RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Latest on the case against a California slaying suspect arrested in South Dakota (all times local):
12:15 p.m.
A California man who was arrested after South Dakota police found his mother's body in the vehicle he was driving is fighting extradition.
Thirty-year-old Tosten Walsh Lommen is charged with murder in California in the death of his mother, 58-year-old Michelle Walsh. He was arrested on New Year's Day on suspicion of drunk driving and eluding police following a chase on Interstate 90 in South Dakota.
Authorities in South Dakota this week dropped local charges against Lommen to clear the way for his return to California.
KEVN-TV reports that Lommen appeared in court Friday and declined to waive extradition. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Feb. 20.
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8 a.m.
Authorities in South Dakota have dropped local charges against a California man who they say was arrested with his mother's body found in the vehicle he was driving.
The Capital Journal reports the procedural move by prosecutors clears the way for 30-year-old Tosten Walsh Lommen to be returned to California to face a murder charge in that state.
Authorities allege Lommen killed his mother, 58-year-old Michelle Walsh, sometime around Dec. 30 while the two were living in her home in Palm Springs, California.
Lommen was arrested on New Year's Day on suspicion of drunk driving and eluding police following a chase on Interstate 90 in South Dakota. Authorities say they found his mother's body wrapped in a blanket in the back seat.
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Information from: Pierre Capital Journal, http://www.capjournal.com
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