SACRAMENTO — California has signed a contract with private prison contractor Geo Group to lease space for 1,400 inmates in overcrowded state lockups. The company announced the contract early Monday morning, even before Gov. Jerry Brown learns whether federal judges … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON — Six weeks ago, Aaron Alexis told people someone had threatened him at an airport in Virginia. A few days later, in Rhode Island, he heard voices. He thought people were speaking to him through “the walls, floor and … Continue reading →

Judge in rape case criticized for light sentence, remarks about victim A Montana judge has come under fire after handing down a 30-day sentence to a former high school teacher convicted of raping a 14-year-old student and for making statements … Continue reading →

Joe Francis of ‘Girls Gone Wild’ gets 270 days for assault, imprisonment “Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis was sentenced Tuesday to 270 days in jail and three years’ probation for an assault and false imprisonment of three women. As … Continue reading →

Aaron Hernandez indicted in killing Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was indicted Thursday on first-degree murder and weapons charges in the death of a friend whose bullet-riddled body was found in an industrial park about a mile … Continue reading →

Police: Australian baseball player killed by Oklahoma teens — just because (CNN) — A random act of violence has left a promising 22-year-old college baseball player dead, a family devastated and two countries half a world apart rattled. Christopher Lane, … Continue reading →

Grammy-winning R&B singer Miguel arrested in DUI case, CHP says Grammy-winning R&B singer Miguel was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving early Monday after he was pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer for a traffic violation in … Continue reading →

Ft. Hood case update   FT. HOOD, Texas — Sgt. 1st Class Maria Guerra was heading to lunch in her office at this central Texas Army base back on Nov. 5, 2009, when she heard the first shots of what … Continue reading →

Venice crash: Italian newlywed died of blunt force trauma The Italian newlywed killed after a car tore across a crowded Venice Beach boardwalk died of blunt force trauma to the head and neck, coroner’s officials said Monday. The autopsy on … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON — The jury’s verdict to acquit George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, a case that became a referendum on race and gun laws for many across the nation, did not turn on how those … Continue reading →