Nation briefs

NATIONWIDE

Chipotle outbreak spreads

An outbreak of E. coli linked to Chipotle that originated in the Pacific Northwest has spread south and east and has now infected people in six states. New cases have been reported in New York, Ohio and California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday. The first cases were discovered late last month in Oregon and Washington, and more recently in Minnesota. Investigators have yet to determine the specific ingredient linked to the illness. So far, 45 people have been infected, with 43 of them saying they ate at Chipotle in the week before they became sick.

KENTUCKY

Man charged in girl's death

A man was arrested yesterday and charged with murder and sex crimes in the death of a girl, 7, whose body was found in a creek minutes after she disappeared during a football game. In addition to murder, Timothy Madden, 38, of Scottsville, is charged with kidnapping, first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy, Trooper B.J. Eaton said at a news conference at the Kentucky State Police post in Bowling Green. Madden was being held in the Barren County jail on $1 million bond.

WASHINGTON

Gyrocopter pilot takes plea

A Florida man who piloted his one-person aircraft through some of the nation's most restricted airspace and landed on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty in the case yesterday. Douglas Hughes' plea in federal court in Washington had been expected. Earlier this month, Hughes said he had agreed to plead guilty to a felony, operating a gyrocopter without a license. Hughes said the April 15 stunt was a way to call attention to the influence of big money in politics. The charge carries a potential 3 years in prison, but prosecutors agreed not to ask for more than 10 months in prison as part of the plea deal. One of Hughes' attorneys, Mark Goldstone, has said he will ask that Hughes, who is from Ruskin, Florida, get probation when he is sentenced April 13.