Company to reprint yearbooks after head switching

McKINNEY, Texas - School officials say they are appalled by altered photos — including heads on different bodies — in hundreds of McKinney High School yearbooks delivered this week.

Besides the head and body switching, some necks were stretched, one girl's arm was missing, and another girl's head was placed on what appeared to be a nude body, with the chest blurred.

A spokeswoman for Minnesota-based Lifetouch National School Studios Inc. said the alterations were "an unfortunate lapse in judgment" by an employee but didn't believe it was malicious.

The high school had required Lifetouch to make heads the same size and eyes at the same level in all student photos, company spokeswoman Sara Thurin Rollin said Saturday. The request was "unusual and definitely very particular, but that's not to suggest what happened here is acceptable," she said.

Rollin declined to say if the company fired or reprimanded the employee who altered the images. She said Lifetouch is taking full responsibility for the altered pictures, about 30 in all, and will pay to have the publication reprinted before the seniors graduate.

Lori Oglesbee, the school's yearbook adviser at McKinney High School, said the yearbook staff would spend the weekend rebuilding the yearbook.

McKinney is about 20 miles north of Dallas.

Source ~ AP

2 Colo. men exchange Taser shots over parked van

BOULDER, Colo. - It wasn't exactly pistols at 30 paces, but police say a security company supervisor and a restaurateur shot each other with Tasers in a "bonehead" confrontation over parking.

Officers said neither man needed medical attention after the Saturday confrontation, but Harvey Epstein, co-owner of Mamacitas restaurant, was arrested on suspicion of felony menacing and using a stun gun.

A police report said Epstein and Casey M. Dane, a supervisor for Colorado Security Services Inc., were arguing over a metal boot that one of Dane's guards had clamped on a wheel of a van parked behind Mamacitas.

Dane told police he was afraid Epstein was going to hit him with a 2-foot-long pair of bolt cutters. Epstein told police he had only tried to remove the boot with the bolt cutters and hadn't threatened anyone with them.

Epstein told police Dane put his hand on a holstered pistol and threatened to shoot him. Dane told The Associated Press by telephone that he did put his hand on the holstered pistol but never threatened to shoot Epstein.

Both men drew Tasers.

"They shot each other," Police Sgt. Pat Wyton told the Camera newspaper. "It was just kind of a bonehead deal."

The guard claimed the van, owned by a Mamacitas employee, was on property he was hired to patrol. The van owner denied that.

Epstein, 36, told the AP in a phone interview Sunday he took out his Taser only after Dane pointed his at him and his mother, who was also outside. Epstein also said Dane repeatedly told him he was a police officer and that failing to comply with his orders was a federal offense, allegations that Dane denies.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Half-eaten Snickers bar implicates hungry burglar

JONESBORO, Ark. - Police say DNA found on a half-eaten candy bar helped them zero in on a robbery suspect.

Detective Jason Simpkins says Brian D. Bass' DNA matched the sample found on the bar left on the counter at Cato Animal Hospital during a January robbery. Bass was being held in jail Friday on $50,000 bond.

Bass was on probation after he served time on a firearms possession charge. Simpkins said the state had his DNA on file.

Police say Bass is facing felony commercial burglary and theft charges. The public defender's office says Bass, 39, doesn't have an attorney yet.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Ohio township to feds: We don't want your money

CLEVELAND - The federal government isn't used to being snubbed when it offers to help local governments.

When it offered Chardon Township in Ohio $10,000 in disaster aid for a snowstorm in March, the locals said no thanks.

Township Trustee Chuck Strazinsky told The Plain Dealer for a story published Friday that it was a typical snowstorm unworthy of federal aid. He says the money should be reserved for true emergencies.

Township Trustee Steve Borowski disagrees with the decision, saying help from the federal government shouldn't be turned down.

Last month the Federal Emergency Management Agency included Geauga among 17 Ohio counties eligible for disaster aid.

Wedding day fireworks land groom in jail

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Bridegroom Kedir Mohamed wanted his wedding day to go with a bang and decided to celebrate by letting off firecrackers after the ceremony.

However, it turned into damp squib when he was arrested for disturbing the peace in Bechena in northern Ethiopia on Sunday, the weekly Reporter newspaper said.

The reception was cancelled and the newly-wed spent his wedding night in police custody.

(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/ )

(Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Editing by Andrew Dobbie)

Woman sentenced for having son dress up as Scout

EASTON, Pa. - A former Bethlehem woman will serve up to 23 months in prison for having her 7-year-old son dress as a Cub Scout to collect money for a nonexistent cause.

Sally Ann Gombocz, 51, told a Northampton County judge she wanted to apologize to anyone she hurt. She previously pleaded guilty to theft by deception and corruption of a minor.

Gombocz had her son dress as a scout in 2003 and tell people he was raising money for a camping trip. A prosecutor says the family collected $69.

Gombocz was sentenced Friday to six to 23 months in the county jail. She also was fined $2,000, ordered to perform community service, take parenting classes, have psychological counseling and submit to random urine screens. She also must pay restitution.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Police say men trying to steal power lines shocked

CONFLUENCE, Pa. - Two Somerset County men are charged with trying to steal live power lines that were still attached to a transformer and utility poles.

Police said Kevin Lee Lytle, 27, and Daniel Jay Basinger, 24, both of Confluence, were shocked during the theft attempt on May 3 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township.

Both were charged Wednesday, but only Basinger was well enough to attend his arraignment on the attempted theft charge.

Police say the incident disrupted power to area residences for about five hours. Penelec Power Co. owns the lines which suffered $1,500 damage.

The Associated Press could not immediately reach either man for comment.

DNA tests exonerate 'Lizard Man' in van attack

BISHOPVILLE, S.C. - DNA testing has shown an attack on a family van some blamed on the legendary Lizard Man appears to have been actually done by a domestic dog. Something chewed up the front fender of Bob and Dixie Rawson's van in February. Bite marks were left on the wheel wells and blood was found on the vehicle.

The Item of Sumter reported that a veterinary lab in California tested the blood and found it came from a dog.

But Bob Rawson isn't sure, saying it would have to be one big dog.

Lee County Sheriff E.J. Melvin isn't convinced either. He thinks it was a coyote or wolf.

Lizard Man became a phenomenon in the area 20 years ago when people began reporting a tall, big-eyed swamp creature. Authorities never figured out exactly what prompted the sightings.


Source ~ The Item, http://www.theitem.com

Solar bra brings conservation closer to the heart

TOKYO (Reuters) - Ladies, take your battle for the environment a little closer to your heart with a solar-powered bra that can generate enough electric energy to charge a mobile phone or an iPod.

Lingerie maker Triumph International Japan Ltd unveiled its environmentally friendly, and green colored, "Solar Power Bra" on Wednesday in Tokyo which features a solar panel worn around the stomach.

The panel requires light to generate electricity and the concept bra will not be in stores anytime soon, said Triumph spokeswoman Yoshiko Masuda, as "people usually can not go outside without wearing clothes over it."

But it does send the message of how lingerie could possibly save the planet, Masuda said, adding that the bra should not be washed or sunned on a rainy day to avoid damaging it.

Being eco-friendly is now fashionable in Japan, and the "Solar Energy Bra" follows the company's other green-themed undergarments that include a bra that turns into a reusable shopping bag and one that featured metal chopsticks to promote the use of reusable chopsticks.

"It is very comfortable and I can really feel involved in eco-friendly efforts as well," model Yuko Ishida said.

Source ~ Yahoo News

NYC cabbie is fined $1,000 for foul-mouthed tirade

NEW YORK - The days of the cursing cabbie may be over. A New York City cab driver has been fined $1,000 for launching a foul-mouthed tirade at another cabbie.

The confrontation occurred Oct. 8, 2007, on the West Side of Manhattan when neither driver had a passenger.

Driver Malik Rizwan honked at fellow cabbie Zbigniew Sobczak after Sobszak cut him off, prompting Sobszak to jump out of his cab and use a vulgarity repeatedly.

Rizwan called the police and accused Sobczak of assault.

A city administrative law judge found Sobczak guilty of verbal harassment, not assault, and recommended a $350 fine.

But Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman Matthew Daus, in a ruling last Friday, increased the penalty to $1,000 and a 30-day suspension.

There was a time when cab drivers were given more leeway with language.

A 1982 legal decision in a case called TLC vs. Baudin found that a "driver's use of profanity during a fight with a pedestrian was not misconduct given cognizance to the realities of life in New York City."

But Daus, in a letter to Sobczak, said, "To the extent that decisions issued before my tenure, such as TLC vs. Baudin, may be read to overrule the penalty of license revocation for verbal harassment or abuse, I would override those decisions."

"The city has changed over the years," Daus said in an interview Wednesday. "It's become more civil. ... The days when drivers can curse at each other are over in my opinion."

Sobczak's lawyer, Cynthia Fischer, told the New York Post that Daus' decision was unduly harsh.

"You're asking cabbies to be inhuman and not react to ... things any one of us would react to," she said.

Fischer did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Man jailed when daughter fails to get diploma

CINCINNATI - A man ordered by a judge to make sure his daughter hit the books has found himself in jail because she failed to earn a high school equivalency diploma.

Brian Gegner, of Fairfield, was sentenced last week to 180 days in jail for contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a minor.

He was ordered months ago to make sure his 18-year-old daughter Brittany Gegner, who has a history of truancy, received her GED — something that hasn't happened yet.

Brittany Gegner, who said Monday that she plans to take a required GED test this month, said her father shouldn't be blamed for her failure because she has been living with her mother.

"It was my wrongdoing, not his," said Brittany Gegner, whose fiance and 18-month-old daughter also live at her mother's home in nearby Hamilton. "He shouldn't have to go to jail for something I did."

Her mother agrees.

"Brittany is almost 19 years old now and I think it's unfair to put her father in jail," said Shana Roach. "She's an adult now, and it's not right to rip an innocent man from his home."

Butler County Juvenile Court administrator Rob Clevenger Jr. said Monday that the court still has jurisdiction in the case because Brittany Gegner was a juvenile when the truancy problems began and when the charge against Brian Gegner was filed in 2007.

A hearing on a motion filed by Brian Gegner's attorney to reconsider the sentence is scheduled for Friday. Messages seeking comment were not returned Monday at the offices of defense attorney Tamara Sack and the Butler County prosecutor.

Brian Gegner's wife, Stephanie Gegner, said she and her husband are afraid he will lose his job if he remains in jail. She said they tried to keep his daughter in school.

"You'd take her to school and she'd go out the other door," Stephanie Gegner said.

Source ~ LISA CORNWELL, Associated Press Writer

Man says JetBlue made him sit on toilet

NEW YORK - A New York City man is suing JetBlue Airways Corp. for more than $2 million because he says a pilot made him give up his seat to a flight attendant and sit on the toilet for more than three hours on a flight from California.

Gokhan Mutlu, of Manhattan's Inwood section, says in court papers the pilot told him to "go 'hang out' in the bathroom" about 90 minutes into the San Diego to New York flight because the flight attendant complained that the "jump seat" she was assigned was uncomfortable, the lawsuit said.

Mutlu was traveling on a a "buddy pass," a standby travel voucher that JetBlue employees give to friends, from New York to San Diego on Feb. 16, and returned to New York on Feb. 23, the lawsuit said.

Initially, Mutlu was told a flight attendant had taken the last seat on the plane, but then he was advised she would sit in the employee "jump seat," meaning he could have the last seat, the lawsuit said.

The pilot told him 1 1/2 hours into the five-hour flight that he would have to relinquish the seat to the flight attendant, court papers say. But the pilot said that Mutlu could not sit in the jump seat because only JetBlue employees were permitted to sit there, the lawsuit said.

When Mutlu expressed reluctance to go sit in the bathroom, the pilot, who was not named in the lawsuit, told him that "he was the pilot, that this was his plane, under his command that (Mutlu) should be grateful for being on board," the lawsuit said.

When the aircraft hit turbulence and passengers were directed to return to their seats, but "the plaintiff had no seat to return to, sitting on a toilet stool with no seat belts," court papers say.

Some time later, a male flight attendant knocked on the restroom door and told Mutlu he could return to his original seat, court papers say.

Mutlu's lawsuit, filed Friday in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, says JetBlue negligently endangered him by not providing him with a seat with a safety belt or harness, in violation of federal law.

A JetBlue spokesman declined comment on the lawsuit Monday.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Scott Weiland Begins Jailhouse Rock

This Stone Temple Pilot has landed safely in jail.

Scott Weiland checked into a Van Nuys, Calif., jail this morning to begin serving an eight-day stretch for driving under the influence, stemming from his November bust after a minor fender bender on a Los Angeles-area freeway.

Per the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the alt-rocker showed up around 8:55 a.m. but wasn't booked until 12:15 p.m.

Weiland was sentenced April 28 after pleading no contest to misdemeanor DUI, his second conviction in four years. He also was put on four years probation, ordered to complete an 18-month alcohol program and fined nearly $2,000.

So far, it's unclear as to how he's planning to make the Stone Temple Pilots' May 17 gig at the Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, minus some time off for good behavior or, as has befallen many a celebrity before him, early release due to overcrowding within the county jail system.

According to STP's website, the group is still planning to rock the Buckeye State this weekend.

Source ~ E Online

Suspect surrenders after cop yells 'Taser, Taser, Taser

SALT LAKE CITY - Just the threat of a jolt stopped a man in his tracks. A Salt Lake City police officer couldn't catch up to a 32-year-old man until he yelled, "Taser, Taser, Taser."

Police said the suspect suddenly threw himself on the ground and surrendered Wednesday.

The pursuit began when curious detectives watching a house noticed the man coming from another house. His parole officer was working on an arrest warrant at the time.

Tasers use compressed nitrogen to fire two barbed darts that immobilize people with a 50,000-volt shock.

Source ~ AP

Stop Stalling!

I think it's about time R Kelly has his day in court. Read this crap.

R. Kelly's lawyer has asked for another delay in his ongoing child pornography trial.

Kelly's lawyer, Ed Genson is asking that jury selection, slated to begin May 9th, be delayed because of a recent news report in the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Sun-Times published a report on Saturday stating that a witness has been added to the witness list who claims to have had a threesome with Kelly, 41, and the allegedly underage girl who appears in the now infamous sex tape.

Kelly's lawyer wants jury selection postponed due to the amount of publicity the article generated over the weekend.

Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, has continued to deny the allegations made against him, claiming he is not the man on the tape.

Judge Vincent Gaughan is expected to rule on the request on Friday.

Source ~ chicago tribune

Philly officers taken off street after videotaped beating

PHILADELPHIA - A police sergeant and five officers were pulled from street duty Wednesday as city officials investigated television footage showing a group of officers kicking and punching three shooting suspects during a traffic stop.

More than a dozen officers were involved, but Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said investigators were having the videotape enhanced to help determine how many of them were actually striking the suspects.

Any information police find will be sent to prosecutors, who will determine whether charges are warranted.

"We certainly are concerned about what we saw on the tape," Ramsey said at a news conference. "The behavior that at least was exhibited on the tape is unacceptable."

Police stopped the suspects' car while investigating a triple shooting Monday night. No weapons were found in the car or on the suspects, Ramsey said, but officers said they had seen them shoot three people on a drug corner moments earlier.

The video, shot by WTXF-TV from a helicopter, showed three police cars stopping a car on the side of a road.

Officers gathered around the vehicle and pulled three men out. About a half-dozen officers held two men on the ground on the driver's side. Both were kicked repeatedly, while one was punched; one also appeared to be struck with a baton.

On the other side of the car, the video showed, more officers kicking a third man who ends up on the ground.

The three suspects — Dwayne Dyches, Brian Hall and Pete Hopkins — were each charged with attempted murder in the shooting, police said.

The beating happened two days after the fatal shooting of a city officer, the third killed on duty in two years.

Ramsey said officers have been on edge since Officer Stephen Liczbinski was killed, but that they still need to maintain a high standard of conduct.

"We do expect them to maintain a level of conduct on the street that is beyond reproach," the commissioner said. "The sergeant should have taken some kind of action to intervene."

Liczbinski was shot with an assault rifle after a robbery Saturday. One suspect was fatally shot by police soon after, another was arrested Sunday and a third was captured late Wednesday.

D. Scott Perrine, an attorney for the three men seen in the video, has said that, as terrible as the officer's death was, it does not excuse what police did to the suspects.

Dyches had a welt on his head the size of a baseball, and one of his legs was seriously injured, Perrine said. He said he didn't know the extent of the other men's injuries.

The mother of one of the suspects said she was outraged.

"I'm horrified to see that our city cops would beat some human being like they did, like a gang-style fight," Leomia Dyches said. She added, "I'd like to see them tried for what they did."

Source ~ PATRICK WALTERS, Associated Press Writer

Sharpton arrested as hundreds protest NYC police shooting (AP)

NEW YORK - Hundreds of demonstrators led by the Rev. Al Sharpton clogged intersections and snarled traffic across the city to protest the acquittal of three officers involved in the shooting death of an unarmed black man on his wedding day.

Protesters said Wednesday's "pray-in," which led to the arrest of 216 people, was a preview of potential future demonstrations designed to paralyze the city until federal authorities investigate the shooting.

"We're going to keep coming until we get federal indictments. It's wrong," said Frank Rodriguez, a military veteran who attended one of six rallies across the city.

U.S. attorney spokesman Robert Nardoza said the case was under review, but he declined further comment about a possible federal case.

Sharpton and relatives of Sean Bell, the groom killed in 2006 in a 50-bullet barrage, planned to meet privately with Gov. David Paterson on Thursday to talk about the case.

The demonstrators on Wednesday prayed, sang and chanted slogans including "no justice, no peace!" as they converged on six locations, including heavily used bridges and tunnels that carry traffic to and from Manhattan.

Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and the slain man's fiancee lined up and peacefully put their hands behind their backs as police arrested them on disorderly conduct charges. They were released about four hours later, said Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger.

The protests were carefully orchestrated: Organizers circulated sign-up sheets for those willing to be arrested and issued instructions on how to behave when arrested. They also were advised not to volunteer if they had warrants out for their arrests or other pending legal issues.

After marching to the New Jersey-bound Holland Tunnel behind a "Stop the Brutality" banner, protesters blocked two entrances as some sang the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome." Demonstrators who moved to the sidewalk applauded each time one of their fellow protesters was arrested.

Drivers waited patiently. "I disagree with doing anything illegal, but, hey, this is what makes America great," said Aaron Hanson, a passenger in a car waiting to get into the tunnel. "If this is what people really need to do to make a statement, it's what they should do."

A few miles uptown, some protesters were arrested after blocking traffic into midtown Manhattan on the Queensboro Bridge, while about 200 people rallied near the entrance to the Triborough Bridge in Harlem.

Sharpton, shooting survivors Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, and Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, linked arms as they blocked a street at the Brooklyn Bridge's base.

They were followed by at least 200 demonstrators who kneeled down in prayer in the road and counted from one to 50 in a stark reference to the 50 shots. Some carried signs proclaiming, "We are all Sean Bell."

A heavy police presence initially stood by during the demonstrations, allowing the protesters to march unimpeded to the bridges and tunnels. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had pledged to "make sure that everybody's rights are protected and that the law is obeyed."

The racially polarizing case has raised questions about police use of deadly force in minority communities. Bell was black, as are two of his friends who were wounded in the shooting; the officers were black, Hispanic and white.

The three officers were acquitted of state charges last month. They testified that they feared for their lives after Bell and his friends got into a testy exchange with another patron outside a Queens strip club and appeared to be going to retrieve a gun; Bell's friends testified the detectives fired wildly and without warning at Bell's car. No gun was found with Bell or his friends.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday that the department was continuing to examine the possibility of disciplinary action against the detectives.

Source ~ Associated Press writers Bonny Ghosh and Ted Shaffrey contributed to this report

Grand Theft Auto IV Sells Six Million Units in First Week

"Grand Theft Auto 4," the latest version of the hit video game franchise, racked up first-week sales of $500 million, Take-Two Interactive, the game's publisher, said Wednesday. The report exceeded the sales expectations of analysts.

The company is expected to report that it sold 6 million copies of the game, 3.6 million of them on the first day. The sales exceed projections of industry analysts who were estimating that about 5 million consumers would purchase the game in the first two weeks.

The significance of the sales extends beyond buoying Take-Two, a company that has had its share of legal, financial and management struggles in the last few years.

The company is the subject of a $2 billion hostile takeover effort by Electronic Arts, which is offering Take Two shareholders $25.74 a share for control of the company. If Take-Two can exceed expectations on sales of "Grand Theft Auto 4," it may drive up the share price and force Electronic Arts to raise its offer.

"They were better than the published expectations," said Todd Mitchell, an analyst with Kaufman Brothers. "I would say they were marginally better than the whisper number."

But, he added, he did not "think that many people buy the idea that just because you blow the numbers out on GTA, EA is going to come out with a higher bid."

Electronic Arts' takeover bid turned hostile after Take-Two's management said it would not negotiate an acquisition agreement with Electronic Arts - or any suitor - until after the release of "Grand Theft Auto 4." Now that the game is out, Take-Two may well have entered discussions with Electronic Arts and possibly with other suitors who covet the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, but Take-Two has declined to comment on whether such discussions are taking place.

If Take-Two and Electronic Arts wind up seeking a deal, there is pressure on Electronic Arts and also on some Take-Two shareholders to get one done quickly.

Electronic Arts has said that it needs to reach a deal in time to subsume Take-Two's assets before the holiday selling season.

Take-Two's management has said that the success of "Grand Theft Auto 4" is awakening shareholders to the long-term value of the company's stock and that if investors can be patient it can command a higher price in the long term.

The first-week sales figure tops the $400 million benchmark set by Microsoft's "Halo 3" in September.

"This game sets a new standard in the industry," the Take-Two chief executive, Ben Feder, said in a statement.

"Grand Theft Auto 4" has been praised by reviewers for its graphics and for play that allows gamers to depart from the story line. The Parents Television Council, an organization devoted to limiting sex, violence and profanity in media, called the game "brutally violent" last month.

In the game, a former soldier, Niko Bellic, is lured to the United States from Eastern Europe by a cousin who brags of great wealth. On arrival, Bellic discovers that his cousin lied and actually is deep in debt to gangsters. He reluctantly takes on assignments from the mob to save his relative.

"Grand Theft Auto 4" has a "mature" rating in the United States from an industry council that says it is appropriate only for players ages 17 and older because of graphic violence and partial nudity.

Electronic Arts, based in Redwood City, California, began a $26-a-share tender offer March 13, after Take-Two refused to negotiate in February. The offer expires May 16.

Electronic Arts, which makes the "Madden NHL" football games, dropped the bid to $25.74 after Take-Two investors approved an incentive plan that increased the number of shares it would have to buy.

Source ~ International Herald Tribune

75 students arrested in San Diego State University drug bust

SAN DIEGO - Dozens of San Diego State University students were arrested after a sweeping drug investigation found that some fraternity members openly dealt drugs and one even sent a mass text message advertising cocaine, authorities said Tuesday.

Two kilograms of cocaine were seized, along with 350 Ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, methamphetamine, illicit prescription drugs, several guns and at least $60,000 in cash, authorities said.

Of the 96 people arrested, 75 were students. Eighteen of the students were arrested Tuesday when nine search warrants were executed at various locations including fraternities, said Jesse Rodriguez, San Diego County assistant district attorney.

The undercover probe, dubbed Operation Sudden Fall, was sparked by the cocaine overdose death of a student in May 2007, authorities said. As the investigation continued, another student, from Mesa College, died Feb. 26 of a cocaine overdose at an SDSU fraternity house, the DEA said.

Those arrested included a student who was about to receive a criminal justice degree and another who was to receive a master's degree in homeland security.

"A sad commentary is that when one of these individuals was arrested, they inquired as (to) whether or not his arrest and incarceration would have an effect on him becoming a federal law enforcement officer," said Ralph Partridge, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego.

Some defendants were scheduled to appear in state court to face charges Tuesday.

During the probe investigators discovered that in some fraternities most members were aware of "organized drug dealing occurring from the fraternity houses by its members," the DEA said in a news release.

"Undercover agents purchased cocaine from fraternity members and confirmed that a hierarchy existed for the purpose of selling drugs for money," the DEA said.

The district attorney's office said search warrants were served in San Diego and suburban La Mesa, including the Theta Chi fraternity house and several apartments.

A member of Theta Chi sent out a mass text message to his "faithful customers" stating that he and his "associates" would be unable to sell cocaine while they were in Las Vegas over one weekend, according to the DEA. The text promoted a cocaine "sale" and listed the reduced prices.

Theta Chi's San Diego chapter declined to comment.

"We're talking to our advisers," said John Phillips, a past president of the chapter.

Dale Taylor, the fraternity's national executive director, said he was "obviously shocked and saddened" by the allegations.

Theta Chi has prohibited the San Diego chapter from group activities like parties or sports and will investigate additional disciplinary measures, up to expulsion of members or the entire chapter.

Theta Chi, based in Indianapolis, has 131 chapters in the U.S. and Canada and more than 161,000 initiates. It was founded in 1856.

The San Diego chapter was founded 61 years ago and has 65 members.

"They were on the upswing," Taylor said. "They had improved their recruitment. They were trying to raise money for a new house."

University police and federal drug agents worked together in the investigation, making more than 130 undercover drug buys at locations including fraternity houses, student parking areas and dormitories, authorities said.

Shawn Collinsworth, executive director of the national office of Phi Kappa Psi, said he was told by two of the SDSU fraternity chapter's leaders that four of its members were arrested. He said the fraternity is cooperating with the investigation.

"It isn't behavior becoming of Phi Kappa Psi," Collinsworth said.

San Diego State is one of the largest schools in California's state university system with about 34,000 students. The campus has an active network of fraternities and sororities.

___

Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Greg Risling in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

"Police: Kindergartner Brings Drugs To School"

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Metro police said a 6-year-old brought drugs to school Monday.

Police found seven grams of marijuana and two grams of rock and powder cocaine in the child's pockets.

The student at Tom Joy Elementary School went to the teacher to show her what he found at home.

The teacher immediately took the student to the principal's office.

The child is developmentally challenged. There are nine students in his classroom. Police said no other students came into contact with the drugs. It didn't appear that the drugs were disturbed. The school was placed on lockdown until dismissal Monday afternoon.

"We believe that she didn't know that the school was aware that he had the drugs on him," said Sgt. Anna-Maria Williams. "So she was trying to get to the school to get them off of him."

The child's 27-year-old mother, Arthia Burrows received drug and child endangerment charges Monday. Police also are searching for her brother, who is wanted for arrest. He hasn't been charged yet.

Police said the curious 6-year-old gave them all the information they needed to take down a known drug house in East Nashville.

He told police he had his mother's "smokes."

"Our crime suppression unit had gotten a drug complaint on them, that this was place where people could go to buy marijuana and other drugs," Williams said. "So our crime suppression unit had been working on it, but hadn't had enough information to get inside. So, we got lucky as far as being able to get them at the same time to take the drugs off the child."

Police said Burrows does not have a criminal record.

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services removed five children from the home. Even though Metro Schools has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drugs, the child will not be expelled because he was not aware he was bringing drugs to school.