ANNAPOLIS - Former county executive Joseph W. Alton Jr. has been acquitted of assaulting his wife, county prosecutors said.
Brenda Alton, 45, refused to testify Tuesday against her 90-year-old husband, according to Kristin Fleckenstein, a spokeswoman for the State's Attorney's Office.
In October, Brenda Alton told a court commissioner her husband, who served as Anne Arundel's first county executive from 1965 until 1974, tried to strangle her Oct. 11 during an argument inside their home outside Annapolis.
In November, Brenda Alton, who started living with the former county executive in 1993 and married him in 2002, filed for divorce. She seeks alimony from her husband, a division of their marital assets, and court and attorney fees.
She also said the prenuptial agreement she signed is invalid because she did not get enough time to consult with an attorney.
A hearing is scheduled April 7.
Local couple sues Toyota over crash
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - A Pasadena couple has filed a lawsuit in California against Toyota, alleging their 2005 Echo accelerated, causing a crash that left the husband partially paralyzed on his right side.
Attorney Robert Nelson said the lawsuit by Andrew and Tetyana Flury of Pasadena was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The lawsuit seeks unspecified general and punitive damages.
Nelson said the Flurys were driving in Baltimore in April 2008 to a restaurant to celebrate their wedding anniversary when the Echo Andrew Flury was driving accelerated as the car approached a stop sign. Applying the brakes did not stop the vehicle, and the car struck an SUV.
After the crash, Flury was in a coma for a month, is partly paralyzed on his right side and has cognitive impairments.
Dogfight thwarted by anonymous tip
SEVERN - An anonymous tip allowed county police and Animal Control officers to stop an arranged dogfight from taking place in Severn on Friday, county officials said.
After receiving the tip, police and Animal Control officers set up surveillance in the 8000 block of Pioneer Drive and saw two teen boys inciting a dogfight. Police intervened before the dogs started fighting.
Officers learned a 14-year-old boy and 15-year-old boy, both of Severn, were involved in planning the fight, county officials said. Both boys were charged as juveniles with encouraging a dogfight and were released to their parents.
Animal Control officers examined the two dogs and both were in good condition with no signs of prior fighting or scarring.
County Executive John R. Leopold commended police, Animal Control officers and the anonymous tipster.
He pointed out a case in January where four men were arrested in Lothian and charged with arranging a dogfight after officers received an anonymous tip.
"Our officers learned of these two heinous animal violence crimes thanks to the eyes and ears of our citizens," he said in a written statement.
- From staff and wire reports
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