Paula Poundstone charged with lewd acts on a child
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LOS ANGELES - Comedian Paula Poundstone was arrested yesterday and charged with felony lewd acts upon a child and child endangerment, the district attorney's office said.
Poundstone, 41, was charged with three counts of committing a lewd act on a girl under the age of 14. She was charged with endangering two other girls and two boys, Deputy District Attorney Gina Satriano said in a statement. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 12 years.
"I have faith that the truth is the right thing," was the only statement a haggard-looking Poundstone made to reporters after she was released from jail on $200,000 bail.
Poundstone, a single mother of two, regularly has taken in foster children.
The brassy comic, known for her one-liners about politics and life in general, has been a frequent guest on late-night talk shows and is a regular panelist on the syndicated game show "To Tell the Truth."
She starred in the "Home Movies" television show and won two Cable ACE awards for HBO specials and an American Comedy Award in 1989 as the nation's best female stand-up comic.
First condor born in wild in 17 years found dead
LOS ANGELES - The first California condor chick to hatch in the wild in 17 years was found dead at the bottom of a Santa Barbara County cliff this week, apparently killed by an adult condor.
A biologist found the condor chick in a remote area of Los Padres National Forest on Monday with two deep gashes in its head and neck that appeared to be condor bite marks. Biologists believe that the chick's mother left the bird unattended, and another female condor killed the chick.
DNA under fingernails links rapist to slaying, police say
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - A convicted rapist on parole from Arkansas, where he was castrated while awaiting trial, is a suspect in the murder of a Missouri woman who had his DNA under her fingernails, authorities said.
Wayne DuMond remained in jail yesterday in Kansas City, Mo., without bail on a charge of parole violation. He was paroled in 1999 after serving 14 years for the kidnapping and rape of a 17-year-old cheerleader.
DuMond said that masked men broke into his home while he awaited trial and castrated him.
Hawk loses gopher snake; Californians lose power
MOORPARK, Calif. - A hawk dropped a snake onto a power line, sparking a small brush fire that briefly threatened expensive homes northwest of Los Angeles.
The 3-foot gopher snake was found headless and coiled around the top of a pole, authorities said.
The fire briefly knocked out power to 2,800 customers Tuesday.
Carbon monoxide blamed in deaths of mom, 3 kids
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - A woman and her three young children found dead in their home's garage by the mother's fiance were victims of carbon-monoxide poisoning, a medical examiner said yesterday.
Charles Garrett, regional pathologist for southeastern North Carolina, said there was no evidence of any other injuries to Robin Parker, 33, and the three children, clad in sleepwear.
The children included two girls - Cartara Quantae Williams, 10, and Shonteona Marie Williams, who would have turned 3 yesterday - and an 11-month-old boy, QuaSean DeVon Williams.
Sahara Desert dust cloud brings discomfort to Texas
McALLEN, Texas - A huge dust cloud that originated in northern Africa's Sahara Desert has spread into Texas, impairing visibility and reducing air quality, forecasters said.
The dusty veil stretched from Cuba and the eastern coast of Mexico to South Texas on Tuesday and was expected to reach North Texas by today.