Cyclist charged with drunken driving
A man accused of being drunk while riding his mountain bike and crossing the double-yellow line will get his day in court. Timothy Bradley, 44, of Londonderry was charged with driving under the influence in July. His driver's license had been suspended after a drunken driving conviction in Massachusetts the year before. His lawyer says the charge should be dismissed because the state's drunken driving laws apply only to people operating motor vehicles. He says Bradley was doing the right thing by riding his bicycle instead of getting behind the wheel. But another recent state law says the rules of the road apply to bicyclists. Prosecutors say if someone on a bicycle crosses the double yellow line, it's dangerous. Legal specialists say it's hard to predict which side will win because the laws conflict. (AP)
ANDOVER, N.H.
Blow-torch used to thaw pipe starts fire
A mobile home in East Andover was destroyed by fire after the homeowner tried to thaw his frozen water pipes with a blow torch. The fire started at about 6 p.m. Saturday. Homeowner Roy Tripp and an elderly woman who lived with him got out safely, firefighters said. One of their two cats died in the fire. Firefighters around the region have reported a number of chimney fires -- generally blamed on soot build-up -- during the recent frigid spell. (AP)PROVIDENCE
Woman carjacked, shot in parking lot
A woman was carjacked in a West Warwick parking lot and then shot in the leg after being forced to drive her attacker to Providence, according to police. Providence police said the 28-year-old woman was walking through the parking lot at the West Valley Inn in West Warwick on Saturday night when she was approached by a man who told her to get back in her car. The woman then drove to Providence with the man riding in the passenger seat. After they reached Providence, the woman was shot in the leg and pushed from the vehicle. She was taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment.Her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. (AP)ALFRED, MAINE
Man pleads guilty in shotgun death
A 21-year-old Sanford man faces 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter. On Friday, three days before his trial was set to begin, Dallas Sizemore entered his plea in York County Superior Court in connection with the death of Scott Vermette, 18, also of Sanford. Justice Arthur Brennan sentenced Sizemore to 16 years in prison, with all but 10 years suspended, and six years probation, with restitution set at $3,500. Sizemore was accused of holding a 12-gauge shotgun that discharged into Vermette's mouth last January. Sizemore's attorney, Stephen Schwartz, said his client did not know the gun was loaded. (AP)BRATTLEBORO
Man convicted of raping deaf student
A former staff member of the Austine School for the deaf is facing as much as 60 years in prison after being convicted of forcing a 13-year-old student to perform sex acts on him. John Rehkop, 33, was convicted Friday after a five-day trial that needed four sign-language interpreters to enable the victim, the defendant, and many witnesses to communicate with the jury, the judge, and the lawyers. "I was worried the jury might not make a connection with the witness and would have no basis to judge her credibility," said John Lavoie, deputy state's attorney for Windham County. Credibility was critical to Lavoie's case, which largely came down to the word of the victim about the incidents five years ago in bathrooms and offices of the Austine School. The defendant denied he had sexually assaulted the girl. (AP)BRIDGEPORT, Conn.
Flaw found in bridge, must be rebuilt
Just weeks after it was completed, construction workers are tearing up a highway bridge because engineers discovered a dip in it. The Interstate 95 bridge over State Street in Bridgeport had been set to open. Now, with demolition and reconstruction delays, it will not be finished for four to six months, officials told the Connecticut Post. Arthur Gruhn, the state Department of Transportation's chief engineer, said he does not know how much the demolition and reconstruction will cost. He said the state is trying to determine who is responsible for the mistake and who should pay for it. Gruhn said the work is not delaying highway traffic. (AP)
