Drunk Beaver found with stolen Ram from gay sheep project

By: Associated Press | Thursday, March 17, 2005 10:10 PM PST ∞

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- An Oregon State football had a stolen sheep in the bed of his pickup when he was pulled over for speeding last week, Benton County authorities said.

Defensive tackle Ben Siegert, 20, was charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants after failing field sobriety tests. Ninety minutes after being pulled over, the 280-pound Siegert registered a .14 percent blood-alcohol content on a breath analyzer at the Benton County Jail, according to the sheriff's office. Oregon considers drivers with a .08 percent blood alcohol content to be drunk.

Siegert told the (Corvallis) Gazette-Times that he had nothing to do with the stolen ram.

"I don't know anything about that," he said. "I'm from a city. I don't know anything about sheep."

Benton County Undersheriff Diana Simpson disagreed, saying Siegert might have been "too intoxicated to remember."

Also in the pickup were former Oregon State football player Brent Charles Bridges, 22, and Whitney Susan Rodgers, 19, of Glendale, Ariz.

The 200-pound ram lives at the university's Sheep Center, and is part of a study on homosexuality in sheep, said Sheep Center manager Tom Nichols.

"We have at least one prank a year where we have to go to a dormitory or a sorority house and pick up a ram or a lamb or a ewe," Nichols said. "It's one of those springtime pranks."

The deputy chose not to arrest anybody for taking the sheep.

Coach Mike Riley is still evaluating Siegert's situation, said Steve Fenk, the Oregon State sports information director.

"At this point they're just going to deal with it internally," Fenk said. "I don't know if it's going to affect spring practice."

Siegert, a sophomore from Glendale, is a two-year starter at defensive tackle. He made the Pac-10 all-freshman team in 2003.

The football team has had several brushes with the law in recent months.

Joe Rudulph was suspended in November after he was arrested for allegedly punching a National Guard soldier during a bar fight. Anthony Wheat-Brown, Whitfield Usher and Ryan Rainwater also were suspended for their involvement in the incident.

Bridges, Siegert's passenger, was suspended in November after his alleged involvement in an assault. Moreover, Bridges and former player Seth Lacey were issued citations for disorderly conduct in December following an investigation into a March 2004 bar fight.

Reserve freshman Bryan Payton was sent home from the Insight Bowl in Phoenix after Riley learned of a Dec. 21 altercation in which the player was involved.

Star Paddock and Jim Tavis Walker were arrested last month after they allegedly offered to pay their cab fare with marijuana and then stiffed the driver altogether.

Siegert was cited to appear March 31 in Benton County Circuit Court on the DUII charge.

Janet Jackson gets restraining order against man

Associated Press

SANTA MONICA -- Janet Jackson obtained a restraining order Thursday against a man the singer said has been harassing her for nine years.

Superior Court Judge Linda K. Lefkowitz ordered Robert Gardner, 46, to stay at least 100 yards away from Jackson and told him not to contact the entertainer, her family, agents, attorneys or managers.

The restraining order will remain in place for three years. Jackson wasn't in court.

In a March 1 request for a restraining order, Jackson said Gardner tried last year to bring a box cutter and knife to the New York studio where she was rehearsing an appearance for the television show "Saturday Night Live."

Jackson said in documents that Gardner "has been following me, sending me faxes and letters and attempting to arrange in-person meetings for nine years."

Gardner appeared in court without an attorney and told the judge he had business matters to discuss with Jackson as well as personal matters he preferred to keep private.

"I'm not sure why she's saying this," Gardner told the judge. "We do have a little personal contact."

"She apparently does not want to have contact with you," the judge said.

The judge told Gardner it appeared he had spent a lot of money following the entertainer around the country.

"I'm also one of her fans," Gardner said.

Outside court, Gardner said he will hire a lawyer to contest the ruling.

"I do not want to be considered a stalker," he said.

Andrea Yates divorce finalized; she gets right to be buried near drowned children

Associated Press

HOUSTON -- The husband of Andrea Yates, who drowned the couple's five children in a bathtub, finalized their divorce Thursday in an agreement that gives her $7,000 in cash, a nursing chair and rights to be buried near the children.

Under the decree, Andrea Yates also will receive part of Russell Yates' retirement benefits from his employment at NASA. The Clear Lake house where the family lived has been sold.

Andrea Yates, 40, was sentenced to life in prison for three of the 2001 drowning deaths, but the capital-murder convictions were overturned in January. An appeals court panel sided with her lawyers, who contended false testimony from a prosecution expert witness influenced the jury to convict in 2002.

Prosecutors have asked the full appeals court to reconsider.

Attorneys for Andrea and Russell Yates appeared briefly in state District Court. Each agreed to the decree.

Andrea Yates' attorney, John O'Sullivan, told The Associated Press that his client wasn't happy about the divorce but "she has come to terms with it and knows Rusty needs to go on with his life. She just wants to get it behind her."

Russell Yates' attorney, David Salinsky, said his client still "cares very much for Andrea" and that he found the divorce "very difficult." She remains at a psychiatric prison, and he still visits her, Salinsky said.

Yates had requested the glider rocker, a style generally used for nursing babies, and the burial rights.

The family has seven plots -- five for the children and one each for Russell and Andrea Yates. Salinsky said it isn't clear if his client will be buried next to his former wife. "Nobody ever knows what the future is going to hold," Salinsky said.

The children were found dead after a wet and bedraggled Andrea Yates called police to her home and showed them the bodies of John, 5; Paul, 3; Luke, 2; and Mary, 6 months. Police later discovered Noah, 7, floating face down in the tub's murky brown water.

According to testimony, Yates was overwhelmed by motherhood, considered herself a bad parent, had attempted suicide and had been hospitalized for depression and psychotic episodes.

At the prison, Yates works in the commissary three days a week and performs general housekeeping duties, said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Mike Viesca.

O'Sullivan said she is mentally stable but "forever scarred."

"The important thing is she is stable with her medicine and she is able to cope with things," he said. "She looks better than she has ever looked."

Man charged with plotting to kidnap Letterman's child, nanny

Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. -- Authorities charged a man Thursday in what they say was a plot to kidnap David Letterman's young son and nanny from the talk-show host's ranch on Montana's Rocky Mountain Front.

Kelly A. Frank, 43, was being held on a felony charge of solicitation, authorities said.

Sally Hilander, a spokeswoman for the Montana Department of Corrections, said the plot was uncovered when someone whom Frank had approached about the plan informed local police.

Steven Rubenstein, a spokesman for Letterman's production company World Wide Pants, said he could not immediately comment or say whether Letterman or his family was in Montana at the time of Frank's arrest.

In a statement, Letterman said the family "would like to express our endless gratitude to the FBI and law enforcement professionals from Teton County and surrounding areas of Montana. We will be forever grateful for their tireless efforts and determination to vigorously pursue this situation."

Mike Ferriter of the state Department of Corrections said Frank had been working as a painter at Letterman's ranch west of Choteau in north-central Montana and apparently confided in an acquaintance earlier this month of his plan to kidnap Letterman's son and nanny and hold them for $5 million ransom.

"An individual was approached by Mr. Frank, an acquaintance of some kind, about his thought on the kidnapping, and (Frank) shared his idea with this individual," Ferriter said. "I'm not sure if he asked him to assist or be a part of it."

According to the affidavit filed by Teton County Attorney Joe Coble, Frank had talked in detail with the acquaintance about his kidnapping plan. He told the man that he knew Letterman and his family would be visiting their Montana home soon, and that Frank had a key to the house, knew where the baby slept and intended to kidnap the nanny "so that she could take care of the child."

The acquaintance contacted authorities on Sunday, according to the affidavit. Sheriff George Anderson told the weekly Choteau Acantha newspaper that Frank was arrested the following morning at another area ranch where he was working. Anderson did not return phone calls to The Associated Press seeking comment.

In addition to the solicitation charge, Frank also is charged with felony theft for allegedly overcharging Letterman for painting, and a misdemeanor charge of obstruction for lying to an investigator who first contacted him about the alleged plot.

Frank is being held at a jail in neighboring Pondera County with bail set at $600,000. It was not immediately clear whether Frank had an attorney. The Acantha said he did not have a lawyer present when he appeared in court Thursday.

Letterman's girlfriend, Regina Lasko, gave birth to their son on Nov. 3, 2003. Letterman said that the boy, his first child, was named after his late father, Harry Joseph Letterman.

The comedian who hosts CBS' "Late Show" bought the 2,700-acre spread in 1999.

Letterman's ranch is along the edge of the rugged Rocky Mountain Front, an area known for its pristine wildlife habitat. It is home to elk, wolves, eagles and grizzly bears. In September 2003, a black bear broke into Letterman's home twice before being captured and relocated.

For years, Letterman was famously targeted by a stalker, who called herself "Mrs. David Letterman" and broke into his Connecticut house at least seven times.

Margaret Ray eventually pleaded guilty to breaking and entering. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, she served 10 months in prison and 14 months in a mental institution. In 1998, she committed suicide at age 46 by kneeling in front of a train.

Iceland seeks more information from Japan before deciding whether to grant citizenship to Bobby Fischer

Associated Press

REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- An Icelandic parliamentary committee said Thursday it needed more information from Japan before it could decide whether to grant citizenship to chess genius Bobby Fischer, who is fighting deportation from Tokyo to the United States.

Legislator Gudrun Ogmundsdottir had said the citizenship motion would probably be passed by the nine-member committee Thursday, then be placed before Iceland's 63-member parliament, the Althingi.

But the committee said Thursday it was awaiting more documents from Japan to ensure that Fischer would be freed from detention if given Icelandic citizenship. If so, an Icelandic passport would be delivered to Fischer in Japan, enabling him to travel wherever he wanted.

Fischer, 62, is in a Japanese detention cell awaiting deportation to the United States, where he is wanted for violating economic sanctions against the former Yugoslavia by playing a highly publicized chess match there in 1992.

Mizuho Fukushima, leader of Japan's opposition Social Democratic Party, said senior immigration officials told her that Fischer would be allowed to go to Iceland if he is given citizenship there.

The parliamentary committee in Iceland was expected to meet again soon, but no date was set.

There is widespread support for Fischer in Iceland, where he played the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky in a world championship match in 1972.

Iceland's parliament voted last month against granting Fischer citizenship, offering him a special foreigners' passport and residence permit instead. But Japanese officials have so far declined to release Fischer.

Several Icelandic politicians indicated Wednesday that parliament was now likely to grant Fischer citizenship.

"I can't speak for the whole party, but think few if any members of Parliament are opposed to granting Fischer citizenship," said Drifa Hjartardottir, a lawmaker with the Independence Party, which governs as part of Iceland's coalition government.

Since being taken into custody in July for allegedly trying to leave Japan on a revoked U.S. passport, Fischer has lived up to his reputation for unpredictability.

He has repeatedly denounced the U.S. deportation order as politically motivated, demanded refugee status, unilaterally renounced his U.S. citizenship and said he wants to become a German national instead. He also has applied to marry a Japanese woman who heads the nation's chess association and is his longtime companion.

Margaret Thatcher makes a rare public address, needs prompting

Associated Press

LONDON -- Margaret Thatcher made a rare public address Thursday, appearing frail and slightly confused as she reopened a local branch of the political party she once led.

The 79-year-old former prime minister, who has had a series of small strokes, had to be prompted several times during a brief speech at the Conservative Party offices in the London suburb of Romford.

"I'm delighted to be here, the sun is shining above us, I hope it will continue that way until we have a splendid victory in the election, for the future," Lady Thatcher told supporters of the Conservative Party, which has been in opposition since 1997. A national election is widely expected in May.

"Thank you very much for turning out. It's lovely to see such a good crowd supporting your candidate," she said, standing at the front of the refurbished Romford Conservative Association headquarters with former Cabinet colleague Lord Tebbit at her side.

She paused for several seconds until local lawmaker Andrew Rosindell gave her a prompt with her next words. She continued, but seemed uncertain the building was a Conservative headquarters. Rosindell then prompted her again.

Onlookers cheered as she unveiled a plaque commemorating the event.

Britain's first female prime minister was elected in 1979 and won two further elections. She was ousted by her party in 1990 over a local tax, and the Conservatives remained in power until Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party won a landslide victory in 1997.

Thatcher's husband Denis died in 2003 at age 88, and their son Mark pleaded guilty in January to violating South Africa's anti-mercenary laws by unwittingly helping bankroll a coup plot in Equatorial Guinea. He was fined and received a suspended sentence.

LA prosecutors reviewing whether to charge Paula Abdul in traffic accident

Associatd Press

LOS ANGELES -- Prosecutors are considering whether to file criminal charges against singer Paula Abdul for an alleged hit-and-run freeway accident last December in the San Fernando Valley, officials said Thursday.

The city attorney's office was expected to decide by Friday whether to file any misdemeanor charges, spokesman Frank Mateljan said.

"We're giving it a full and thorough review," he said.

Abdul was out of the country Thursday and could not immediately be reached for comment, said her publicist, Stephanie Sher.

A Mercedes-Benz clipped another car on the 101 Freeway in the Encino area on Dec. 20 and nobody was hurt, Mateljan said. The driver apparently failed to look while changing lanes and did not stop to exchange information with the other driver, he said.

The driver and passenger in the struck car took down the Mercedes' license plate number and managed to photograph it with a cellular telephone's camera, Mateljan said. The plate was traced to Abdul, he said.

The California Highway Patrol investigated the accident, but did not turn over the case to the city attorney's office until about a week ago, Mateljan said.

"It was a minor accident," he said. "Obviously, the CHP had bigger things on their plate."

Police arrest man, issue warrant for another in sunroof shooting

Associated Press

UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas -- The man who police say was at the wheel of a Jaguar when a passenger stood up through the sunroof and opened fire with an assault rifle, killing three people, was arrested on suspicion of murder. Authorities continued to search for the gunman.

Jimmy Aristides Velasquez, 20, was taken into custody Wednesday. A warrant was issued for the alleged gunman, Israel Barretero, 21, police said.

The shooting took place early Tuesday on a road near Southern Methodist University.

Police believe the attack stemmed from a bar fight earlier in the evening between one of the shooting victims and the owner of the Jaguar, who was wounded in the fight.

Police believe friends took the Jaguar owner to the hospital, then returned to the bar and waited for the group involved in the fight to leave, police said. Then the friends followed them, opened fire on their vehicle, and sped away, police said.

"Apparently, they were just two people who went on a vendetta for a friend," Capt. Leon Holman said.

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