Crime of the Day - Keep it light-hearted

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Woman watches home invasion on webcam

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/10/webcam.home.invasion/index.html#cnnSTCText

(CNN) -- Jeanne Thomas was sitting at her desk at work when she decided to check the security camera that she installed in her home. The Thomas home had been burglarized before, so she installed a monitoring device where she can watch a live video feed of the camera in her home.
When Thomas decided to pull up the feed of her house Wednesday morning, she couldn't believe what she saw. There was someone inside her home, someone she didn't know. Thomas picked up the phone and called 911.
"I'm watching my home on live monitor, and there is a man in my house, and he is robbing it," she told the dispatcher. The woman on the other end of the call asked Thomas where she was, and Thomas replied, "I'm in Fort Lauderdale, at my work."
Thomas' home is in Boynton Beach, Florida, more than 20 miles away, yet she was watching over the Internet as two men walked through her home, picking up items.

Watch the video from Thomas' home »

Police later arrested Curtis Williams, 20, and Steven Morales, 19.
According to the Boynton Beach Police, Williams and Morales entered the house through a pet door. As the 911 dispatcher was calling police to the scene, Thomas stayed on the line, giving a play-by-play of what she was seeing.

more....
 
Texas elementary school gets noise citation

SAN ANTONIO — A fed-up Texas homeowner has gotten a noise citation issued against his neighbor — an elementary school. Police in suburban Universal City say they had to issue the citation after Butch Armstrong complained about the noise coming from Olympia Elementary School during the school's Family Fitness Day on March 20.

Principal Terri LeBleu says the school had already built a fence, removed loudspeakers and installed noise-reducing backing on basketball goals in response to Armstrong's previous complaints.

According to a police report, Armstrong told an officer that "police, fire, ambulances and the (Air Force) training jets are not unreasonable, but the noise coming from the elementary school was."

A court date for the citation has been set for May 12.
___
Information from:
San Antonio Express-News, http://www.mysanantonio.com
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Judge Orders Defendant's Mouth Taped Shut

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517382,00.html


POCATELLO, Idaho — An eastern Idaho judge who lost patience with the disruptive behavior of a defendant ordered court officials to tape the man's mouth shut with duct tape during a court hearing. The unusual move was ordered by 6th District Judge Peter D. McDermott during a probation violation hearing for Nicklas Frasure, 23.
Frasure was convicted of felony theft in 2008, but the judge retained jurisdiction for sentencing depending on Frasure's response to treatment. In October, Frasure was released from a state mental hospital in Blackfoot.
He is accused of violating his probation by not taking prescribed medication.
During the hearing, witnesses told the judge that Frasure's behavior had been strange and erratic since his release from the state hospital. They also said he has not been taking his medication and has been consuming alcohol, factors also contributing to mood and emotional swings.
Probation officer Julie Guiberson testified that Frasure is a threat to himself and others.
During Monday's hearing, Frasure interrupted the proceedings with repeated verbal outbursts and unusual behavior and ignored several orders from McDermott to restrain himself. After another series of outbursts, McDermott told bailiffs to silence Frasure.
The bailiffs then found a roll of duct tape, tore off a piece and put it over Frasure's mouth, according to the Idaho State Journal.
"He's obviously not mentally competent," Frasure's lawyer Kent Reynolds told the judge.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
British Woman Charged With Air Rage

British Woman Charged With Air Rage After Drinking Liquid Soap and Trying to Bite a Crew Member's Leg


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518656,00.html


BANGOR, Maine — A British woman who allegedly consumed prescription drugs, wine and liquid soap from the lavatory before scuffling with flight attendants on a London-bound jetliner will remain in jail over the weekend in Maine.
Prosecutors say Galina Rusanova punched and kicked flight attendants and at one point fell to the floor and began "snapping like a dog" while trying to bite a crew member's leg.
Rusanova, who made her initial court appearance Friday in Bangor, remained in custody pending a detention hearing on Monday in U.S. District Court, where she's charged with assault and interference with a flight crew.
The FBI said the Russian-born Londoner went to Los Angeles to visit a man she met over the Internet and was returning Wednesday when her flight was diverted to Bangor, Maine.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Bullet bounces off US woman's bra

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8015242.stm


A US woman had a lucky escape when a burglar's bullet bounced off the metal underwire in her bra. Police in the city of Detroit said one of three intruders fired a shot when the woman looked out of her window and saw them raiding the house next door.
The bullet smashed the window and hit her, but instead of causing serious injury - or worse - it was deflected off the wiring in her bra.
The unnamed 57-year-old woman was taken to hospital and released the same day.
"It did slow the bullet down," said a police spokesman. "She sustained injuries but they're not life-threatening."
The woman, who lives on the west side of Detroit, had seen the youths breaking into the house next door while her neighbour was away.
Police believe one of the gang saw her looking out of the window and fired at her.
The suspects then drove away after the shooting.
Local police Sgt Eren Stephens Bell told the Detroit News: "We need to get some bulletproof vests made from that. It is some strong wire."
 
Man Murders Beer Pong Opponent

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/th...seriously_than_any_of_your_frat_bros_ever_did

Joseph B. Jimenez, 24, was charged with first-degree murder for allegedly fatally shooting his opponent, Scott Riley, 25, following a game of beer pong at a Bridgeport home Friday night.

According to court documents, Jimenez claimed that Riley had said, "Shoot me! Shoot me! You guys ain't got the b----!"



Jimenez pulled a .40-caliber Taurus handgun from his waistband and shot Riley once in the neck, police said.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Mother Used Sex Ads on Craigslist to Retaliate Against Daughter's Rival

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519580,00.html


It's one thing for a mother to stick up for her daughter — quite another thing for a mother to retaliate against her daughter's rival by sending sex clients to the rival's mother through a fraudulent Web ad.
Yet that's exactly what one New York mother is accused of doing, following a dispute between her 9-year-old daughter and another girl.
Margery Tannenbaum of Hauppauge on Long Island was charged with aggravated harassment for allegedly posting a classified ad on Craigslist offering sex with men, the Associated Press reports. But whenever someone responded to Tannenbaum's ad by e-mail, she gave out the phone number of the other mother, police said.
Tannenbaum did not answer her door on Friday and her attorney did not respond to telephone calls seeking comment.
The charges echo a high-profile case of a Missouri mother who was convicted last year for her role in a MySpace hoax that led to a 13-year-old committing suicide. In that case, the mother is to be sentenced on May 18 and faces up to three years in prison.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Yellowstone Workers Fired for Urinating in Old Faithful

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520251,00.html


CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Two seasonal Yellowstone National Park concession workers have been fired after a live webcam caught them urinating into the Old Faithful geyser.
Park spokesman Al Nash says a 23-year-old man on Tuesday was fined $750 and placed on three years of unsupervised probation for urinating, being off trail in a restricted area and taking items from the area. The man also was banned from Yellowstone for two years.
The second employee's case is pending.
The park's dispatch center was called after someone watching a webcam on the geyser saw six employees leaving the trail and walking on Old Faithful on May 4.
The geyser was not erupting at the time.
Xanterra Parks & Resorts general manager Jim McCaleb says the former concession workers were hired at the Old Faithful Inn and that such incidents were rare.
 
Just caught up with the last few posts. I know things like some of these shouldn't surprise me any more, especially at my age. But it still amazes me. Some things you'd never believe if they were put in a movie or book. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

BTW, I never thought of my bra as a personal protection device. :D
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Man charged in repeated elevator urination

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990526036

Federal officials today charged a contractor for the Internal Revenue Service with repeatedly urinating inside a Detroit IRS building freight elevator, causing a stink for other employees.

Michael Hicks, 55, of Detroit is charged with a felony count of malicious mischief, damaging governmental property by a sum exceeding $1,000. The crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.


more.....
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Conn. Woman Bitten By Co-Worker After 'Bite Me' Remark

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522412,00.html?test=latestnews


MERIDEN, Conn. — An analyst at the Connecticut Police Academy says a co-worker responded literally to her "bite me" remark and chomped on her.
Former Waterbury police Capt. Francis Woodruff was charged Tuesday with disorderly conduct and released on a promise to appear in court. He's accused of biting academy license and applications analyst Rochelle Wyler on April 24.
A police arrest report says Wyler had teeth marks and bruising on the back of her left arm.
Wyler's complaint alleges Woodruff was annoying her by calling her a clerk. She says she responded with "bite me" -- and he did.
Woodruff also is a training coordinator with the 130-member police department in Meriden, just south of Hartford. He says he was joking around.
 
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31014770/?gt1=43001

PORT HURON, Michigan - Squirrel. Thief. Patriot.
A brazen squirrel has been grabbing small American flags placed in a Port Huron, Mich., cemetery and carrying them up to its nest, which now looks as if it's bedecked in bunting.

Every Memorial Day, volunteers place the flags next to the graves of nearly 1,000 veterans buried at Mount Hope Cemetery about 55 miles northeast of Detroit. The flags were undisturbed during a Mass held Monday.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
New Hampshire Man Arrested 153rd Time Will Plead Guilty

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,524827,00.html?test=latestnews


PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — A New Hampshire man has been arrested for the 153rd time, this time after he was accused of punching someone in the face over the weekend.
Forty-nine-year-old Portsmouth resident Paul Baldwin told a judge Monday he plans to plead guilty to the assault, along with trespassing and alcohol charges. He says he's had a long battle with alcohol and was trying to correct the problem during his most recent one-year jail term, which ended last week.
The Foster's Daily Democrat newspaper says Baldwin's record dates to 1984 and includes 152 other arrests, eight trespass orders, 75 citations, four Social Security aliases and 17 name aliases.
Prosecutor Rena DiLando says she didn't have time to read Baldwin's full criminal record because it's so long.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
For this one, it's the photo, not the crime itself

Man arrested for dealing cocaine

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/jun/18/man-arrested-dealing-cocaine-mid-haircut/

Marcus T. Bailey



A 25-year-old Evansville man was arrested Wednesday when he stepped out of a South Side barbershop to conduct an apparent drug deal, police said.
Marcus T. Bailey, 25, was actually being sought on a parole warrant when authorities arrived at 952 Washington Avenue and found him in a car with two other people and about 21 grams of crack cocaine, said Evansville Police Department Spokesman Steve Green. Bailey was apparently having his hair braided inside when he stepped out, Green said.
Bailey is being held in the Vanderburgh County Jail on a preliminary charge of dealing cocaine, a class A felony. He is due in court today.
The two other people in the vehicle with Bailey - identified by police as Demorrio Lawrence and Tamarra Blue - were cited for possession of narcotics paraphernalia and released.
According to the affidavit, Lawrence and Blue both told investigators Bailey told them to come to the barber shop "if they wanted to buy crack cocaine."
"They both stated that they put their money together and gave it to Bailey as he got into the back of the car," Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Kurt Althoff wrote in the affidavit. "Law enforcement arrived on scene at this time and placed Bailey into custody prior to the completion of the transaction."
Authorities say Bailey told them he was buying the cocaine from Lawrence and Blue. But police say Blue and Lawrence had physical signs of being crack-cocaine addicts, suggesting they were buying the drug. Bailey did not have any such physical signs, according to the affidavit.
Bailey was on parole for a 2007 cocaine-dealing conviction and has previous convictions of cocaine possession, carrying a handgun without a license, criminal recklessness and resisting law enforcement, according to the Indiana Offender Database.
 
Man arrested for dealing cocaine

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/jun/18/man-arrested-dealing-cocaine-mid-haircut/

Marcus T. Bailey



A 25-year-old Evansville man was arrested Wednesday when he stepped out of a South Side barbershop to conduct an apparent drug deal, police said.
Marcus T. Bailey, 25, was actually being sought on a parole warrant when authorities arrived at 952 Washington Avenue and found him in a car with two other people and about 21 grams of crack cocaine, said Evansville Police Department Spokesman Steve Green. Bailey was apparently having his hair braided inside when he stepped out, Green said.
Bailey is being held in the Vanderburgh County Jail on a preliminary charge of dealing cocaine, a class A felony. He is due in court today.
The two other people in the vehicle with Bailey - identified by police as Demorrio Lawrence and Tamarra Blue - were cited for possession of narcotics paraphernalia and released.
According to the affidavit, Lawrence and Blue both told investigators Bailey told them to come to the barber shop "if they wanted to buy crack cocaine."
"They both stated that they put their money together and gave it to Bailey as he got into the back of the car," Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Kurt Althoff wrote in the affidavit. "Law enforcement arrived on scene at this time and placed Bailey into custody prior to the completion of the transaction."
Authorities say Bailey told them he was buying the cocaine from Lawrence and Blue. But police say Blue and Lawrence had physical signs of being crack-cocaine addicts, suggesting they were buying the drug. Bailey did not have any such physical signs, according to the affidavit.
Bailey was on parole for a 2007 cocaine-dealing conviction and has previous convictions of cocaine possession, carrying a handgun without a license, criminal recklessness and resisting law enforcement, according to the Indiana Offender Database.
Ok, I only feel bad for whomever was braiding his hair, because usually they get paid when they finish.
 
http://news.aol.com/article/cop-acc...op-accused-of-pulling-gun-at-mcdonalds/534451

Cop May Have Pulled Gun at McDonald's


(June 19) -- A Denver policeman who allegedly brandished a gun at a McDonald's employee has been suspended, a local television station reported.

Two off-duty officers placed an order at a McDonald's drive-through window in Aurora, Colo., early May 21. An employee reported that the officers felt their order was taking too long and grew angry, CBS4 said.

The worker alleged that one officer displayed his police badge before brandishing a pistol through the drive-through window.

The officer accused of producing the gun was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. Both officers work at Denver International Airport.
 
FOXNews

Couple Charged of Assault Using Cheetos

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. — Authorities said a couple got into a fight using Cheetos. The Bedford County Sheriff's Department said a 40-year-old man and 44-year-old woman became involved in a 'verbal altercation.'

Somehow, the orange puffy snacks were used in the assault.

Deputies said they were charged with domestic assault. No one was hurt.

According to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, both posted bond of $2,500.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
'Three's Company' Actress Joyce DeWitt Arrested for Drunk Driving

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,530465,00.html?test=faces


AP


This photo released by the El Segundo, Calif., Police Department shows actress Joyce DeWitt, who portrayed Janet on "Three's Company."

An actress who starred on the hit television series "Three's Company" has been arrested in Southern California and cited for drunken driving.
Police say Joyce DeWitt, who played the character Janet Wood on the popular show, was pulled over Saturday afternoon after she drove past a barricade near a park in El Segundo.
Sgt. Danny Kim says an officer arrested the 60-year-old DeWitt after he observed signs she had been drinking and gave her field sobriety tests.
Kim says DeWitt was booked at the Police Department, cited and released on her own recognizance.
A telephone listing for DeWitt was not immediately available.
 
Thank God No pictures!

Connecticut Post

Conn. cops: Man went naked to dental appointment

Updated: 07/07/2009 11:17:59 PM EDT


STRATFORD, Conn. — Police say a Connecticut man has been arrested because he showed up at a dental office naked.

Police say 41-year-old Christopher Hoff, of Stratford, also was five days late for his appointment.

Authorities say Hoff entered Optimus Dental's office Monday with nothing on. A startled female receptionist screamed, and he ran away.

Officers went to his home, and Hoff told them he had been sleeping all day. Police took Hoff to the dental office, where the receptionist identified him.

Hoff was charged with disorderly conduct, public indecency and failure to comply with fingerprinting.

He did not immediately return a telephone message left Wednesday at his home. It's unclear if he has an attorney.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
'Harry Potter' Star Could Face 14 Years for Growing Marijuana Farm

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,530669,00.html?test=latestnews


“Harry Potter” star Jamie Waylett has been charged with growing ten cannabis plants.
The 19-year-old actor will have to appear in court later this month for the charges stemming from an April arrest.
Waylett, who plays Potter bully Vincent Crabbe, was busted when cops pulled over his vehicle in London and allegedly found eight bags of marijuana. He was taken to a nearby police station before a team of officers raided his mother’s home in Camden, the Daily Telegraph reports.
A Metropolitan police spokeswoman said the actor would appear in court late this month and “is charged with producing a Class B drug, nearly ten plants of cannabis.”
The plants – valued at more than $3,000 – were allegedly found among DJ equipment and a Playstation, the Telegraph said.
Waylett may face up to 14 years for cannabis production, while the maximum charge for cannabis possession is five years.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Florida Woman Shot in Leg by Bathroom Stall Neighbor

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,531376,00.html?test=latestnews


TAMPA, Fla. — Authorities say a bullet from a gun that was accidentally dropped injured a Tampa woman sitting in a bathroom stall.
Police say the bullet hit 53-year-old Janifer Bliss in the lower left leg. She was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Bliss was sitting on the toilet in a hotel bathroom when a woman in the next stall accidentally let her handgun slip out of her waist holster. The weapon discharged when it hit the ground.
Police say the gun belonged to 56-year-old Debra Monce who has a concealed weapons permit.
The case has been referred to the State Attorney's Office to determine if any charges will be filed.
 
Biff! Wham! Pow!

NYPOST

BIFF! WHAM! POW!

TIMES SQ. COPS VS. SUPER HEROES

By BETH STEBNER and JENNIFER FERMINO
Last updated: 10:08 am
July 10, 2009
Posted: 4:59 am
July 10, 2009


.
"The Man of Steel didn't go down with just two officers, it took seven officers!" witness Ryan McCormick said. "He was putting up a good fight.
Little kids were like, 'Mommy, it's Superman!' "

If that wasn't weird enough, McCormick turned and saw the Dark Knight handcuffed to a chair like a common villain.

"As this was happening, someone is like, 'It's Batman!' I turn around and there's Batman in handcuffs," he said.

Superman, aka Maksim Katsnelson, 23, of The Bronx, was arrested and charged with assault and resisting arrested, police said, accusing him of punching a female officer in the face while she was trying to subdue him.

The incident occurred when cops approached Katsnelson, who was panhandling, and asked him for ID.

When Katsnelson said he didn't have any ID, cops continued to ask him questions, sources said.

That's when Katsnelson punched the female officer, sources said.

"He freaked out and punched the girl cop in the face," Batman said later.
Cops cuffed Batman, actually Frank Frisoli, but let him go because he didn't cause any problems, he told The Post.

Meanwhile, Batman left with another costumed character, said Melba Williams, a tourist from Tennessee.

"He walked off with the Statue of Liberty."
Additional reporting by Philip Messing
jennifer.fermino@nypost.com
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Texting Teen Falls Down Open Manhole on Staten Island

And the idiot of the year award goes to:

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/local_news/nyc/090710_Texting_Teen_Falls_Down_Open_Manhole

MYFOXNY.COM - One second a Staten Island teenager was walking down the street, the next second she was gone.
Alexa Longueira was walking down Victory Boulevard and getting ready to text-message when she fell into an open sewer manhole. Now the city is trying to figure out why the manhole was left open and unblocked.
Alexa suffered some cuts and scrapes but is otherwise OK.
He mother says workers told her they left the manhole open and unattended for just seconds while they went to fetch some cones from their truck.
The Department of Environmental Protection says it is investigating.
"DEP is conducting a full investigation of what happened during a manhole incident on Victory Boulevard where workers were flushing a high-pressure sewer on Wednesday evening," said Mercedes Padilla, of the DEP. "We regret that this happened and wish the young woman a speedy recovery."
Alexa's mom says it doesn't matter that her daughter was text-messaging, the manhole should not have been left open. The family plans to file as lawsuit.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Man kidnapped, force-fed beer

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705316665/Man-kidnapped-force-fed-beer.html

A possible case of mistaken identity got a man kidnapped, force-fed beer and dumped on the side of the road, police said.
A passer-by found the man walking across Legacy Highway near Centerville about 9 a.m. Saturday. His hands were tied with hanger wire. He said he'd been kidnapped three hours earlier, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Dennis McGowan.
He told police he had parked his car about 6 a.m. at his home near 1700 West and 400 North when two Spanish-speaking men dragged him out into the driveway. Once he'd been thrown inside their red pickup truck, he said they pulled a bag over his head, tied his hands and feet with coat hanger wire and put a gun to his stomach.
"They told him this was their area and that he can't sell drugs here," McGowan said. The man fervently denied that he has or sells any drugs.
The kidnappers force-fed him two cans of beer before kicking him out of the truck and driving off, very likely to pass him off as a drunk whose kidnapping story would be written off as nonsense, McGowan said. He had managed to kick off his leg constraints and cross the highway looking for help when the passer-by found him.
Officers found two empty beer cans and mangled wire hanger by the side of the highway that seem to confirm the man's account, McGowan said.
The man, whose name and age were not available, was not seriously injured.
— Michael R. McFall
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Man uses beer to entice alleged burglar to leave

And another beer-related incident...... ;)

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hKkf-5ACVh4uUbKtGNQLOQIISIaQD99EDODG0

BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) — Police said a homeowner in Maine used a beer to entice an intoxicated intruder to leave. The intruder apparently didn't realize that it was a nonalcoholic beer. Bar Harbor police said the homeowner awoke early Monday to find 22-year-old Scott Cote in the bedroom and used the beer to convince him to carry on.
Police said they found Cote breaking into cars a short time later and arrested him after he fled into some woods.
Police arrested Cote on charges of burglary, criminal mischief, operating a motor vehicle after revocation and violating the conditions of release.
Cote was returned to the Hancock County Jail after an initial appearance in court Tuesday. No lawyer has been assigned to represent him.