Reflection

CBS Los Angeles: Man Sentenced To 35 Years For Kidnapping, Molesting 3-Year-Old Girl

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A 55-year-old man who kidnapped a 3-year-old girl from a Boyle Heights party and sexually molested her was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years in state prison.

Edward Lopez, of Los Angeles, pleaded no contest to one count of kidnapping a child under 14 and two counts of forcible oral copulation of a child under 14.

Prosecutors say the mother of the toddler noticed she had disappeared from a party in the 3200 block of Malabar Street around 11 p.m. Nov. 16.

Neighbors said the little girl was playing with other children at a baby shower when she was reported missing.

LAPD officers found Lopez nude from the waist down in a locked shed with the child several hours later, according to Robison.

Source:  www.losangeles.cbslocal.com

PSA: End It Movement

Policy Mic: The City You'd Least Expect Has Just Decriminalized Marijuana - Washington D.C.

Lo and behold: Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States and the center of federal government, has decriminalized the possession and consumption of small amounts of marijuana.

By a near-unanimous vote, the D.C. city council has decided to eliminate laws that made possession of up to an ounce of marijuana a criminal offense punishable by a fine of $1,000 or a six-month prison sentence. When the new regulations go into effect this summer, possession will be punishable only by a fine of $25; public consumption will remain a misdemeanor, but with a maximum fine of $500 or 60 days in jail. D.C. joins the 17 states that have decriminalization laws on the books, and has become one of the most lenient cities in the country when it comes to marijuana offenses.

"This means that, outside of Washington and Colorado, marijuana penalties are now less punitive in our nation’s capital than anywhere else in the country!" Marijuana Policy Project federal projects director Dan Rifle wrote in an open-letter.

Council member Tommy Wells, chief sponsor of the legislation, says that "This is a major step since we are the nation's capital, and I am proud of that."

Source:  www.policymic.com

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