WebProNews

Tag: Crime

  • Game Of Thrones Reminds Man He Left Baby in Hot Car

    A Wichita, Kansas man was charged with first-degree murder after leaving his 10-month-old foster daughter locked inside a car for roughly two hours while he smoked weed and watched televison on July 24.

    According to a police affidavit released Monday, Seth Jackson, 29, left the infant in his car after picking her up from a sitter. Jackson had been out taking a different five-year-old foster child to a doctor’s appointment, and grabbed a pizza on the way back.

    Jackson’s partner told police that the two smoked weed and ate the pizza, while watching one and a half episodes of Game of Thrones. At some point, a baby crying in an episode reminded Jackson that he left the child in the sweltering car, and both men rushed outside.

    According to Wichita police detective Ryan Schomaker, Jackson carried the girl into the house, and tried to perform CPR on her, but her body was stiff and he couldn’t get her mouth to open. Jackson called 911, and repeatedly said, “I left her in the car, she’s dead, she’s dead.” Firefighters arrived but were unsuccessful in reviving the child.

    Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett revealed that although the cause of death was hyperthermia, Jackson was charged first-degree murder because the child died during the commission of an inherently dangerous felony, aggravated endangering of a child. The case is not charged as intentional murder.

    Prosecutors do agree the circumstances are entirely different in Jackson’s case than that of the Justin Ross Harris case in Georgia. Harris has been accused of intentionally leaving his 22-month-old son in a hot SUV, while cheating on his wife.

    In 2014, there have so far been 18 heatstoke deaths due to children being left in hot cars.

    Image via YouTube

  • Google Doesn’t Watch for Most Criminal Activity in Your Email, Just Child Porn

    Feel free to sell someone some drugs or plan a burglary (Google’s own words) with your Gmail – Google isn’t looking for that kind of criminal activity. Yes, Google is scanning your email, but it’s only to spot child porn (and serve you ads, of course).

    You probably heard that a Texas man was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography after Google (Google’s robots, more specifically) detected the images in the man’s Gmail. He was attempting to email the images to another user. When Google identified the images, they sent a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited children, who then notified the police. That led to a search warrant, which unearthed child porn on the man’s various devices.

    Naturally, this news elicited mixed reactions. First off, awesome – a child pornographer was caught. But also, privacy? Google’s looking at all of my email images?

    Well, of course they are. They’re not trying to hide it.

    “Our automated systems analyze your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customized search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored.”

    That’s in Google’s TOS. They also use those automated systems to scan for illegal child porn images, and this isn’t the first time that they’ve tipped off authorities.

    But if you are worried about all the other kinds of illegal activity laid out in your emails – Google says don’t be.

    Here’s my favorite company response in recent memory:

    Sadly all Internet companies have to deal with child sexual abuse. It’s why Google actively removes illegal imagery from our services — including search and Gmail — and immediately reports abuse to NCMEC [The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children]. This evidence is regularly used to convict criminals.

    Each child sexual abuse image is given a unique digital fingerprint which enables our systems to identify those pictures, including in Gmail.

    It is important to remember that we only use this technology to identify child sexual abuse imagery, not other email content that could be associated with criminal activity (for example using email to plot a burglary).

    You know, like burglary.

    While some extreme privacy hawks may see no circumstance where email snooping, even if only by robots, is acceptable – I think the vast majority of reasonable people can get behind Google’s initiative to find child pornographers and help put them in jail.

    Image via Google

  • Marijuana Legalization Foes Losing the Battle

    Marijuana Legalization Foes Losing the Battle

    Marijuana legalization is a battle that has gone on for decades. Proponents of legal marijuana, whether it be for medical purposes or for recreational, have pointed out one of the greatest arguments against prohibition ever: prohibition of something that this many people want and will find a way to get creates a black market. That black market creates violence.

    Other effective points include the loss of tax base money by ignoring pot as a revenue source, the usefulness of marijuana as medicine, the overcrowding of prisons with people charged with victimless crimes, and the misappropriation of law enforcement to play budget games pursuing these victimless crimes.

    These arguments are making inroads into the American perception of pot. Everyone knows someone who smokes pot. And chances are, if we knew which of our friends did, we’d be surprised at how normal they are.

    One of the tactics of the legalization forces is to take each item in the criminalization argument and dismantle it with research and facts. Nonetheless, anti-legalization forces still fall back on the same batch of arguments. Here are three that you will hear almost every time a news channel puts a pair of faces side-by-side to debate the issue.

    Opponents often argue that, if marijuana is legalized in any fashion, medical or recreational …

    Crime Will Go Up

    This particular argument can best be understood by taking a step back and looking at a bit of “causality” logic. Anti-pot folks say things like, “Marijuana [is] the most popular drug used by men who [have] been arrested.”

    Pro-pot folks reply, “Sure it is. That’s because you arrest thousands of them for possessing marijuana!”

    Another way of looking at this “causality” argument is demonstrated by Steve Fox of the Marijuana Policy Project.

    “We could release a study tomorrow showing that 98 percent of arrestees in the United States drank water in the 48 hours before they engaged in criminal behavior. Does that mean that water causes crime? Fortunately, the American people are smarter than the drug czar thinks they are.”

    The danger that anti-pot folks promote is the notion that, if more people are using marijuana, these people will commit more crimes, including rapes, murders, assaults, etc.

    One doomsayer said, “Thugs put on masks, they come to your house, they kick in your door. They point guns at you and say, ‘Give me your marijuana, give me your money,’”

    Anyone who has ever been high knows that there is something inherently wrong with this line of logic. But let’s let the numbers do the talking. As MSNBC reported after Denver legalized pot:

    “According to data from the Denver Police Department, violent crime (including homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault) fell by 6.9% in the first quarter of 2014, compared with the same period in 2013. Property crime (including burglary, larceny, auto theft, theft from motor vehicle and arson) dropped by 11.1%.”

    Other states have seen similar drops or flatlines in crime.

    DUI Incidents Will Go Up

    Crime in general is one thing, but some worry that DUI incidents will rise. Some point out that, in cities like Denver, the presence of marijuana in the system of a person killed in an accident has tripled. But pro-pot folks have a simple answer to that.

    Marijuana is detectable in the blood for one week after consumption. Just because someone is found to have smoked within the last week, or even that day, does not mean that they are impaired at the time of an accident.

    In fact, pro-pot folks point out that marijuana legalization actually leads to a decrease in traffic fatalities because some people choose to use pot rather than alcohol, which has much worse impairment effects, as well as a general tendency toward activity that pot-smoking does not induce in most people.

    The general wisdom is, people go to bars and parties, get drunk, and drive home. People stay home and smoke pot, which keeps them off the road.

    What about the stats on that?

    According to the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatal car wrecks dropped by 9% in states that legalized medical use. And “the rate of fatal crashes in which a driver had consumed any alcohol dropped 12% after medical marijuana was legalized, and crashes involving high levels of alcohol consumption fell 14%.”

    Kids Will Get It

    “Kids are going to be bombarded with this – they’re already getting the message that it’s acceptable,” said Kevin Sabet, Director of the University of Florida Drug Policy Institute.

    But legalization proponents point out that logic says otherwise.

    “Forcing marijuana sales into the underground market is the worst possible policy when it comes to protecting our young people,” said a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, a pro-legalization group. “It is odd that those who wish to keep marijuana out of the hands of kids are fighting to keep it as uncontrolled as possible.”

    When voters of a state decide to legalize marijuana, that move brings with it heavy regulation, including stiff penalties for any business that sells to underage buyers. The fact is, legal marijuana shops don’t want kids anywhere near their doors.

    Colorado goes even further, barring any advertising of marijuana that aims at children, much as was done for cigarettes.

    As long as marijuana is unregulated, criminal salespeople make no differentiation about who they sell to.

    But forget theorizing about the possible effects in this area. What about states that have already gone the legalization route? Are they noticing any difference?

    According to a Youth Risk Behavior Survey done by the CDC in states that have legalized pot, “The effect of passing a medical marijuana law on youth consumption appears to be zero across the board.”

    Image via YouTube

  • ‘Slender Man’ Stabbing Suspect Trial Delayed

    Morgan Geyser, one of two 12-year-olds charged with stabbing a classmate to appease the fictional internet entity The Slender Man, has been deemed unfit to stand trial.

    On May 31, Geyser, along with friend Anissa Weier, lured their 12-year-old classmate into a wooded area in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where they allegedly held her down and stabbed her 19 times. The victim crawled away and was discovered by a cyclist.

    While being interviewed by the police, the two attackers admitted that the stabbing was the first step toward becoming “proxies” to The Slender Man. Geyser said she believed that The Slender Man lived in a mansion in Wisconsin, where she and her accomplice could live, after they completed a murder. Both were charged as adults for first-degree intentional homicide, and are facing up to 65 years imprisonment each.

    The Slender Man character originated as an Internet meme created by Something Awful forums user Eric Knudsen in 2009. The Slender Man is tall, thin, has a blank face and wears a black suit, and is typically depicted as staking, abducting and traumatizing people, usually children.

    Here is a fakelore documentary on The Slender Man:

    Commenting on Geyser’s mental status, Dr. Brooke Lundbohm told the Waukesha County court that the tween is “standing mute.” Lundbohm revealed that Geyser likewise believes in unicorns, thinks she has mind-control capabilities similar to the Vulcan race of Star Trek lore and has conversations with Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort. She is likewise afraid to mention much about The Slender Man, for fear he would harm her or her family. She also claimed to communicate with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

    According to Kenneth Robbins, a psychiatrist hired by the defense, Geyser was described as being “giddy,” was laughing inappropriately while being interviewed and seemed unconcerned about a lengthy prison sentence.

    While both doctors agreed that Geyser is not faking, Lundbohm believes that with medication, the defendant will be ready to stand trial in time. “She needs to grow up,” Lundbohm commented.

    Judge Michael Bohren set a hearing for November 12 to get an update on Geyser’s condition.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Amanda Knox Allegedly Connected To Known Cocaine Dealer

    Amanda Knox is preparing for her last ditch effort at an appeal in Italy’s highest appeals court. She will try to overturn her conviction of murdering her roommate Meredith Kercher. That is enough for anyone to be anxious about, but now it seems she has a few other problems to deal with.

    It was revealed recently that Amanda Knox allegedly had a sexual relationship with a cocaine dealer who allegedly repeatedly sold drugs to a man named Luciano who allegedly stabbed his brother 16 times with a kitchen knife. This allegedly occurred a year before Meredith Kercher was murdered. Amanda Knox’s alleged connections to the cocaine dealer, who investigators refer to as “F”, weren’t mentioned in her murder trial.

    This “F” was reportedly a psychology student from Rome. It is said that he met Amanda Knox on a train from Milan to Florence and shared a joint with her. The two then developed a relationship that investigators deemed to be of a “supposedly sexual nature”. His phone number was found in her phone and records showed that the two were in contact often.

    It was assumed that “F” also sold drugs to Amanda Knox.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl7IlE4PjLE

    However, it seems that this new information may not have any effect on Amanda Knox.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vOKhl5yHMQ

    Giuliano Mignini, the magistrate in charge of the investigation into Meredith Kercher’s murder, said Wednesday that he considered the new revelations irrelevant to Amanda Knox’s case.

    He said of Amanda Knox’s case, “We have three sentences, one of which is definite and we are at the final stages of the process – this will not change anything.”

    Mignini added that new evidence wouldn’t even be admitted into Amanda Knox‘s appeal hearing.

    Basically, when it comes to the conviction of Amanda Knox, this new information really doesn’t matter when the facts are examined that relate to the murder of Meredith Kercher.

    “We ran down many leads and at the end we were left with three people who left traces in the house.” Mignini said.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC2Ci93mKEg

    The appeal that Amanda Knox has made for her innocence will be over soon. Only time will tell if she will face punishment or freedom.

    Image via YouTube

  • Comcast Customer Pulls Gun on Repair Man

    In ooooh-she-mad news, A 48-year-old Bernalillo County, New Mexico woman has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after she pulled a handgun on a Comcast employee.

    Gloria Baca-Lucero was arrested after demanding that a Comcast service rep leave her property – the I’ve got a gun type of demanding. Here’s the best thing about the whole story – Baca-Lucero doesn’t deny it. In fact, her and the rep’s stories are pretty much identical.

    According to the criminal complaint, both parties can agree on a set of facts. The rep, hereafter referred to as Ratliff, went to Baca-Lucero’s house to make some repairs. Upon learning that the repairs would cost money and she would have to sign a consent form before Ratliff could begin work, Baca-Lucero became perturbed. She then dialed Comcast customer service, who confirmed that the repairs would indeed cost a fee.

    Baca-Lucero refused to sign the forms, and Ratliff began to go on his way.

    Both parties then agree that Baca-Lucero took one of Ratliff’s tool bags, and placed it inside the home. When Ratliff said um, gimme my bag, Baca-Lucero refused, saying that his supervisor would have to come get it and he needed to get off her lawn.

    The accounts begin to veer apart at this point – but not that much. Baca-Lucero says Ratliff was standing in her driveway refusing to leave. Ratliff says he had just walked off the porch. Either way, both say that Baca-Lucero then pulled a gun out of her pocket.

    Huh. So from that account, it appears that the only difference of opinion here revolves around whether or not it was a-ok to just steal a bag of tools. Which it’s not, if you were wondering.

    The Albuquerque Journal reports that when police arrived on scene, they found a Glock and the repairman’s bag.

    Lady, I understand your frustration – but this is pretty much the worst way possible way to go about expressing said frustration (apart from actually shooting someone). Also, blaming some poor repairman for arguably bullshit Comcast fees is kind of like bitching at your waiter because the clam chowder is too expensive. Focus your energy a little higher up the chain, and next time focus it without the help of a 9mm.

    Comcast is a terrible, soul-depleting monster, capable a reducing even the most composed individual to a screechy, rabid asylum escapee. This is inarguable. But just say no to tool ransom and firearm brandishing.

    h/t CNET

  • Teen Threatens to Kill Everyone in Texas Town on Facebook

    There are two things that teens should know about posting incendiary, possibly terroristic messages on Facebook in 2014. First, someone’s going to notice and you’re going to get caught. Also, they’re going to take that shit seriously.

    Meet Melissa Johnson, which isn’t her real name. Johnson is the Facebook pseudonym created by a 13-year-old Texas girl in order to bully a cancer patient and threaten to kill the whole town.

    News92 in Houston reports that first, the teen sent a Facebook message to a 13-year-old boy currently fighting cancer. It said “you should have died.”

    Luckily, the boy’s mother intercepted the message.

    But wait, there’s more.

    It was a status, posted shortly after that incident, that put folks in Splendora, Texas on edge. “I am going to kill everybody in Splendora on July 13th.’” Rather ambitious, but pretty straightforward.

    Police say that Facebook was a bit resistant to help them with their investigation into the threat, but eventually gave in. Soon, police had arrested the girl.

    What’s her prize for this wonderful episode of Facebook douchebaggery? Terroristic threat charges, which is a third-degree felony! Police also took all of her electronic devices, which to a 13-year-old girl, may have been the worse of the two.

    “We hope this young lady will learn from her mistake and do something positive with her life,” said Constable Hayden. “We also hope this is a wakeup call for parents. We cannot stress enough the importance of knowing what your children are doing online and talking to them about the serious consequences they’ll face if they engage in this type of behavior.”

    Yeah. That about sums it up. I don’t mean to sound Orwellian here, but you should probably keep an eye on what your 13-year-old is doing online. Thirteen-year-olds have this annoying habit of being stupid as hell.

    Image via Montgomery County Constable, via HLN

  • Bodies of Missing Arkansas Man and Infant Son Found

    The bodies of an Arkansas man and his 10-month-old son were discovered in a remote area of the Ouachita Mountains on Tuesday, concluding a four-day search.

    Brian Floyd, 33, and his son Harper Floyd were last seen on Friday morning with Brooke Floyd, the child’s mother. Brooke Floyd was found hours later, walking alone down a rural road in the area, which is situated roughly 80 miles west of Little Rock. Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey commented that Floyd appeared to be “cut up and scarred as if she had been in a wooded area.”

    Gilkey added that Floyd “spoke of a separation Friday night.” She also listed her marital status as “single” on the police report. “Investigators are still trying to get to the bottom of what caused the separation,” Gilky said.

    Floyd was detained on the charge of endangering the welfare of a minor, as she was initially uncooperative regarding the search effort for her husband and child.

    It is still not clear if Brooke Floyd is considered to be a suspect or a victim. She was being held on $50,000 bond, but made bail.

    Floyd eventually revealed the location of the family truck, which lead investigators to the bodies. Harper’s body was found in the mountainous region at roughly 1:30 p.m. and and Brian’s body was found nearly one hour later. Both bodies were transported to the state crime lab for autopsies.

    Gilkey didn’t mention if the deceased were accident or homicide victims, and commented during a press conference at the site, “It’s not the outcome we certainly had hoped for and our prayers and thoughts go out to the families involved.”

    Here is a clip of an interview with Brooke Floyd’s family:

    Gilkey said that investigators were presently meeting with county prosecutors to go over the case.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Man Charged in Abigail Hernandez Disappearance

    A 34-year-old New Hampshire man was charged Monday for the kidnapping of 15-year-old Abigail “Abby” Hernandez over nine months ago.

    Authorities believe that Nathaniel Kibby abducted Hernandez on October 9, as she left Kennett High School in Conway. Kibby was arrested in Gorman without incident, roughly 30 miles north of where Hernandez lives.

    Hernandez returned home out of the blue on July 20, and at that time, the FBI issued a statement – “We’re just happy to see her home safe and sound, but we still want to understand how this came about and learn more about the circumstance.”

    Details are still vague concerning Hernandez’ confinement, but sources close to the case revealed that Kibby held the teen in a storage container on his trailer park lot. Kibby was in court today and was so far charged with felony kidnapping. His bail was set at $1 million, cash only.

    Kibby has an extensive rap sheet, and was charged with criminal trespassing and assault in March. Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young refused to unseal affidavits outlining the current case against Kibby, to the dismay of public defender Jesse Friedman. Young commented, “There are searches being conducted at the defendant’s house,” and explained that the investigation against Kibby is still in a preliminary stage.

    Abigail’s mother, Zenya Hernandez, revealed that when her daughter returned home, she was gaunt and pale, and had “a look in her eyes I’ve never, ever seen before. And that’s something that’s haunting me, and I think will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

    FBI Agent Kieran Ramsey remarked, “Her courage, her resolve to return home in the way she did, I think, speaks for itself.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Uber Driver Accused of Sexual Assault in DC

    Uber Driver Accused of Sexual Assault in DC

    Despite implementing a ‘safe rides fee’ earlier this year, stories about Uber passengers experiencing anything but safe rides continue to pop up.

    The latest comes from Washington DC, where a 32-year-old Uber driver has been charged with second degree sexual abuse after a passenger claimed that he molested her in the back of his car this past Sunday.

    From Washington City Paper:

    In the affadavit, the woman says she passed out in the cab and that when she woke, the driver was rubbing her breasts. She then fell back asleep, according to court documents, and woke up again to the sound of car doors locking. The cab had stopped and the driver was feeling her breasts and pulling down her underwear down to her knees. She says she asked the driver to be let out of the vehicle, but he refused and at one point asked if he could go back to her hotel with her. In a follow-up interview with authorities, she said Chakari briefly penetrated her with his finger or another thin object.

    Luckily, the woman somehow managed to send out a couple of texts to a friend (who had called the ride for her on his account). He was able to contact the driver, which appears to have ended the attack.

    Uber says the driver has been suspended and they are cooperating fully with the investigation.

    This isn’t the first case of driver impropriety that’s hit Uber recently. In July, an Uber driver took riders on a high-speed chase, again in DC. Then in June, an Uber driver reportedly kidnapped a drunk woman and took her to a motel, where he slept with her in the room and “fondled her over her clothes and suggested he wanted to have sex, but didn’t force it.” Another Uber driver was accused of rape in Washington DC, but that case has since been dropped. In February, a woman claimed she was briefly kidnapped by an Uber driver over a fare dispute.

    Rides-sharing, on-demand car services – or whatever you want to call them – have a lot of potential and are clearly not going anywhere in the foreseeable future. But safety is a huge concern – especially for the most high-profile company in this field. Every time an Uber passenger is sexually assaulted, taken on a cop-evading joyride, or simply made to feel uncomfortable, we all should ask ourselves – exactly who’s car are we getting into?

    Uber, like Lyft and similar services, assure us that safety is of the utmost priority. But things like this keep happening. And for those who have fell victim to a predatory or off-their-rocker driver, best intentions aren’t really enough when it comes to safety.

    Then again, it’s not like this kind of thing is limited to Uber. Regular old taxi drivers don’t exactly have a clean sheet in this department. I think the emphasis on companies like Uber springs from the fact that Uber’s whole schtick is that it’s a cut above taking a Taxi. Time to put up or shut up, I’d say.

    Image via Uber, Facebook

  • Three Children Killed During Philadelphia Carjacking

    Three children were killed and three adults were injured in Philadelphia Friday after two men carjacked an SUV and crashed it into a fruit stand. Authorities are offering a $110,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the suspects, who remain at large.

    Siblings Thomas Reed, 10, Keiearra Williams, 15, and Terrence Williams, 7, were hit by a white Toyota 4Runner as they were selling fruit outside of their church, located in the Tioga neighborhood of the city. The mother of the deceased, Keisha Williams, 34, was also hit and was critically injured, along with another unnamed woman.

    The owner of the SUV, an unnamed 45-year-old woman, was still in the vehicle when its tire blew during a high-speed turn, and was also injured. The suspects ditched the SUV and fled on foot, after wrecking into the fruit stand and a grove of trees.

    The father of Thomas Reed commented, “Taking innocent people’s lives. That’s my son, you took him away from me. Turn yourself in, dog. Whoever y’all is, turn yourself in.”

    The city of Philadelphia put up an initial $100,000 reward, and the Fraternal Order of Police contributed another $10,000.

    Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey remarked, “We have a tragedy here. We will use all the resources at our disposal to find the people responsible.”

    Capt. James Clark of the Philadelphia Police added, “I’ve been in the homicide unit for six years and this is one of the saddest cases that I’ve come across. You have three innocent children who had the rest of their lives in front of them who were taken in this fashion. It is very sad and very tragic.”

    The two suspects are described as a Hispanic male and a black male, both wearing white shirts.

    Image via YouTube

  • Terrible Prognosticator Posts ‘Y’all Will Never Catch Me’ on Police Facebook Page

    In Anne Arundel County Florida Maryland, police are celebrating the arrest of a man who overestimated his skills of evasion.

    Like many police units across the country, the Anne Arundel County Police have turned to social media to help raise awareness about current cases, wanted fugitives, and other police business. The department runs a #WantedWednesday campaign, where they post photos of wanted suspects in hopes that the community can help them locate their man or woman. They call the Facebook detectives their #SocialMediaSleuths. For the sake of this story, we forgive them.

    The police didn’t really need their social media sleuths to nab Roger Ray Ireland, who decided to do his own sleuthing, kind of. Ireland made the interesting choice to start taunting police on his own wanted post.

    “LMAO fuck all u cowards telling [redacted] can’t catch me with these [redacted] help cause I tha [redacted]. I got on my side Yall will never catch me…” said Ireland.

    He continued:

    “Yo all yall people tagging my hole family bout my bi stay the fuck out my shit get yall shit 2gether b4 u find room 2 speak bout mine…”

    It’s a great time to be alive, folks.

    Here’s what went down the next day, according to the police:

    On July 23, 2014, the Anne Arundel County Police Department profiled Roger Ray Ireland during its “#WantedWednesday” feature. Social Media Sleuths (#SocialMediaSlueths) as the police department calls their online social media family, immediately begin sharing Ireland’s picture. Roger Ireland himself then commented on the Facebook thread saying “Y’all will never catch me…” referencing his attempts to continue to elude the police.

    On July 24, 2014, detectives from the Intelligence Unit followed up on some tips received as to the whereabouts of Ireland.

    Detectives were able to locate Ireland in South Baltimore near the Anne Arundel County line at approximately 1:00 p.m. They executed a traffic stop on the vehicle that he was in and he was taken into custody without incident. Ireland was taken to the Northern District and served with an outstanding warrant for violation of probation.

    Post by Anne Arundel County Police Department.

    Y’all, this kind of thing never goes well.

    Look.

    Here too.

    Also, this.

    Honestly, it happens all the time.

    Image via Anne Arundel County Police Department, Facebook

  • 12 Bodies Discovered in Massachusetts Storage Unit

    Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley confirmed that authorities recovered twelve corpses from a storage unit in Weymouth, Massachusetts late Thursday.

    The bodies were found in Weymouth, which is situated about 13 miles southeast of Boston, after police found cremains of roughly 40 people in a different U-Haul storage unit the previous day in Somerville, which sits a little north of Boston. Both storage units were rented by former funeral director Joseph O’Donnell.

    Back in April, O’Donnell, 55, was arrested and charged with two counts of larceny after accepting a $12K advance from a family expecting a funeral, but then closed down his business, and ran off with the money. O’Donnell is presently being detained on those charges, and has plead not guilty. He goes before a judge on Friday.

    Prosecutors do not believe any of the bodies found died in a violent manner. It is evident that O’Donnell was plainly stashing corpses for financial gain, and authorities are presently working to identify the remains of those found.

    Conley said, “Our top priority right now is determining the identity of the remains we’ve discovered. We’ve seized records and documents that could help us locate those people’s families, but this will be a time- and labor-intensive task.”

    O’Donnell had been operating a O’Donnell and Mulry Funeral Home in Dorchester, Massachusetts without a license since 2008, and is being held on a $10K bail.

    Anyone with concerns about funerals or cremations that were conducted by O’Donnell should contact the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office at 617-619-4010.

    Image via Twitter

  • Skylar Neese Stabbed by ‘Best Friends’

    On July 6, 2012, 16-year-old Star City, West Virginia high school student Skylar Neese was stabbed to death by best friends Shelia Eddy and Rachel Shoaf.

    After Neese went missing, authorities initially concluded that the teen had likely overdosed on heroin at a party, people around her panicked, and her body was hidden. Though, after a six month investigation, Shoaf confessed to murdering Neese, along with Eddy. The admitted motive was plainly that the two “just didn’t like her.”

    At 12:31 a.m. on July 6, 2012, surveillance video from the apartment complex Neese lived at with her parents showed that the teen left the building through her bedroom window. Neese’s father David noted that the window was left open and that the cellphone charger was left behind, which was indicative of a planned return.

    When Neese failed to come home, authorities at first classified the teen as a runaway. The FBI got involved in the search for Neese in September, 2012, but were unable to solve the mystery of the teen’s disappearance.

    The day after the murder, Eddy helped Skylar Neese’s parents canvass the neighborhood looking for Skylar, while Shoaf left for Catholic summer camp for two weeks. In December, 2012, Shoaf had a nervous breakdown and was committed to a local psychiatric hospital, barring her from any contact with Eddy.

    Upon her discharge in early January, Shoaf confessed to her attorney and authorities that she and Eddy stabbed Skylar Neese to death. Shoaf led police to Neese’s body, was was located in Wayne Township, Pennsylvania, roughly 30 miles from Neese’s apartment. Shoaf wore a wire during a meeting with Eddy, though Eddy didn’t incriminate herself.

    State Police Corp. Ronnie Gaskin asked Shoaf why they killed Skylar, and her only answer was, “We just didn’t like her.”

    Rachel Shoaf was found guilty of second-degree murder, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison in February. Shelia Eddy struck a deal with prosecutors, and plead guilty to first degree murder with mercy, and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole in 15 years.

    Here is an extended clip of Shoaf’s sentencing:

    The murder prompted an Amber Alert amendment called “Skylar’s Law,” and West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed the legislation into law in May, 2013. Skylar’s Law calls for immediate public announcements when any child is reported missing and in danger, regardless of whether the child is believed to have been kidnapped.

    One of Neese’s final tweets:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Shoppers Break Out Window to Free Kids From Hot Car

    We have seen far too many headlines this summer about kids who were hospitalized or died after being left behind in a hot car. Despite all of these headlines, some parents and caregivers still haven’t gotten the wake-up call, as a Texas mom left her two small children behind in a car while she got a haircut on Monday. While such a situation could have had a sad ending, the kids are all right thanks to a group of shoppers that took matters into their own hands.

    Shoppers at a strip mall in Katy, Texas noticed a small boy and girl crying in a Jeep in the parking lot on Monday, with the parents nowhere in sight. Temperatures can reach well into the nineties in Texas during the summer, and being locked in a vehicle for a period of time can become fatal for anyone, particularly children. As such, the shoppers wasted no time in breaking out one of the windows of the car to retrieve the kids.

    One of the shoppers took a video of the incident with his cell phone, which you can view below.

    As you saw in the video, one person used a hammer to break out a window. After the shopper broke the window, it took a bit of effort to get the door opened to get the kids out.

    “It was a crazy situation,” said Gabriel Del Valle, the man who took the video. “The kids were in there crying. I mean, you would understand; it’s real hot.”

    Del Valle says that the mother came out a few minutes later and that she begged them not to call the police on her. No one did, but considering that such cases are become more prevalent, there is little doubt that she would have faced child neglect charges.

    As stories of children being left in cars continues to make headlines, some people are doing everything they can to try to make others more aware of the dangers, including locking themselves in hot cars to make a point. The “Hot Car Challenge” started earlier this month where people post videos of themselves sweating it out in their cars during the hottest part of the day to show how dangerous it can be to leave kids in the car. Check out more about the Hot Car Challenge below.

    Image via YouTube

  • Leaving Your Kids in a Hot Ass Car Will Likely Get Your Windows Smashed

    It seems like every summer we hear some tragic story about someone leaving their kid(s) in a sweltering car while they run an errand – or in the case of this summer’s worst thing ever, while they work for seven hours. This continues to happen despite attempts from rational folks to dissuade parents from this utterly irrational practice. This year, especially, ever since the aforementioned worst thing ever happened, people are even more aware of just how hot a parked car can get under the blistering sun – and various YouTube videos of people showing what it’s like to be in such a situation have gone viral.

    With the public on high alert for situations of neglect, it’s no surprise that a group of shoppers smashed a Texas woman’s Jeep windows to free two crying children from a car oven.

    In Katy, Texas the temperature approached 90 degrees on Monday. According to Houston’s KHOU, shoppers at a local strip mall were drawn to a parked Jeep with its windows rolled up by the sounds of crying children.

    They quickly sprang into action, smashing a side window with a hammer. After finagling with the child locks for a few minutes, the crowd was able to free the kids.

    The rescue was captured on video:

    The woman’s excuse? She was getting a haircut.

    Police weren’t called to the scene, as the woman pleaded with the bystanders and assured them that she’d simply made a huge mistake.

    Look, it’s hard to advocate busting into someone else’s car for many reasons – but temperatures in parked, rolled-up cars can exceed 130 degrees in less than a half hour. Kids die in hot cars. Pets die in hot cars. This shit happens. Even if you’re going to be five minutes – even if you’re just going to be a couple minutes – it’s best to avoid this scenario at all costs. Not only is it child neglect, but there’s a high probability that someone is going to bust up your ride.

  • Amber Alert in Virginia Called Off

    Amber Alert in Virginia Called Off

    An Amber Alert issued Saturday by the Virginia State Police and Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse for an abduction of a teenager has been called off.

    Fifteen-year-old Dustin Wade Shaver was found safe by authorities at approximately 7:15 a.m. Sunday. Virginia State Police noted that the teen was found in North Carolina.

    The original alert read:

    The Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office is looking for Dustin Wade Shaver, white, male, age 15 years old, height 5 feet 05 inches, weight 130 lbs, with blue eyes and straight brown hair, wearing white tshirt shirt, blue / brown shorts pants, blk / blue addidas (sic) tennis shoes shoes.

    The child is believed to be in extreme danger and was last seen at 320 Pannell Drive, Hurt, Va.

    The child is likely abducted by Denise Michelle Shaver, white, female, age 39 years old, height 5 feet 07 inches, weight 223 lbs, with blue eyes and straight brown hair wearing unknown unknown shirt, unknown unknown pants, unknown unknown shoes, unknown unknown, unknown unknown and Kevin Scott Parrish, white, male, age 24 years old, height 5 feet 10 inches, weight 180 lbs, with hazel eyes and blonde hair wearing unknown unk shirt, unknown unknown pants, unknown unknown shoes, unknown unknown, unknown unknown.

    They may be traveling in a 1995 green jeep jeep, license VAC 5770, va, unknown.

    Dustin Shaver was located in Benson, North Carolina, and both suspects described in the alert are in custody, facing charges of abduction. Denise Shaver and Kevin Parrish are both being held in the Johnston County Jail. A third suspect, Kayla Hoy, is being held in Wake County, NC.

    Persons convicted of kidnapping can expect to be sentenced to a lengthy prison term, and in some states and at the federal level, might be incarcerated for life. If a death occurs during a kidnapping incident, capital punishment might be enforced. Abduction is so harshly punished because it involves a forceful dispossession of liberty, typically is aligned with a separate criminal offense and requires a particularly depraved level of criminal recklessness.

    Image via Twitter

  • Oscar Pistorius Breaks Silence With Three Tweets

    Just days after the Oscar Pistorius murder trial was adjourned, the Olympian broke his silence on Twitter. Ever since being charged with the murder of his girlfriend back in February 2013, with the exception of a single tweet, the South African runner has remained silent on the popular social media outlet.

    Pistorius, who has been out on bail, admitted to shooting and killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria, South Africa on February 14, 2013, but maintains that the shooting was accidental. Pistorius says that he thought Steenkamp was an intruder, which is why he says he shot her through his bathroom door. Following some inaccuracies with Pistorius’s account of what happened, the runner was charged with premeditated murder, and the trial began earlier this year.

    The last tweet Oscar Pistorius made following the death of Steenkamp sent followers to his personal website where he made a statement about the incident:

    No words can adequately capture my feelings about the devastating accident that has caused such heartache for everyone who truly loved – and continues to love Reeva.

    The pain and sadness – especially for Reeva’s parents, family and friends consumes me with sorrow.

    The loss of Reeva and the complete trauma of that day, I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

    Now that the trial is nearing its end, Pistorius has returned to Twitter by posting a photo collage of himself with amputated youths and the caption “You have the ability to make a difference in someone’s life. Sometimes it’s the simple things you say or do that make someone feel better or inspire them.” Pistorius also posted a quote from a psychiatrist as well as a Psalm.

    Check out Pistorius’s tweets below.

    Oscar Pistorius’s trial will wrap up starting August 7, when the lawyers give their final arguments. If Pistorius is found guilty of premeditated murder, he could face life in prison.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Uber Driver Takes Riders on High-Speed Chase in DC

    Uber Driver Takes Riders on High-Speed Chase in DC

    A New Yorker says he was kidnapped by an Uber driver in Washington DC and taken on a high-speed chase.

    The D.C. Taxicab Commission has confirmed an incident did occur and they are investigating. Official details aren’t yet available, but according to frequent Uber user Ryan Simonetti it was one hell of a wild ride.

    According to Simonetti, he and two colleagues called an Uber ride around 1:15. When the car arrived and they made their way to it, he noticed that a DC taxi inspector was talking to the Uber driver. They got in anyway.

    Before they knew it, the Uber driver had taken off and the taxi inspector was following close behind, lights on.

    According to Simonetti, the driver then began to speed and run red lights. He sideswiped cars. The driver apparently claimed that the taxi inspector “wasn’t a real cop” and that if he stopped, he’d be leveled with a $2,000 fine.

    The ride lasted around 10 minutes, until the taxi inspector was somehow able to block the Uber driver’s path on an off-ramp. This gave Simonetti time to jump out of the car before the driver turned around and drove the wrong way down the ramp.

    “It was like an episode of ‘Cops,’” Simonetti said.

    Uber was quick to respond to Simonetti’s tweet for help, so there’s that.

    The ride-sharing company has also issued a statement:

    Uber became aware of a potential incident involving an UberBLACK trip in Washington, DC [Tuesday] afternoon. Rider safety is our #1 priority. We will cooperate with authorities in their investigation and have deactivated the driver pending the outcome.

    This isn’t the first case of driver impropriety that’s put Uber on the defensive. In June, an Uber driver reportedly kidnapped a drunk woman and took her to a motel, where he slept with her in the room and “fondled her over her clothes and suggested he wanted to have sex, but didn’t force it.” Another Uber driver was accused of rape in Washington DC, but that case has since been dropped. In February, a woman claimed she was briefly kidnapped by an Uber driver over fare.

    And then there’s the wrongful death lawsuit that Uber currently finds itself embroiled in.

    All of these incidents, as they pile up, are leading people to ask just who the hell is driving me around when I use Uber or Lyft, or a similar on-demand car service?

    Everything turned out ok for Simonetti and crew, as law enforcement is now on the case.

    Image via Uber, Facebook

  • Prostitute Injected Deceased Google Exec with Heroin

    Google executive Forrest Hayes was found dead on his yacht in Santa Cruz, California last November, and authorities initially concluded that it was due to his overdosing on heroin. Seven months later, police have uncovered new video evidence taken from Hayes’ yacht, “The Escape,” which reveals he may have been murdered by a prostitute name Alix Tichelman.

    Hayes, 51, a married father of 5, had met Tichelman on a sugardaddy website called SeekingArrangement. The night of Hayes death was not the first time he and Tichelman had met; the two had an ongoing prostitution arrangement.

    Tichelman, 26, a high-priced call girl, was seen injecting Hayes with heroin in the footage obtained by police, before Hayes fell unconscious after his overdose. Santa Cruz Police Department Deputy Chief Steve Clark revealed that Tichelman did nothing to help Hayes, and commented that she was “so callous that in gathering her things, she was literally stepping over the body and at one point stepped over the body to grab a glass of wine and finish the glass of wine.”

    Tichelman shares some makeup tips on Twitter:

    Authorities said the woman believed to be Tichelman even closed the blinds to the master suite on the 50-foot yacht before leaving. Detectives took fingerprints from the wine glass from the surveillance video, and had an undercover agent set up a rendezvous with Tichelman, enticing her with the promise of $1000 for a date. Tichelman, a heroin addict, showed no emotion as she was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, destruction of evidence and transporting and providing narcotics.

    Tichelman expresses her feelings about Aiesh Versoza:

    It is unclear if Tichelman has hired an attorney, and police revealed that she remained emotionless during questioning. Her bail has been set at $1.5 million.

    Here is a Vine clip of Tichelman preliminary hearing:

    Hayes’ obituary read, “more than anything else he enjoyed spending time with his family at home and on his boat. His brilliant mind, contagious smile, and warm embrace will be missed and cherished in memories by his friends and family.”

    Image via Twitter

  • Dumb Sexting Case Gets Even Dumber As Cops Try to Photograph Teen’s Erect Penis

    The Manassas City Police Department and Prince William County prosecutors would like to combat child porn by creating some of their own.

    The Washington Post reports on some real messed up stuff going on in Virginia as a 17-year-old boy is facing charges of possession of child pornography and manufacturing child pornography for simply sexting his 15-year-old girlfriend (after she sexted him first). Mind you, these charges could not only jail the teen but land him on a sex offender database for the rest of his life. The girl has not been charged.

    I guess I could stop there, but the dumb continues.

    According to the unidentified teen’s lawyer, police and prosecutors are seeking a warrant to photograph his erect penis – you know, for comparison’s sake.

    “We just take him down to the hospital, give him a shot and then take the pictures that we need,” a state prosecutor reportedly told the teen’s attorney.

    This genius plan was first offered as part of an ultimatum – either the teen pleads guilty or they take him down to the hospital and snap photos of his erect penis. Apparently, the teen denied to plead guilty and the strong arm of the law jumped into action. The search warrant was granted earlier this month, but the teen was given permission to leave the state with his family before it could be executed. He has another court date on July 15.

    “They’re using a statute that was designed to protect children from being exploited in a sexual manner to take a picture of this young man in a sexually explicit manner. The irony is incredible.” said the teen’s appointed guardian. “As a parent myself, I was floored. It’s child abuse. We’re wasting thousands of dollars and resources and man hours on a sexting case. That’s what we’re doing.”

    Yeah, ya think?

    While the boner pic warrant is ridiculous, let’s quickly comment on how utterly astounding it is that authorities are going after teens’ sexting activities with such vigor, labeling young children as sex offenders for engaging in normal sexual activity. That’s the real travesty here.

    “The prosecutor’s job is to seek justice,” said the teen’s lawyer “What is just about this? How does this advance the interest of the Commonwealth?”

    Well, it doesn’t. Write your congressperson.