NEWS OF THE DAY
_1 Seattle slaying: Two men who investigators say were involved in a downtown Seattle shooting that killed one person and injured seven others have been arrested in Las Vegas, police said. Marquise Tolbert, 24, and William Tolliver, 24, were identified as suspects after the Jan. 22 shooting. Records show both have lengthy arrest records. A third suspect injured in the shooting was located by police at a hospital in Seattle. Jamel Jackson, 21, was charged last week with unlawful possession of a firearm. The shooting was one of several violent incidents in a part of the city long known for rampant drug use and street unrest.
_2 Client killed: A Florida contractor is facing murder charges after the body of a disgruntled customer was found last week in a Georgia landfill. The body of Susan Mauldin, 65, was found three months after she disappeared from her Clay County home, said Florida State Attorney Melissa Nelson. Corey Binderim, 45, remained jailed without bond Sunday in Jacksonville. According to investigators, Mauldin hired Binderim to do some work on her home, but when he failed to complete the job she demanded her money back.
_3 Fugitive caught: A man who pleaded guilty to homicide before fleeing Arizona 16 years ago to avoid being sentenced has been arrested in Canada after police followed digital footprints provided by social media posts of his family and friends. Adan Perez Huerta 32,, was arrested last week in Toronto and returned to Arizona, where he was booked into a jail. The case stemmed from the 2002 death of a 19yearold woman who was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Huerta. She died when Huerta crashed in suburban Phoenix. He had a bloodalcohol level of 0.16, police said, twice the legal limit. Social media posts of his relatives and associates eventually led to posts by Huerta himself, police said.
_4 Lawmaker admonished: The Montana Republican Party has condemned a comment made by a GOP state lawmaker who said the U.S. Constitution calls for people who identify as socialists to be jailed or shot. At a party gathering Friday, Rep. Rodney Garcia said he worried about socialists entering the government and being “everywhere” in Billings. Garcia stood behind his remarks Saturday when contacted by a reporter. “They’re enemies of the free state,” he said. Spenser Merwin, the executive director of the Montana Republican Party, said in statement the party wholeheartedly condemned Garcia’s comments. “Under no circumstance is violence against someone with opposing political views acceptable,” he said.
_5 Groundhog Day: Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog declared Sunday: “Spring will be early, it’s a certainty.” At sunrise, members of Punxsutawney Phil’s inner circle revealed the oracle’s prediction. The groundhog was hoisted in the air for the assembly to hail before making his decision. He then grasped the glove of a handler as a member of his inner circle announced that spring would come early this year. The annual event has its origin in a German legend that says if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter continues. If not, spring comes early.
Chronicle News Services