K2 Radio News: Flash Briefing For June 2nd, 2017 – Morning
BRUSSELS (AP) - ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGNERS STAGED PROTESTS FRIDAY AGAINST PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S DECISION TO PULL THE UNITED STATES OUT OF THE PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD, WHILE OTHER NATIONS PLEDGED TO CONTINUE THEIR EFFORTS TO CURB GLOBAL WARMING. IN BERLIN, GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS PROJECTED TRUMP'S SILHOUETTE ONTO THE SIDE OF THE U.S. EMBASSY ALONG WITH THE WORDS "#TOTALLOSER, SO SAD!"
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - AUTHORITIES SAY AT LEAST EIGHT PROTESTERS ARE DEAD AND FOUR POLICE ARE INJURED AS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DEMONSTRATE IN KABUL FOR BETTER SECURITY IN THE AFGHAN CAPITAL. MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE WERE TAKING PART IN THE DEMONSTRATION FRIDAY IN THE WAKE OF A POWERFUL TRUCK BOMB ATTACK THAT KILLED 90 PEOPLE ON WEDNESDAY. ABDUL HAFIZ MANSUR, A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FROM KABUL, SAYS EIGHT PROTESTERS WERE KILLED BY GOVERNMENT SECURITY FORCES.
WASHINGTON (AP) - THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS ASKED THE SUPREME COURT TO IMMEDIATELY REINSTATE ITS BAN ON TRAVELERS FROM SIX MOSTLY MUSLIM COUNTRIES AND REFUGEES FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, SAYING THE U.S. WILL BE SAFER IF THE POLICY IS PUT IN PLACE. THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FILING TO THE HIGH COURT LATE THURSDAY ARGUED THAT LOWER COURTS THAT BLOCKED THE TRUMP POLICY MADE SEVERAL MISTAKES, INCLUDING RELYING ON STATEMENTS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP MADE DURING THE 2016 CAMPAIGN.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (AP) - RELATIVES ARE RUSHING TO FUNERAL HOMES TO SEE THE REMAINS OF THEIR LOVED ONES WHO DIED IN A FIRE SET BY A GUNMAN WHO ROBBED A MANILA CASINO. THE POLICE CHIEF SAID 36 BODIES WERE FOUND IN THE SMOKY GAMBLING ROOM AND ALL DIED FROM SUFFOCATION AND SMOKE INHALATION. A SOUTH KOREAN VICTIM DIED IN THE EVACUATION. AND THE SUSPECTED GUNMAN WAS FOUND DEAD IN AN ADJACENT HOTEL.
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. EMPLOYERS PULLED BACK ON HIRING IN MAY BY ADDING ONLY 138,000 JOBS. HIRING WAS STILL ENOUGH TO HELP KEEP PUSHING UNEMPLOYMENT LOWER, BUT IT'S A SIGN OF SLOWER JOB CREATION IN RECENT MONTHS. THE LABOR DEPARTMENT SAYS THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FELL TO 4.3 PERCENT FROM 4.4 PERCENT.
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A CASPER MAN WHO PLEADED GUILTY TO TRANSPORTING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY WAS SENTENCED TO A 14-YEAR PRISON TERM ON THURSDAY.
U.S. DISTRICT COURT JUDGE ALAN JOHNSON ALSO ORDERED WILLIAM DAVID LARSON TO A 10-YEAR PROBATION TERM AFTER HIS RELEASE FROM PRISON, REGISTER AS A SEX OFFENDER, AND PAY $3,000 IN RESTITUTION.
COURT DOCUMENTS ALSO SAY A SECOND COUNT OF POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY WAS DISMISSED AT THE SENTENCING AS PART OF THE PLEA AGREEMENT WHEN LARSON PLEADED GUILTY IN MARCH
HE WAS 19 AT THE TIME OF HIS ARRAIGNMENT IN JANUARY.
THE CASE STARTED IN DECEMBER WHEN A WYOMING DIVISION OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AGENT RECEIVED INFORMATION ABOUT LARSON AND HIS POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS SEARCHED LARSON'S RESIDENCE ON COTTONTAIL LANE IN WEST CASPER AND SEIZED THREE CELL PHONES, A LAPTOP COMPUTER, AND TWO USB DRIVES.
AN ANALYSIS OF ONE CELL PHONE REVEALED A 61-SECOND VIDEO OF THE MOLESTATION OF A GIRL BETWEEN THREE TO FIVE YEARS OLD.
DURING AN INTERVIEW, LARSON TOLD THE AGENT HE USED HIS CELL PHONE -- OFTEN WITH KIK MESSENGER SOFTWARE PROGRAM -- TO RECEIVE, POSSESS, VIEW AND DISTRIBUTE IMAGES OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.
THE GOVERNMENT REGARDS CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AS A CRIME OF VIOLENCE BECAUSE IT INVOLVES SOMETIMES BRUTAL ASSAULTS ON CHILDREN WHO CANNOT GIVE CONSENT TO SEXUAL ACTIVITY.
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A WOMAN ACCUSED OF STEALING MEMORIAL VASES FROM AT LEAST 98 GRAVESITES IN THE CASPER AREA PLEADED GUILTY TO A FELONY CHARGE THURSDAY AFTERNOON IN NATRONA COUNTY DISTRICT COURT.
AS PART OF A PLEA DEAL, 51-YEAR-OLD JANNA L. SZYNSKIE PLEADED GUILTY TO ONE COUNT OF WRONGFUL TAKING OR DISPOSING OF PROPERTY. SINCE IT WAS A 'COLD' PLEA -- MADE WITHOUT ANY OFFER BY THE STATE OF A REDUCED SENTENCE -- SZYNSKIE COULD FACE THE MAXIMUM PENALTY OF 10 YEARS IN PRISON AND A $10,000 FINE AT SENTENCING.
THE AMOUNT OF RESTITUTION AT ISSUE IS IN EXCESS OF $40,000. SZYNSKIE WILL BE FREE TO DISPUTE THAT AMOUNT DURING HER SENTENCING HEARING.
RESTITUTION WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE IN THE CASE, WHICH IS COMPLICATED BY THE NUMBER OF VICTIMS AND THE SIMILARITY OF THE MEMORIAL VASES TAKEN FROM BOTH NATRONA MEMORIAL GARDENS AND HILAND CEMETERY.
SOME OF THE VASES WERE DESTROYED BEFORE AUTHORITIES GOT INVOLVED. SZYNSKIE TURNED A NUMBER OF THE VASES OVER AS SCRAP TO PACIFIC STEEL AND RECYCLING, RECEIVING $2,895.80 IN EXCHANGE.
AFTER THURSDAY'S ARRAIGNMENT, NATRONA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY MIKE BLONIGEN SAID IT WOULD BE EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT TO ENSURE THE SURVIVING VASES ARE RETURNED TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS, AS THEY ALL LOOK VERY SIMILAR. HE CALLED THE CASE A "RESTITUTION NIGHTMARE."
BLONIGEN DECLINED TO COMMENT ON WHETHER HE WILL ARGUE FOR A PRISON SENTENCE DURING SZYNSKIE'S SENTENCING HEARING, WHICH WILL BE HELD FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF A PRESENTENCE INVESTIGATION.
IN A PRINTED STATEMENT, BLONIGEN'S OFFICE ASKS ANY VICTIMS IN THE CASE TO COME FORWARD AND CONTACT RHONDA JONES, OF THE NATRONA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE VICTIM WITNESS UNIT, AT 235-9388.
BLONIGEN SAID A NUMBER OF NEW VICTIMS HAVE COME FORWARD SINCE MEMORIAL DAY.