING THROUGH TIMES SQUARE HAS DRIVEN INTO A CROWD OF PEDESTRIANS, INJURING SEVERAL PEOPLE. TELEVISION IMAGES TAKEN AT THE SCENE MIDDAY THURSDAY SHOWED PEOPLE BEING TAKEN AWAY ON STRETCHERS. THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE WORD FROM NEW YORK CITY POLICE ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WERE HURT.

WASHINGTON (AP) - RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEY LAVROV IS MOCKING U.S. NEWS REPORTS SUGGESTING PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SHARED SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE WITH HIM ABOUT TERROR THREATS INVOLVING LAPTOPS ON AIRPLANES. LAVROV DIDN'T DIRECTLY CONFIRM DETAILS OF THEIR CONVERSATION. BUT HE TOLD REPORTERS THURSDAY IN CYPRUS THAT HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE "SECRET" WAS, SINCE THE U.S. INTRODUCED A BAN ON LAPTOPS ON AIRLINES FROM SOME MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES TWO MONTHS AGO.

NEW YORK (AP) - PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S LOYAL BACKERS SAY THEY DON'T KNOW, THEY DON'T BELIEVE, OR THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT THE EXPLOSIVE REVELATIONS ROCKING WASHINGTON. VOTERS WHO SUPPORTED HIM ARE STANDING BY A PRESIDENT WHO HAS TWEETED THAT HE'S THE TARGET OF WHAT HE CALLS "THE SINGLE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF A POLITICIAN IN AMERICAN HISTORY!" TRUMP'S FIRING OF FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY HAS CONSUMED WASHINGTON. BUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE IN MANY TRUMP STRONGHOLDS.

NEW YORK (AP) - ROGER AILES, WHO TRANSFORMED TV NEWS BY CREATING FOX NEWS CHANNEL, ONLY TO BE OUSTED AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS REIGN FOR ALLEGED SEXUAL HARASSMENT, DIED THURSDAY, HIS WIFE SAID. THE FORMER GOP OPERATIVE AND ONE-TIME ADVISER TO DONALD TRUMP WAS 77.

DETROIT (AP) - TWO DETROIT NEWSPAPERS CITING A POLICE SPOKESMAN SAY THE BODY OF SOUNDGARDEN FRONTMAN CHRIS CORNELL WAS FOUND WITH A BAND AROUND HIS NECK. DETROIT POLICE SPOKESMAN MICHAEL WOODY SAID THURSDAY THAT HE COULD NOT CONFIRM THAT CORNELL DIED WITH A BAND AROUND HIS NECK. WOODY REPEATED THAT POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING CORNELL'S DEATH WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS A POSSIBLE SUICIDE, BUT THAT THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES. THE 52-YEAR-OLD CORNELL HAD JUST PERFORMED WITH SOUNDGARDEN AT DETROIT'S FOX THEATRE.
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A WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION ON WEDNESDAY LAID OUT BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE WHICH, THE STATE SAYS, IMPLICATES A FORMER CARNIVAL WORKER IN THE ALLEGED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A FIVE-YEAR-OLD BOY IN CASPER LAST SUMMER.

KATHRYN NORMINGTON, SENIOR FORENSIC SCIENTIST AT THE WYOMING STATE CRIME LAB, TOLD A JURY OF SEVEN WOMEN AND SIX MEN THAT BIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE TAKEN FROM THE ALLEGED VICTIM REVEALED A DNA PROFILE CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF 34-YEAR-OLD JOSHUA ASHBY WINTERS.

WINTERS, NORMINGTON SAID, WAS THE "MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR" -- A TERM USED TO IDENTIFY THE LARGEST SOURCE OF DNA IN A GIVEN SAMPLE -- OF THAT PARTICULAR SAMPLE.

A SECOND DNA SWAB, FROM A DIFFERENT AREA ON THE BOY, DID NOT PROVIDE A LARGE ENOUGH SAMPLE FOR NORMINGTON TO DRAW ANY CONCLUSIONS.

ALSO WEDNESDAY, WINTERS' 24-YEAR-OLD NEPHEW TOOK THE WITNESS STAND AND TOLD JURORS WINTERS SEXUALLY ABUSED HIM IN 1998, WHEN WINTERS WAS 15 AND HIS NEPHEW WAS JUST FIVE YEARS OLD.

WINTERS DECLARED HIS INTENT TO TESTIFY BEFORE COURT ADJOURNED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE PROSECUTION RESTED ITS CASE, AND THE DEFENSE WILL BEGIN PRESENTING ITS EVIDENCE THURSDAY MORNING.

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TS-CPR-HARRISON LIFE SENTENCE-R
5-17-17 TOM MORTON
A UTAH MAN WILL SERVE A LIFE PRISON SENTENCE WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE A YEAR AFTER HE AND HIS FATHER KILLED A UTAH RAIL LINE WORKER WHILE THEY WERE RUNNING FROM POLICE AFTER THEY KIDNAPPED A MOTHER AND HER DAUGHTERS.

WEDNESDAY, LINCOLN COUNTY DISTRICT COURT JUDGE JOSEPH BLUEMEL HANDED DOWN THE SENTENCE TO 23-YEAR-OLD DERECK JAMES "DJ" HARRISON.

HARRISON PLEADED GUILTY IN APRIL TO FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN THE SLAYING OF 63-YEAR-OLD KAY PORTER RICKS AND AVOIDED THE DEATH PENALTY.

BLUEMEL ALSO SENTENCED HARRISON TO A 20- TO 22-YEAR PRISON TERM FOR KIDNAPPING TO BE SERVED CONSECUTIVELY TO THE LIFE IMPRISONMENT TERM.

THE CASE STARTED A YEAR AGO WHEN HARRISON AND HIS FATHER, FLINT HARRISON, WERE PARANOID AFTER USING METHAMPHETAMINE AND LURED A WOMAN AND HER FOUR TEENAGE DAUGHTERS TO A HOUSE IN UTAH.

THE WOMAN WAS BEATEN WITH A BASEBALL BAT. SHE AND HER DAUGHTERS ESCAPED.

WHILE THE HARRISONS WERE ON THE RUN FOR FIVE DAYS, THEY FORCED RICKS INTO HIS WORK TRUCK, THEN BEAT HIM TO DEATH ON THEIR WAY TO A REMOTE WYOMING HIDEOUT WHERE THEY WERE EVENTUALLY CAPTURED.

DERECK HARRISON WAS CONVICTED IN UTAH LAST YEAR FOR THE KIDNAPPING OF THE WOMAN AND HER DAUGHTERS.

FLINT HARRISON LATER KILLED HIMSELF IN A UTAH JAIL.