Blotter siren
-- Kerry van Bell was convicted of soliciting sex for a fee and attempted rape of a child in 2007. Today, the Supreme Judicial Court tossed out the attempted-rape conviction as it failed to meet the legal definition of "attempted". Van Bell had agreed to pay an undercover Worcester cop $200 for sex with a child. [Universal Hub]
-- The sex offender who allegedly tried to rape a woman in a Massachusetts General Hospital bathroom will be held without bail until a March 4 trial date after being ruled a "dangerous person" by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Frank Gaziano. The hearing described a bloody crime scene. [Herald]
-- A Rhode Island federal prosecutor pled not guilty to drunken driving on Friday. He was stopped for driving erratically on Thanksgiving morning. Warwick police and the Department of Justice are both investigating. [AP via Boston.com]
All charges alleged until proven under law.
