Nation digest 10/01/03

Toddler recovering after spending weeks alone

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 2-year-old girl survived on ketchup, mustard and dried pasta for nearly three weeks after she was left home alone while her mother served time in jail.

The child was recovering from malnutrition Tuesday and was listed in good condition at Wolfson Children's Hospital.

The child's father, Ogden Lee, who is separated from the child's 22-year-old mother, Dakeysha Telita Lee, said he had been trying to contact the mother for two weeks and did not learn until Sunday that she was in jail.

The girl had been left alone since her mother was jailed Sept. 10 for aggravated assault and petty theft. The mother was charged Monday with child abuse, and was being held Tuesday on $20,000 bond.

Man convicted in fatal shooting of Sikh man

MESA, Ariz. -- A man was convicted of murder Tuesday in the slaying of a turbaned, bearded Sikh who prosecutors said was gunned down after the 2001 terrorist attacks because he was mistaken for an Arab.

The jury, which began deliberations late Monday, rejected Frank Silva Roque's insanity claim.

Roque fatally shot Indian immigrant Balbir Singh Sodhi in front of the gas station he owned on Sept. 15, 2001. After killing Sodhi, Roque shot at another gas station, where the clerk was a man of Lebanese descent, and shot at the home of an Afghan family. No one else was hurt.

Roque, 44, could get the death penalty.

Kentucky shelter drops fee for homeless families

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A Salvation Army homeless shelter has rescinded its policy charging families $5 a night after their first week at the shelter.

The national Salvation Army in Arlington, Va., said it knew of no other shelters nationwide that charge families.

The local director, Maj. Todd Hawks, rescinded the charge Monday after learning about it in a newspaper article.

Maj. John Tolan, who oversees the shelter, said he instituted the fee Sept. 1 in an attempt to get families to pull themselves out of homelessness. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, the average stay in Louisville-area shelters increased from 30 days to 90 days over the last three years.

The shelter will continue to charge individuals $5 a night if they stay more than a week.

Biker leader convicted of racketeering, conspiracy

TAMPA, Fla. -- The leader of the Outlaws motorcycle gang was convicted Tuesday of running a murderous operation that warred with other biker gangs over drug turf.

James Lee "Frank" Wheeler, 61, faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison after the federal jury found him guilty of racketeering, conspiracy and obstruction of justice after a six-week trial.

Wheeler was acquitted of some of the most serious charges against him -- playing a role in two slayings and conspiring to distribute cocaine.

Defense attorney Timothy Fitzgerald said he will appeal.

Band director apologizes for show with Nazi flag

DALLAS -- A high school band director has apologized for a halftime performance that included Adolf Hitler's anthem "Deutschland Über Alles" and a student running across the field with a Nazi flag.

Charles Grissom, Paris High School's band director, said his intention was to have a historical performance featuring the flags and music of the nations that fought during World War II.

The show nearly caused a melee at Friday night's football game at Dallas' Hillcrest High School.

"We were booed," Grissom said Monday. "We had things thrown at us."

Grissom said he never intended to offend anyone, and he apologized repeatedly.

Mark Briskman, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, said his organization received many calls and e-mails over the show.

"It was a mistake, and they've apologized for it, and we basically accept their apology," he said.

-- From wire reports