02:13 AM EDT 11/24/2009

Add PEOPLE News

Crime & Courts

Credit: Robin Layton
Police Chief Convicted in Sarah Jessica Parker Surrogate Theft | Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker

Police Chief Convicted in Sarah Jessica Parker Surrogate Theft

Originally posted 11/23/2009 08:25PM

An Ohio police chief accused of stealing items from the surrogate mom who carried Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twin daughters was found guilty Monday on three of six charges.

Martin's Ferry Police Chief Barry Carpenter, 40, along with another police chief, was accused of meeting with freelance photographers last May and offering items such as a poem, photos, legal documents about the surrogacy agreement, and pictures of ultrasounds. A photographer alerted the surrogacy agency, which reported the thefts to police.

After 12 hours of deliberation, a jury found Carpenter guilty of receiving stolen property, theft in office and tampering with evidence. He was found not guilty on two counts of burglary and one count of unauthorized use of property or services.

Carpenter, who was silent and held his head in his hands as the decisions were read, faces up to 10 years in prison at his sentencing Dec. 10. Until then, he must wear a home confinement device at his mother's home and will be tracked with a GPS device.

Read More

Credit: Donna Ward/WireImage
John Kerry's Daughter Won't Be Prosecuted for DUI

UpdatePosted 11/23/2009 06:45PM

John Kerry's Daughter Won't Be Prosecuted for DUI

Originally posted 11/23/2009 02:50PM

Alexandra Kerry is off the hook in her DUI case and won't face any criminal charges, Los Angeles prosecutors said Monday.

"We reviewed the arrest report and have declined to file criminal charges due to insufficient evidence," says L.A. City Attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan.


The daughter of Sen. John Kerry was pulled over in Hollywood on Nov. 19 for an expired registration, her father's spokesperson said.

Officers conducted a DUI investigation, but Kerry's breathalyzer test results at the station were under the legal limit, the rep added.

Read More

Credit: Houston Chronicle/AP; Globe
Michael Jackson Doctor Investigation Will Go into 2010

Michael Jackson Doctor Investigation Will Go into 2010

Originally posted 11/21/2009 10:10AM

It will be at least a couple of more months before authorities decide whether to arrest Dr. Conrad Murray, the personal physician who treated Michael Jackson before his death.

"A decision (on whether to prosecute) will be made in 2010. It is not going to be made this year," LAPD Commander Patrick Gannon tells PEOPLE.

Although Jackson's June 25 death was ruled a homicide by the county coroner, which found lethal levels of the toxic anesthetic propofol in his body, and Murray admitted to administering propofol at Jackson's bedside to help him sleep, authorities have to determine whether Murray was solely responsible, and to what extent any negligence can be considered criminal.

Read More

Advertisement
Credit: Ramey
Judge Pleased with Chris Brown's Progress

Judge Pleased with Chris Brown's Progress

Originally posted 11/19/2009 05:35PM

Chris Brown has received "an extremely favorable" report from officials overseeing his probation, a Los Angeles judge said Thursday.

Judge Patricia M. Schnegg acknowledged that Brown has completed more than 100 hours of community labor so far, and seven domestic violence counseling sessions.

"We have a progress report and it's extremely favorable," Judge Schnegg said. "That's excellent."

Brown, 20, who attended the hearing, was sentenced in August to six months of community labor for his felony assault on Rihanna, 21.

That amounts to more than 1,400 hours of washing cars, removing graffiti and cleaning and maintaining grounds in his home state of Virginia.

Read More

Credit: Arnaldo Magnani/Getty
John Kerry: My Daughter Was Not Legally Drunk | John Kerry

John Kerry: My Daughter Was Not Legally Drunk

Originally posted 11/19/2009 05:10PM

Sen. John Kerry's daughter Alexandra, who was arrested and booked for a possible DUI, was released after a breathalyzer test fell under the legal limit for intoxication, according to the senator's spokesman.

Alexandra Kerry, 36, who works as a film director/producer, was arrested in Los Angeles early Thursday morning and released at 5:25 a.m. after posting $5,000 bail, police records show.

"Alexandra Kerry was pulled over for an expired registration and was released after the results of a breathalyzer test at the police station were under the legal limit," says Jodi Seth, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Democrat. "Senator Kerry supports his daughter and will have no further comment on a private matter."

Read More

Credit: Donna Ward/WireImage
John Kerry's Daughter Arrested for DUI

John Kerry's Daughter Arrested for DUI

Originally posted 11/19/2009 10:50AM

Senator John Kerry's daughter Alexandra was arrested on suspicion of DUI early Thursday morning in Los Angeles, police say.

"She was stopped by officers for a DUI investigation," Sgt. Enrique Mendoza tells PEOPLE. "She was brought to the Hollywood station where she was booked. She identified herself as Senator Kerry's daughter."

Kerry, 36, who works as a film director/producer, was arrested shortly after midnight and released at 5:25 a.m. after posting $5,000 bail, police records show.

A court date is set for Dec. 10.

Credit: Ray Tamarra/Getty
Accountant: Nicolas Cage Was 'Compulsive' Spender

Accountant: Nicolas Cage Was 'Compulsive' Spender

Originally posted 11/17/2009 07:00PM

While Nicholas Cage is claiming that bad money management is behind his financial collapse, the former accountant who worked with the star claims that it's Cage who is to blame for his own ruin.

In documents filed in L.A. Superior Court, Samuel J. Levin, Cage's former financial advisor, paints a portrait of the 45-year-old star as an out-of-control and debt ridden spender who bucked any attempt to reign in his over-the-top lifestyle.

Cage claims in his filing that "Samuel J. Levin, "lined his [own] pockets with several million dollars in business management fees while sending Cage down a path toward financial ruin." Levin denies the claims, saying he was paid a standard fee for a business manager.


Among the accusations laid out in Levin's the 12 page cross-complaint to Cage's lawsuit against are the below:

Read More

Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic; AP
Woman Who Helped Kidnap Elizabeth Smart Pleads Guilty

Woman Who Helped Kidnap Elizabeth Smart Pleads Guilty

Originally posted 11/17/2009 01:55PM

The wife of the man who is on trial for kidnapping Elizabeth Smart in Utah in 2002 pleaded guilty in a federal court Tuesday, and will testify against her husband at his trial.

Wanda Barzee admitted to her role in the charges of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in sexual activity. Authorities alleged that Smart was held for nine months by Barzee and Brian David Mitchell, a self-avowed prophet who is accused of snatching the girl from her bedroom one night to make her his "second wife."

"I'm greatly humbled as I realize how much Elizabeth Smart has been victimized and the role I played in it," Barzee said after her plea, according to the Deseret News. "I'm so sorry, Elizabeth, for all the pain and suffering I caused you and your family. It is my hope that you find it in your heart to forgive me."

Read More

Credit: David Fisher/REX USA; Department of Justice/AP
Accused Cindy Crawford Blackmailer Surrenders | Cindy Crawford

Accused Cindy Crawford Blackmailer Surrenders

Originally posted 11/17/2009 12:15PM

The former male model whom police allege tried to blackmail Cindy Crawford of $100,000 has turned himself in to police in his native Germany.

According to authorities, Edis "Eddie" Kayalar, 26, obtained a photograph of Crawford and husband Rande Gerber's then-7-year-old daughter tied to a chair in revealing clothing, taken by her nanny during a game of cops and robbers. Kayalar then allegedly tried to parlay the photo into a payout from the celebrity couple – lest he give the photo to the media. He was charged last week with one count of extortion despite having already been deported to Germany, where he allegedly continued to try blackmailing the couple.

On Monday, Kalayar went to a Stuttgart police station and surrendered himself, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Read More

Advertisement
Credit: Robin Layton
Sarah Jessica Parker-Matthew Broderick Burglary Trial Begins | Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker

Sarah Jessica Parker-Matthew Broderick Burglary Trial Begins

Originally posted 11/16/2009 09:30AM

This week sees the start of the criminal trial of one of two Ohio police chiefs accused of breaking into the home of the surrogate mother for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twins and trying to sell her personal belongings to a freelance photographer.

"On a daily basis, on an hourly basis, I am greatly concerned for her health and safety and the safe delivery of our children," Parker, 44, said in May, shortly after the arrests.

Read More