Jury acquits cop in shooting of Texas ballplayer
 Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press | May 11, 2010

A Houston-area police officer was acquitted Tuesday of shooting an aspiring major league baseball player who he mistakenly believed was armed and in a stolen vehicle. Jurors deliberated for nearly four hours before finding Bellaire police Sgt. Jeffrey Cotton not guilty of aggravated assault by a public servant for the 2008 shooting that injured Robert Tolan, the son of former major leaguer Bobby Tolan.

After the verdict, Cotton smiled and shook hands with other Bellaire police officers but Tolan and his family left the courtroom.

If Cotton had been convicted, he could have faced a sentence of life in prison. (Read the full article)