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U.S. NEWS Friday 3 January 2020
Hanukkah stabbing suspect questioned in prior Monsey attack

By JIM MUSTIAN and RYAN "There's something here
TARINELLI that's seriously wrong," he
Associated Press said, referring to Thomas'
NEW YORK (AP) — The man lack of sufficient treatment.
charged in the machete "How it manifested is a
attack on a Hanukkah cel- great tragedy."
ebration north of New York Sussman spoke hours af-
City had been questioned ter the daughter of a man
by local authorities in con- gravely wounded in the
nection with an earlier machete attack made an
stabbing of an Orthodox emotional plea to end ha-
Jewish man in the same tred and anti-Semitism.
town, police said Thursday. "We want our kids to go
Grafton Thomas faces to school and feel safe,"
state and federal charges Nicky Kohen, the daughter
in Saturday's Hanukkah at- of Josef Neumann, told re-
tack, which wounded five porters in front of her home
people at a rabbi's home in in Rockland County. "We
Monsey, New York. want to go to synagogues
That attack came as police and feel safe. We want to
in the same town were in- go to grocery stores and
vestigating a Nov. 20 stab- malls and feel safe."
bing in which a man was Neumann, 72, has been
critically injured while walk- Surrounded primarily by family, David Neumann, center, wipes his eyes as he speaks to reporters unconscious since Satur-
ing to a synagogue. in New City, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020, about his father, Josef Neumann who was critically injured day's attack and remains
in an attack on a Hanukkah celebration.
Ramapo Police Chief Brad Associated Press in intensive care at West-
Weidel said police ques- chester Medical Center,
tioned Thomas based on lead." Ramapo's remarks writings" and unopened never received the care where he was undergoing
video evidence that sug- came as local prosecutors bottles of psychotropic and treatment he needed." surgery Thursday. The fam-
gested a Honda Pilot may were preparing to pres- medication. He provided new details ily released a statement this
have been involved in the ent evidence on Friday to He said none of the writings about a September 2018 week saying Neumann, a
November stabbing. Thom- a grand jury that will be contained signs of anti- incident in which Thomas father of seven, may have
as' mother drives a Honda asked to indict Thomas in Semitism, though he add- was arrested at his mother's permanent brain damage.
Pilot, and authorities said connection with the Ha- ed he has not seen the ma- home after refusing to put They also released a photo-
they seized and searched nukkah attack. terials federal authorities down a knife that a police graph of Neumann show-
that vehicle following Thomas' defense attorney, seized from Thomas' home officer ordered him to drop. ing his head injuries.
Thomas' arrest in Saturday's Michael Sussman, said he in Greenwood Lake. Thomas did not undergo a "The doctors do not have
attack. asked the district attorney Authorities have said Thom- psychological evaluation high hopes for him," Ko-
Weidel said investigators to delay that proceeding as, 37, had handwritten following that arrest, Suss- hen said. "If he wakes up
have not tied Thomas to and allow Thomas to un- journals containing anti-Se- man said, though men- he may never be able to
the earlier stabbing. dergo an inpatient psychi- mitic references and had tal health treatment was walk, talk or even process
"We have to operate with atric evaluation. recently used his phone to made a condition of the speech again."
evidence," Weidel told Sussman said he learned look up information on Hit- case's dismissal. "We hope he wakes to
reporters at a news con- more about Thomas' history ler and the location of syn- Sussman said Thomas had a changed world with
ference. "We had no evi- of mental health problems agogues, been "mischaracterized" as peace, unity and love for
dence, and we had no after visiting Thomas' former Sussman described Thomas an anti-Semite by elected all," she added. "Let's stand
probable cause to do any- residence in Sullivan Coun- as a man with "tremendous leaders who do not yet up together and stop the
thing other than follow a ty and finding "rambling mental derangement who know all the facts. hatred." q

'Affluenza teen' jailed in Texas for probation

violation

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Jail records did not indi- wealth. A judge originally vehicle on the side of the
— A Texas man who used cate whether his bond sentenced Couch to 10 road. Authorities later esti-
"affluenza" as a defense at had been set Thursday years of probation. But mated that he was going
his trial for killing four peo- afternoon. Couch be- he was later jailed after 70 mph in a 40 mph zone.
ple while driving drunk was came known as the "af- attending a party where The crash fatally injured the
arrested Thursday after fluenza teen" during his alcohol was served and stranded motorist, a youth
authorities say he violated manslaughter trial for the then fleeing to Mexico minister who stopped to
the terms of his probation. 2013 crash. Couch, 16 at with his mother to avoid help her and a mother
Ethan Couch, 22, was the time of the crash, was punishment. and daughter who came In this Feb. 5, 2016, file
booked into a jail in Fort found to have a blood-al- In 2013, Couch lost control out of their nearby home. booking photo, provided by
Worth after he tested posi- cohol level three times the of his family's pickup truck Tonya Couch, Ethan's the Tarrant County, Texas,
tive for the psychoactive legal limit for adult drivers after he and his friends had mother, is awaiting trial on Sheriff's Office shows Ethan
compound in marijuana, after the crash. But a psy- played beer pong and charges of hindering ap- Couch, a Texas man who
court records show. chologist told a juvenile drank beer stolen from a prehension of a felon and used "affluenza" as a defense
at his trial for killing four
Couch's attorney did not court that he was affected Walmart. He veered into money laundering arising people while driving drunk.
immediately respond to by "affluenza," or irrespon- a crowd of people help- from when they fled to Associated Press
a request for comment. sibility caused by family ing the driver of a disabled Mexico in 2015.q