Nation briefs

ARIZONAMultiple assaults alleged

A prosecutor announced an indictment yesterday against an 18-year-old Arizona student charged with sexually assaulting about a dozen girls over nearly five years. Charges against Tyler Kost of San Tan Valley include multiple counts of sexual assault with a minor, sexual abuse with a minor and sexual conduct with a minor. He also faces one count of child molestation. Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles said the victims in the crimes alleged in the indictment issued Wednesday ranged from 12 to 17 years old. Voyles said the offenses occurred between October 2009 and April 2014. Kost was born in January 1996 so he was 13 when the first offense allegedly occurred. But Voyles plans to try him as an adult on all charges. Kost would face between 147 and nearly 334 years in prison if convicted of all the charges in the indictment, the prosecutor said.

CONNECTICUTCircus resumes in Hartford

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus opened in Hartford yesterday, four days after an acrobatic stunt went awry, injuring nine performers and abruptly halting the circus in Providence, Rhode Island. While seven of the acrobats injured while performing in a hair-hanging stunt remain in the hospital, two in serious condition, the circus was scheduled to perform eight shows in Hartford through Sunday. The condition of two of the acrobats has been upgraded to fair and two others remain in serious condition. Three others have asked that their medical conditions not be made public. One of the injured acrobats was released from the hospital Tuesday.

WASHINGTONNew incident at White House

The White House was put on lockdown for the second time this week after two people threw items over fences on opposite sides of the presidential compound at almost exactly the same time yesterday, the Secret Service said. The lockdown began just before 3 p.m. and was lifted after about 90 minutes. Both suspects were charged with "throwing objects -- missiles." Evan Graham allegedly threw a cassette tape over the north fence line. Von Greenbrier Lerriche is suspected of throwing "miscellaneous papers" over the south fence line. On Tuesday, the White House was on lockdown for more than an hour after a motorist inadvertently followed the motorcade carrying the president's daughters into the secure perimeter for the compound.