TIMES SQUARE DRIVER SMOKED POT WITH PCP
new york» A man who was behind the wheel of a car that barreled through crowds of pedestrians in Times Square told police after his arrest that he had been smoking marijuana laced with the hallucinogenic drug PCP, according to a criminal complaint.
Richard Rojas, 26, made his first court appearance Friday, a day after he was arrested in what police are now calling an intentional attack that killed an 18year-old Michigan woman and injured 22 other people.
Rojas, wearing the same red T-shirt and jeans he was photographed in a day earlier, appeared subdued as prosecutors detailed murder and attempted murder charges.
He didn’t enter a plea and was held without bail.
Judge: Six siblings are Prince’s heirs B
minneapolis» A judge confirmed Prince’s six siblings to be his rightful heirs in a ruling released Friday, bringing them a big step closer to collecting their shares of the music legend’s multimillion-dollar estate.
Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide formally declared that Prince died without a will and that his heirs are his sister, Tyka Nelson, and five half-siblings — Sharon Nelson, Norrine Nelson, John R. Nelson, Omarr Baker and Alfred Jackson.
More than 45 people came forward in the wake of Prince’s death, claiming to be his wife, children, siblings or other relatives. Some, including a Colorado prison inmate who said he was Prince’s son, were ruled out through DNA testing.
“Dinosaur” scares carriage horses B
charleston, s.c.» A woman wearing an orange dinosaur costume was charged with disorderly conduct after she scared two horses pulling a carriage of tourists in South Carolina, authorities said Friday.
The owner of Palmetto Carriage Works suggested it was part of a stunt by animal activists who are becoming increasingly more brazen in protesting the popular rides in South Carolina’s main tourist destination.
But Charleston police didn’t give a reason why 26-year-old Nicole Wells dressed up like a Tyrannosaurus rex Thursday afternoon and growled at the horses as they passed.
Rocker Cornell’s wife disputes suicide report
B detroit» Rock musician Chris Cornell’s wife on Friday disputed “inferences” that the rocker killed himself in a Detroit hotel room, saying he may have taken more of an anti-anxiety drug than he was prescribed.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office said Cornell — the lead singer in Soundgarden and Audioslave — hanged himself early Thursday morning after performing at a concert Wednesday night. But Cornell’s family said that without toxicology test results completed they don’t know what caused his death.
Cornell, 52, was found unresponsive in his hotel room hours after he performed at a Soundgarden concert.
Vicky Cornell, Cornell’s wife, said that when she spoke to her husband after the Detroit show, he told her he may have taken “an extra Ativan or two.”
Conservative candidate wins S.C. GOP primary
B columbia, s.c.» Conservative Ralph Norman has beaten the more centrist, establishment candidate for the Republican nomination for an open U.S. House seat in South Carolina and now faces the task of keeping the seat in GOP hands.
The State Election Commission certified the results of this week’s runoff election after a recount Friday. Not a single vote changed from Tuesday’s count. Norman finished with a 221-vote win out of more than 35,000 ballots cast. Norman defeated Tommy Pope.
Tulsa officer to return to force B A
tulsa, okla.» white Oklahoma police officer acquitted in the killing of an unarmed black man last year will be allowed to return to the force — although she won’t be allowed on patrol, Tulsa’s police chief said Friday.
Officer Betty Jo Shelby will return to active duty Monday.