Father of Dodgers fan calls for witnesses
SAN FRANCISCO – The father of a Los Angeles Dodgers fan stabbed to death after a San Francisco Giants game last week asked Sunday for witnesses who may have captured the fight on mobile devices to come forward and help both families find closure.
Robert Preece, his voice quavering at times, spoke in front of AT&T Park’s iconic Willie Mays statue before the Giants played the San Diego Padres. He was flanked by family members who handed out fliers to fans streaming into the stadium.
The fight Wednesday night ended with the death of his 24-year-old son, Jonathan Denver.
“Losing a child is a heartache no parent should have to endure,” Preece said in his plea for witnesses to the fight, which resulted in the arrest of Michael Montgomery, 21. Montgomery was released from jail Friday after the district attorney said police have not yet collected enough evidence to warrant criminal charges. Montgomery’s father has told other media outlets that his son says Denver hit him over the head with a chair and he stabbed him in self-defense.
Sixth right-wing Greek legislator arrested
ATHENS, Greece – A Greek lawmaker sought by police surrendered Sunday, bringing to six the number of legislators from the extreme-right Golden Dawn party now in custody and facing criminal charges.
Christos Pappas – a lawmaker described by prosecutors as the Golden Dawn’s No. 2 official – was formally charged with membership in a criminal organization with intent to commit crimes, like his five fellow legislators, including Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos.
Besides the six lawmakers, another 14 Golden Dawn members and two police officers have been arrested and charged with the same crimes. Another 10 suspects, for whom arrest warrants were issued Saturday, are still at large, officials said.
The government crackdown on the fiercely anti-immigrant party marks the first time since 1974 that sitting members of a Greek Parliament have been arrested. The arrests underline the government’s efforts to stifle Golden Dawn, which has been increasingly on the defensive since the Sept. 17 fatal stabbing of a Greek man blamed on a Golden Dawn supporter.
Jesse Jackson presses for ex-soldier’s release
HAVANA – The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Sunday he intends to press on with a bid to mediate the retrieval of a former U.S. soldier captured by Colombian rebels three months ago, despite the cool response to his plan from that country’s president.
Jackson said he still plans to travel to Colombia in the coming days in hopes of negotiating a cease-fire for a patch of jungle where U.S. citizen Kevin Scott Sutay can be picked up safely.
The guerrilla army known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, has repeatedly called for a halt to hostilities during peace talks being carried out in Havana since November, but Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has refused.
Jackson said a lengthy pause in the fighting is not necessary for his mission.
“They can have a cease-fire zone for a day to let us bring Kevin out,” he said. “They can have a cease-fire for two days.”
Associated Press
