Phony fax triggers release of Kentucky prisoner

Hickman, Ky.

Kentucky officials released a prisoner from a state facility after receiving a phony fax that ordered the man be freed, and they didn't catch the mistake for nearly two weeks.

Timothy Rouse, 19, is charged with beating a western Kentucky man and was at the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center in La Grange for a mental evaluation. He was released from that facility April 6 after officials received the fake court order.

It contained grammatical errors, was not typed on letterhead and was faxed from a local grocery. The fax falsely claimed the Kentucky Supreme Court "demanded" Rouse be released.

Lexington police arrested Rouse at his mother's home Thursday evening.

"It's outrageous that it happened," Fulton County Attorney Rick Major said. "I'm just glad nobody got hurt, because he's dangerous."

Phoenix

Software allegedly was taken to Iran

A former engineer at the nation's largest nuclear-power plant has been charged with taking computer-access codes and software to Iran and using it to download details of plant control rooms and reactors, authorities said.

The FBI said there's no indication the plant employee had terrorist connections.

Mohammad Alavi, who worked at the triple-reactor Palo Verde power plant west of Phoenix, was arrested April 9 at Los Angeles International Airport when he arrived on a flight from Iran, authorities said.

Alavi, 49, a U.S. citizen, denies wrongdoing, said his attorney, Milagros Cisneros of the Federal Defender's Office in Phoenix.

He is charged with a single count of violating a trade embargo that prohibits Americans from exporting goods and services to Iran. If convicted, he would face up to 21 months in prison.

Palo Verde, about 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix, supplies electricity to 4 million customers in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California.

Washington

Another company recalls pet foods

A third company has recalled pet foods made with an imported Chinese ingredient recently found to have been contaminated by an industrial chemical.

The pet-food ingredient, rice protein concentrate, is the second found in the United States to be contaminated by melamine. Previously, testing revealed that wheat gluten had been contaminated.

Royal Canin USA said Friday it was recalling some of its dry dog and cat foods made with tainted rice protein concentrate. Also this week, the French company's South African unit recalled a range of dog and cat dry pet foods after they were found to contain a third ingredient, corn gluten, also contaminated with melamine. Those products were sold in South Africa and Namibia.

U.S. customers with questions about Royal Canin's recall can call the company at 800-592-6687 or visit its Web site: www.royalcanin.us.

Milwaukee

Schools consider use of flexible cuffs

After a series of violent incidents on school campuses, public-school officials in Milwaukee are considering the use of flexible plastic handcuffs on out-of-control students, from kindergarteners on up.

The Milwaukee School Board voted Thursday to begin training security staff members to use the plastic handcuffs, but the issue has provoked a heated debate between parents and administrators.

The debate often focuses on the risk of injury from the process of putting on the handcuffs — accidentally choking or asphyxiating the subject while trying to restrain him or her, or using the cuffs too tightly, thus interfering with blood circulation or cutting the skin.

The board voted to begin letting school safety officers train with the Milwaukee Police Department on how to use the restraints.

Also

A plan to require Texas public schools to teach classes with the Bible as a textbook was changed Thursday by a Texas legislative panel to make such classes optional instead.

Seattle Times news services