NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Prison time: The executive who spent billions of dollars on two South Carolina nuclear plants that never generated a single watt of power is almost certain to spend time in prison. Former SCANA Corp. CEO Kevin Marsh signed a deal this week agreeing to plead guilty to felony fraud charges in federal and state court. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to ask for 18 months to 36 months in federal prison instead of a state prison, per Marsh’s request. Marsh also will have to pay $5 million in restitution. SCANA had paid Marsh $5 million in 2017, the year the utility abandoned the project in Fairfield County.
2 Armored car theft: Describing it as “something out of the 1930s,” authorities say a former guard and two others stole more than $1.7 million from an armored car parked outside an Atlantic City casino earlier this month. Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said this week that Dante McCluney of Newark was charged with burglary, theft and conspiracy in connection with the Nov. 5 theft from an armored car parked outside Bally’s casino. Two others who participated in the theft have been identified but are not yet in custody, the prosecutor said.
3 Mall shooting: A 15yearold boy, who faces multiple charges in a shooting at a Wisconsin mall that left eight people injured, has been ordered held in secure juvenile detention rather than being released to his parents. Court Commissioner J.C. Moore on Tuesday denied a defense request to allow the teen to be released to house arrest with GPS monitoring, saying Friday’s shooting at the Mayfair Mall in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa was “an incredibly dangerous series of events.” The teen faces eight felony counts of firstdegree reckless injury, and one misdemeanor count of possessing a firearm while under 18.
4 Detention facility closes: U.S. Border Patrol is temporarily closing a converted warehouse used to detain immigrants in South Texas for renovation. The McAllen facility garnered international attention when images emerged of children separated from their parents detained in chainlink cages inside. The agency said Wednesday that the facility will reopen in 2022 with a smaller capacity and “modern detention areas.” Opened in 2014 during the administration of President Barack Obama, the facility was used to hold immigrant children mostly from Central America who crossed the border alone. The Trump administration used the facility to hold parents and children it separated during its “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings.
5 911 call hoax: Police said Wednesday a bored teenager is to blame for a hoax 911 call claiming a gunman was rampaging through a Hialeah, Fla., charter school, forcing a lockdown, terrifying students and spurring SWAT officers to rush to the campus. Hialeah detectives arrested the teen, a 13yearold student at LincolnMart Charter School who they say admitted he and another young man “swatted” the school. Swatting is slang for a dangerous prank sometimes played by online gamers who call in threats to force heavily armed police officers to respond.