Tri-County Sentry
Friday
MAY 16, 2014
Page 7A
National News Man Freed in Missouri Delayed Tennessee Senator Campfield Imprisonment Case Likens ObamaCare to Holocaust
Cornealious "Mike" Anderson walks out of the Mississippi County Courthouse along with his wife, LaQonna Anderson, daughter Nevaeh, 3, and grandmother Mary Porter, left, after being released from custody, in Charleston, Mo. (Photo Credit: Jeff Roberson) By Jim Salter he waited, and even asked good husband. You've been CHARLESTON, Mo. — about going to prison, but a good taxpaying citizen of A Missouri judge ordered the order never came. the state of Missouri. the state to set free a man In the years since his "That leads me to bewho was convicted of rob- conviction, Anderson start- lieve that you are a good bery in 2000 but was never ed his own construction- man and a changed man." sent to prison until a cleri- related businesses, married As the judge announced cal mistake was discovered and had children. He also his decision, about 10 of last year. coached youth football and Anderson's relatives broke Cornealious "Mike" volunteered at his church in out in sobs and cried. AnAnderson was 23 when he Webster Groves, Missouri. derson stared straight was sentenced to 13 years Judge Terry Lynn Brown ahead but dabbed tears in prison for his role in lauded Anderson's "exem- from his eyes. Afterward, the robbery of a fast-food plary" behavior during his he hugged his toddler restaurant's assistant man- 13 years of freedom before daughter tight. The hearing ager. He told The Associ- the arrest. "You've been a lasted about 10 minutes. ated Press last month that good father. You've been a FREED, See page 12A
Resilient Three-Year-Old Lives Out His Dream Of Being A Firefighter
By Kate Abbey-Lambertz Tyren Johnson is a very resilient toddler -- at three years old, he's already gone through a more challenging experience than some will ever face. But last week, he got to see his biggest dream come true, and it's been making us smile ever since. Tyren, who lives in Detroit, is a heart transplant survivor. He underwent the difficult surgery last year when he was at the University of Michigan's Children's Hospital with heart problems, according to MLive. After his recovery, Tyren was selected to have his wish granted by Make-A-Wish Michigan, the local arm of the organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. His wish? To be a firefighter. "I love fire trucks, and I want to be a fireman when I grow up," Tyren said. Tyren arrived at De-
cording to the Detroit News. Though Tyren reportedly had little to say to the large crowds of people -maybe overwhelmed by all the attention -- his mother, Tiesha Johnson, told the Detroit Free Press her son was doing well. "We made it -- almost a year now," Johnson said. "You see him running around here. He’s doing excellent."
Tyren Johnson troit Fire Engine Co. 54, decked out in pint-sized firefighter gear and a hat that said "Fire Chief." A crowd of onlookers was there to cheer for him and support him as he sprayed a firehose, met a Dalmation, received a badge and hung out with his fellow firefighters. Detroit Fire Commissioner Edsel Jenkins even "demoted" Fire Chief John King and officially made Tyren chief for the day, ac-
Wisconsin Boy Shoots Self in Head with Mom's Gun
By Andres Jauregui A three-year-old Milwaukee boy remained in critical condition after shooting himself with a gun he found in the glove box of his mother's car. It happened after Kevin Donald's family returned from a shopping trip. While adults weren't looking, Kevin somehow got a hold of the gun and shot himself in the head. Police are still investigating, but so far the shooting appears to be a tragic accident. No arrests have been made. Brittany Petersik, the boy's aunt said that she and the boy's mother were moving a television inside their house when the shot rang out. She thinks Kevin went back into the car and started
playing with the gun. "He thought it was a toy, like we say. Accidents happen, and this was one of the times that it was a major accident," grandmother Jane Triplett said. Neighbors ran to help as they waited for first responders to arrive. "I brought towels and sheets just to kind of stop the blood from flowing -- not pressure it, but just holding, and myself kind of shocked because I’m thinking ‘what if this was my (child)?'" one neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told WITI. "We just all prayed together." Triplett said that her daughter began carrying the weapon after she got carjacked three years ago.
A state Senator’s blog post likening the insurance requirement under President Obama’s health care law to the forced deportation of Jews during the Holocaust drew swift condemnation Monday from leaders of both parties in Tennessee. Republican Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville wrote the comment in a post titled “Thought of the Day.” “Democrats bragging about the number of mandatory sign ups for Obamacare is like Germans bragging about the number of manditory sign ups for ‘train rides’ for Jews in the 40s,” he wrote. State Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney called the comment “igno-
Sen. Stacey Campfield rant and repugnant,” and called for an immediate apology to the Jewish community. Democratic Party Chairman Roy Herron called the statement “outrageous, pathetic, and hateful.” Campfield in a phone
interview shrugged off the criticism, and said he stands by his comments. “I think Jewish people should be the first to stand up against Obamacare,” Campfield said. “When you have government deciding who gets health insurance and who doesn’t, what services they get and what services they have to provide, they’re really deciding who lives and who dies.” “It’s a slippery slope,” he said. Campfield, who is running for re-election this year, has a long history of controversial statements and legislative initiatives. In 2011, he was the sponsor of a failed bill that sought to ban teaching about gay CAMPFIELD, See page 12A
Governor Mary Fallin vein during the injection and that the needle was inserted in Lockett's groin instead of his arm after prison officials used a stun gun to restrain him. Fallin said people needed to be reminded of
Lockett's crimes, which included robbery, rape and murder in a 1999 crime spree. Among his crimes were shooting a 19-year-old girl and then helping to bury her alive in a shallow grave, where she died. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry, whose state executes more people than any other, both had similar lines on the Oklahoma execution, saying something went terribly wrong. However, while the White House and United Nations said it was below humane standards, Perry did not. GOVERNOR, See page 12A
Governor Says 'No Blood on Hands' from Botched Execution
By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said her state had "lawfully carried out a sentence of death" in a botched execution that has been widely criticized as cruel and inhumane. "Justice was served," Fallin, a Republican, wrote in a monthly column. "The people of Oklahoma do not have blood on their hands." Convicted murderer and rapist Clayton Lockett, 38, died of an apparent heart attack on April 29 some 43 minutes after the lethal drugs was first administered. A prison report said the botched execution was largely due to a collapsed