EAST ST. LOUIS > Two former Freeburg students sue over alleged abuse — Two former Freeburg School District students sued the district in federal court Friday, alleging district officials caused them emotional distress by failing to supervise a former teacher and administrator who sexually abused them. In court documents filed in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, the former students, both male, accuse Robin Hawkins of sexually abusing them when they were grade school and high school students. Hawkins killed himself in May 2009. Both former students are identified in court documents as John Doe. One of the students claims Hawkins abused him in the early 1990s, the other says the alleged abuse occurred from 2005-2008. Hawkins was a teacher, coach, student council adviser, assistant superintendent and superintendent. The two claim the abuse happened multiple times on school property during class hours. One claimed Hawkins blindfolded him and bound him during the sexual abuse. Named in the suit are Clarence Haege and Lawrence Meggs, who were superintendents during the time some of the abuse is alleged to have happened. The suit says the administrators continued to allow Hawkins unsupervised access to boys and failed to protect the students from abuse. The plaintiffs are asking the district to pay an unspecified amount of damages for pain, suffering, emotional distress and medical and counseling expenses.

TOWN AND COUNTRY > Woman is killed in crash — A woman driving in Town and Country was killed in a two-car crash Thursday night, and the driver of the other car left the scene, police say. Police say Ciby Kimbrough, 70, was killed in the crash about 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Clayton Road and Woods Hill Drive. Kimbrough lived in the 11700 block of Russet Meadow Drive in St. Louis County. The car she collided with left the scene and was found west of the crash site, said Town and Country police Lt. Bob Arthur, but the driver had fled. Arthur said police are looking for the Ballwin man who owns the car, though they said they aren't sure he was driving the vehicle. Anyone with information is asked to call Arthur at 314-432-4696.

MADISON COUNTY > Third suspect is charged in alleged carjacking — Prosecutors have charged a third suspect in a carjacking on Dec. 29. Arcarte E. Lee, 45, of the 1700 block of Delmar Avenue in Granite City, was charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking. He was not in custody as of Friday afternoon. His bail is $250,000. Melissa L. Burcks, 35, and Samantha K. Martin, 31, both of Granite City, were earlier charged with the same offense in connection with the incident. Authorities said a man reported that he gave two women a ride to an address in Granite City where a man got into the car. The victim let one of the women drive and said she drove to an area near Illinois Route 255 and New Poag Road, where the victim was forced from the car. The victim tried to hang onto the car and was dragged a short distance. He suffered minor injuries. Sheriff's detectives and the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force later recovered the victim's 2010 Ford Mustang.

ST. LOUIS > Three linked to motorcycle gang admit crimes — Three men associated with the Wheels of Soul outlaw motorcycle gang pleaded guilty in federal court this week to a racketeering conspiracy charge and admitted their involvement in drugs and violent crime. Thomas "Q-Ball" Bailey, 41, and Maurice Thomas, 32, both of Chicago, and Rasheed Jamal "Diamond" Brandon, 33, of Denver, were among almost two dozen indicted here and elsewhere in June 2011 and accused of various crimes. In his plea Friday, Brandon admitted planning a drive-by shooting of members of a rival motorcycle club in East St. Louis in January 2011 and the home-invasion robbery of a suspected drug dealer in Southern Illinois, prosecutors said. Bailey and Thomas admitted trafficking crack cocaine "in furtherance of the Wheels of Soul enterprise," prosecutors said. Bailey, a former "ranking member" of a Chicago chapter of the gang, admitted agreeing to the killing of a junior member as punishment for repeatedly breaking the rules, prosecutors said. All admitted being associated with Wheels of Soul, which has chapters in more than 20 states nationwide, prosecutors said, and was once described as the only racially mixed outlaw motorcycle club.

ST. LOUIS > Officer fires at driver who rammed police car — A police officer fired shots at a car after the driver rammed a police car during a traffic stop and flourished a gun about 1:10 a.m. Friday in the Wells Goodfellow neighborhood of St. Louis. Officers on patrol saw a man looking into vehicles near Palm and Belt avenues. The officers saw the man get into a car and drive away, so they followed him. They tried to stop the man's car, and he pulled over to the curb at Belt and Natural Bridge Avenue, about two blocks from where they first spotted him. When the officers got out of their car, the man put his car into reverse, rammed the officers' car and flourished a weapon, police say. Police said an officer fired four shots because he feared for his safety. The officers weren't hurt. The car was apparently hit by some of the officer's rounds, but the man was not. The man sped away. Police officers from the 6th District found him at a gas station at Goodfellow Boulevard and Lillian Avenue and arrested him. The officer who fired at the suspect is a 33-year-old man who has been with the department 1 1/2 years.

ST. LOUIS > Worker is accused of embezzling $155,000 — An employee of a Maplewood property management company was indicted in federal court Thursday and accused of embezzling just under $155,000, court documents show. Jewelline C. Daniels, 36, started with the Mills Group Inc. in 2001 and was later promoted to property manager. While property manager of an apartment complex in Manchester beginning in 2006, Daniels submitted bills for payment to the company multiple times, creating fictitious entries in the accounting system to hide her theft, her indictment says. Daniels could not be reached for comment Friday.