Man charged in L.A. 'Grim Sleeper' slayings has long list of arrests

Sunday, July 11, 2010; A03

CALIFORNIA

Suspect in killings has many arrests

The 57-year-old man charged with murder in 10 slayings in the Los Angeles "Grim Sleeper" case was arrested at least 15 times over four decades on other charges and was in police custody many times after the killings began, probation and jail records show.

The arrests of Lonnie Franklin Jr. in crimes including burglary, car theft and assault were never considered serious enough to send him to state prison or to warrant his entry in the state's DNA database, according to a report in Saturday's Los Angeles Times.

A string of slayings of young black women had south Los Angeles on edge in the mid-1980s. The killings suddenly stopped but resumed 14 years later. Investigators now say they have possibly uncovered the reason for the long respite: The suspect might have been spooked by a near miss by police in 1988.

Franklin was arrested Wednesday at his lime-green house, just three doors down from a home that was searched extensively by police 22 years ago after the only known survivor led police there. His public defender, Regina Laughney, declined to comment.

-- Associated Press

SOUTH CAROLINA

Review clears Senate candidate

Alvin Greene, an unemployed military veteran, will face no state charges over the $10,440 filing fee for his successful bid to win South Carolina's Democratic nomination to run for U.S. Senate, the state's top police official said.

Law enforcement authorities also opted not to charge Greene with misrepresenting his finances to a court. Greene cooperated with investigators, and Chief Reggie Lloyd said Friday that he hoped the findings will put questions about Greene's finances to rest.

Greene, who did no fundraising, won an unexpected victory in the June 8 Democratic primary to face Sen. Jim DeMint (R).

Greene had reported just over $1,000 in monthly income on court paperwork and was appointed a public defender to represent him on a pending obscenity charge. His meager finances raised questions about how he paid the required fee to run as a Senate candidate.

But when state agents reviewed Greene's bank accounts, they found an October deposit of nearly $6,000, which was Greene's military exit pay, and about $3,000 deposited early this year from state and federal tax refunds, Lloyd said.

"He clearly does not have someone paying him. He just decided to take his money and run for U.S. Senate. There's no big conspiracy," Lloyd said.

-- Associated Press

MAINE

Obamas plan trip to Mount Desert Island

The first family's summer vacation plans will include a trip to Maine, the White House said.

The Obamas will travel Friday to Mount Desert Island, home to Acadia National Park. There will be no public events for the president during the three-day trip.

The Obamas also spent time in national parks last summer, visiting Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.

-- Associated Press

11 Hells Angels members indicted: Thirteen men, including 11 members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, have been indicted in connection with a 2008 brawl with a rival gang at a downtown Las Vegas wedding chapel. The 13 are accused of attacking members of the Mongols biker gang at A Special Memory Wedding Chapel.

Oregon city pays to settle suit over arrest: The city of Beaverton, Or., has agreed to pay $19,000 to settle a federal lawsuit by a 29-year-old man the police arrested after he used a cellphone to record an officer arresting a friend at a bowling alley. Charges that the plaintiff violated the state's eavesdropping laws were dropped.

-- From news services