State briefs 11/10/17

Hawley to audit untested rape kits

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Attorney General's Office is auditing how many untested rape kits there are in Missouri. Attorney General Josh Hawley announced the audit Thursday. The announcement comes after a Columbia Missourian report Missouri never has done a statewide review of untested rape kits, so the number of unprocessed kits is unknown. The newspaper reported at least 32 other states have conducted audits. Rape kits are a series of DNA samplings and other evidence secured via medical procedures conducted immediately after an attack. They can be used by law enforcement and prosecutors to catch and convict rapists. Hawley said kits left untested can hinder those efforts. Hawley said the Missouri investigation is aimed at uncovering the scope of the problem in Missouri, the agencies responsible and possibilities for change.

Synthetic drug cited for strange behavior

SULLIVAN, Mo. -- Police in the eastern Missouri town of Sullivan suspect the synthetic drug flakka is behind bizarre behavior. Authorities said four people who apparently overdosed on drugs went on a rampage last weekend, barking and yelling, breaking into buildings, even stripping off their clothes. Police Lt. Patrick Johnson said the suspects broke into both homes and businesses. The drugs have not been tested, but police believe the users mixed methamphetamine with flakka, a man-made drug that has caused strange behavior in other places. Two people were arrested, and some of the users were treated at a hospital.

Deer jumps through downtown window

ST. LOUIS -- A deer is dead after wandering into downtown St. Louis and jumping through windows of a vacant building along busy Washington Avenue. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the incident happened Saturday night. The deer was badly injured. The building owner, with permission from police, fatally shot the animal to put it out of its misery. The Missouri Department of Conservation was notified. Deer have wandered into downtown St. Louis before. In 2012, a deer broke through a glass door at an office building on the same block. The deer escaped but was found dead several blocks away.

Zoo elephant Ellie treated for TB

ST. LOUIS -- One of the most popular residents of the St. Louis Zoo is being treated for tuberculosis, but zoo officials said the prognosis is good. Ellie is a 46-year-old Asian elephant and the mother of three other elephants living at the zoo. The zoo's director of animal health, Luis Padilla, said Thursday the illness was detected early through routine blood tests and a trunk culture. Other elephants in her family are being monitored. Ellie is not showing symptoms. The zoo said TB occurs occasionally in elephants and can be treated. Another elephant at the zoo, Donna, was treated about five years ago.

-- From wire reports