NATIONAL BRIEFS

WASHINGTON: Complaint filed against Massa

A male aide to former Rep. Eric Massa has filed a sexual harassment complaint alleging the New York Democrat regularly groped him, propositioned him and made lewd remarks. "There was grabbing people in private areas," said Debra Katz, the aide's attorney. "[Massa] routinely . . . made crude propositions requesting oral sex from his employees." She said Tuesday the complaint was filed March 23 on behalf of the staffer, whom she refused to identify. Massa resigned last month after harassment stories surfaced.

OREGON: Scouts rebuked on molestation

A jury delivered an embarrassing rebuke to the Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday when it found that the organization failed to protect a man who was molested by an assistant Scoutmaster in the early 1980s. Jurors awarded $1.4 million to the former Portland man and decided that the Irving, Texas-based organization was liable for up to $25 million in punitive damages, to be decided in a separate phase of the trial. Secret Scout "perversion files" - records of known sex offenders were used as evidence. The Scouts denied negligence and said the files actually helped them keep child molesters out of their ranks. Lawyers for Kerry Lewis, 38, argued the organization was reckless in allowing former assistant Scoutmaster Timur Dykes to continue to associate with Lewis' Scout troop after Dykes acknowledged to a bishop for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints early in 1983 that he had molested 17 Boy Scouts.

NEW JERSEY: Teen held in 5 slayings

A teenager has been charged with killing five people, including a couple on the day of their engagement party, during a two-month crime spree. Shiquan Bellamy, 19, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a Jersey City court. He was charged in the April 4 shooting deaths of Michael Muchiaki, 27, and his fiancee, Nia Haqq, 25, during an apparently botched carjacking. He then was tied to the earlier murders of cousins Mileak Richardson and Lester "Bleek" Thompson and that of a stranger, Lamonte Wright, 20.