In the Nation

NORTH CAROLINA

Ride's operator held after five are injured

Authorities investigating a North Carolina State Fair ride that injured five people have concluded that someone tampered with it, and the ride's operator was being held Sunday on criminal charges. On the fair's final day, state officials said attendance was down compared with the final weekend of last year's fair and attributed the dip partly to the injuries.

Three people remained in a Raleigh hospital Sunday, three days after the Vortex ride jolted into gear as people were exiting, dropping some riders from heights that witnesses estimated at 20 or 30 feet.

Investigators determined the Vortex, known for its wild twirls and flips, had been tampered with and critical safety devices were compromised, Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said. Operator Timothy Dwayne Tutterrow, 46, of Quitman, Ga., faces three criminal counts of assault with a deadly weapon. - AP

INDIANA

College pair arrested

Two Indiana University students were charged Sunday morning in connection with a stabbing that injured another student at a campus apartment building, school officials said. University police arrested Zesen Shen, 18, and Kaiyu Lao, 21, IU spokesman Mark Land said. Police and witnesses said Shen and Lao had gone to the apartment's parking lot with a 20-year-old student "to resolve a dispute." - AP

CALIFORNIA

Life term, now freed

A woman who received a life sentence as a teen for killing her former pimp will be set free after Gov. Jerry Brown decided against blocking a parole board's ruling that grants her freedom. Sara Kruzan was 17 when she was sentenced to die in prison for the 1994 shooting death of George Gilbert Howard. She said he had sexually abused her and groomed her to work as a child prostitute. The case became an example for advocates seeking to soften harsh sentences for juveniles. - AP