Southwest
US National Guard officer pleads guilty to assault, sexual harassment
- Lt. Col. Mark Patterson, a New Hampshire National Guard officer, who led a battalion on the southern U.S. border, pleaded guilty to assault and several other charges.
- A military judge in Texas convicted and sentenced Patterson to a reprimand as part of a plea agreement.
- The charges included assault consummated by a battery, sexual harassment, conduct unbecoming an officer, violation of a general order and others.
A New Hampshire National Guard officer who led a battalion on the southern U.S. border has pleaded guilty to assault and several other crimes and been sentenced to a reprimand, the U.S. Army said Thursday.
A military judge in Texas on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Lt. Col. Mark Patterson as part of a deal in which he pleaded guilty to assault consummated by a battery, sexual harassment, conduct unbecoming an officer, violation of a general order and other charges, said Army spokesperson Leah Garton. She said that the sentence was “consistent with the terms of a plea agreement.”
Defense attorney Joseph Jordan said his client owned up to his errors. He said the judge also took into consideration that Patterson had a brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.
NEW HAMPSHIRE NATIONAL GUARD OFFICER EXPECTED TO BE CHARGED WITH ASSAULT, SEXUAL HARASSMENT
“He took responsibility for exactly what he did wrong, and that is why his sentence was only a reprimand. It is important to remember that this is a decorated combat veteran who suffers greatly from documented PTSD and TBI,” Jordan said. “All of that was taken into account, yesterday.”
A guard stands at a gate to Fort Sam Houston, on June 10, 2013, in San Antonio. Lt. Col. Mark Patterson, a New Hampshire National Guard officer, pleaded guilty to assault and several other crimes and was sentenced to a reprimand. The investigation concluded in May and led to a court-martial at Fort Sam Houston in which Patterson pleaded guilty. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Patterson, of Weare, New Hampshire, was deployed with his unit to the southern border in October 2022 and assigned to support U.S. Border Patrol. In January 2023, the Army opened an investigation and Patterson, then commander, was reassigned, an Army spokesperson said previously. The investigation concluded in May and led to the court-martial at Joint Base San Antonio–Fort Sam Houston in which Patterson pleaded guilty.
TRUMP URGES STATES TO SURGE NATIONAL GUARD TO TEXAS AS ABBOTT STANDOFF WITH BIDEN ACCELERATES
The Army has not released details on the actions that led to Patterson being charged and did not immediately provide additional information Thursday.
Jordan described the circumstances as a “four-month situation” and said “there are absolutely no clean hands by any party to this case, including the alleged victims.
Read the full article from Here
A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
-
A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
-
Missouri5 minutes agoMan, 20, charged in Kansas City, Missouri, road rage shooting that critically injured woman, 19
-
Montana11 minutes agoRob McManus, Jenavieve Lynch win titles for Montana State at Big Sky Conference track and field championships
-
Nebraska17 minutes agoDangerous storm threat continues through Monday in Nebraska
-
Nevada23 minutes ago‘It was special’: Bishop Gorman wins Class 5A baseball state title — PHOTOS
-
New Hampshire29 minutes agoNew Hampshire’s child mental health bill stalled by House – Valley News
-
New Jersey35 minutes agoRedesigned New Jersey golf course holes drawing rave reviews
-
New Mexico41 minutes agoLine Fire, Mimms Fire – Quay County – Update
-
North Carolina47 minutes ago
NC Uber driver rejects more trips as gas tops $4 per gallon
