Body found in shallow grave ID’d
MASSAPEQUA (AP) — Police on Long Island have identified the remains of a body buried in a shallow grave over two years ago as Bryan Steven Cho Lemus, of Uniondale.
Police released the 18-year-old’s identity on Monday. His remains were unearthed in the heavily wooded Massapequa Preserve on Friday. Police had earlier said the victim was one of 11 people killed by MS-13 gang members in 2016.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said authorities have combed the park more than a dozen times searching for human remains. He said detectives found the body after police dogs pointed to an indentation in the ground.
The body was found near where police found the remains of 18-year-old Julio Espantzay-Gonzalez in 2017. Three reputed MS-13 members have been charged in Espantzay-Gonzalez’s death.
Jail cook sentenced for sex misconduct
CANTON (AP) — A former head cook at a northern New York county jail has been sentenced to four months of intermittent jail time after admitting to having sex with multiple inmates she supervised.
New York Attorney General Letitia James says Jennifer Parker will also serve 10 years on probation and have to register as a sex offender.
Parker supervised the kitchen at the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility in Canton from August 2010 until she resigned last June. James says Parker managed civilian employees and inmates who worked in the kitchen.
She was arrested last December and charged with engaging in various sexual acts with multiple inmates. Under state law, inmates are incapable of consent.
Parker pleaded guilty to criminal sexual act and official misconduct in March.
N.Y. eyes cat declawing ban
ALBANY (AP) — New York would be the first state to ban the declawing of cats under legislation heading to a vote in the state Legislature.
The Senate and Assembly are both expected to take up the bill on Tuesday.
Declawing a cat is already illegal in much of Europe as well as in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver.
Supporters of a ban in New York include animal welfare advocates, cat owners and veterinarians who argue the practice is cruel and barbaric since it involves the amputation of a cat’s toes back to the first knuckle.
The state’s largest veterinary association has opposed the bill. It says the procedure should be allowed as a last resort for felines that won’t stop scratching furniture or humans.
