Monday, May 26, 2014

SC high court blocks ruling during Harrell appeal

South Carolina's high court has blocked a judge's dismissal of an investigation into one of the state's top lawmakers while prosecutors appeal.

The state Supreme Court said Thursday it would block the ruling by Circuit Judge Casey Manning earlier this month.

The new order allows prosecutors to continue their investigation into corruption allegations against House Speaker Bobby Harrell. Manning had said Attorney General Alan Wilson improperly empaneled a State Grand Jury in the case.

Manning said courts cannot consider such a case against a lawmaker until a legislative ethics panel has reviewed it. Harrell's attorneys agree, but Wilson says the ruling infringes on his role as the state's top prosecutor.

Wilson is appealing that decision. Both sides are to make their case before the Supreme Court on June 24.

Indian court drops charge against NYPD officer

A court in India's capital has dropped a weapons charge against a New York City police officer and is allowing him to leave the country, his lawyer said Saturday.

Officer Manny Encarnacion was arrested in March while visiting his wife in New Delhi after Indian airport authorities discovered three bullets he had accidentally packed in his luggage. He had been out on bail since his arrest, but was barred from leaving India until the case was resolved.

Before leaving for India, Encarnacion went to a police firing range and put the bullets in a coat pocket, according to New York City police. He packed the coat for the trip, forgetting that the ammunition was there, the police said.

Encarnacion, 49, joined the NYPD in 2004 and is assigned to a precinct in Harlem.

His lawyer, Samarjit Pattnaik, said the court heard the case Friday. "All charges against the officer were quashed," he said.

Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick J. Lynch said, "We are pleased that police officer Encarnacion's unfortunate ordeal has been resolved and that he'll soon be returning home."

Encarnacion's arrest took place months after a diplomatic spat between the United States and India over the arrest and strip search of an Indian consular official for alleged visa fraud in New York. But Indian authorities say Encarnacion's arrest had nothing to do with the spat.