Marine's widow cleared in death

San Diego

A woman once convicted of killing her Marine husband with arsenic to pay for breast implants was cleared Thursday after new tests showed no traces of poison.

Prosecutors who were preparing for Cynthia Sommer's second trial found that previously untested samples of Marine Sgt. Todd Sommer's tissue showed no arsenic. Earlier tests of his liver, presented at the woman's first trial, found levels 1,020 times above normal.

A recently retained government expert speculated that the earlier samples were contaminated, prosecutors wrote in a motion filed in San Diego Superior Court. The expert said he found the initial results "very puzzling" and "physiologically improbable."

Sommer, who had been in jail for two years and four months, was released late Thursday.

Odessa, Texas

Wildfire burns at least 6 homes

A wildfire burned at least six homes Thursday in West Texas and forced the evacuation of about 150 residences, the Texas Forest Service said.

The fire, fueled by winds of nearly 40 mph, has consumed about 50 acres, the agency said. The fire was 90 percent contained by Thursday evening.

Alexandria, Va.

Ex-envoy pleads guilty in porn case

A former U.S. diplomat pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of child pornography in a case that also included allegations that he pressured visa applicants in Brazil for sex.

Gons Gutierrez Nachman, 42, admitted during a plea hearing in U.S. District Court that he had sex with 14- to 17-year-old girls while serving as a consular officer in Brazil and Congo, and that he documented the encounters in pictures and videos.

According to court documents, Nachman extensively documented his sexual activities from at least 2004 through 2006. One videotape was labeled "2004 Congo Sexual Adventures."

The plea deal includes no admission, however, to allegations that Nachman pressured Brazilian visa applicants for sex. Nachman's attorney, Lorilee Gates, said Nachman likely faces nine to 11 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

Columbia, S.C.

Abortion ultrasound bill sent to governor

A bill awaiting the South Carolina governor's signature would require abortion providers to ask women whether they want to see ultrasound images of their fetuses before the procedure.

As part of a compromise announced Thursday, women must wait at least an hour after seeing an ultrasound to have an abortion.

Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican, has said he supports the bill generally but would review specifics before deciding whether to sign it.

In Oklahoma, the Legislature voted Thursday to override Gov. Brad Henry's veto of a bill that would require doctors to perform an ultrasound on a woman planning an abortion.

Henry, a Democrat, said he thought it was "unconscionable" to require victims of rape and incest to undergo the ultrasound procedure.

Seattle Times news services