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Show Mother accused of killing kids Ce/ete&People Today'slssue Today is Friday, Jan. 11,2008. Today's issue of The Utah Statesman is published especially for Logan Julander, a senior majoring in mechanical enginnering from Hooper, Utah ClarifyCorrect The policy of The Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find unfair, please contact the editor at 797-1762 or TSC 105. Nat'lBriefT Ogden man pleads not guilty to animal cruelty OGDEN. Utah (AP) - A 35-year-old man accused of putting 14 puppies in a trash bin pleaded not guilty to animal-cruelty charges. Michael Howard appeared in 2nd District Court in Ogden on 13 cruelty charges and one attempted cruelty charge. All are misdemeanors. The dogs were discovered behind a Riverdale store Dec. 9. All but one were dead. The surviving puppy was adopted and named "Precious." Howard's attorney, Daniel Drage, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Thursday. The Salt Lake Tribune says Howard has a record of theft convictions. His next court date is Feb. 14. Headstones in Jewish cemetary toppled NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) - Four teenagers were arrested and charged with vandalizing a Jewish cemetery where hundreds of headstones were toppled, authorities said Thursday. The damage did not appear to be a bias crime, they said. About 500 headstones at the Poile Zedek Cemetery were toppled or broken apart the evening of Jan. 4. Three nights earlier, about 20 headstones were damaged. On Wednesday night, authorities arrested four New Brunswick boys ages 15 to 17. Three were charged in both incidents and the fourth with participating only in the Jan. 4 vandalism, authorities said. "The facts as presently known do not indicate that the damage caused was an attempt to intimidate, target or harm the Jewish community," Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan and New Brunswick Police Deputy Director Anthony Caputo said in a statement Thursday. The four were sent to the Middlesex County Juvenile Detention facility, charged with juvenile delinquency for acts equivalent to the adult crimes of desecration of venerated objects, criminal mischief and conspiracy, they said. Rabbi Abraham Mykoff of the Poile Zedek Congregation said about three-quarters of the tombstones in the cemetery had been damaged, but none had been defaced with swastikas or other anti-Semitic signs. Some of the monuments weighed as much as 3,000 pounds, he said. "It was done methodically, row by row and section by section," he said Thursday. "It took hours." WASHINGTON (AP) - A mother found in her home with the decomposing bodies of her four daughters was charged Thursday with murder after reportedly telling investigators that the children were possessed by demons and died in their sleep. Banita Jacks, 33, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and appeared in District of Columbia Superior Court. She told police that the deaths occurred before a utility turned off her electricity, which prosecutors said was in September 2007, according to charging documents. The bodies of the girls — ages 5 to 17 — were found Wednesday when deputy U.S. marshals served an eviction notice at the apartment in southeast Washington. "I don't think anyone in the city can remember a case involving this many young people who have died in such a tragic way," Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said. Jacks told investigators that the children were possessed by demons and began dying in their sleep, one by one, within a seven-day period, documents say. She also said she had not fed her children for a substantial time before their deaths. Medical examiner Dr. Marie-Lydie Pierre-Louis said the bodies were in the apartment more than 15 days, "based on the insects that were found there." Jacks could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted. Jacks appeared in court in a white jump suit and sandals. She did not speak during the hearing. Superior Court Magistrate Judge Karen Howze ordered her held without bond. Her attorneys had argued that she should be released to the custody of an adult relative pending trial. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA POLICE CHIEF Cathy Lanier speaks about developments in a case where the bodies of four girls were found Wednesday.AP photo The charging documents identify the children as Brittany Jacks, 17; Tatianna Jacks, 11; N'Kiah Fogle, 6; and Aja Fogle, 5. Although autopsies are incomplete, the medical examiner's office reported that there was evidence that Brittany had been stabbed, the charging documents state. There was evidence of binding on the necks of the Tatianna and N'Kiah, and evidence of blunt force injury to the head of Aja and binding on her neck, according to the documents. Court records in Charles County, Md., show that Jacks filed paternity suits against three men, two of which were successful. In one case, Norman C. Penn Jr., whose most recent address is in Glen Burnie, is named the father of Brittany. In another case, Kevin J. Stoddard, whose most recent address is listed in Prince George's County, acknowledged he is the father of Tatianna. The county court records indicated that both men failed to pay required child support. Penn was convicted of criminal contempt and received a suspended jail sentence. Records also show that in 2004, lenders foreclosed on a Waldorf townhome that Jacks had purchased three years earlier. The home where the bodies were found is in one of the city's poorest, most violent neighborhoods. The block is lined by virtually identical apartment houses near Boiling Air Force Base. About one-third of the city's homicides last year occurred in the area, according to preliminary police statistics. City officials were scrambling to understand how four children could have been dead for at least two weeks without anyone knowing. The mayor said Thursday that officials were working to determine what other contacts city agencies had with the family. Pregnant marine still missing JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A pregnant Marine who vanished last month before she was to testify in a military probe had claimed that a superior officer raped her and that the investigation had "gone sour," according to court documents. The woman complained about the investigation to her stepmother, who also told authorities that the 20-year-old lance corporal had bipolar disorder, once known as manicdepression, and a history of lying, the documents say. Authorities said Thursday that they plan to question the Camp Lejeune officer she accused of rape, as well as MISSING MARINE a roommate of hers who was ordered to return to the base from a training mission. They stressed the case remains a missing-person investigation. "If (she) is listening and gets this, I want her to know that sometimes people do things. If they could turn the clock back they wouldn't do them the way they've done them," Sheriff Ed Brown said. "Regardless of the circumstances, this has got to stop." The woman, originally from Dayton, Ohio, was reported missing Dec. 19 by her stepmother, who last spoke with her daughter on Dec. 14, authorities said. Her cell phone was found Dec. 20 near the main gate at Camp Lejeune, and she missed a prenatal care appointment on Dec. 26. According to court papers, a man tried to use the missing woman's ATM card on Christmas Eve and attempted to cover the machine's security camera with a rag. Brown would not where the card was used. Sheriff's investigators said in the court documents that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was investigating the sexual assault allegations and had confirmed the woman's history of lying. According to the documents, NCIS investigators were struggling to investigate the woman's allegations because of inconsistencies in her account. Still, the court papers said the anticipated birth of the baby "might provide evidentiary credence to charges she lodged with military authorities that she was sexually assaulted by a senior military person." The woman is due to give birth in mid-February. The sheriff declined to comment on the rape allegations, as did Camp Lejeune officials. The Associated Press had identified the missing Marine before the rape allegations became public. The AP generally does not identify people who say they are victims of a sex crime. The stepmother also said the officer who was accused of rape threatened the missing woman's career. The court documents say the woman was lacing a possible discharge from the Marine Corps. No reason was provided. The sheriff said the roommate, Marine Sgt. Daniel Durham, is not a suspect, but "we do feel like he has answers and importance in being back here." The missing woman is assigned to the 2nd Marine Logistics Group of the II Marine Expeditionary Force. She joined the Marine Corps in June 2006, trained as a personnel clerk and has not been sent to either Iraq or Afghanistan, officials said. "I'm sure it's stressful, especially when you're trying to juggle everyone's problems, not just your own," said Melinda Artzer Allen, 23, a former Marine and a friend of the missing woman. "She's had stuff going on, but she's strong. She doesn't seem like the kind of person that would just leave." Snow Tire Changeover Most cars and light trucks Or, double your Cash Card up to LgfeMfeHumor Top Ten George W. Bush Observations about New York City 10- "That rat's big enough to wear a saddle" 9 - "You can get a cab from JFK to midtown for only $250" 8 - "When are they going to start drilling for oil in central park?" 7- "The city seems to have solved its King Kong problem" 6 - "New York is the city that never sleeps and I'm the president who sleeps 15 hours a night" 5 - "Too many Clintons" 4 - "Giuliani gets rid of all the strip clubs and people say I'm dumb" 3 - "Foreign guys always buy yellow cars"" 2 - "There's a giant green lady with a torch! Run for your livesl" 1- "What a friendy town - 5 ladies in Times Square asked if I'd liked to have sex" roviaence 110 S. Hwy 165 787-1844 885 North Main 753-2412 TIRE & AUTOMOTIVE Get up to a LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kanye West's mother most likely died of heart disease coupled with complications after plastic surgery, but the exact cause of death can't be known, coroner's officials said Thursday. DondaWest, 58, died Nov. 10 at a Los Angeles-area hospital, a I day after she had breast reduction, tummy tuck and liposuction procedures. DON DA WEST A long autopsy report noted thai West had coronary artery disease, including blockages of 50 percent to 70 percent in two arteries. The 5-foot-2-inch, 188-pound woman also was overweight and had developed several complications after surgery, including bronchopneumonia in one lung, according to the report. The investigation found "therapeutic levels of medication" in West's body but • no unusually high levels and no internal bleeding. "It is my opinion Ms. West died from some pre-existing coronary artery disease and multiple postoperative factors following surgery," Dr. Louis A. Pena, a medical examiner, stated in the report. LOS ANGELES (AP) - What happens to an awards show forced to scuttle its live ceremony because of the Hollywood writers strike? For the People's Choice Awards, it meant losing nearly half its TV audience. The two-hour taped show that aired Tuesday on CBS was watched by 6 million viewers, compared with the 11.3 million that watched last year, according to Nielsen Media Research figures. The weak ratings reflect the damage being exacted on the entertainment industry awards season by the twomonth-old Writers Guild of America strike. The Golden Globes also canceled its ceremony Sunday on NBC, which instead plans to air a news conference to announce winners, an e-mail seeking comment Wednesday. | P255/70R16 99 Offer Espirca 12*31/07 NO 2008 Cash Card by mail-In offer with the purchase of a set of four select Goodyear tires. when you make the purchase on your Goodyear Credit Card! SOD storo for dolalls. Lube • Oil • Filter ln:;t;ill nev; orl M!ki Top of iiiiifJa H lubiJ lioul en Up to 5 u'v. QtiLikor Si.ii'j 10-.v/30oi 5w/30 molor Oil Moil ens ;iivj liiht lmck+ SUV All Terrain OHer Expires 12/31(07 Mounting Balancing alve Stems Flat Repai. oad Hazard All Season |