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Tag: arrest

  • Drone Farmer Arrest Results in 3-Year Sentence

    A North Dakota man has become the first American sentenced to jail time due, in part, to the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (a.k.a. “drone” or UAV).

    The story goes back to 2011, when half a dozen wayward cows wandered onto the property of Rodney Brossart. When asked to return the cattle, he refused and a SWAT team out of Grand Forks, ND, was dispatched to arrest him. But Brossart wouldn’t have it. He and his three sons grabbed guns and hunkered down on the farm, keeping the SWAT team at bay for 16 hours. The authorities had to call in a favor from Homeland Security, which loaned the local police a Predator drone that enabled them to gather information on the Brossarts’ position and eventually subdue them.

    While Brossart was exonerated of the original allegations of cattle theft, he was eventually charged with terroristic threatening of police. He contested the charges on the grounds that use of the drone constituted a warrantless search of his property. Brossart attorney Bruce Quick claimed that the drone was “dispatched without judicial approval or a warrant” and that the further tasing of Brossart in the course of the arrest constituted “guerrilla-like police tactics.” A federal district court disagreed with the drone argument, citing that the UAV had no direct bearing on the charges that Brossart had terrorized police.

    The federal government has owned up to using drones regularly for border patrol and drug enforcement purposes. Even so, a recent report by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that opposes drone use for domestic criminal investigations, released a report earlier this month that revealed that the federal government has used the vehicles hundreds of times more than what has gone on the official record. Brossart’s case was the first in which a UAV has been used for municipal law enforcement.

    Brossart was sentenced to three years with only six months of the sentence suspended. His sons were each convicted of misdemeanor charges and sentenced to a year of probation.

    Now we turn to the real question: how did four farmers hold off an entire SWAT team for 16 hours?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Justin Bieber Smiles in Mugshot After DUI Arrest

    When a celebrity gets arrested, it’s only a matter of time before someone digs up the police report with all of the relevant information. The Miami Beach Police Department decided not to keep anyone interested in singer Justin Bieber’s arrest waiting on pins and needles and posted everything to Twitter. Not only did the MBPD post a tweet announcing the arrest, the police department also posted Bieber’s mugshot and police report.

    The Miami Beach Police Department announced that Justin Bieber and Khalil Sharieff were arrested this morning after being caught drag racing. After pulling over Bieber, the officer noticed the smell of alcohol on the singer’s breath and Bieber was eventually charged with DUI and resisting arrest.

    Check out the MBPD’s announcement of the arrest. You’ll notice that the department also tagged their suspect.

    The MBPD later released both Bieber and Sharieff’s mugshots. Always one to flash his pearly whites, Bieber did not disappoint in his mugshot.

    Sharieff, who is 19 and an R&B singer, didn’t look as pleased with his arrest as Bieber did in his mugshot.

    Bieber’s arrest report is listed below. The report says that Bieber and Sharieff were racing each other in Lamborghinis and were traveling between 55 and 60 MPH in a 30 MPH residential area. The arresting officer says that when he began talking to Bieber he smelled alcohol on his breath and that he had “a look of stupor on his face.” After refusing to follow the officer’s orders at times, Bieber was arrested and transported to the police department where it was discovered that he was also driving with an expired license.

    Justin Bieber’s DUI arrest certainly isn’t doing much to help him get the New Year off to the right start. This is his second run-in with the law in 2014. Just last week, it was announced that Bieber is being investigated for vandalism. His neighbor accused him of egging his house following an argument.

    Image via Twitter

  • Supreme Court to Rule on Unwarranted Cell Searches

    President Obama addressed recent outrage over unwarranted cell phone searches by police in a speech he gave at the Department of Justice on Friday. The President’s statement comes at a time when there has been much public debate over the legality of searches performed by police on a suspect’s cell phone without first obtaining a warrant.

    Two recent court cases have now caused both the President and the U.S. Supreme Court to begin a formal debate over whether police should be able to search an arrested suspect’s phone without a warrant.

    In a case from 2009, a suspect in California was convicted after the prosecution presented evidence in court, which had been obtained from the defendant’s smartphone without a warrant. A suspicious picture on the phone was found by police and presented as evidence, resulting in an eventual conviction.

    In a Massachusetts case, an arrest made in September 2007 culminated in a conviction after the prosecution used evidence obtained from an unwarranted search of the call log on the arrestee’s cell phone. Both cases were appealed and sent to the Supreme Court.

    Many civil liberties groups across the nation are demanding that a stop be put to both, the unlawful searches of cell phones, as well as government storage of U.S. citizen’s cell phone metadata. One such group, Demand Progress, says that the collection (and storage) of metadata should be ended entirely.

    In June, the President publicly said that he “welcomed” a debate over the government’s storage of cell data, but nothing was said further about the question of citizen’s Fourth Amendment Rights being violated until his Friday speech in Washington.

    The information on the National Security Agency’s policy on collecting and storing cell phone data was leaked last year by former employee Edward Snowden, and is the root cause for the debate now taking place.

    Upon the public outcry, the President addressed the issue, but did not detail a new policy until last week when he stated that the government will not stop the gathering of data. but that a private third party will now store the information for the government. The only time federal officials will be allowed access to the data is when there is evidence of a person being three steps removed from a terrorist organization. The details of Obama’s new action were outlined in a document later released by the White House.

    Hanni Fakhoury, a former federal public defender, says that in most areas of the country it is standard procedure for police to search an arrested person’s cell phone without obtaining consent. As well, it is being argued that many court cases will be much more difficult to prosecute without such evidence, and that a cell phone is really no different than other items searched during an arrest.

    The Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments on the matter in April, and are scheduled to issue their ruling in June.

    Main image courtesy West Midlands Police/Face Watch App via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Kellen Winslow Arrested After Having Solo Sex

    Kellen Winslow Arrested After Having Solo Sex

    New details have developed in regards to former New York Jet’s football athlete, Kellen Winslow, who was arrested on November 19 for smoking synthetic marijuana outside of a New Jersey Target parking lot.

    It appears that the 30-year-old was doing more than just getting high.

    According to a female witness who was parked next to Winslow’s vehicle, she reported to police that he was in his car masturbating.

    The police report states:

    “As she exited her vehicle, she commented to the male regarding how cold it was. As she stood near the open driver side window of the Escalade, she observed the males [sic] erect penis. She stated that she believed he was masturbating. [The woman] provided a written statement regarding her account.”

    When police arrived to the scene, they found him initially slouched in his seat, but his genitals were not exposed.

    Winslow explained to police that he got lost while searching for a Boston Market, but evidence showed otherwise.

    Multiple bags and bottles of synthetic marijuana were found in Winslow’s vehicle. What appeared to be two open containers of Vaseline on his console were also found at the time of his arrest.

    Winslow, who says the online-bought drug helps him relax, was charged with possession of a synthetic marijuana called fubinaca.

    The original crime was listed as lewdness on the police report, but the 58-year-old eyewitness never came forth to sign documentation confirming the crime. Therefore, since the police did not witness the incident themselves, the initial offense got thrown out the window all together.

    In a Twitter statement by his publicist Denise White, she insists that masturbation did not play apart in his arrest:

    Just a week prior to his run in with law, the athlete was placed back on the team following a four-game suspension due to positive results on a drug test.

    On Dec. 30, he appeared in court for the November 19 charge. It is said that he is now a free agent and will not be returning to the Jets.

    Here’s a report done by The Fumble:

    Here’s a satirical video on the incident:

    Image via Youtube

  • Arrested With $153,000, Likely Drug-Related

    When you show up at an airport with $20,000 in cash asking for a private jet, it’s likely that somebody is going to ask questions.

    According to Fox17, a man attempted to purchase the use of a private plane in order to fly from Tennesee to Califonia. The fact that he was paying with thousands of dollars in cash struck Nashville airport officials as strange. They alerted airport police who then questioned the individual, 33-year-old Conor Guckian.

    When the police questioned Guckian, he claimed that he needed to carry the large amount of money with him in order to buy gold in California. His explanation for attempting to fly by private jet was concern for his personal safety. Despite the reason provided, it was noted that he had used commercial airliners to fly from Rochester, NY. to Chicago, IL, and from there to Nashville, TN, where he was apprehended.

    According to an affidavit, Guckian consented to a search. The police brought out K9s. During the search, the dogs reacted to the scent of a possible narcotic. Ultimately, the police discovered a whopping $153,000 in 32 bundles among Guckian’s belongings. The authorities claimed that the money wrapped in a manner consistent with drug money.

    While being questioned about the money and his intentions, Guckian kept changing his story. First he said that he flew to Nashville to see a friend, but later said that he intended to depart from the location because of cheap flights. During further questioning, he admitted that he had been previously arrested in New York for possession for resale of cocaine.

    Guckian also admitted to ensuring that his many bank accounts possessed amounts under $10,000 in order to avoid any government suspicion. Apparently he didn’t consider spending thousands of dollars in cash for private planes as turning up on anyone’s radar.

    Guckian is currently being held at the Davidson County Jail on $10,000 bond.

    Image via MorgueFile

  • Chrissy Lampkin, “Love & Hip Hop” Star Arrested for Assault

    One of the female reality stars from “Love and Hip Hop” was arrested early Sunday morning, December 29 at a New Jersey Bar for giving a woman a bloody eye.

    Chrissy Lampkin, the fiancé of Jim Jones and also co-star of VH1’s reality show “Chrissy & Mr. Jones,” assaulted the woman for getting into her personal space.

    Lampkin must have a hard hit because witnesses say that the victim was bleeding profusely from the upper part of her right eye.

    The victim’s wound was so bad that she had to be hospitalized and receive stitches.

    According to TMZ:

    “This wasn’t pure theatrics … cameras were NOT rolling. As for what started the fight … we’re told Chrissy got pissed that the alleged victim sat on the sofa she was sitting on and accidentally bumped into someone…. Lampkin was released a few hours later … “

    One thing is for certain: Lampkin does not tolerate seat stealers. However, I would hope there was more to it than that, but maybe it just happened to be one of those moody nights for the 42-year-old.

    Jones, of course, came to the rescue and bailed out his wife-to-be who was arrested on the terms of aggravated assault and disorderly conduct; something he knows all too well himself.

    Apparently, Lampkin has always had a shady side to her personality.

    According to a report by the DiaryofaHollywoodStreetKing blog:

    “Chrissy and her crew were involved in different crimes like credit card schemes, shoplifters, mules from NYC to D.C. They were setting up dudes to get robbed. Chrissy has dated dope boys like the infamous drug kingpin Alpo Martinez and his partner Rich Porter also three New York Knick players….Chrissy’s last trick/sponsor/boyfriend cheated on her…Chrissy decided to rob him for $32,000 then she ran to Miami to shop and have fun on his dime. Then dude and his crew tracked Chrissy down. The [guy] knocked out her front teeth and in return Chrissy had her [people] send him a message that if he does not pay for her dental bill and buy her breast implants he’s going to get hit with the Rico Act. Dude paid all Chrissy’s bills and that was the end of her and street dudes.”

    Hey, people can change! So, hopefully the “facts” presented were nothing more than a satirical piece.

    Thus, what happened Sunday is definitely factual and it appears that the fist-happy reality star may just face an unfortunate lawsuit in the very near future.

     Image Via Youtube, Kalah Thomas

  • Ceramic Squirrel Stabbing: No Beer Leads to Violence

    A North Charleston woman was arrested early Christmas morning after stabbing and beating her significant other with a ceramic squirrel.

    Helen Williams, 44, got into an altercation with the man over beer.

    According to reports, the 41-year-old man went out for beer earlier that night but the store was closed, as in many other stores that aren’t typically opened on Christmas Eve.

    When he arrived back at the house Williams went into a rage, beating him over the head and stabbing him in the chest and shoulder.

    The wounded man with scratches all over his face rushed to a nearby neighbor’s house for help and called 911.

    After police arrived, Williams was questioned about her visibly bloody hands and clothes. She claimed that the wounded man fell and cut himself.

    However, evidence showed otherwise.

    The man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for his injuries.

    Most ceramic squirrel sculptures are made by a process of heating and cooling clay (pottery for example), usually are small in size, and can be crafted in different designs. They can also be made with pointy tails, so I can’t even imagine getting stabbed by one!

    Fortunately for Williams, her heinous and yet unusual attack OVER BEER will not go unpunished.

    Williams was arrested and placed into the Charleston County jail Friday on a $10,000 bail. Her charges include criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature.

    Here is a pretty decent video tutorial showing how ceramic squirrels are made.

    Looks like a pretty lethal weapon to use, huh?

    Image via Youtube, MrSlarkog

  • Cops Find Disgusting Cat Torture Dungeon In Texas

    Cops Find Disgusting Cat Torture Dungeon In Texas

    (Warning: This article contains descriptions of animal cruelty)

    In Santa Fe, Texas, a narcotics investigation that ended Friday had police finding more than what they were looking for; sub-human treatment by “humans” to animals.

    On Friday afternoon in the 4000 block of Avenue N1/2 in Santa Fe, police executed a warrant and raided the house of 39-year old Brian Anthony Cheek, and his wife, 38-year-old Veronica Lynn Springer with the intention of finding drugs, according to Galveston Daily News. During the search, detectives found roughly nine grams of crystal methamphetamine, a scale of which to measure the drugs, packaging materials for sales, and a stolen all-terrain vehicle (ATV) valued at $14,000.

    Unfortunately, as the search went on, investigators later found a grueling and morbid discovery: 20 dead cats, ranging from kittens to fully grown mature cats. Police stated that the dead cats had all appeared to undergo various forms of torture before their demise.

    (image)
    (image)

    Investigators stated that there was evidence of blunt force trauma, disemboweling, strangulation, and burning as well as evidence of cats being burned. One of the murdered felines was found in a box in the bed of Cheek’s truck.

    Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Animal Cruelty investigators picked up the remains of many of the cats which will be later examined by necropsy, thus finding out the actual causes of the cats’ death.

    Cheek already had a history of felony charges for violating parole, but he is now charged with the first-degree felony of manufacturing and delivering controlled substances. Yesterday, Cheek was held on a $300,000 bond. As the investigation continues, felony charges related to animal cruelty and theft are expected to be imposed on Cheek, as well as his wife Springer.

    Springer was charged with possession of controlled substances; her bond was set at $20,000. ‘

    Sgt. Eric Bruss of the Santa Fe police declined to provide any additional information surround the animals, including whether or not any of them had tags or signs of ownership.

    Santa Fe police were assisted by the GCSO Special Crimes Unit, GCSO Auto Crimes Task Force, Galveston County I.D. and the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office.

    Here’s to more laws and penalties imposed on those who torture helpless beings, no?

    (Images via Santa Fe Police, Wikicommons)

  • Earl Sampson Arrested 62 Times; Racial Profiling?

    Earl Sampson Arrested 62 Times; Racial Profiling?

    Can you imagine being arrested dozens of times for simply trying to go to work? This is what one Miami area man, Earl Sampson, has endured over the past four years. Sampson, who works at a convenience store, has been either stopped or arrested around 300 times near his job for trespassing. As Sampson is black, many people are wondering whether he is the victim of racial profiling.

    Sampson’s arrests over the last four years have totaled 62. The number of times Sampson has been stopped and questioned is 258. He has been searched more than 100 times. The convenience store Sampson works at, 207 Quick Stop, is in an area known for loitering, so police are quick to stop people and question them. Sampson isn’t loitering, of course–he’s just trying to go to work.

    Lest you think Sampson is a bad egg and is deserving of the extra attention from police, Earl Sampson has just one conviction on his rather long rap sheet for marijuana possession. The rest of Sampson’s record comes from being hassled while trying to go to work. “They created this record,” Alex Saleh, Sampson’s boss and owner of the convenience store, said. “He’s a good guy, a humble guy, a quiet guy. He’s not a convicted felon.”

    Saleh has tried to intervene on Sampson’s behalf by telling the police officers that Sampson works for him, which didn’t help matters. “They ask him, ‘What are you doing here?’” said Saleh. “He said, ‘I work here.’ The clerk said he works here. I said, ‘I’m the owner, let him go. I work here.’ The officer said, ‘Yeah right.’”

    Sampson is also searched by the same officers quite often. “I never felt they had any probable cause,’’ Sampson said. “They hop out of the car and search me before they even ask me for my name.”

    The police officers also come into Saleh’s store and search his place without a warrant. “One officer asked me, ‘Can I use the restroom?’” Saleh said of one incident caught on camera. “He opened the restroom door…he decided to go walk in coolers to commit a search.”

    Eventually, Sampson and Saleh decided to catch the police officers in the act and installed more than a dozen security cameras. The resulting footage (see one of the surveillance videos above) proves that the Miami Gardens police aren’t justified in their repeated searches of Sampson and Saleh’s other customers. The footage shows the officers using excessive force, conducting searches of the 207 Quick Stop without search warrants and hassling Sampson and other customers for no legitimate reason.

    Saleh plans to take the footage and file a lawsuit against the Miami Gardens Police Department for racial profiling. Do you think what the Miami Gardens police are doing to Earl Sampson constitutes racial profiling? Add your comments below.

    [Image via WikiMedia Commons]

  • Colt Lyerla Arrested On Cocaine Charge

    Colt Lyerla Arrested On Cocaine Charge

    Colt Lyerla, a former tight end for the Oregon Ducks, has been arrested on charges of cocaine possession. Lyerla played in three games this season, before withdrawing from the University of Oregon. He was arrested on Wednesday on a charge of unlawful possession of cocaine, as well as interfering with a police officer.

    Lyerla, who was a junior at Oregon, informed his coach Mark Helfrich on Oct. 6 that he would be withdrawing from school.

    Since then, he has continued working out for the 2014 NFL draft, where he was graded as the No.2 tight end on several draft boards.

    His career with Oregon ended with 34 receptions for 565 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was forced to sit out for two games during the 2013 saeason due to a violation of team rules, and an illness. As a result, he only had 2 catches for 26 yards.

    When Lyerla was caught, the detectives were reportedly working on an unrelated drug investigation when they noticed him in a parked car snorting what appeared to be cocaine. He was then contacted police and he admitted to using and possessing the drug.

    He left the team earlier this month for what he said to be personal reasons. He told Oregon’s athletic website that his withdrawal had nothing to do with the suspension that he had received earlier in the season. In response to this situation, he said “I love everyone at Oregon; everyone’s on good terms, I believe.”

    After Colt Lyerla’s arrest for cocaine charges, he will likely have a hard time making it in the NFL any time soon. Whether he will be able to make it as a player in the NFL player is still to be determined, since people have been arrested for all sorts of things and have still been able to have successful careers, with Michael Vick as a great example.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clYtByzPOHU

    Image via Youtube

  • Aldon Smith Dodges Sanction from NFL After Arrest

    It looks like All-Pro linebacker, Aldon Smith, received an early birthday present from the 49ers. According to CBS Sports, he’ll be dodging a disciplinary bullet as NFL officials haven’t show any indication of plans to take any reprimanding actions in response to his recent behavior. At least they haven’t as of yet.

    For those who don’t know, Smith, 23, encountered a single vehicle accident in San Jose, CA when his pick-up truck hit a tree, and a curb, leaving skid-marks near the sidewalk and a resident’s driveway. Smith was arrested upon suspicion of driving under the influence, in addition to Possession of Marijuana. The San Jose police received a call around 7:00am from a resident in the Silver Creek area. The call was in regards to the crash, said Sgt. Heather Randol. However, when they arrived there was a little more to the incident than the obvious crash. “They conducted an investigation and determined he was under the influence. He was the only person in the vehicle,” Randol said.

    He was released late Friday morning after posting a $5,520 bond with the Santa Clara County jail. Later that afternoon, Smith joined his teammate on the practice field at the 49ers’ headquarters also located in Santa Clara. His court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 4. He declined commenting on the arrest when questioned by reporters. But, 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh, did address reporters in regards to his own expectations of Smith. “I expect Aldon — like today — he’ll be back to work and playing on Sunday” said Harbaugh.

    Harbaugh also went on to specify that if and when disciplinary actions are enforced, NFL officials will most likely take the reins. “I anticipate that, yes. There will be consequences. There always is. Good or bad, we all have consequences,” admitted Harbaugh. As Smith is no stranger to run-ins with the law, more than likely the NFL will take re-percussive action. However, SI Wire has reported that Smith could end up in drug rehabilitation ‘as early as this week,’ according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer. Under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement and substance-abuse policy, Smith cannot be suspended by the 49ers. So, he is protected to some extent, however, more than likely some action will be taken to rectify Smith’s substance-abuse problems.

     

    Image via NFL

  • Rapper Gucci Mane Arrested

    Rapper Gucci Mane Arrested

    Rapper/actor/tattoo enthusiast Gucci Mane was arrested for disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Saturday, according to Atlanta police. The incident took place on an Atlanta street, early in the morning, after a friend of the rapper flagged down police due to Mane’s odd behavior.

    Mane, 33, whose legal name is Radric Davis, became “increasingly agitated,” according to police, spewing insults and threats at the officers. He was taken into custody, when police found a handgun and a bit of marijuana in his possession.

    Mane, who recently appeared in Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers,” can be seen with rapper Future in his video for “Fu*k Da World,” below:

    Incidentally, actor James Franco’s character in Spring Breakers is said to be based on the greatest rapper who’s ever lived, Riff Raff.

    Riff Raff’s “Jose Canseco” video:

    Gucci Mane was also arrested in Atlanta in March, after clubbing a fan over the head with a champagne bottle, and faced charges for violating a number of traffic laws in the city in 2010. Mane was also charged in the shooting death of a man in 2005, but the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence.

    Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

  • Actor Wes Studi Arrested for DWI

    Actor Wes Studi Arrested for DWI

    The Hollywood Reporter tells us that actor Wes Studi was arrested early Friday morning for aggravated DWI in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

    Celebrities getting arrested for driving while intoxicated is nothing shocking. Usually the presumption is that they were at some Hollywood mixer or other bacchanalian affair, had a couple of glasses of wine, then tried to drive home, having the misfortune of running in with John Q. Law along the way. A quick lawyer-up and some community service time later, it’s all forgiven.

    But Studi’s case got a bit more bizarre in the re-telling.

    Santa Fe police say that Studi was arrested at 1:00 a.m. on Friday. He was stopped at a stop sign. But he was in a black 2005 Volvo with the front two tires blown out. Studi could not explain why both front tired were blown in his car. Actually, Studi could not explain much of anything. According to police, Studi was not just a little over the limit, slightly tipsy. He was sloshed.

    When the officer asked Studi to step out of the car, the report states that the 66-year-old actor “needed to use the vehicle to keep his balance and then stumbled to (the officer’s) patrol vehicle.”

    The report further stated that Studi’s breath smelled of alcohol, that he was confused and combative, and that he could not tell officers where he was going or why his tires were blown out.

    Studi refused breathalyzer and field sobriety tests. In many states, possession of a driver’s license gives law enforcement the presumption that you consent to those tests. Then reusing them is often cause for arrest. Stiudi was indeed arrested and placed on a $3,000 bond.

    Wes Studi is a Native American actor famous for his roles in movies like Dances With Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, Avatar, Heat, Mystery Men, and Geronimo.

    Back in April, Studi was inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers in Oklahoma City.

  • Man Arrested for Having Sex With Pool Raft. Again.

    Back in 2011, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that a man had been arrested in a very bizarre case. He had been caught publicly engaging in “sexual activity” with a pink inflatable pool raft.

    The Smoking Gun carried further details about the man, Edwin Charles Tobergata, then 32. Apparently, his neighbor had caught him in the alley behind their house, his pants around his ankles, having at the pool raft, which belonged to the neighbor. The cops were called. Tobergata was arrested. He told police that he had a problem and needed help. His mother told them that he had a history of mental instability and abuses his prescription medication.

    Fast forward two years.

    WHIO-TV News reports that Edwin Charles Tobergata has been arrested, again. He stepped out his back door naked, and started having “sexual relations with a rubber pool float”, again. There have been some reports that it was the same float. But this one was orange.

    A neighbor, Theresa Teague, said her 10-year-old daughter was enjoying her new backyard pool when she ran back in the house and told her mother, “Edwin was doing something weird out there.”

    Tobergata was caught having sex with the inflatable pool toy that the neighbors had put out to the trash.

    “He was yelling, ‘Please forgive me. I won’t do it again. Don’t call the police,’ ” as he ran back into his house, Teague said.

    The little girl is now afraid to play in her own back yard. Her family is thinking about entering her into a counseling program to help her with the problem.

    These two incidents are not Tobergata’s only brushes with the law for indecent exposure and sexual activity. In 2008 he had been arrested for felony public indecency. Before that, in 2006, he had been charged with public indecency, and while in jail had exposed himself to a guard.

    Neighbors familiar with his condition say he needs help, probably medication, not jail.

  • Rickie Lawrence Gardner: Bank Robber Says, “Arrest Me, Please”

    Lyndon McWhorter, Police Chief of Moulton, Ala., has announced the capture of bank robber Rickie Lawrence Gardner.

    Don’t care?

    That’s because Rickie Lawrence Gardner wasn’t really a bank robber. Gardner, age 49, was worried that he’d suffered a career-ending leg injury and was destined for the streets. “Three hots and a cot” sounded pretty good to a guy who was about to be out of hearth and home.

    So he pulled up to the Bank Independent branch in Moulton, walked in, and offered up a note that said he had a weapon and wanted money. The clerk handed over roughly $4000 and Gardner walked out, put the cash in his car, locked the vehicle, and sat down on a bench to wait for the cops to arrive.

    McWhorter said Gardner told authorities that he robbed the bank because he had hurt his leg and wasn’t able to take care of himself. “So,” said McWhorter, “he decided to get arrested to have a place to live and someone to take care of him.”

    Arresting authorities report that he had no weapon on him other than a pocketknife but he believed that threatening the clerk with a hypothetical weapon would increase his jail time, hence a longer-term stay in the clink.

    “When the officers got there, he was just sitting on the bench, waiting on them,” McWhorter said. “The money was locked up inside his truck, which was parked in the handicapped spot in front of the bank.”

    For what it’s worth, his leg injury had warranted a handicap parking sticker, which probably won’t help him at sentencing if he’s looking for a long stay. “He had a handicap sticker on his vehicle so he even parked legal,” according to McWhorter.

    Some family members are speculating that the pain medication that went along with the leg injury may have influenced Gardner’s actions.

  • Buju Banton’s Gun Conviction Struck Down

    Buju Banton’s Gun Conviction Struck Down

    In 2011, Reggae singer Buju Banton was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for cocaine charges.

    Banton was convicted by a Tampa, Florida jury of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kg (around 11 pounds) of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense. Banton’s lawyers had argued that the singer was entrapped by a federal informant. The 10-year sentence Banton received is the federal minimum for his drug crime, and an additional five years were added for the gun charge.

    Last week, a federal judge threw out Banton’s gun conviction. According to the Associated Press, the turnaround was due to a finding that a juror in the 2011 trial had done independent research during the trial. The jury foreman in the trial had reportedly researched the federal Pinkerton rule, which was used to convict Benton on the gun charge. The judge who struck down the charge stated that the juror should face contempt charges for his actions.

    Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, came to prominence in the 90s for albums such as Mr. Mention and Voice of Jamaica. Banton’s Before the Dawn album won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2011.

    (via Associated Press)

  • Utah Church Shooting Leaves Victim in Critical Condition

    A 35-year-old man walked into an Ogden, Utah church on Sunday and shot his father-in-law in the back of the head.

    According to the Ogden Police Department, Charles Richard Jennings, Jr. has been arrested for the attack, which took place during a Sunday mass at St. James Catholic Church in Ogden. After firing on the victim, Jennings stole a truck, but ran out of gas trying to escape on I-84. He was arrested there without incident. He has been charged with attempted aggravated criminal homicide and aggravated robbery.

    The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, and is in critical, yet stable, condition. No other parishoners were hurt during the shooting, though the Associated Press has reported the single gunshot scared church-goers, who dove to the floor. Police do not believe the attack was a random act of violence, and believe it to be domestic violence-related.

  • 7-Eleven Raids: Nine Arrested For Illegal Workers

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office today unsealed two indictments charging nine 7-Eleven store owners and operators with wire fraud, steling identities, and concealing and harboring illegal immigrants.

    The defendants are accused hiring “dozens” of illegal immigrants and giving them identities stolen from U.S. citizens. The illegal employees were allegedly housed in boarding houses owned by the defendants, and “substantial” portions of their wages were stolen.

    “As set forth in the indictments, the defendants used 7-Eleven as a platform from which to run elaborate criminal enterprises,” said Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “From their 7-Eleven stores, the defendants dispensed wire fraud and identity theft, along with Slurpees and hot dogs. In bedroom communities across Long Island and Virginia, the defendants not only systematically employed illegal immigrants, but concealed their crimes by raiding the cradle and the grave to steal the identities of children and even the dead. Finally, these defendants ruthlessly exploited their immigrant employees, stealing their wages and requiring them to live in unregulated boarding houses, in effect creating a modern day plantation system,”

    14 7-Eleven stores in Long Island and Virginia have been seized in connection with the indictments. In addition five New York houses worth over $1.3 million have also been seized. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stated that this was the largest criminal immigration forfeiture in its history.

    The defendants were arraigned today at court houses in Islip, New York and Norfolk, Virginia. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and harboring illegal immigrants, as well as consecutive two-year sentences for each count of aggravated identity theft.

    “The 7-11 franchises seized today will be better known for their big fraud than their Big Gulp,” said James Hayes, special agent-in charge for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. “As alleged, the franchise owners knowingly and repeatedly employed an illegal workforce and abused and exploited that workforce for more than 13 years. This charged criminal scheme had a vast detrimental effect on both the employees who were overworked and cheated out of wages, as well as the more than 25 American citizens whose lives were upended by the theft of their identities in furtherance of the scheme.”

  • Simi Teacher Malia Brooks Arrested in Student Sex Scandal

    A Simi Valley elementary school teacher was arrested this week for allegedly having sex with a young student.

    A KTLA report states that 32-year-old Malia Brooks was arrested Tuesday on charges of lewd acts on a child and multiple counts of sexual assault on a child under 14 years old. The victim has not been named, and is being described only as a boy in the sixth grade.

    Brooks was a 6th grade teacher at Garden Grove Elementary School in Simi Valley, California. She has two children and is divorced. Brooks’ defense attorney has claimed that she suffers from an undisclosed mental illness.

    Police were notified of Brooks’ alleged conduct by the Simi Valley Unified School District back in February, and have been conducting an investigation in the months since. Brooks was placed on administrative leave at that time, but resigned from her teaching position last week. School District officials have stated they are cooperating with Simi Police in the investigation.

    (via KTLA)

  • Pia Zadora Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges

    B-movie actress Pia Zadora was arrested this weekend on charges related to domestic violence.

    According to an Associated Press report, Zadora was arrested on Saturday morning for suspicion of domestic battery and coercion. Police had been called to her Las Vegas residence some hours before for an undisclosed disturbance.

    The identity of the alleged victim of the battery has not been revealed by police. The 61-year-old Zadora married Las Vegas police detective Michael Jefferies in 2005.

    Zadora began her acting career in the early 60s, appearing in the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof and in the movie Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. During the 80s she took roles in B-movie productions such as Fake-Out and Voyage of the Rock Aliens.

    As her acting career began to falter, Zadora turned to singing. She began releasing standards albums and found success with albums such as Pia & Phil, and I Am What I Am. She now tours and performs across the U.S.

  • Yearbook Prank Could Result in Felony Charge

    Yearbook Prank Could Result in Felony Charge

    A yearbook prank by a Missouri girl could now bring federal charges.

    According to an Columbia Daily Tribune report, 17-year-old Kaitlyn Booth (pictured), a junior at Hickman High School in Columbia, Missouri, could now be facing a felony charge after changing a classmate’s name in the school yearbook. The girl allegedly changed a classmate’s last name to “masturbate” instead of Mastain. According to the Daily Tribune story, Booth could be charged with first-degree property damage and harassment.

    The yearbooks had already been printed when the prank was discovered, and the school declined to reprint some 700 yearbooks at a cost of more than $41,000. Instead, stickers were printed with the student’s real name and placed into each yearbook.

    The girl whose name was changed, Raigan Mastain, told the newspaper that she wasn’t friends with the arrested girl and “hardly knew her at all,” though both worked on the yearbook. Mastain stated that the girl’s action was inappropriate and disappointing, but that she was “shocked” to learn that Booth had been arrested. Mastain also stuck up for Booth, saying that she doesn’t think the prank should affect Booth for the rest of her life.