Some of Today's State News Headlines
Today is Wednesday January 30, 2008
Agent: Couple admits to $8M robbery in written statements
CLEVELAND (AP) - A couple admitted to stealing millions of dollars from an armored car company to escape financial hardships and find a better life, according to documents read in federal court Monday.
FBI special agent Guy Hunneyman read the statements, made by Roger Dillon and Nicole Boyd, during a bond hearing in U.S. District Court.
Dillon, 23, and Boyd, 25, both of Youngstown, are charged with bank larceny and other charges in the November heist from AT Systems in Liberty, just north of Youngstown. They face up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. They have no prior criminal records.
The amount stolen was just under $8.4 million, including $6.7 million in cash and the rest in checks. Federal authorities previously reported the theft at a total of $7.4 million, including $4.3 million in cash. They did not explain the discrepancy.
The couple's motive was to escape financial problem, including a debt of thousands of dollars, Boyd said in her statement.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
ACLU seeks to block paper voting system in Ohio's largest county
CLEVELAND (AP) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio asked a federal judge Monday to block the March 4 presidential primary in Ohio's biggest county if a switch is made to a paper ballot voting system that does not allow voters to correct errors.
The ACLU asked the U.S. District Court to issue a preliminary injunction against any election in the county if the switch is made.
The request was a follow-up to an ACLU lawsuit filed Jan. 17. The lawsuit said the paper-ballot system would violate voters' constitutional rights because it doesn't allow them to correct errors on ballots before they are cast.
"The evidence is overwhelming that when voters do not have access to technology that notifies them of ballot errors, many more ballots are left uncounted," said Meredith Bell-Platts, a voting-rights attorney with the ACLU.
With more than 1 million registered voters, Cuyahoga County plans to send paper ballots filled out by voters from precincts to a central location - the Board of Election's warehouse near downtown Cleveland - to be scanned and counted.
(Refer to page 5 of today's Daily Chief-Union)
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