Baton Rouge news

• President: French rock icon Johnny Hallyday dies at 74

  05-12-2017 21:48
  PARIS - Johnny Hallyday, the French rocker icon who packed sports stadiums and was the country's top rock star for decades, has died at 74.  French President Emmanuel Macron's office announced his death in a statement early Wednesday, saying "he brought a part of America into our national pantheon."  Macron's office said the president spoke with Hallyday's family after the news. Hallyday had long suffered from lung cancer and had repeated health scares recent
  
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• Trump to declare Jerusalem as Israeli capital

  05-12-2017 21:15
  JERUSALEM - U.S. officials say President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital Wednesday and instruct the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.  The officials say recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital will be an acknowledgement of "historical and current reality" rather than a political statement. They note that almost all of Israel's government agencies and parliament are in J
  
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• Trump declares Jerusalem as capital of Israel

  05-12-2017 21:15
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has announced that the United States now recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. It's a move that upends decades of U.S. policy.  He says in a White House speech that he's "determined that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump says he's deemed this change to be in America's interests.  The president says the decision "marks the beginning of a new approach to conflict between Isr
  
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• Two burned, one critically, in California fire

  05-12-2017 21:12
  SANTA PAULA, Calif. - Erratic winds are hampering efforts to battle a 100-acre (40-hectare) brushfire in Southern California that has left two people burned, one critically.  The fire erupted Tuesday afternoon in San Bernardino, east of Los Angeles. Gusty Santa Ana winds have pushed it through the area.  Fire officials say some garages have been damaged but no houses have burned and hundreds of homes and businesses have been saved.  Authorit
  
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• Suspect in fatal shooting of Texas officer identified

  05-12-2017 19:49
  SAN MARCOS, Texas - Police have released the identity of their suspect in the fatal shooting of a Central Texas officer who was serving a warrant for his arrest.  Officials in San Marcos, Texas, said in a Tuesday statement that an arrest warrant has been issued for 51-year-old Stewart Thomas Mettz. He is suspected of shooting Officer Kenneth Copeland multiple times Monday. Mettz also was shot and remains in an Austin hospital. His condition was not provided. &nbsp
  
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• NAACP protests Trump trip to civil rights museum

  05-12-2017 19:46
  WASHINGTON - The NAACP says the president should cancel his planned appearance at the opening of a Mississippi civil rights museum because of his record on civil rights issues.  NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson says in a statement that Trump's "statements and policies regarding the protection and enforcement of civil rights have been abysmal."  He's calling Trump's planned attendance "an affront to the veterans of the civil rights movement." &
  
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• New Louisiana treasurer John Schroder sworn into office

  05-12-2017 19:43
  KENNER - Louisiana's new state treasurer has taken the oath of office.  John Schroder, a Republican former lawmaker from St. Tammany Parish, was sworn in Tuesday evening at a ceremony in Kenner, to become Louisiana's chief money manager and investment officer.  Schroder, who resigned his state House seat to focus on the treasurer's race, won the Nov. 18 special election with 56 percent of the vote, defeating Democratic lawyer Derrick Edwards. &nb
  
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• Crash shuts down I-10 W at I-110 split Tuesday

  05-12-2017 18:23
  BATON ROUGE - Westbound lanes of I-10 were shut down near the I-110 split due to an accident Tuesday evening.According to DOTD, the crash was reported just after 6 p.m. All lanes have reopened as of 7:30 p.m.Authorities say no serious injuries have been reported.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Homeless veteran buys home with money from fundraiser

  05-12-2017 17:40
  PHILADELPHIA  — A homeless man who used his last $20 to fill up the gas tank of a stranded motorist in Philadelphia has bought a home with some of the nearly $400,000 raised for him by the woman he saved.“The feeling is indescribable and (it’s) all thanks to the support and generosity that each and every one of you has shown,” Johnny Bobbitt Jr. wrote on a GoFundMe page. “I’ll continue to thank you every sing
  
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• Try again? La. Medicaid deals could come up for another vote

  05-12-2017 17:37
   BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers may get a fourth time to consider approving $15.4 billion in Medicaid managed-care deals before Gov. John Bel Edwards enacts the contracts through an emergency process.  Edwards' chief attorney Matthew Block sent a letter to House leaders Tuesday saying if they want the Legislature's joint budget committee to reconsider the contracts at its meeting next week, the administration would participate in the hearing.  Pro
  
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• Flood victims continue to receive deductions on 2017 property taxes

  05-12-2017 16:58
  BATON ROUGE - Mike and Margie Johnson are just about done rebuilding from the August 2016 flood. They're still living in a Manufactured Housing Unit but like their neighbors, whether they flooded or not, property taxes are coming due.Homeowners in Ascension, Livingston, and East Baton Rouge Parishes are all in different phases of rebuilding. It's why for the second year in a row, parishes are offering reductions in property taxes."If those properties haven't been fixed up they'll let us know an
  
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• Senate confirms Kirstjen Nielsen to head Homeland Security

  05-12-2017 15:49
  WASHINGTON - The Senate has confirmed Kirstjen Nielsen as President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security.  Senators approved Nielsen's nomination, 62-37, on Tuesday. Nielsen, 45, is a former DHS official who now serves as deputy White House chief of staff.  Senate Majority Mitch McConnell says that as a former DHS chief of staff, Nielsen understands the department's daily operations and is ready to lead on her first day. 
  
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• Trump to help open Mississippi civil rights museum Saturday

  05-12-2017 15:47
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump plans to visit Mississippi for the state's bicentennial and help open two museums, including one dedicated to civil rights.  White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump will help open the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Saturday.  Activists are threatening to boycott or protest Trump's participation. Sanders says that would be "very sad."  Trump has be
  
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• Father fatally shot in front of wife, young son and family during New Jersey robbery

  05-12-2017 15:45
  IRVINGTON, N.J. - Family members say a New Jersey man was shot and killed in front of his wife and 8-year-old son in an apparent robbery.  The victim's godfather, Alberto Alvarez, says witnesses watched while 29-year-old Marcos Angamarca-Yupa was shot in the head by one of two suspects demanding money from him and his wife late Monday. WNBC-TV reports police and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office quickly responded to the Irvington Township building.  Offici
  
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• Autism non-profit receives $100,000 gift to expand

  05-12-2017 15:14
  CENTRAL - Christmas came early for a non-profit that helps young adults with autism transition from high school into adult life. The Gateway Transition Center received a $100,000 grant from the TJ Moran Foundation.Stephen Whitlow created the non-profit two years ago after seeing the limited opportunities his son with Autism had upon graduating from high school.Whitlow decided to quit his job as an attorney and start a program where young adults can learn to live independently
  
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• County officials want sheriff fired over lewd photos, texts

  05-12-2017 15:09
  PARIS, Maine - Members of a Maine county commission are seeking the removal of a sheriff who admitted sending a sexually explicit photo of him in uniform in his office.  The Sun Journal reports the Oxford County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to file a complaint asking Republican Gov. Paul LePage to remove Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant.  It says a three-week investigation showed Gallant sent a photograph in which his genitals were exposed to a fem
  
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• New Myrtles Plantation photo has Facebook spooked

  05-12-2017 15:03
  ST. FRANCISVILLE - A photo taken by guests visiting Louisiana's infamous Myrtles Plantation has social media in a frenzy.On Monday, the Myrtles Plantation Facebook page shared a photo taken by a guest. At first glance, it appears like an average group selfie. But upon closer examination, what looks to be a ghostly figure can be seen lurking at the edge of the frame.Thousand have shared and commented on the photo, arguing whether or not the spooky apparition is real or a hoax.O
  
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• Murder trial in death of teen who shielded girls

  05-12-2017 14:32
  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A prosecutor at the murder trial of three young men say at least 34 shots were fired in a shooting that killed a Tennessee high school student lauded for courageously shielding two girls from the gunfire.  Opening statements were delivered Tuesday at the first-degree murder trial of Christopher Drone Bassett, Kipling Deshawn Colbert and Richard Gregory Williams III in connection with the death of 15-year-old Zaevion Dobson.  Dobson was shot
  
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• Man gets 3 years for drunken stabbing in fast-food fight

  05-12-2017 14:16
  AKRON, Ohio - An Ohio college student convicted in his roommate's fatal stabbing after an alcohol-fueled argument about fast food has been sentenced to three years in prison.  Twenty-three-year-old Kendal Scheid, of Norwalk, was sentenced Tuesday in Akron. He could have received up to 11 years.  The University of Akron student earlier pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 23-year-old Duncan Unternaher, of Newark.  Police
  
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• Son of deceased Army staff sergeant hugs his gravestone in touching photo

  05-12-2017 14:04
  When young brothers Mason and Mylan Brazel visited their father’s grave to see his headstone for the very first time at Arlington National Cemetery in November, they curled up to take a nap with him.“We brought a blanket. Mylan said he felt like he could feel his daddy, and he wanted to take a nap with him,” the boys’ mom, Kait Brazel of Colorado Springs, told ABC News.The mother says her boys, ages 8 and 5, have not cried once since the passing
  
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• Authorities respond to a shooting on Ontario Street

  05-12-2017 13:46
  BATON ROUGE- Authorities were called to a shooting earlier this afternoon on Ontario Street.The call came in around noon Tuesday. One person was transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries.This is a developing story. Check back for details.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Third wildfire ignites north of Los Angeles

  05-12-2017 13:45
  SANTA PAULA, Cali. - A third Southern California wildfire has broken out on the northern edge of Los Angeles, sweeping across 200 acres and closing the northbound lanes of Interstate 5.  Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby says the fire started about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.  Further details were not immediately available, but television footage showed the flames burning across dry hillside area.  Santa Clarita, home to the California Institu
  
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• Skydiving Santa crashes on Florida beach with Elf on a Shelf

  05-12-2017 13:15
  GULFPORT, Fla. - A skydiving Santa looking to make a grand entrance while taking an Elf on the Shelf to a 9-year-old girl crashed into a tree and light pole before hitting a Florida beach and breaking his leg.  News outlets say George Krokus was dressed as Santa Claus during a Saturday skydive to deliver toys to the Tampa Bay Beach Bums Operation Santa Charity Volleyball Tournament.  Madison Spiers saw the crash and later found a note from the "elf" named Kri
  
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• Man ejected from vehicle and killed in Lafourche Parish crash

  05-12-2017 13:07
  GALLIANO- Troopers from the Louisiana State Police Department were on the scene of a two-vehicle fatal crash on LA 3235.The crash occurred shortly after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday morning near Peterson Lane. It took the life of 35-year-old Raymond Calhoun.Authorities say Calhoun was traveling south in the right lane of LA 3235 in a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe at a high rate of speed. For unknown reasons, Calhoun failed to slow down when he approached a 2002 GMC Yukon from behind.The Yukon was being driven by T
  
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• Local cancer center earns Outstanding Achievement Award

  05-12-2017 13:06
  BATON ROUGE- A local cancer center was recently awarded the 2017 Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.According to a release, the Mary Bird Perkins-Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center was the only Louisiana accredited program to receive this national honor for surveys performed between Jan. 1 through June 30. The facility was also the only one in the region to receive the award three times consecutively.“More and more, we’re
  
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• Report: Dead & Co.'s NOLA show postponed after John Mayer hospitalized

  05-12-2017 13:05
  NEW ORLEANS - The Dead & Company show in New Orleans Tuesday night has been postponed.According to a report from WWL, the band says John Mayer was admitted into the hospital for an emergency appendectomy, forcing them to postpone their Dec. 5 show. No new date has been announced."All tickets for the December 5 show will be honored for the rescheduled date," a statement from the band said. "Information on the rescheduled date will be announced as soon as possible. Should ticketholde
  
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• 'Today' show dominates in ratings with Lauer firing

  05-12-2017 12:53
   NEW YORK - On the week host Matt Lauer was fired because of sexual misconduct charges, NBC's "Today" show beat its rivals at ABC for the first time in three months.  The Nielsen company said "Today" had more viewers than "Good Morning America" all five days last week - the first time that has happened in nearly a year.  NBC fired Lauer following a colleague's charge of an inappropriate relationship that began in 2014, and since then other women have
  
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• One avoids Confederate toppling felony; other cases ongoing

  05-12-2017 12:41
  DURHAM, N.C. - A protester accused of helping tear down a North Carolina Confederate statue has struck a deal to avoid a felony charge, while other defendants had their cases continued.  Durham County Judge James T. Hill said Tuesday he would allow a deferred prosecution deal for Ngoc Loan Tran on several misdemeanor property damage counts. Defense attorney Scott Holmes said the misdemeanors will be dismissed after Tran pays $1,250 in restitution and completes 100 hours of com
  
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• Baton Rouge residents experiencing mail delivery issues

  05-12-2017 12:01
  BATON ROUGE- Several people in the Iberville Terrace neighborhood of Baton Rouge say they haven't had their mail delivered since Saturday."As taxpayers, we're paying for the mail to be delivered on time and when it's not it can cost us late fees," said resident Steven Malin. He's been trying to mail his monthly rent check for his Port Allen storage unit and at this point plans on delivering it in person.Some of Malin's neighbors say the inconsistent mail delivery has been an issue for about six
  
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• Services tonight, tomorrow for life-long Livingston public servant

  05-12-2017 11:44
  LIVINGSTON – A life-long public servant who has been credited with saving an entire town during a disaster decades ago has died.Services for former Livingston mayor Derral Jones are Tuesday and Wednesday.Jones, 76, died Sunday.Jones was the fire chief of the town of Livingston when, in 1982, a train derailed and exploded.Remembering the heroic actions of his fire department, Jones discussed the situation in a 2016 interview with WBRZ.“Here I am the fire chief, and I have no
  
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• Firefighters respond to vacant house fire on Avenue H

  05-12-2017 11:34
  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters with the Baton Rouge Fire Department responded to a vacant house fire on Avenue H Tuesday night.According to BRFD, crews were called to a residence in the 10000 block of Avenue H at 9:41 p.m.The fire was put under control in less than 10 minutes.No one lived in the house and no injuries were reported.The cause of the fire is undetermined and remains under investigation.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Zachary Police working to catch vehicle burglars

  05-12-2017 11:32
  ZACHARY- The Zachary Police Department has received numerous complaints of vehicles burglaries.Authorities say these burglaries occurred this week in the areas of Ramey Drive, English Turn, Marshal Bond Estates and Oak Shadows Subdivision.The police department says it is working tirelessly to catch the criminals. In the meantime, authorities advise residents to lock their vehicles and remove any valuables and keys from the interior.Anyone with information regarding the vehicle burglaries, are e
  
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• Moore promises to bring 'Alabama values' to DC

  05-12-2017 11:21
  FAIRHOPE, Ala. - Wounded by allegations of sexual misconduct, Alabama Republican Roy Moore is embracing his role as outsider in the Alabama race for U.S. Senate.  Speaking at a Tuesday night rally in south Alabama, Moore says establishment Republicans "don't want me" in Washington. He is promising an enthusiastic crowd that he will be a supporter of President Donald Trump's agenda.  Moore is not mentioning the allegations against him, but is calling the elect
  
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• Longtime Rep. John Conyers says he is retiring

  05-12-2017 09:40
  DETROIT- Rep. John Conyers, who has been battling sexual harassment allegations by former female staffers, says he is retiring.Conyers told "The Mildred Gaddis Show" on WPZR-FM Tuesday that this will be his final two-year term. The 88-year-old Democrat says he is endorsing his son to take his seat in Congress.Ian Conyers, the grandson of John Conyers' brother, earlier said his great-uncle would not run for re-election and that he would run for his seat in Washington, D.C.Conyers, who w
  
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• Tribes sue over Trumps decision on monuments

  05-12-2017 09:10
  SALT LAKE CITY — Native American leaders are suing to block President Donald Trump’s decision to cut southern Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument by about 85 percent.A coalition of five tribes that pushed for the monument argued in a lawsuit filed in Washington late Monday night that the law only gives presidents the ability to create a national monument, not the ability to downsize one.Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch says only Congress has the ability
  
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• Latest version of Texas voter ID law at US appeals court

  05-12-2017 09:03
  NEW ORLEANS- Texas officials are asking federal appeals judges in New Orleans to let the state's latest voter ID law take effect.Tuesday's hearing at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals centers on a law re-worked in May by the Texas Legislature after years of court battles. The new version allows residents who don't have an acceptable photo ID to vote by signing an affidavit stating they cannot reasonably obtain one.The same federal judge who blocked the 2011 version of the law blocked the re
  
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• McDonald's revives Dollar Menu name with $1, $2 and $3 items

  05-12-2017 08:48
  NEW YORK- The Dollar Menu is making a McComeback. McDonald's is reviving the name of the once-popular value menu next month, but this time the items will cost $1, $2 or $3.Offering cheap eats has been a winning strategy for the world's largest hamburger chain. In October, it attributed a rise in a key sales figure during the third quarter to its $1 sodas and a two-for-$5 promotion called McPick 2.The Oak Brook, Illinois-based company says the "$1 $2 $3 Dollar Menu" will become a permanent part
  
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• Snowball stand owner guilty of having sex with teen workers

  05-12-2017 08:19
  MANDEVILLE- A snowball stand owner pleaded guilty on Monday to paying his teenage employees money and drugs in exchange for sexual favors, according to officials.WWL-TV reports that 56-year-old Anthony Fortune, the owner of Shiver Shack Snowball Stand, was arrested in July 2016 by the Mandeville Police Department. Police made the arrest after receiving information about inappropriate sexual behavior with his employees.Forty photos were later found by police of girls posing nude and performing s
  
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• Cat banned from library develops social media following

  05-12-2017 07:56
  ST. PAUL, Minn.— A tabby named Max has been playing a game of cat and mouse with some Minnesota college librarians.This is basically halfway to being a children's book pic.twitter.com/DjwUPHy9Wz— Erin McGuire (@e_mcguire_) November 29, 2017The furtive feline has been sneaking into the Macalester College library in St. Paul when people open the door and has been seen scampering around the bookshelves.The library put up a wanted-type poster asking patrons, “Please do
  
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• Wildfire threatens several thousands of homes in Southern California, kills 1

  05-12-2017 07:47
  Thousands were forced to flee their homes Monday as firefighters battled a fast-moving wildfire in Southern California that had charred at least 25,000 acres of land, authorities said.According to ABC News, intensified by strong winds and harsh weather conditions the fire caused at least one death in Ventura County, emergency officials said. The person's identity was not released, but authorities attributed the death to an automobile accident that occurred as the individual attempted to evacuat
  
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• Louisiana part of 13 state lawsuit over eggs

  05-12-2017 07:27
  Over a dozen states are part of a lawsuit over eggs. The states want the U.S. Supreme Court to block California's 2008 law that requires any eggs sold there to come from hens that have room to roam and stretch their legs inside their habitats.Yesterday, the case to challenge the law was brought directly to the Supreme Court.Louisiana is one of the states that has an issue with the law because California farms distribute nationwide, and pass off the expenses to consumers.Missouri's attorney gene
  
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• State Police and FBI searching for armed bank robbers

  05-12-2017 06:23
  SHREVEPORT- Detectives from the Louisiana State Police Department along with the FBI are asking for the public's help in locating two people suspected of robbing two banks.On Nov. 10 at 10:25 a.m., authorities said two unknown suspects entered the Guaranty Bank in Epps and produced a handgun. The suspects demanded money from the teller and left with an undetermined amount of money. Authorities said the suspects appeared to be a male and female. Both suspects were almost completely covered with
  
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• Man arrested for cashing bad checks at local credit union

  05-12-2017 05:48
  BATON ROUGE- Officers from the Baton Rouge Police Department arrested a man they say illegally took money from a credit union.A branch manager of La Capital Federal Credit Union told authorities that one of their customers committed fraudulent activity at their branch. The customer was identified as Johnthan Curtis.According to the affidavit, Curtis deposited a check drawn from a JP Morgan Chase checking account dated for Oct. 12 in the amount of $3,200. The check was made payable by Curtis' La
  
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