Lutheran officials face lawsuit over sex assaults

Lutheran officials facelawsuit over sex assaults
MARSHALL, Texas -- Jurors took less than 15 minutes last year to convict former Lutheran minister Gerald Patrick Thomas Jr. of sexually assaulting boys, then sentenced him to 397 years behind bars.
Now the question is whether the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its agencies should have done more to stop him.
In the same East Texas courtroom where Thomas was convicted, a jury was selected this week in a civil case brought by 14 victims of Thomas and their families. They say the church groups failed to keep Thomas from the ministry despite warnings about his behavior.
"These guys all knew what his record was," said the father of one victim suing the Chicago-based denomination, its Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, and its Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, headquartered in Dallas. The Associated Press is withholding the father's name to protect his son's identity.
The case could be settled before testimony begins next week, and the ELCA and the seminary said Monday that they have reached deals with plaintiffs subject to the judge's approval -- although they declined to provide specific details.
Ala. lawmakers designateofficial state whiskey
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Alabamans now have something to toast: The state has an official whiskey.
The Alabama Senate voted 19-8 Tuesday to override Gov. Bob Riley's veto of a resolution making Conecuh Ridge Fine Alabama Whiskey the "official state spirit."
The Senate vote followed a similar override March 18 by the House. The two rare votes to reject the governor's veto make the designation of Conecuh Ridge official.
"It's going to be very good for us. It will give us publicity and bragging rights," said Kenny May, a Troy businessman who founded Conecuh Ridge, the "Alabama style" whiskey made with water from the state's Conecuh Ridge region.
The Republican governor vetoed the idea because he said Alabama has always reserved official designations for natural, historic or native items and has never given the designation to a commercial product.
Suspect plunks out eye
SHERMAN, Texas -- A jailed man accused of killing and cutting out the hearts of his son, estranged wife and her daughter plucked out his own eye and then quoted from the Bible, officials said Tuesday.
Andre L. Thomas was in a county jail cell Friday night when he tore his eye out of its socket with his hands, said Grayson County Sheriff Keith Gary.
Thomas, 21, then quoted the verse Mark 9:47: "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell."
Thomas was taken to a hospital and the eyeball was put on ice, but it could not be reattached. He is now being held in restraints at the jail, the sheriff said.
Thomas is accused in the March 26 stabbing deaths of his 4-year-old son, his 20-year-old estranged wife and her 1-year-old daughter. All the victims' hearts were cut out; two were found at Andre Thomas' house. He turned himself in and was charged with one count of capital murder.
China leads in executions
BEIJING -- China carried out nearly two-thirds of the world's known court-ordered executions last year, and violated its own law by killing at least one man for a crime committed at age 16, according to Amnesty International.
China executed at least 726 people last year, out of 1,146 reported put to death worldwide, the London-based human rights group said in its 2003 report on the death penalty. Following China, are Iran with at least 108 executions, the United States with 65, Vietnam with 64 and Saudi Arabia with 50.
"The People's Republic of China continues to carry out more judicial executions than the rest of the world combined," said the report, issued Tuesday.
Citing "limited and incomplete records," Amnesty said the true number of executions in China is "believed to be much higher" than reported.
Don't get gold teeth!
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- President Saparmurat Niyazov, whose tight control of Turkmenistan extends to citizens' appearances, said Tuesday young people should not get gold tooth caps.
In a televised address at an agricultural academy, Niyazov took note of the gold teeth of the female student who welcomed him.
"Don't take offense, your gold teeth are very beautiful, but you, young people, look much better with white teeth," he said, exhorting them to take better care of their teeth, according to the Interfax news agency.
"I watched dogs when I was young. They were given bones to gnaw ... Those of you whose teeth have fallen out did not gnaw on bones. This is my advice," he said.
Associated Press