In brief: District settles webcam spying suit

PHILADELPHIA – A Philadelphia-area school district has agreed to pay $610,000 to settle two lawsuits over secret photos taken on school-issued laptops.

The Lower Merion School District admits it captured thousands of webcam photographs and screen shots from student laptops in a misguided effort to locate missing computers.

Lower Merion High School student Blake Robbins, then 15, charged in an explosive civil-rights lawsuit filed in February that the district used its remote tracking technology to spy on him inside his home.

The settlement calls for Robbins to get $175,000 and a second student who filed suit, Jalil Hassan, to get $10,000. Their lawyer, Mark Haltzman, will get $425,000 for his work on the case.

Man stalked children before stabbing

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – A man accused of repeatedly stabbing an 8-year-old boy playing video games at a restaurant arcade had spent weeks stalking potential victims at area shopping malls, police said Monday.

“His intent was to kill a child,” Nassau County police Sgt. Vincent Garcia said of 23-year-old Evan Sachs.

Sachs was arrested Friday night, moments after police say he plunged the 4-inch blade of a hunting knife five times into the boy’s back.

The child suffered a punctured lung but was expected to survive, said Nassau police Lt. Ray Cote.

Ninth man arrested in brutal attacks

NEW YORK – Police on Monday arrested the ninth and final suspect in the brutal attacks on four people Oct. 3 that authorities believe were touched off because gang members thought one of their recruits was gay.

Ruddy Vargas-Perez, 22, was arrested by members of the Bronx violent felony squad at a relative’s house after his attorney had told authorities he would be surrendering to police today. He previously failed to show up as promised.