Q: Would you be able to find out why the promising paper from the Republican Party that Donald Trump showed proudly on Sept. 3 was dated Aug. 3? Was not Aug. 3 before the first Republican debate? If so, was this preplanned showmanship by all parties concerned?
—Sheila C. Drake, Winder
A: The mistake regarding the Aug. 3 date on Trump's loyalty pledge to the Republican Party was pointed out during the news conference and later changed.
Trump said at the time that “someone else wrote it in,” and that it “would get changed,” Newsweek reported.
Trump’s campaign later distributed a signed pledge with the correct date, USA Today reported.
The pledge is non-binding, but Trump said: “I have no intention of changing my mind. I see no circumstances under which I would tear up that pledge.”
Q: Several months ago, an auxiliary officer, a wealthy elderly man who was a good friend of a sheriff, shot and killed a man already on the ground and being handled by a real policeman. What happened with that case?
—Betty Cordes, Stone Mountain
A: Robert Charles Bates, a volunteer deputy with the Tulsa County (Okla.) Sherriff's Office, was charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Eric Courtney Harris on April 2.
Bates, a 73-year-old insurance company executive, was working with the Violent Crimes Task Force when he shot Harris, who was resisting arrest.
Bates said he thought he had grabbed his Taser, not his handgun.
He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Tulsa County District Court. His trial is scheduled for Feb. 8.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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