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  • Stratosphere Crash Driver Commits Suicide: Why Was He Freed?

    On September 10th, a man named Ryan C. Brown crashed his Ford F-150 pickup into the Stratosphere, a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    If this act alone wasn’t disturbing enough, Brown allegedly declared that he wanted to jump from the tower.

    The 40-year-old man was taken into custody. However, for reasons that remain unknown, he was never actually charged with a crime.

    Apparently there was also no indication that charges would be filed at any point in the future.

    Inevitably Brown was freed, though with the expectation that he would return to court on October 15th.

    Unfortunately, Brown committed suicide by hanging himself just one day after he was freed by authorities.

    His body was found in a room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino on Tuesday.

    According to the Clark County coroner, the official cause of death was asphyxiation.

    Daren Richards, assistant Clark County public defender, said that “the real question is why the district attorney didn’t charge him.”

    I have to disagree with this statement.

    The real question must be why a man who (1) crashed his vehicle into a building and then (2) declared a desire to jump from the top of a very tall building was somehow let go, with the expectation that he would not repeat his attempt at self-harm?

    Richards said that arrestees are typically carefully examined in order to determine if there is a definite suicide risk. But the lack of charges made it virtually impossible for law enforcement to act.

    “It’s not against the law to be mentally ill,” said Officer Larry Hadfield, a Las Vegas police spokesman.

    There was nothing that could be done except release Brown, a man who admitted that he’d recently been fired after a domestic dispute with his wife. Police also shared that Brown was under the influence of illegal drugs for some time before crashing his pickup truck.

    All that’s left in the wake of this rather unfortunate situation is a number of disturbing questions and a desire to see more help available for troubled individuals like Brown.

    It may not be against the law to be mentally ill, but should protecting and serving the public include protecting them from themselves? How can this be done without violating their rights or is such a thing even possible? Please share your thoughts below.

  • Jeff Gordon Added to NASCAR’s Chase Field

    Jeff Gordon Added to NASCAR’s Chase Field

    With a week that’s been nothing less than topsy turvy, the adventures of NASCAR have definitely been quite eventful. However, none of the exhilarating fun has taken place on the track. The action has all taken place internally. From reprimanding affairs that have pushed the envelop for a number of fines and suspensions, to structural adjustments to the Sprint Cup field, the logistics have taken precedence over everything else all week.

    But nothing topped today’s announcement which surpassed all others this week. During an expedited news conference, NASCAR officially announced the 12-driver Chase line-up which now includes none other than four-time NASCAR champion, Jeff Gordon. as the 13th driver. Although Gordon slightly missed qualifying this year, the decision still ruled in his favor. According to NASCAR chairman Brian France, this particular decision to implement 13 drivers to the field is, indeed, a first since the arrangement was set up a decade ago. However, according to CBS Sports, France expressed esteemed confidence in his authority to make such an executive decision. “We believe this is the right outcome to protect the integrity, which is our no. 1 goal, of NASCAR,” said France.

    The change gives Gordon the green light to join Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, and five-time NASCAR champion and veteran racer Dale Earnhardt Jr., all of whom are Hendrick Motorsports’ affiliates.

    Gordon was very gracious for NASCAR’s decision, and didn’t mind displaying his gratitude with a very open statement of appreciate via Twitter.

    Rick Hendrick, Owner of Hendrick Motorsports, was also in full agreement with Gordon’s words of gratitude. Hendrick also issued a brief statement. “I applaud NASCAR for taking the time for a full review. We’re extremely proud to have all four cars in the Chase for the second consecutive season. Jeff and the No.24 team earned this spot,” he said.

     

     

     

    Image via Wikimedia Commons