Teacher tackles gunman supected in school shooting

Associated Press

8:34 AM PST, February 24, 2010

LITTLETON, Colo.

The gunman was walking through a middle school parking lot and taking shots at students with a hunting rifle as terrified teenagers ran for their lives. He had just wounded two students and seemed ready to unleash more violence when a math teacher named David Benke sprung into action.

Benke confronted the 32-year-old gunman, tackled him and pinned him to the ground with the help of another teacher, stopping what could have been a much more violent encounter in a city all too familiar with tragic school shootings. The shooting occurred less than three miles from where the Columbine High School massacre happened nearly 11 years ago.

"Unfortunately he got another round off before I could grab him," Benke said. "He figured out that he wasn't going to be able to get another round chambered before I got to him so he dropped the gun and then we were kind of struggling around trying to get him subdued."

The two students survived Tuesday's shooting and one remained hospitalized.

Police said they aren't immediately sure about what motivated Bruco Strongeagle Eastwood to target Deer Creek Middle School just after classes had ended for the day. Eastwood has an arrest record in Colorado dating back to 1996 for menacing, assault, domestic violence and driving under the influence, and he is believed to have a history of mental issues.

Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink praised Benke and called him a hero, and the math teacher's status seems to be growing by the minute. A Facebook page called "Dr. David Benke Is A Hero!!!!" quickly grew to more than 12,000 members by Wednesday morning.

Benke, a father of 7-year-old twins and a 13-year-old girl, fought back tears after Mink thanked him.

"Believe me when I say, I think he stopped what could have been a more tragic event than it was this afternoon," Mink said.

The victims, students Reagan Webber and Matt Thieu, were both treated at Littleton Adventist Hospital, where spokeswoman Christine Alexander said Webber was treated and released to her home. Thieu was transferred to The Children's Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition late Tuesday.

Benke, a 6-foot-5 former college basketball player who oversees the school's track team, was monitoring the parking lot in the afternoon when he heard what he thought was a firecracker and began walking toward the noise.

"At first when I was walking over there, it was kind of what a teacher does," Benke said, still shaken hours after the shooting. "‘Hey kid, what are you doing,' you know that kind of thing."

He said another teacher was quickly on the scene and both of them pinned the gunman to the ground. Eastwood was armed with a bolt-action rifle.

"I basically have my arms and legs wrapped around him, (the other teacher) has his forearm around his front and we were basically trying to get the guy to quit struggling."

"I talked to him while we were on the ground," Benke added. "I was underneath him and his face was pretty close to mine. I asked him, `Why did you do this? Were you a student here?'

"He either didn't respond or his responses didn't make a whole lot of sense," Benke said.

The shooting rattled a city that was devastated in 1999 when two students shot and killed 12 students and a teacher in one of the deadliest school rampages in U.S. history. The middle school is right down the road from Columbine High School, and is located on West Columbine Drive.

Benke told a TV station that he took part in drills after Columbine and recalled thinking that if the same thing happened, "I hope that I could go after him."

Investigators said Eastwood visited the school previously and was inside shortly before the shooting. He is expected to make his first court appearance Wednesday and may face at least two counts of attempted murder.

Denver station KUSA-TV reported that Eastwood attended Deer Creek Middle School in the early 1990s.

In 2005, Benke participated in a NASA-funded medical study in which he spent 10 days in a hospital bed so scientist could study muscle wasting, an affliction experienced by astronauts during long flights, according to a story in the Rocky Mountain News at the time.

He told the newspaper that he had a lifelong dream of being an astronaut and described his occupation to the newspaper as horse trainer working at his father's Eagle's Nest Ranch in Hudson.

A man who answered the phone Tuesday night at a number listed for Eastwood identified himself only as "Mr. Eastwood" and said he was Bruco Eastwood's father. He was at a loss for words.

"There's nothing you can say about it. What can you say?" the man told The Associated Press. "Pretty dumb thing to do. I feel bad for the people involved." He wouldn't comment further.

As for Benke, he said he still wishes he could have done: "It bugs me that he got another round off" before Benke tackled him to the ground.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-0225-colorado-shooting-20100225,0,2021204,print.story

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Detectives believe hospital director molested at least five children

The executive director of Napa State Hospital, a Northern California mental institution that treats child sexual offenders, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of molesting his adopted son for more than a decade.

Long Beach police detectives took Claude Edward Foulk, 62, into custody Wednesday morning at the hospital, following a lengthy investigation into alleged molestations in Southern Calfornia and Northern California. L.A. County prosecutors have charged Foulk with 35 felony counts, including 22 counts of forcible oral copulation and 11 counts of sodomy by use of force.

Authorities said they have evidence that Foulk molested at least five children – including some foster children in his care. But they said the statute of limitations in those cases has already expired, so no charges could be brought. Long Beach police Cmdr. Jeff Johnson said officials began building their case in September, when one of his former foster children contacted them with details about abuse he had allegedly suffered decades earlier. 

The man, now in his 40s, came forward after learning that Foulk was now heading a hospital that dealt with sex offenders, authorities said. Detectives believed that Foulk used his position working at mental facilities in Southern California to make connections with children. Johnson said the victims included children who lived in Foulk's neighborhood.

“He used his position of trust not only as a parental figure but as a healthcare professional to obtain his victims,” Johnson said. “He was able to not only use strategic threats of force or intimidation but use monetary as well as other rewards to his victims and their caretakers to prevent discovery of his crimes.”

Detectives said the alleged victims came in contact with Foulk as far back as 1975, when he lived in Long Beach and other locations around the region. Johnson said most of the alleged incidents occurred before 1988, which is the cutoff date under the statute of limitations under a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision. The charges filed this week involve his adopted son, now in his mid 20s, who alleges that Foulk molested him between 1992 and 2006.

The arrested shocked some officials at Napa State Hospital, where Foulk has been director since 2007. Hours after his arrest, state officials announced that they had terminated Foulk's employment. State officials declined further comment. Neither Foulk nor his attorney could be reached for comment.

Some employees at the hospital said they were concerned because Foulk lived in a house on the facility grounds, next to a daycare center. The charges don't include any allegations of molestation at the Napa facility, but Long Beach police said they believe there might be more victims both in L.A. County and Northern California.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/02/detectives-believe-hospital-director-molested-at-least-five-children.html#more

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EDITORIAL

A dropped call on cellphone law

Is a bill to increase fines for violations of the state's cellphone driving law mostly a revenue grab?

Is a bill to increase fines for violations of California's cellphone law mostly a revenue grab?

4:46 PM PST, February 24, 2010

California First Lady Maria Shriver might be our most famous Bluetooth scofflaw, but she's far from the only one. The 2006 state law that bans using a hand-held cellphone while driving is spottily enforced and, judging from anecdotal evidence, widely disregarded; moreover, there's no indication that its passage has had any impact on safety. But that's not stopping its author from doubling down.

Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) has introduced a bill that would hike the fine for a first offense from $20 to $50, and for a subsequent one from $50 to $100. Simitian, who is also behind state laws that ban texting while driving and cellphone use for drivers under 18, says the higher fines will increase compliance with the law. His latest bill would also raise the texting-while-driving fine fivefold, from $20 to $100, and apply the hands-free cellphone law to bicyclists.

As justification for all this, Simitian points to collision data recently released by the California Highway Patrol that appear to show a sharp drop in accidents caused by distractions from hand-held cellphones in the six months after the hands-free law went into effect in July 2008. But it's junk science. The data come from accidents in which drivers reported to CHP officers that they were distracted by something (children, radios, pets, etc.). From January to June 2008, there were 612 reports of accidents in which distraction from a hand-held cellphone was a factor. From July to December, there were only 315. This is hardly evidence of a safety improvement; not only is the survey period too short for definitive conclusions, but after July, drivers were probably less willing to admit that their accidents occurred while they were using hand-held cellphones, because they might have been ticketed.

More convincing is a study released last month by the Highway Loss Data Institute, which found no difference in the rate of crashes in California before and after the law went into effect. But then, scientists had predicted this outcome; studies and statistical reviews have widely concluded that although talking on a cellphone does increase the risk of an accident, the risk is the same whether drivers are using a hand-held device or not. Researchers believe it's the conversation that's distracting, not the device.

We've got to suspect that Simitian's latest bill is more about raising money than improving public safety. We don't have a problem with hiking the fine for texting while driving (a spectacularly reckless act), and we're open to laws that would genuinely reduce the risk of phone-related accidents. But relentless increases in traffic fines by cities and Sacramento are already turning California into a revenue-trap state. The Legislature should hang up on the hands-free bill.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-handsfree25-2010feb25,0,5093651,print.story

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From the Wall Street Journal

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U.S. Sells Arms to South Asian Rivals

Washington Increases Weapons Transfers to India and Pakistan to Maintain Neutrality, Aid Industry

The Obama administration is sharply expanding American weapons transfers to both India and Pakistan, longtime rivals about to sit down for peace talks Thursday.

The U.S. has sought to remain neutral in the thorny relationship between the nuclear-armed neighbors. But Washington hasn't been shy about pursuing weapons deals in the region, which officials say will lead to closer ties with each country while creating new opportunities for American defense firms.

At the same time, American military aid to Pakistan stands to nearly double next year, allowing Islamabad to acquire more U.S.-made helicopters, night-vision goggles and other military equipment. The aid has made it easier for Pakistan to ramp up its fight against militants on the Afghan border, as the U.S. tries to convince Islamabad that its biggest security threat is within the country, not in India.

During a late January trip to Islamabad, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the U.S. would for the first time give Pakistan a dozen surveillance drones, a longstanding Pakistani request.

But India and Pakistan have each been irked when the U.S. made big-ticket weapons sales or transfers to the other. India lobbied against recent U.S. legislation giving Pakistan billions of dollars in new nonmilitary aid; the measure passed. A top Pakistani diplomat warned last week that a two-year-old civilian nuclear deal between the U.S. and India could threaten Pakistan's national security by making it easier for India to covertly build more nuclear weapons.

Washington's relationships with the two nations are very different. India, which is wealthier and larger than its neighbor, pays for weapons purchases with its own funds. Pakistan, by contrast, uses American grants to fund most of its arms purchases. A new U.S. counterinsurgency assistance fund for Pakistan is slated to increase from $700 million in fiscal year 2010 to $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2011.

"We do straight commercial deals with India, while Pakistan effectively uses the money we give them to buy our equipment," said a U.S. official who works with the two countries. "But we think that's ultimately in our national interest because it makes the Pakistanis more capable of dealing with their homegrown terrorists."

India is one of the largest buyers of foreign-made munitions, with a long shopping list which includes warships, fighter jets, tanks and other weapons. Its defense budget is $30 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, a 70% increase from five years ago. The country is preparing its military to deal with multiple potential threats, including conflict with Pakistan. Tensions have recently flared between India and China over territorial claims along their border. China defeated India in a short war in 1962.

"For 2010 and 2011, India could well be the most important market in the world for defense contractors looking to make foreign military sales," said Tom Captain, the vice chairman of Deloitte LLP's aerospace and defense practice.

Russia has been India's main source of military hardware for decades, supplying about 70% of equipment now in use. Moscow is working to keep that position, with talks ongoing to sell India 29 MiG-29K carrier-borne jet fighters, according to an Indian Defense Ministry spokesman.

The Obama administration is trying to persuade New Delhi to buy American jet fighters instead, a shift White House officials say would lead to closer military and political relations between India and the U.S. It would also be a bonanza for U.S. defense contractors, and has dispatched senior officials such as Mr. Gates to New Delhi to deliver the message that Washington hopes India will choose American defense firms for major purchases in the years ahead.

Shortly after a late January visit by Mr. Gates—on the same tour that took him to Islamabad—In late January, the administration signed off on India's request to purchase 145 U.S.-made howitzers, a $647 million deal.Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Mr. Gates's visit didn't affect the substance or timing of the howitzer purchase.

That came days after India formally expressed its intent to purchase 10 cargo transport aircraft from Boeing Co. in a deal analysts say could be worth more than $2 billion. Last year, India spent $2.1 billion on eight Boeing long-range Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft for the Indian navy.

Still in the pipeline is India's planned $10 billion purchase of 126 multirole combat aircraft for its air force. U.S. firms Boeing and Lockheed Martin Corp. are vying with Russia and European companies for that deal, which would be a near-record foreign sale for the firms. An agreement last summer allowing the U.S. to monitor the end-use of arms it sells to India is expected to facilitate such deals.

"That's the biggest deal in the world right now," said Mr. Captain. "If it goes to an American firm, that would be the final nail in the coffin in terms of India shifting its allegiance from Russia to the U.S."

Successive U.S. administrations have worked hard to build closer military, economic and commercial ties with India. In its final days in office, the Bush administration signed a civilian nuclear pact with India which has cleared the way for American firms to build two nuclear plants in India in deals worth billions of dollars.

The Obama administration, which sees India as a valuable counterweight to China, is negotiating new export control and communications security agreements with New Delhi that would make it easier for American firms to sell more arms and high-technology equipment to India.

There have also been symbolic U.S. efforts to build warmer ties with India. When President Barack Obama threw his first state dinner recently, it was held in honor of visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Arvind Kadyan, a researcher at India's nonprofit Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, said India was likely to continue to do big deals with Russia.

"That situation can't change overnight, because we have such a long association with them," Mr. Kadyan said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703510204575085771112111454.html?mod=WSJ_World_LEFTSecondNews#printMode

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Illegal Workers Slip by System

Homeland Security Program Seen Failing to Catch Half of Unauthorized

By LOUISE RADNOFSKY and MIRIAM JORDAN

The Department of Homeland Security's controversial and much-touted E-Verify program might be failing to detect one out of two illegal workers whose employment authorizations are screened, outside consultants have told the agency.

Tens of thousands of companies participate in E-Verify, either voluntarily or as a condition of doing business with the government.

An evaluation of E-Verify carried out for DHS by research group Westat found the program couldn't confirm whether information workers were presenting was their own, and, as a result, "many unauthorized workers obtain employment by committing identity fraud that cannot be detected by E-Verify," Westat told the department. Westat put the "inaccuracy rate for unauthorized workers" at about 54%.

E-Verify has previously faced criticism for failing to authorize individuals who are permitted to work in the U.S.

A spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a unit of DHS, said the department already was working on improvements to the program, including adding more databases and a photo screening tool, and setting up a monitoring and compliance branch to detect identity fraud.

Westat, of Rockville, Md., regularly advises the federal government. The company didn't respond to a request for comment.

The research company submitted its report in December. It was posted on the Web site of Citizenship and Immigration Services but has received little public attention.

All federal contractors are required to enroll in E-Verify within 30 days of being awarded a government contract. At least 10 states use the system to check the work-eligibility of state workers. Some states, like Arizona and Mississippi, require all employers to use E-Verify, regardless of whether they are state contractors.

Congressional Republicans are pushing to expand the program and for it to be included in federal jobs-creation proposals.

E-Verify was stepped up under former President George W. Bush, and the administration of President Barack Obama has maintained support for the program, taking a tough immigration-enforcement stance designed in part to win support for a broader campaign to create a path to legal residency and citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703510204575085922830174374.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_3#printMode

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U.S. Refines Quake Alerts

Team in Colorado Makes Quick 'Shake Map' to Guide Rescuers to Likely Victims

GOLDEN, Colo.—Seismologist Susan Potter's computer sounded a gentle chime on a recent afternoon, alerting her to a sizeable earthquake somewhere in the world. She tapped on a keyboard to pinpoint where.

It was a 4.2 magnitude aftershock in Haiti, one of more than 60 such temblors to strike since the initial 7.0 quake rocked the Caribbean nation on Jan. 12, according to Ms. Potter's monitoring system at the National Earthquake Information Center here.

Working from a nondescript building in this small Colorado town, Ms. Potter and several dozen colleagues are the planet's eyes and ears on earthquakes. Indeed, within seconds of her computer's alert about the Jan. 12 temblor that devastated Haiti, Ms. Potter set in motion an automatic system known as Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response, or PAGER.

Via emails and text messages, the system swiftly apprised the world of the size, location and likely impact of the disaster. Ms. Potter then ran to inform her boss, and called the White House's Situation Room.

The swift dissemination of data gave relief agencies a broader perspective on the crisis than anyone near the quake's epicenter could have, and helped rescuers prioritize efforts in heavily populated areas.

"We monitor the planet all day, every day," said Harley Benz, the seismologist who runs NEIC, which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey. "We've gone from being able to respond in an hour to responding in less than 20 minutes."

Scientists' understanding of earthquakes has improved significantly in recent years. Using an array of sensitive instruments to measure tiny shifts in the Earth's tectonic plates and known fault lines, seismologists have become more adept at forecasting the size and location of quakes, and thus whether they are likely to occur in populated areas. Predicting their timing is much harder, and is often given in terms of decades. But this expertise helps speed relief and humanitarian agencies to the worst-hit areas.

That's where the NEIC comes in. Some 1,000 seismic stations around the world relay earthquake signals in real time to NEIC. The Colorado center accurately locates about 14,000 quakes each year, of which about 25 cause significant damage, injuries or fatalities.

Minutes after it picks up data on a significant quake, the center's automated system draws up a "shake map." This estimates the number of people and specific areas exposed to the most severe effects. The NEIC places this data on its Web site, and relays it to federal and state agencies, scientific groups, private citizens and media. Data on overseas temblors are sent to U.S. embassies and the United Nations.

The NEIC's quake-watching role will remain vital for Haiti, at least until the risk of serious aftershocks subsides. On Tuesday, the USGS said there was an 80% probability the region could suffer a potentially damaging aftershock of magnitude 5 or greater on the Richter scale—the highest reading is 10—during the next three months. The group said there was a 2% probability Haiti could suffer another quake of magnitude 7, or even higher, over the same period.

The PAGER alert helped guide the response in Haiti by the U.S. Agency for International Development, one of the agencies that funds the system. James Fleming, who oversees international search and rescue teams at USAID, was at a meeting in Washington, D.C., when a Haiti alert reached his BlackBerry. It included a color-coded shake map, showing shaking levels in different parts of Haiti, and the number of people exposed.

"Most rescues are done within 100 hours" of a quake, said Mr. Fleming, who activated the agency's alert and rescue teams about five minutes after receiving the message. "Speed is really critical because every minute lost is a minute you could save some lives."

Sounding the Alarm

Alerting the public and assessing the scope of earthquakes has come a long way. Below are the steps the National Earthquake Information Center takes to get the word out:

• Seismic stations relay tectonic plate information to the NEIC.
  
  
• Minutes later, an automated system generates a "shakemap."
  
  
• Seismologists activate the PAGER system, alerting federal and state governments, the United Nations, scientists, and the media.
  
  
• A map of the PAGER assessment is posted online, and updated as needed.
  
  
• Click here to see a later PAGER version of the Haiti earthquake.
  

The PAGER system didn't exist in 1994, when a magnitude 6.7 quake hit Northridge, Calif., killing more than 70 people and causing $20 billion of damage—one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. Today, shake maps for California are created within 10 minutes of a quake, and can rapidly guide emergency response teams to areas most in need of help.

The NEIC was set up in 1966, two years after a massive quake hit Alaska. "The idea was to learn about future U.S. quakes by studying quakes elsewhere in the world," Dr. Benz said.

On the NEIC's main floor, there's a glass-walled operations center surrounded by several large computer screens. These provide a live visual assessment on seismic events great and small.

Data on all U.S. quakes of magnitude 1.0 and larger, and overseas quakes 4.5 or larger, are immediately processed and published on the Web site. When a quake strikes, the NEIC site often is the first place people seek information. In the wake of the Haiti quake, between Jan. 12 and Jan. 22, the site registered 37.5 million page views, according to Lisa Wald, who oversees the site, which typically gets 4.5 million page views a week.

About 173,000 users—including many California residents—have also signed up for the NEIC's free alerts, which are sent as emails or text messages.

Citizens, in turn, are doing their bit for earthquake science. A USGS program known as "Did you feel it?" invites people who experience a temblor to go online and provide information about its effects, which is then fed into the NEIC's shake map model.

So far, nearly 1,000 people have made a "Did you feel it?" contribution from Haiti.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703357104575045361371270190.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5#printMode

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From the FBI

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Former New Orleans Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Cover Up the Danziger Bridge Shootings

WASHINGTON—Michael Lohman, a former Lieutenant of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), has pleaded guilty to conspiring with fellow NOPD officers to obstruct justice by covering up a police-involved shooting that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Justice Department announced.

The  Sept. 4, 2005, shooting on the Danziger Bridge left two civilians dead and four others seriously injured. Lohman, 41, of Terrytown, La., entered his plea in federal court in New Orleans today before U.S. District Court Judge Ivan  L.R. Lemelle.

According to court documents unsealed today, the incident involved at least seven NOPD officers who drove to the Danziger Bridge in a rental truck in response to a call for police assistance. On the east side of the bridge, the officers encountered six civilians (five members of the B Family, and J.B., a friend of the B Family), who were walking across the bridge to get food and supplies from a supermarket. The officers fired at the group of civilians, killing J.B. and seriously wounding four members of the B Family. Officers then traveled to the west side of the bridge, where they encountered Lance and Ronald Madison, who were crossing the bridge to visit the dentistry office of one of their other brothers. An officer shot and killed Ronald Madison, a 40-year-old severely disabled man.

When Lohman arrived on the scene shortly after the shootings, he noticed that there were no guns on or near the dead and wounded civilians. After determining that the involved officers could not come up with any evidence to justify the shooting, he concluded that they had been involved in a “bad shoot.” Lohman admitted today that, in the wake of the shooting, he participated in a conspiracy that involved, among other things, writing false reports about the incident, planting a gun, and making up false witness statements. Lohman also admitted that he intended for the officers involved in the shooting to come up with a plausible story that would allow Lohman and other supervisors to conclude that the shooting was justified. According to his testimony, the officers then provided “false stories,” which “evolved” over time. 

According to the factual basis produced at the time of the plea, Lohman personally drafted a 17-page report, which he knew to be false, and provided that report to an investigator to submit as the official incident report. That same investigator had previously informed Lohman that he had a gun that he planned to “put under the bridge,” and that the gun was “clean,” meaning that it could not be linked to any other crime. Lohman understood that the investigator was going to use the gun as evidence to justify the shooting of the civilians, and he went along with that plan to plant evidence. Lohman admitted in court today that he knew that the civilians on the bridge had not actually possessed guns, and he knew that the investigator had also falsified statements by the civilians. Lohman also admitted that in May 2009, he provided false information to an FBI agent investigating this case.

“We rely on our law enforcement officers to protect us, particularly in times of disaster and devastation such as what followed in the wake of  Hurricane Katrina. What this defendant did was a shameful violation of that public trust,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “We will continue to aggressively investigate the incidents that occurred on the Danziger Bridge and we will continue to prosecute any officer who violates federal law.”

“After closely monitoring the state prosecution which ended, we embarked on an intensive effort to reconstruct the tragic events on the Danziger Bridge. Our investigation has yielded the conviction of one of a group of NOPD officers responsible for a cover-up of the true circumstances of a deadly police shooting,” said U.S. Attorney Jim Letten of the Eastern District of Louisiana. “As we forge ahead, the public we serve must know that we will leave no stone unturned to aggressively investigate and bring to justice any officer who tarnishes the badge through criminal conduct. We extend our appreciation to the majority of the NOPD officers who serve their department and their profession with honor and integrity.”

“It is never acceptable to break the law in order to enforce it. The law must be respected by those entrusted to uphold it while protecting the rights of those they serve,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge David Welker of the New Orleans Field Office. “It is the responsibility of the FBI to weed out the few who dishonor the police profession. There are many hardworking officers who sacrifice daily to bring honor to the NOPD badge, and the FBI will continue to work hand-in-hand with them in endeavors to ensure the safety of the citizens of New Orleans.”

The one-count Bill of Information to which Lohman pleaded guilty charged him with violating the federal conspiracy statute by agreeing with other officers to write false reports about the shooting; to engage in misleading conduct; and to lie to agents with the FBI. The defendant faces a possible maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 26, 2010.

This case, which is ongoing, is being investigated by the New Orleans Field Office of the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Bobbi Bernstein and Trial Attorney Forrest Christian of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia K. Evans of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

http://neworleans.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/no022410a.htm

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