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Tag: fugitive

  • Affluenza Teen On The Run With Mom, May Have Fled The U.S.

    Ethan Couch, the affluenza teen who killed four people and injured several people while driving drunk, is on the run and is being tracked down by authorities after violating his ten-year probation.

    U.S. Marshalls released a “wanted” poster on Friday and offered a reward of $5,000 to anyone who can give information on his whereabouts.

    “Every person who carries a badge in the United States of America is aware he’s a fugitive,” Terry Grisham of the Tarrant County sheriff’s office, said. The teen’s mom, Tanya Couch, was also put on missing person’s list and was believed to have fled the country with her son, said the spokesperson at the Tarrant County, Texas, District Attorney’s Office.

    Couch was 16 at the time of the incident, and his trial included a testimony from a psychologist who argued the teenager was suffering from an affliction called “affluenza.” Couch was charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter back in 2013, but Tarrant County Juvenile Court Judge Jean Boyd gave him 10 years’ probation and ordered him to undergo treatment.

    Couch crashed into a broken-down SUV parked on the side of the road, which took the lives of four people were fixing the disabled vehicle on the evening of June 2013. A blood alcohol level three times the normal limit plus traces of narcotics were found in his system.

    The now 18-year-old affluenza teen did not face any serious punishment nor was he sentenced to any prison term, much to the outrage of the families of the victims.

    The teen failed to show up at a December 11 hearing after a video showing him playing beer pong surfaced. An arrest warrant was reportedly issued the same day but there was no trace of the affluenza teen at the house he shared with his mother.

    Affluenza Teen’s Disappearance Does Not Surprise Victim’s Dad

    “We’re not going to give up. We’re going to come after you. We’re going to find you, wherever you are,” warned Tarrant County sheriff Grisham.

  • El Chapo Evades Recapture, Marines Rain Down Bullets On Mexican Civilians In Manhunt

    El Chapo Evades Recapture, Marines Rain Down Bullets On Mexican Civilians In Manhunt

    It’s been 100 days since the grand escape of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from his maximum security prison cell, but authorities are still struggling to capture the elusive fugitive.

    El Chapo got lucky twice when he narrowly evaded recapture by the combined forces of U.S. Intelligence and the Mexican Marines. Sources say that an ambush was launched on Saturday at his suspected hiding place in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains, which is located on the border of Chihuahua, Durango, and Sinaloa. U.S. law enforcement agents previously gathered intelligence that he sought refuge at his ranch when they intercepted phone signals among Sinaloa cartel officials.

    The Marines were forced to retreat their aerial attack after El Chapo’s security forces opened fire at their helicopters. They entered the ranch on foot and found clothes, medication, and communication devices – but no El Chapo.

    Ten days ago, the Mexican Marines took their manhunt to Tamazula in Durango state, where they reportedly shot at villagers’ homes from helicopters. Several civilians claimed that they almost fell victim to the gunfire and that they had to flee their homes with their families in order to avoid getting killed.

    A resident named Ines Ayon Mendoza told AFP journalists that she was going through her usual morning routine when she felt a slew of bullets raining down on her home. She was able to escape the scene with her family, but claimed that two helicopters continued to fire at her village.

    Despite these failed attempts at capturing El Chapo, U.S. and Mexican authorities are confident that he will be caught sooner or later. In an interview with NBC, former DEA head Michael Braun declared that “Today [Guzmán] is a dead man walking. It’s only a matter of time.”

    Security expert Javier Oliva of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) echoed Braun’s sentiments by saying, “It will not be long from now, perhaps a month, before Guzmán is re-captured.”

  • Edward Snowden: NSA Memo Confirms He Stole Co-Worker’s Password

    According to a memo issued by the National Security Agency to members of Congress, former contractor Edward Snowden may have resorted to stealing his coworkers’ login credentials in order to gain entry to the agency’s highly classified database.  Snowden has denied the accusation and claimed the report to be incorrect.

    The memo also relates how Snowden obtained the Public Key Infrastructure password of an NSA civilian employee by getting him to type it on his work computer. The unnamed employee was not aware that Snowden was able to secure the password, thereby providing him with complete access to confidential NSA information. After a temporary suspension of his security clearance, the agency made it permanent toward the end of last year. The NSA civilian handed his official resignation last month after informing the FBI of the oversight.

    The NSA has also revoked the security clearance of two other individuals connected with the agency due to their involvement in the controversial leakage. The memo also states that one of them is a military member in active duty and the other is an unnamed contractor. They have also been banned from using their official workstations, although their employers maintain discretion over the extent of their accountability.

    Edward Snowden is responsible for what is considered the most important information leak in the history of the United States, according to author Daniel Ellsberg. A computer systems administrator by profession, Snowden used to work for the Central Intelligence Agency and the NSA. He started exposing highly confidential agency data on June 2013 to such well-known publications as The Washington Post and The Guardian.

    Snowden is currently residing in Russia on a yearlong temporary asylum. The US government regards him as a fugitive from justice and his charges include theft of government property and espionage. The NSA memo was first released through the NBC News website and has since been included by the agency in their report to the Judiciary Committee.

    Image via YouTube

  • Fugitive Incriminating Himself on Facebook Arrested

    In the latest incident of a felon incriminating himself on Facebook, Travis A. Nicolaysen, small-time fugitive, has been amassing evidence prosecutors can likely use against him via his Facebook wall. The Port Angeles, Washington area man, who lists his career as being “boss,” at “da game,” has been taunting police while on the lam, with comments like “Ya got away thanks bro,” in response to wall posts from his Facebook friends like “Cops all over you,” and, “Lol u better be careful man.”

    Tanya Newell, assumed to be Nicolaysen’s cousin, added, “Hey cousin. Just saw ur crazy ass on kiro 7. The kids said ‘o no look its uncle travis.’ Haha wtf right. They r making u out to be some super criminal. Sad u wuldnt hurt a damn fly. And they chose to use ur mohawk pic. Anyways stay safe trav. we miss you. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Give em hell kid.” On the contrary, Travis would hurt a damn fly. He is wanted for failing to check in with his parole officer, along with seriously injuring his girlfriend during an assault in March.

    Below is a snapshot of Nicolayen’s still-active wall, a testament to many of the wonders of the institution of modern fame:

    travis nicolaysen facebook

    One friend wishes Travis “good pimpin’,” while his mother writes that she’s worried out of her mind. Cousin Tanya chimes in, explaining how someone named Akoda was excited about the impending “fame” afforded by the presence of news crews reporting on this “un-news.”

    Travis appears to be staying off of Facebook while everyone else just logs new evidence on his wall, and his “about me” segment reads that he’s “tryin to take life more serious never half stepin in life full of love.” He also likes photography, and one of his favorite books is “The Art of Seduction.” Interestingly, under his “boss” postion in his employers tab, he writes “no snitches.” I wonder if he is aware that many of the posts on his wall he keeps up will likely fall into the category of “snitching” sometime soon.

    Port Angeles Police Deputy Chief Brian Smith stated to The Daily Beast, “This guy hasn’t talked openly in over a week – That doesn’t mean he’s not talking to his friends in a way he thinks we can’t see. What people don’t realize is every form of communication—email, Facebook—they all leave something behind.” Still, surely Nicolaysen is fully aware of all the publicity he is received, and unless he’s hiding in a forest, it’s not difficult at all to find a place to log in to ones Facebook. Researchers at the University of Kentucky and Western Illinois University have theorized that a narcissistic need for attention might supercede a fear of harm or incarceration. Christopher Carpenter of Western Illinois University states, “Perhaps it’s more important to get the attention and respect they crave than the risk of being captured – And what better outlet than Facebook?” Kentucky psychology professor Nathan DeWall concludes that “Facebook users who amass inordinate amounts of friends and post ad nauseam updates about themselves tend to show streaks of narcissism.” Well, this seems obvious. And it is apparent that law enforcement especially dislikes being taunted by fugitives in a public forum.

    As of now, Nicolaysen’s Facebook page is up and fully open, though his account is unable to process anymore friend requests for the time being. It would appear that the fugitive didn’t even bother with the social network’s somewhat complicated privacy measures. Still, perhaps with images of Reservoir Dogs posters and the romantical notions of crime conjured in song by bajillionaire Lil’ Wayne running through his mind, Nicolaysen continues to elude police, maybe not realizing how quick the foray was over in a somewhat similar case, with the so-called Barefoot Bandit.

    As and update, it’s been reported that Nicolaysen was arrested Monday in a Port Angeles home without incident.