Man acquitted of arson in Cleveland house blast
Recent Cases
A Cleveland man has been acquitted of charges he caused an explosion at a vacant house resulting in damage to more than 70 homes in the area.
Fifty-seven-year-old William Calderwood was acquitted Friday of 55 counts of aggravated arson in Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) County Common Pleas Court. He was convicted of one count of burglary.
The fiery Jan. 25 blast damaged 72 homes on Cleveland's west side. Prosecutors say Calderwood stole appliances, furniture and pipes from the vacant house and tampered with its gas line before the explosion.
Calderwood's attorney, Patrick Leneghan, says he is elated about what he calls a "fair and just" verdict.
Calderwood will be sentenced Wednesday and faces a maximum of five years in prison.
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Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban
Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”
The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.
Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.
Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.