Police in NC may have been warned before killing

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina authorities say they are are investigating whether police were warned that a woman with five dead spouses was trying to hire a hit man to kill one of her husbands.
Authorities reopened the cold case last year, and last month, charged 76-year-old Betty Neumar with one count of solicitation of murder in the July 1986 death of Al Gentry.
Detectives say Neumar tried to hire several people to kill Gentry. Lead detective Scott Williams says that police are looking into the possibility that one of those would-be hit men went to police before Gentry's death, but no one took him seriously.
Neumar has been married five times since the 1950s, but each union ended with the death of her husband. Investigators are urging police elsewhere to look into those deaths.

Mow your lawn... or risk jail time in Canton, Ohio

Homeowners, in Canton, Ohio who don't mow their grass in the northeast Ohio city of Canton now face stiffer penalties - including possible jail time.
The city council unanimously passed a law Monday that makes a second high-grass violation a fourth-degree misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $250 and as many as 30 days in jail.
The previous law only made the first violation a minor misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $150 but no jail time. The new law is to take effect in 30 days.
"This is the type of action we need to take in order to clean up our neighborhoods and our city," Mayor William J. Healy II said.
The laws are an effort to reduce the roughly $250,000 the city spends to cut about 2,000 private lots each year and to address public complaints, Councilman Greg Hawk has said

Naked pilot, flight attendant arrested in woods

HARRISBURG, Pa. - An airline pilot was found hiding behind a shed wearing only flip-flops and a wristwatch as a nighttime romp in the woods with a flight attendant ended with both under arrest, police said.
Jeffrey Paul Bradford, 24, and Adrianna Grace Connor, 24, both employees of Pinnacle Airlines Inc., were at a diner on the outskirts of Harrisburg on Sunday night before they apparently decided to walk into the woods, police said.
They told the officer they wanted to go do it in the woods, essentially," said Lower Swatara Township police Sgt. Richard Brandt. "That's the best answer they had."
The two somehow became separated, and people who live in the neighborhood summoned police around 9:30 p.m., saying they had seen a naked man and an intoxicated woman.
A helicopter with heat-seeking equipment was called in, and Bradford was discovered hiding behind a shed shortly before midnight.
Bradford, of Pittsburgh, was charged with indecent exposure, public drunkenness and other offenses. Connor, of Belleville, Mich., was charged with theft from a motor vehicle, public drunkenness and other offenses; police said she took a flashlight from a neighbor's vehicle.
A spokesman for the Memphis, Tenn., airline said the two were suspended while the company investigates.

Inmate attacks women at metro detention center

Two women from the public defenders office survived a brutal beating Thursday morning at the Bernalillo County Metro Detention Center.

Investigators say somehow the women were locked in with an inmate who attacked them.

One of the women is a paralegal, and the other is a client service agent.

Investigators say 180 pound Derek Kirven was locked alone with the two women when he attacked.

Investigators will not release the video of the beating, but they say it is extremely violent.

"They appear to go unconscious following the first couple of strikes. He stands over them and begins to continue striking the two women," said Sgt. Mark Kmatz of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators say it took guards about a minute to get the doors unlocked and get inside to restrain Kirven.

The two women were taken to Presbyterian Hospital where they were treated and released.

Kirven was in jail for two misdemeanor warrants.

He is now facing two additional counts of aggravated battery

911 call recounts aftermath of teen's videotaped beating

BARTOW, Fla. A newly released 911 call recounts the aftermath of the videotaped beating of a central Florida teen. The 16-year-old victim tells the 911 operator: "I got jumped."
The Polk County Sheriff's Office released the recording of the call Tuesday
The girl called from a friend's house in Lakeland after the March 30 beating. The friend's mother got on the phone and told the operator: "She's got blood in her mouth a big old knot on her left eye, and we think she's got a tooth broke."
Eight teens have been charged as adults in the beating.
Part of the video was released by the sheriff's office and has been seen widely on national TV and the Internet. Authorities believe the girl was attacked and taped so the video could be posted on YouTube. You can listen here at USA Today.

Woman Bites Dog Who Attacked Her Dog

Minneapolis - Amy Rice feared for her dog's life when a pit bull jumped over a fence into her yard and attacked her pooch. So she took matters into her own mouth.
Rice says she bit the pit bull on the nose Friday after trying to pull the dog's jaws off her Labrador retriever, Ella. The dog had jumped a fence to get into Rice's northeast Minneapolis yard, and Rice says she feared the pit bull would kill Ella
"I didn't plan it, that's what happened. I broke the skin and had pit bull blood in my mouth," said Rice, 38. "I knew what happened, and I knew that it wasn't good."
The pit bull was quarantined Wednesday by Minneapolis Animal Control officers while rabies tests are being completed. Rice's doctor will determine whether she needs shots for rabies."I was sure that my dog was dying in my arms; it was horrible," Rice said.
Ella is recovering with staples and stitches to her head and a crushed ear canal, but she is afraid to go for walks, Rice said.

Business Man Injured While Getting Lap Dance, Files Law Suit

NEW YORK - A businessman claims in a lawsuit that he was injured when a stripper giving him a lap dance swiveled and smacked him in the face with the heel of her shoe.
Stephen Chang, a securities trader, said in court papers filed Friday that he was at the Hot Lap Dance Club near Madison Square Garden and was getting a paid lap dance when the accident occurred early Nov. 2, 2007

According to the lawsuit, as the dancer swung around, the heel of her shoe hit him in the eye, causing him "serious injuries."
A man who identified himself as the manager of the Hot Lap Dance Club said he was unaware of the accident or the state Supreme Court lawsuit. The club's lawyer, did not immediately return a call.

Woman sits on boyfriend’s toilet for two years, Authorities considering charges.

Deputies said a woman in western Kansas sat on her boyfriend's toilet for two years, and they are investigating whether she was mistreated.
Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said a man called his office last month to report that something was wrong with his girlfriend.
Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman’s skin had grown around the seat. At first, she refused emergency medical treatment but ended up going to the hospital after responders and her boyfriend convinced her.
“We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital,” Whipple said. “The hospital removed it.”
Whipple said investigators planned to present their report Wednesday to the county attorney, who will determine whether any charges should be filed against the woman's 36-year-old boyfriend.
“She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body,” Whipple said. “It is hard to imagine. ... I still have a hard time imagining it myself.”
He told investigators he brought his girlfriend food and water, and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom.
“And her reply would be, ‘Maybe tomorrow,”’ Whipple said. “According to him, she did not want to leave the bathroom.”
The boyfriend called police on Feb. 27 to report, “there was something wrong with his girlfriend,” Whipple said, adding that he never explained why it took him two years to call.
Police found the clothed woman sitting on the toilet, her sweat pants down to her mid-thigh. She was “somewhat disoriented,” and her legs looked like they had atrophied, Whipple said.
“She said that she didn’t need any help, that she was OK and did not want to leave,” he said.
She was taken to a hospital in Wichita, about 150 miles southeast of Ness City. Whipple said she has refused to cooperate with medical providers or law enforcement investigators.
Authorities said they did not know if she was physically or mentally disabled.
Police have declined to release the couple’s names, but the house where authorities say the incident happened is listed in public records as the residence of Kory McFarren. No one answered his home phone number.

16 Year Old Dies After Taking Oxycodone, Friend gets Charged

CATOOSA COUNTY, GA-The Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department took a 15-year-old white male from Ringgold into custody Monday night, March 3. The juvenile, whose name has not been released, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 16-year-old Timothy Lebron Smith, three counts of distributing prescription drugs and one count of possession of prescription drugs.

The suspect is believed to have supplied 80 mg. Oxycodone pills to three friends at Ringgold High School on Friday, Feb. 29 and retained several pills for his own use, police said. Investigators believe the teen took the Oxycodone from his grandfather, who has cancer, lockbox.

According to Summers, four students consumed the pills, two of them became seriously ill from taking two pills, another was hospitalized from taking three pills, and Timothy Lebron Smith, who consumed four pills, was found dead on Saturday, March 1, at his friends house where he had spent the night. The juvenile charged with voluntary manslaughter was one of the four students.

According to Summers, the 15-year-old will be prosecuted as a juvenile and there are no plans to seek prosecution as an adult. According to drug intelligence, the suspect has not been involved in a situation like this before.

“I don’t think a lot of kids understand the ramifications of taking drugs from home,” said Sheriff Summers. “Oxycodone is a time-released drug,” explained Sheriff Summers. “They were probably uneducated about the drug, took a couple pills and when they felt no effect, they took more. By the time they knew something was wrong, it was too late.”

Duke Lacrosse Players File Lawsuit in U.S. District Court

The players accuse Duke of ignoring, suppressing and discrediting evidence that proved the players innocence, with idly standing by while the players suffered abuse and harassment on campus, and with imposing discipline that implied the team was guilty. Duke suspended and then canceled the highly ranked team's season in the wake of the rape allegation.
Duke spokesman Keith Lawrence declined to comment until the university had time to review the lawsuit. Durham interim City Attorney Karen Sindelar did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Thursday.
Former Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong won indictments against Dave Evans, Collin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann after a woman accused them of raping her at a team party in March 2006. The case unraveled amid the woman's changing story and lack of evidence.
The three players were later declared innocent and also have sued the former prosecutor, the City of Durham and the police detectives who handled the case. They reached an undisclosed financial settlement with the university in June.
Nifong was disbarred and spent a night in jail for his handling of the case. Cooper said he is not named in the lawsuit because of his pending declaration of bankruptcy. Nifong is claiming more than $180 million in liabilities, almost all tied to the prospect of losing two other lawsuits stemming from the rape case.
Three other players filed a lawsuit last year, accusing the school, Nifong and numerous others of a conspiracy that inflicted emotional distress.


source:Findlaw

Billionaire Faces $50M Sexual Assault Lawsuit

West Palm Beach, Fl. A woman filed suit Wednesday accusing a New York billionaire of sexually assaulting her when she was underage.
The unidentified woman said she was 16 when she was brought to Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach mansion and paid $200 to give the money manager a massage. Instead, she claims he abused her.
The suit seeks more than $50 million in damages from the billionaire money manager.
Epstein's attorney, Guy Lewis, said the lawsuit is defamatory and the allegations are false.
Another teenage girl made similar claims against Epstein in a lawsuit filed last month. She is also at the center of a criminal case against Epstein in West Palm Beach, where he is charged with one felony count of solicitation of prostitution. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted. A hearing in that case is set for March.
He also faces a similar sex abuse lawsuit in New York.
Epstein was named one of New York's most eligible bachelors in 2003 by the New York Post. He has lavish homes in Manhattan, New Mexico, Florida and the Virgin Islands.

Women Conned her way into Harvard

A high school dropout who stole the identity of a missing South Carolina woman and used it to gain admission to two Ivy League colleges has been arrested, police said Sunday.
A fugitive for more than a year, Esther Reed was arrested Saturday by U.S. Marshals in suburban Chicago, said Clark Brazier, a spokesman for the police department in Traveler's Rest, South Carolina.
Reed is scheduled to have a bond hearing this week in Illinois. South Carolina authorities are seeking to extradite her on charges of aggravated identity theft and wire fraud.
Reed assumed the identity of Brooke Henson, who was 20 years old when she disappeared more than eight years ago from Travelers Rest, investigators say.
It's unclear how Reed obtained Henson's personal information, but Reed used Henson's identity to take the SAT and GED, and then applied to the schools, said Jon Campbell, a Travelers Rest Police Department investigator who spoke to CNN last year.
Officials at Harvard University and Columbia University have acknowledged that a Brooke Henson was enrolled at their schools, but said privacy laws prevent them from discussing details.
"There's a little relief that goes with [the news of Reed's arrest]," Brooke's aunt Lisa Henson told CNN Sunday. "But [Brooke] is still missing. I'd like to have some answers. I would love to see [Reed] and look her in the eye and say, 'You're a horrible person.' "
Police say they're confident Reed was not involved in Henson's disappearance.
Authorities believe Henson was killed by someone who knew her. However, no body has been found and no arrests have been made.
Henson's family had heard nothing about their missing relative for years until the summer of 2006, when New York City authorities told police in Travelers Rest that they had found her, alive and well, in Manhattan.
The police relayed that message to Henson's family. "I was jumping for joy," said Lisa Henson. "It was incredible."
But the family's joy was short-lived when it was revealed that the woman found was actually Reed.
An ex-boyfriend told CNN that Reed -- posing as Henson -- often bragged about being a world-class chess player who earned a living playing the game competitively.
The man told CNN that he believed her until he challenged her to a game and beat her.
Originally from the tiny town of Townsend, Montana, Reed had been reported missing by her family in 1999, around the same time that Henson disappeared.

Source: AP

Oregon Supreme Court to decide circumcision case

A divorce dispute over whether to circumcise a 12-year-old boy will be decided Friday by the Oregon Supreme Court.

The nationally-watched case pits a father who converted to Judaism and wants his son to undergo the religious ritual, against his mother, an orthodox Christian who claims the boy doesn't want to be circumcised.
The case has drawn attention from national Jewish groups concerned that Oregon's highest court will accept Lia Boldt's contention that circumcision is dangerous.
An anti-circumcision group based in Seattle also joined the fray, arguing the safety of the procedure.

James Boldt, a former Grants Pass man who has custody of the boy and lives near Olympia, said his son wants to be circumcised so he can convert to Judaism.

Oregon Supreme Court to decide circumcision case Friday

Autopsy on Heath Ledger Inconclusive

An autopsy on Heath Ledger was inclusive, and more tests are needed, the medical examiner's office said this morning. It will take about 10 days to complete the investigation according to the medical examiner.
Earlier, police said the death was caused by a possible drug overdose and appeared to be accidental.
Fans left flowers and candles outside the apartment building in Manhattan's SoHo where the body of the Oscar-nominated star of "Brokeback Mountain" was found. Fans also left flowers outside the home in Brooklyn where Ledger and Michelle Williams once lived.
Ledger was known for grueling, intense roles that became his trademark after he got his start in teen movies like "10 Things I Hate About You."
The Australian-born actor was found dead Tuesday by his housekeeper and masseuse — lying naked and face-down at the foot of his bed, with prescription sleeping pills nearby, police said.
It was a shocking end to a career built on unpredictability. Ledger avoided the safe path in favor of roles that forced him to bury Australian accent and downplay his leading-man looks: a tormented gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain," a drug addict in "Candy," an incarnation of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There."
In what may be his final finished performance, he took a rare role in a guaranteed summer blockbuster, playing Batman's nemesis, the Joker, in the upcoming "The Dark Knight." But the role was nothing he could phone in; it forced him to rebrand a character last played on the big screen by Jack Nicholson.

Heath Ledger found dead at 28

Heath Ledger was found dead today at a New York apartment, naked in bed with sleeping pills nearby, police said. The Australian-born actor was 28.

It wasn't immediately clear if Ledger had committed suicide. He had an appointment for a massage at a residence in SoHo, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. A housekeeper who went to let him know the massage therapist had arrived found him dead at 3:26 p.m.

A large crowd of paparazzi and onlookers gathered outside the building on an upscale block. Ledger's body was still inside, and several police officers guarded the door.

The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy Wednesday, Ledger was a respected, award-winning actor who chose his roles carefully rather than cashing in on his heartthrob looks. He was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in ``Brokeback Mountain,'' where he met Michelle Williams, who played his wife in the film. The two had a daughter, Matilda, and lived together in Brooklyn until they split up last year.

Ledger had finished filming his role as the Joker this year in ``The Dark Knight,'' a sequel to 2005's ``Batman Begins.''

Ledger was born in 1979 in Perth, in western Australia, to a mining engineer and a French teacher, and got his first acting role playing Peter Pan at age 10 at a local theater company. He began acting in independent films as a 16-year-old in Sydney and played a cyclist hoping to land a spot on an Olympic team in a 1996 television show, ``Seat.''

After several independent films, Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and co-starred opposite Julia Stiles in ``10 Things I Hate About You,'' a teen comedy reworking of ``The Taming of the Shrew.''

The website TMZ has stated that they learned that Ledger had been sick with pneumonia when he died.

Robber shoots self in groin!

KOKOMO, Ind. -- A man accidentally shot himself in the groin as he was robbing a convenience store Tuesday, police said.

The store clerk told police a man carrying a semiautomatic handgun came into the Village Pantry demanding cash and a pack of cigarettes. The clerk put the cash in a bag and as she turned to get the cigarettes, she heard the gun discharge.

Police say surveillance video shows the man shooting himself as he placed the gun in the waistband of his pants. The clerk wasn’t injured.

A short time later, police found 25-year-old Derrick Kosch at a home with a gunshot wound to his right testicle and lower left leg.

Kosch was released from the hospital Tuesday and booked into the Howard County jail on a charge of armed robbery, criminal recklessness and battery. He’s being held on a $100,000 cash bail.

MAN WITH POPCORN LUNG FILES LAWSUIT: Man ate 2 bags of popcorn a day

A Denver man, Wayne Watson, has filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming injury from microwave popcorn. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court names The Kroger Co. and two of its divisions: grocery stores King Soopers’ parent company, Dillon Companies Inc., and food distributor Inter-American Products Inc.Wayne Watson has filed a lawsuit against The Kroger Company and two of its divisions, claiming the butter flavoring on their microwave popcorn made him sick.

Watson says he developed "popcorn lung" after eating two bags of popcorn a day his case of “popcorn lung” and his two-bags-a-day diet gained national attention last year when doctors at National Jewish Hospital diagnosed him with the rare lung condition that has been linked to the flavor chemical diacetyl.

Popcorn lung, officially called bronchiolitis obliterans, generally has been associated with people who worked in microwave popcorn plants mixing large vats of flavors. Hundreds of workers have said they have severe lung disease or other respiratory illnesses from inhaling diacetyl vapors. The chemical has been the subject of hundreds of lawsuits against the companies that that produce or use the butter flavoring.

Diacetyl is a naturally occurring chemical compound that gives butter its flavor. It is also found in cheese and some wines, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and health. It has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a flavor ingredient

Former O.C. Star Mischa Barton Arrested

Mischa Barton was arrested this morning for possible driving under the influence of alcohol and possessing marijuana.

Police saw the 21 year old actress in her vehicle straddling two lanes and failing to signal for a turn, according to a sheriff's press statement.

Police had also determined that she was an unlicensed driver and was driving while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage," the statement said.

Barton was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a license, possessing a controlled substance and possessing marijuana. She spent around seven hours in the West Hollywood jail before being released on $10,000 bail.

Her arrest was first reported by the Hollyscoop.com Web site

Two Killed and Four Wounded Colorado Shootings

A gunman killed two staff members at a missionary center early Sunday after being told he couldn't spend the night, and about 12 hours later four people were shot at a busy mega church in Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs police said a suspect had been detained in the shootings at the New Life Church, but a church member who was locked down at the church Sunday afternoon said a security guard had shot and killed the gunman. Authorities in Arvada, a Denver suburb about 65 miles north, said no one had been captured in the shootings there.

It was not immediately known whether the shootings were related.

A gunman in a black trench coat and a high-powered rifle entered the church's main foyer about 1 p.m. and began shooting, according to the church member, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the police department had asked that it release all information.

The church's 11 a.m. service had recently ended, and hundreds of people were milling about when the gunman opened fire. Nearby were parents picking up their children from the nursery.

The gunman was killed by a member of the church's armed security staff, the source said. Four people were shot, and the source did not know whether the shooter was one of the four. A SWAT team was searching the building for an explosive device, but the source could not confirm any details. Three people were taken to the hospital in Colorado Springs, where they were listed in critical, fair and good condition, said a hospital spokeswoman.

A man and a woman were killed and two men were wounded, Medina said. All four were staff members with the center, said a Colorado Springs-based spokesman with Youth With a Mission.

Arvada Police Chief said the suspect spent several minutes speaking with people inside the dorm. Peter Warren, director of Youth With a Mission Denver, said the man asked whether he could spend the night. Several youths called on Tiffany Johnson, the center's director of hospitality.

"The director of hospitality was called. That's when he opened fire," Warren said. Johnson, 26, was killed.

Warren said he didn't know whether any of the students or staff knew the gunman. "We don't know why" he came to the dormitory, Warren said.

Witnesses told police that the gunman was a 20-year-old white male, wearing a dark jacket and skull cap, who left on foot. He may have glasses or a beard.

Police with dogs searched the area through the night, and residents of nearby homes were notified by reverse 911 to be on the lookout. Medina said residents were asked to look out their windows for any tracks left in the snow during the night. About 4 inches of snow had fallen in the area in the past day.

New Life Senior Pastor Brady Boyd said security at the church had been beefed up after the shootings in Arvada, but he did not elaborate and did not take questions.

"Fortunately for New Life Church, we had a plan in place that was put into play immediately," he said. "Our prayers right now are for the people that were injured and their families.

The New Life church is one of Colorado's largest with about 10,000 members.

In addition to Johnson, killed in Arvada was Philip Crouse, 23. Youth With a Mission said Johnson was from Minnesota and Crouse was from Alaska.

The missionary center identified the wounded as Dan Griebenow, 24, of South Dakota, and Charlie Branch, 22, whose hometown wasn't immediately known. One of the men was in critical condition, and the other was stable, police said.

About 45 people were evacuated from the Youth with a Mission dormitory and moved to an undisclosed location.

Teacher Arrested for Blog Comment

MADISON, Wis. -- Bloggers and free speech advocates are calling on prosecutors not to file charges against a teacher arrested for allegedly posting an anonymous comment online praising the Columbine shooters. Some were disturbed by the post police say the teacher left on a conservative blog, but other observers said it was a sarcastic attempt to discredit critics of education spending. The suburban Milwaukee high school chemistry teacher was arrested last week for the Nov. 16 comment left on a blog on Wisconsin politics. The comment, left under the name "Observer," came during a discussion over teacher salaries after some commenters complained teachers were under worked and overpaid. He allegedly wrote that teacher salaries made him sick because they are lazy and work only five hours a day. He praised the teen gunmen who killed 12 students and a teacher before committing suicide in the April 1999 attack at Columbine High School

."They knew how to deal with the overpaid teacher union thugs. One shot at a time!" he wrote, adding they should be remembered as heroes.

. The comment disturbed at least one teacher, who called police in West Bend, 40 miles north of Milwaukee and home of the blog's administrator Police traveled to arrest the teacher at his home, last week after the blogger gave them the anonymous poster's IP address. He was released on $350.00 bail.

The Washington County District Attorney is considering whether to charge the teacher with disorderly conduct and unlawful use of computerized communication systems.

Source: R.Foley, AP