Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 10

10A THE CLARION-LEDGER SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 2008 CLARI0NLEDGER.COM Missing hiker friend held Courthouse shooter planned escape again The Associated Press BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. Police on Friday were questioning a man they called a "person of interest" in the disappearance of a 24-year-old hiker from a state park in northern Georgia. Gary Michael Hilton, who was reportedly seen with Meredith Emerson several times on New Year's Day, was picked up at a convenience store in an Atlanta suburb by DeKalb County police and taken for questioning at a Georgia Bureau of Investigation office, Union County investigator Kimberly Verdone said. "Meredith was not with him," Verdone said. "Six four-man search and rescue teams are in the woods right now searching for her." Meanwhile, Emerson's black Labrador retriever, Ella, missing since Tuesday, when friends said Emerson took the dog hiking, was found at a grocery store in Forsyth County.

The dog wandered to the store, at least 40 miles from where Emerson's car was discovered abandoned on Wednesday, and was identified by an implanted The Associated Press ATLANTA The man awaiting trial for a bloody escape at the Atlanta courthouse in 2005 is suspected of enlisting his pen-pal girlfriend, a paralegal and at least two sheriff's deputies in a scheme to break out again, according to law enforcement documents obtained by The Associated Press. Brian Nichols allegedly plotted to cut his way through the cin-derblock walls of the Fulton County Jail and jump into a waiting van. Nichols evidently used his considerable charm to draw his girlfriend into the plot, while some of the other players were bribed with cash and the prospect of romance with the woman, according to the documents, which include statements from the girlfriend and letters she exchanged with Nichols. The alleged breakout attempt apparently did not get past the planning stages, and Nichols was abruptly moved to another jail in October 2006 for reasons that are not entirely clear. Special prosecutor Ken Wynne, who has been reviewing the alle gations since April, would not discuss the investigation Thursday, and no charges have been filed.

"My God," attorney James Voyles, who represents the widow of a sheriff's deputy Nichols is charged with killing in the shooting spree, said of the allegations. "It's shocking." Nichols, 36, faces murder and other charges in the March 11, 2005, escape and shooting rampage that began at a downtown courthouse and left four people dead. He is charged with killing the judge presiding over his rape trial, a court reporter, a sheriff's deputy who chased him outside, and a federal agent he encountered a few miles away. Authorities said he forced his way into a woman's home and eventually surrendered. Exactly how the latest alleged plot came to authorities' attention is not explained, but they had been monitoring his conversations over a jailhouse phone, and later granted the girlfriend, Lisa Meneguzzo, 38, of Beacon Falls, immunity from prosecution.

Vino WongThe Atlanta Journal Constitution The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Rapid Response Team aids in the search for a missing hiker, 24-year-old Meredith Emerson, on Blood Mountain at Vogel State Park on Friday in Blairsville, Ga. Emerson's roommate, Julia Karrenbauer, said as many as 100 friends and family members have come to Vogel State Park to aid in the search. Karrenbauer said Emerson is an experienced hiker who has a blue belt in martial arts. microchip, Verdone said. Emerson's car was found at the base of Blood Mountain, and authorities also found a water bottle and a dog leash that belonged to her.

Clear weather Friday allowed helicopters to join res cue workers and canine teams in the search for Emerson. Fifteen professional teams were searching for Emerson, and volunteers were asked to pass out fliers. Searchers were combing a 400 square mile area of rugged terrain. Political fundraiser i I i sentenced I to 3 years Former Clinton donor says he will appeal The Associated Press REDWOOD CITY, Calif. Disgraced political donor Norman Hsu was sentenced Friday to three years in prison after a judge refused to throw out his 1992 no-contest plea to fraud.

Hsu's lawyers had asked Judge Stephen Hall to dismiss his 16-year-old plea, arguing that Hsu's right to speedy justice was violated because authorities were not actively pursuing him during his years as a fugitive. They could easily have arrested Hsu, his SAVE 33-50 LADIES' BETTER COLLECTIONS Orig. S39-S1 49. NOW 19.50-99.83 SAVE 40 LADIES' SHOES BOOTS Orig. NOW 41.40-101.40 SAVE 30-50 LADIES' SUITS Orig.

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His troubles began dogging Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other big-name Democrats last summer when news reports revealed he was a fugitive who fled the state before he was sentenced for the 1992 fraud conviction for scamming investors out of $1 million. He turned himself in on Aug. 31, posted $2 million in bail, then fled again, skipping a scheduled court appearance. He was recaptured in September in Colorado after he tried to kill himself with a drug overdose aboard an eastbound Amtrak train.

Hsu has since been held without bail in a Redwood City jail. Hsu lawyer James Brosnahan said his client will appeal the sentence as well as the judge's refusal to toss out the case. Public records show Hsu lavished millions in campaign contributions on a host of candidates since 2003. He also attended many well-publicized fundraisers, including several in northern California. Hall also refused to let Hsu withdraw his no-contest plea because his "failure to appear was completely within his control," and ordered half of the $2 million Hsu posted as bail be turned over to federal authorities for possible victim restitution there.

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