Criminal Law
Crime Scene KC 
Comprehensive crime news information, crime prevention tips and crime analysis about the Kansas City area.
Post Frequency: 47/day Last Entry: November 20, 2009 at 11:15:50 Recent Entries: 13866
By James Hart
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A new tradition: The Christmas bong
Posted on November 20, 2009In Los Angeles, authorities uncovered a giant shipment of bongs -- 316,000 of 'em -- being shipped into the country from China. The manifest described them as "Christmas ornaments." I'm just trying to picture a Christmas tree bedecked with nothing...
Missing people were killed for their body fat, Peruvian police say
Posted on November 20, 2009In Peru, police believe that dozens of missing people were ambushed and murdered for their body fat, which was then sold on the black market to cosmetic and pharmaceutical firms in Europe, the BBC reports. Some experts are skeptical of...
How to tell if you've hit rock bottom
Posted on November 20, 2009From the Times of London: An eminent rabbi was so exhausted after three days of constant cocaine-fuelled partying with escorts that his pimp grew worried and cancelled that day?s supply of girls, a jury was told. Hat Tip: Saw this...
Defense wants Bustamante to get mental-health treatment
Posted on November 20, 2009Just a quick update about Alyssa Bustamante, the Missouri teenager who's been accused of murdering a 9-year-old neighbor, Elizabeth Olten. Bustamante's public defender is asking the court to place her in a mental hospital so she can immediate treatment, the...
Did this inmate deserve to be executed?
Posted on November 20, 2009Last night, Texas executed Robert Lee Thompson, 34, for a fatal robbery that occurred 13 years ago at a Houston convenience store. Thompson didn't actually pull the trigger. His accomplice, who did, got a life sentence in prison while Thompson...
42 charges in Mohler sex-abuse case
Posted on November 20, 2009That's after authorities filed 11 more charges in the case on Thursday, Don Bradley reports. Today's report has more about the allegations: The alleged abuse occurred from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, when the sisters ranged in age from 5...
Should homeless shelters ban some sex offenders?
Posted on November 20, 2009In Massachusetts, there's a movement to add homeless shelters as one of the places where Level 3 sex offenders can't stay. Level 3 is the worst of the lot, the ones most likely to offend again. Homeless shelters, which are...
700+ pound man sits in same chair for seven months, S.C. sheriff says
Posted on November 20, 2009Sad story from Greenwood, S.C., where a 700-pound man died Wednesday. He apparently sat down in his recliner back in March, following knee surgery, and didn't get up once during that time. Only 33 years old, Tillmon Claude Daniel Webb...
Woman catches burglar wearing her undies, Ore. cops say
Posted on November 20, 2009And that was all he was wearing, police allege. Since he was allegedly found rooting through her dirty laundry, it's possible that he was wearing her dirty underwear, to boot. And yes, there is a mugshot.
911 doesn't care if your parents take your Xbox
Posted on November 20, 2009Near Chicago, a 15-year-old reportedly called police to ask whether his parents could legally take away his Xbox as punishment. The police, always helpful, sent officers to explain that, yes, they could.
Utah man accused of putting rat poison in mother-in-law's soy milk
Posted on November 20, 2009Police say the would-be victim noticed something was amiss when she allegedly poured the milk over her cereal and there were blue D-Con flakes in the liquid. (They say there were about two to three tablespoons in the milk.)
Open Thread ... Friday
Posted on November 20, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Indoor pot-growing operation was 25 feet from LAPD station, police say
Posted on November 19, 2009It's not clear how long they were in operation, but it sounds like a fairly elaborate setup. They even had insulation to keep the pot smell indoors -- only there must have been a crack because officers eventually caught a...
Northland red-light camera goes offline -- temporarily!
Posted on November 19, 2009From Mike Mansur: Kansas City officials ceased ticketing drivers, beginning Wednesday, for making right turns at Northwest 68th Street at U.S. 169 in the Kansas City Northland. Many drivers had complained they were wrongly receiving red-light camera notices for making...
Stripper-mobile will ride again, owner vows
Posted on November 19, 2009Some ideas are too powerful to die.
Every picture tells a story
Posted on November 19, 2009Sara snapped this photo when in KCPD's lobby this morning while she was making rounds. We're both very curious about who would leave their pants, heels and undies behind like that.
"Soldier" warns Mo. school about possible attack
Posted on November 19, 2009In Pettis County, authorities are trying to find a guy -- clad in a combat uniform -- who showed up at a local high school on Saturday evening, warning people that six escaped convicts could be in the area and...
"Strip Yahtzee" leads to false claims of rape, Ind. cops say
Posted on November 19, 2009A Muncie woman allegedly lost a game of strip Yahtzee and went, naked, into a room with her ex-boyfriend, police say. When her CURRENT boyfriend found out, the woman said she'd been raped, the authorities allege. Police now believe the...
Local bicyclist says driver's charges are too light
Posted on November 19, 2009KSHB has a report about a local bicyclist who reportedly got hit while riding near the downtown airport. The motorist has been charged in Clay County with leaving the scene, a misdemeanor. The bicyclist says the incident was intentional and...
Was it OK to Taser 10-year-old?
Posted on November 19, 2009Just a quick update to the story about an Arkansas police officer who reportedly Tasered a 10-year-old girl. His department says they're going to have an outside agency investigate. The officer, for his part, says he got permission from the...
OP woman accused of stealing health care from military
Posted on November 19, 2009April Greer, 28, Overland Park, Kan., has been charged in federal court with one count of health care fraud, the U.S. Attorney for Kansas reports. Greer reportedly got divorced from her husband, a Marine sergeant, but continued to submit medical...
Mo. woman claims discrimination in Wal-Mart incident
Posted on November 19, 2009We could get a verdict as soon as today in the case of Heather Ellis, a black woman accused of assaulting a cop and other crimes in Kennett, Mo. It all stems from a January 2007 incident at a Wal-Mart....
Fired cop sues over "urination incident"
Posted on November 19, 2009In Wisconsin Dells, a former police officer is suing the city, saying he was fired without cause. Two National Guardsmen alleged that he had forced them to "lick the contents of a small puddle and eat a bit of a...
Burglars complain about victims being so poor, Pa. cops say
Posted on November 19, 2009What a lovely story: Two teenagers from Pennsylvania are accused of burglarizing homes and, just for giggles, videotaping the crime. Police say they can be heard complaining that so many of their victims are too poor. Hat Tip: Many thanks,...
Elderly UK woman uses false teeth, brush to chase off burglars
Posted on November 19, 2009And she shook her Bible at them for good measure.
More charges coming in Mohler case?
Posted on November 19, 2009That's what Don Bradley is reporting -- the new charges could be filed today. He also quotes a Mohler cousin who wasn't terribly impressed with yesterday's development, that authorities reportedly found incest porn at Burrell Mohler Sr.'s house. ?That?s unfortunate,...
Man killed son over alleged child sex abuse
Posted on November 19, 2009In Detroit, a man is accused of killing his 15-year-old son after he heard the boy allegedly had "sexual contact" with a 3-year-old girl, the AP reports. The defendant is accused of forcing the boy to strip, marching him to...
UPDATE: Mo. teen accused of killing 9-year-old
Posted on November 19, 2009From AP: This picture provided on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 by the Cole County Sheriff's Department shows Alyssa Bustamante. On Wendesday, Nov. 18, 2009, a judge entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of the 15-year-old-girl charged as an adult in...
Embezzler can totally explain why she stole $1.3 million
Posted on November 19, 2009She was addicted to horses.
Can't we all be friends? No
Posted on November 19, 2009Louisiana woman ran boyfriend's ex-wife off the road and into a ditch, police allege.
Dog blamed for woman's shooting death
Posted on November 19, 2009In San Luis Obispo County, Calif., a man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after he shot his wife, who was sitting on their couch. The man says he accidentally fired a handgun after he tripped over the dog.
Open Thread ... Thursday
Posted on November 19, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Over the river and through the woods ... the police will be watching you
Posted on November 19, 2009Just a heads-up -- Most of the Kansas law-enforcement community will take part in a weeklong traffic campaign that starts Monday and runs through the Sunday after Thanksgiving. (Merriam, which sent out a notice, is one of those on board.)...
10 years for man caught in online sex sting
Posted on November 19, 2009From Mark Morris: A federal judge sentenced a Mississippi man to 10 years in federal prison today for attempted commercial sex trafficking of a child. Christopher M. Cockrell, 34, of Amory, Miss., pleaded guilty in July after he answered an...
PHOTO: KCPD seeks man in GameStop case
Posted on November 19, 2009From KCPD: Detectives are attempting to identify the person in the attached surveillance photos. He is a suspect in regard to a stealing from GameStop located at 906 Westport Road. The thefts are believed to have occurred between 11/13/09 and...
Couple arrested for refusing to tip?
Posted on November 19, 2009In Bethlehem, Pa., a couple was arrested because they refused to pay an 18 percent gratuity for their group because, they say, the service was terrible. (It's one of those places where, if your group is big enough, you're automatically...
Help ID these persons of interest
Posted on November 19, 2009KCPD is trying to identify and locate these three people, who are persons of interest in the Maurice West homcide from Nov. 4. (West, 20, was killed in the 11600 block of Holiday Drive.) Police say the pictured people were...
Jayson Williams to get prison in plea deal?
Posted on November 19, 2009The former basketball star is charged with reckless manslaughter in the 2002 shooting death of a limo driver, a count that carries a potential 10-year sentence. New Jersey's Star-Ledger reports that Williams may plead guilty to aggravated assault under a...
Pentagon plans Fort Hood investigation
Posted on November 19, 2009Defense Secretary Gates has set a 45-day time limit on the review, which will look at how the military identifies servicemembers who might be dangerous. And they'll look at whether U.S. bases are ready for situations like Fort Hood. It...
52 months for drunk driver whose passenger died
Posted on November 19, 2009From WyCo DA: Howard Lewis, Jr., age 33, of Kansas City, Kansas, was sentenced to 52 months in prison this morning for the January 8, 2007, death of Waynedale Avery. Avery was the passenger is a vehicle driven by Lewis...
Do you recognize these men?
Posted on November 19, 2009From LSPD: On October 15, 2009 the police department completed a motor vehicle theft report in the 200 block of NW Hemlock St. in northern Lee?s Summit. Taken in the theft was a black 2005 GMS S15, along with the...
KC bank robber left his wallet at crime scene
Posted on November 19, 2009Albert Vincent Perkins, 40, of Kansas City pleaded guilty today to robbing the First Federal Bank, 4227 Blue Ridge Blvd, back in May. (A codefendant, Monique M. Hernandez, who cased the building, had already pleaded guilty.) The U.S. Attorney for...
Boy's head set ablaze by "redneck flamethrower," Alaska police say
Posted on November 19, 2009The story is from Anchorage, where the 5-year-old was left alone with (A) Mom's boyfriend and (B) Mom's Baby Daddy, who decided to pull a prank on the boy, police allege. Specifically, they decided to call him to the door...
Some headlines just write themselves
Posted on November 19, 2009From the Kitsap Sun ... Fun With Duct Tape Leads to Hospitalization for Belfair Student
Mom still wants to see son that she allegedly abducted
Posted on November 18, 2009Remember Shannon Wilfong? She's the Illinois woman who allegedly abducted her young son two years and was found this fall -- hiding in a secret room at her mom's house. (The little boy, Ricky Chekevdia, had reportedly been made to...
Mo. girl, 15, to be tried as adult in 9-year-old's slaying
Posted on November 18, 2009UPDATED: The News Tribune reports that Alyssa Bustamante, 15, has been certified to stand trial as an adult. PREVIOUSLY: In Jeff City, a judge is going to hear arguments today whether the 15-year-old accused of murdering Elizabeth Olten, 9, in...
More people are stealing IDs to get health care, report says
Posted on November 18, 2009More people are using stolen identities so they can get health care, the Charlotte Business Journal reports. I've seen a handful of cases like this over the past year or so. Until now, most identity thefts have strictly had a...
Fla. town considers $1K daily fine for overgrown yards
Posted on November 18, 2009The current fine is "only" $250 per day. Hat Tip: Many thanks, JoJo!
Man fails to win girl's heart -- steals her purse instead, Ariz. cops say
Posted on November 18, 2009The fastest way to a woman's heart is through a police lineup, they say. Hat Tip: Many thanks, eephus!
Neb. woman hits house during driving lesson, police say
Posted on November 18, 2009She's 29, and her husband was her instructor, police told the Omaha World-Herald. Liked this bit: Police arrived, investigated, and ticketed the woman. She declined to comment and forbade her husband from doing so, though he described the incident as...
A very special delivery
Posted on November 18, 2009In Marion, Iowa, a mail carrier is accused of (A) being drunk while on the job and (B) entering an old woman's house, plopping down on her kitchen floor and eating leftover noodles from the fridge. When she went to...
More sex-crime charges against Mo. camp director
Posted on November 18, 2009In Taney County, prosecutors have filed eight new charges against Peter D. Newman, a former assistant camp director at Kanakuk Camps near Branson. Two other charges were dropped. Newman is accused of having Bible study with boys in his hot...
Wichita couple calls 911 over stolen pot, police say
Posted on November 18, 2009I've lost count of how many people have called 911, thinking it was a good idea to report their illegal drugs have been stolen.
Man strangled stepson as revenge against kid's mom, Wis. police say
Posted on November 18, 2009Charles A. Avey is accused of using a necktie to strangle his 14-year-old stepson -- as revenge against the kid's mom for reporting Avey to the police. He'd allegedly used a hammer to beat her. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Searching!
VIDEO: Cop vs. cat
Posted on November 18, 2009In Texas, a police officer tried -- and tried and tried -- to get a kitten to leave him alone during a traffic stop. Here's what happened ...
Are two KC murders linked?
Posted on November 18, 2009KCPD is investigating whether two homicides -- one from Saturday, one from Monday night -- are related, Christine reports. Both occurred in the Old Northeast area. She also has more information about Amber Telford Khan, who was killed Saturday night....
How to stay safe while holiday shopping
Posted on November 18, 2009We're heading into the holiday-shopping season, so it seemed like a good time to remind people how to avoid getting hurt or ripped off when they go out. Officer Michael Betten, who works in community policing for Overland Park, was...
Life is hard for door-to-door drug dealers
Posted on November 18, 2009In Brownsville, Texas, a 19-year-old man is accused of trying to sell weed door-to-door. One of his first stops: The home of a police officer, authorities allege. Alcohol might have been a factor.
Apply now for Lee's Summit's Citizens Police Academy
Posted on November 18, 2009Lee's Summit PD is now accepting applications for its Citizens Police Academy, which starts March 2. It'll run for 10 weeks and will meet from 7 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday nights. It's free, but you have to be a...
Steelers fan says he was poisoned, blinded at Chicago bar
Posted on November 18, 2009He and some buddies had apparently been trashtalking some Bears fans, who sent over a drink as a supposed "peacemaker," he says. It was apparently spiked with something that made his heart stop several times and has left him blind....
Ga. teacher tried to put a hit on student, police allege
Posted on November 18, 2009According to the New York Post, the lawyer says his client was merely kidding and didn't name a student.
Open Thread ... Wednesday
Posted on November 18, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Urine sample could technically be a forgery, court rules
Posted on November 18, 2009The Plog has a lovely tale about a man, a Whizzinator and a legal battle that reached the Missouri Court of Appeals. The court's opinion can be read here.
Want less crime? Invest in education, KCPD chief says
Posted on November 18, 2009Chief Corwin has a post on his blog about a recent visit to the Harlem Children's Zone, a nationally recognized program that provides early education, health care and other services to poor families. It basically tracks kids from early childhood...
KC woman shot man who threw drink in her face, prosecutors allege
Posted on November 18, 2009Latonia Gibson, 41, is facing charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, Jackson County prosecutors say. Gibson allegedly shot a man in the abdomen back in September. She'd reportedly been in an altercation with another woman, who threw Gibson...
Northland purse-snatcher gets 12 years
Posted on November 18, 2009Wow, they really don't fool around in the Northland, do they? This gentleman didn't sound like the sharpest knife in the drawer -- he reportedly committed the crime in full view of two police officers, who filmed the proceedings.
KCPD names victim from Old Northeast homcide
Posted on November 18, 2009From KCPD: The victim has been identified as Lisa M. McGuire, white/female, 04/20/1982, of Versailles, MO. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS hotline. McGuire was found slain Monday night in the 3700 block of Roberts.
Sorry, but you're still going to prison -- thanks!
Posted on November 17, 2009Michael Maples, who robbed two Wichita banks earlier this year but always included an apology and said thank you in his note, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison, the U.S. Attorney for Kansas reports. In the Commerce Bank...
Conmen use federal stimulus in new scam, feds say
Posted on November 17, 2009I'm guessing the White House didn't expect this segment of the economy to prosper under the federal stimulus, but a lot of con artists are making money off it anyway, federal officials say. The bad guys send emails and make...
Single-mom soldier refuses to go to Afghanistan
Posted on November 17, 2009Because there's nobody who can take care of her son, who's 10 months old, the AP reports. Her mom was going to watch the kiddo, but she's dealing with a handful of sick relatives and has backed out. Army authorities...
How should Mo. funeral director be punished?
Posted on November 17, 2009In Columbia, a man named Harold Warren Sr., who operated a funeral home, has pleaded guilty to giving the wrong cremains to the wrong families. The prosecution and defense agreed on a plea deal that would spare Warren, 77, from...
Man who got ticket calls trooper's mom as revenge, N.Y. police say
Posted on November 17, 2009In Long Island, N.Y., a 54-year-old man is accused of calling a state trooper's mom and saying that her son had been badly hurt in a wreck. The trooper was fine -- it was revenge because the caller was upset...
Man finds burglar wearing his boxers
Posted on November 17, 2009Near Denver, a man came home and not only found a burglar hanging around his house, the burglar was actually wearing the man's boxers. The homeowner held the guy at gunpoint until police arrived. The suspect really made himself at...
Report: Motorist, 72, accused of pulling gun
Posted on November 17, 2009KMBC has a story about a 72-year-old man who allegedly tracked down a younger driver who'd cut him off. The older man is accused of pulling a gun, Overland Park police say. The 72-year-old says that he never pointed a...
More charges, new accuser in Mohler sex-abuse case
Posted on November 17, 2009Don Bradley has the full story, but here's the gist of it: The new charges are against Burrell Mohler Sr. and his four sons -- but not Mohler's brother from Florida. (I'm not sure about the others, but the Florida...
World's oldest street vandal?
Posted on November 17, 2009In Los Angeles, police have arrested a 73-year-old man named John Scott -- who's described as being the oldest street vandal they've ever caught. Scott is accused of slapping hundreds of stickers on buses and street signs. What did the...
Do you recognize this man?
Posted on November 17, 2009From OPPD: On November 4, 2009 at approximately 3:45 PM in the 8500 block of 127th Street a man entered an occupied home by way of an open garage door. He confronted two elderly residents and began opening desk drawers...
KCPD investigating woman's homicide
Posted on November 17, 2009From KCPD: Officers today (Monday) at 949 pm were called to 6th and Monroe (the Apple Market) to meet a male with information about a murder. When officers arrived, the male caller took them to an apartment building in the...
Fast-food "holdup" was actually training scenario, St. Joe cops say
Posted on November 17, 2009In St. Joe, the manager of a Sonic decided to teach his staff how to handle an armed robbery. He did this by having someone with a realistic-looking toy gun pretend to rob the joint and hold the toy gun...
Was valedictorian talking about God? Or preaching?
Posted on November 17, 2009Again, not a crime story, but an interesting court case from the Las Vegas area. The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from Brittany McComb, whose valedictorian speech in 2006 was cut off because she deviated from...
Where the Taser got its name
Posted on November 17, 2009There used to be a series of boys novels based on a character named Tom Swift, a youthful inventor who got into various adventures because of his creations. One of his stories was called "Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle."...
Gun-wielding robbers weren't ALL bad ...
Posted on November 17, 2009In Indianapolis, two robbers reportedly forced their way into a family's home and tied up the occupants ... though they did untie one child when the family's baby started crying. The child then fed the baby, using milk that one...
J. Jonah Jameson was right
Posted on November 17, 2009We just can't trust Spider-Man ... File photo via AP!
Ind. woman shoots boyfriend in the buttocks during fight, police say
Posted on November 17, 2009"My last girlfriend was a real pain in the ..."
Open Thread ... Tuesday
Posted on November 17, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Sorry, Missouri: It's still illegal for drunks to carry guns
Posted on November 17, 2009The state Supreme Court has ruled that a law making it illegal for intoxicated people to carry firearms is constitutional. (A lower court had said it wasn't.) It was all tied back to the case of a guy passed out...
Mr. Smith Goes To Prison
Posted on November 17, 2009Jeff Smith, a former Missouri legislator, has been sentenced to one year, one day in prison for obstruction of justice. (Another former legislator got two years of probation.) It's been an amazing change of fortune for Smith, who used to...
Va. inmate chooses to be electrocuted
Posted on November 17, 2009Larry Bill Elliott, who's set to die tonight, denies that he killed two people back in 2001, but the governor and the U.S. Supreme Court have declined to intervene. Elliott chose to be electrocuted -- a method of execution that...
?Give my momma what she wants?
Posted on November 17, 2009A man named Kevin A. Williams is accused of robbing a man that his mom allegedly lured to an Old Northeast apartment with promises of sex. (For money.) Christine's narrative: The victim said he met a prostitute on Independence Avenue...
Be sure to buckle up Wednesday
Posted on November 16, 2009That's good advice for whenever you're in a car, but it'll be especially important on Wednesday, when Missouri plans a "special enforcement" for seatbelts. (Just got a press release from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office with that bit of news.)
Aussie boy, 12, charged for receiving stolen chocolate
Posted on November 16, 2009Valued at approximately 70 cents. One of his buddies is the one who allegedly stole it. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Christina!
Report: Cop-turned-grocer shoots alleged robber in buttock
Posted on November 16, 2009KCTV has the details! Hat Tip: Saw this via Tony's Kansas City!
Now, THAT is a lovely mugshot
Posted on November 16, 2009Aw ... chin up, big guy ... Hat Tip: Many thanks, Man in a Mission!
Colo. woman accused of drugging, raping male friend
Posted on November 16, 2009She's apparently going to take a plea deal, the Boulder Camera says, but it's not clear if there will be reduced charges, light sentencing or what. From the article: The next day, the man told detectives that he awoke to...
UPDATE: Missing girl, 5, found dead
Posted on November 16, 2009In North Carolina, police are looking for the body of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, a little girl who has been missing since Nov. 10. Her mother is now in jail, accused of human trafficking and felony child abuse -- the child...
Have you seen this man?
Posted on November 16, 2009UPDATE: A second victim, Jose Diaz-Turcios, has died, KCK police say. Over the weekend, Wyandotte County charged two men in the slaying of 19-year-old Gerson Diaz-Turcios on Friday near 18th and Central. (The victim's brother was badly wounded in the...
Open Thread ... Monday
Posted on November 16, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. A SPECIAL THANKS: Thanks to Bob Cronkleton, Meredith Rodriguez and Sara...
KC homicide count climbs to 100
Posted on November 16, 2009Compared to 117 at the same point last year. Alonzo Washington noted this first on his blog. The clearance rate is 66 percent. Police have resolved 50 homicides that were committed this year, plus 16 from previous years.
Iowa considering medical marijuana?
Posted on November 16, 2009If so, it's still in the very early stages. The state Board of Pharmacy recently held a series of public meetings on the topic, trying to get scientific information about the issue. Their recommendation would be a big first step...
Intoxicated man tried to steal toy giraffe twice, Ore. police say
Posted on November 16, 2009Nothing good was going to happen to this stuffed animal. Hat Tip: Saw this via Fark!
Man, 28, killed near 900 block of Armstrong in KCK
Posted on November 16, 2009From KCKPD: On Sunday, November 15, 2009 at about 0449 hours, the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department responded to the alley south of the 900 block of Armstrong Avenue on a reported shooting. Upon arrival, officers located Kansas City, Kansas...
Wyandotte County settles police lawsuit
Posted on November 16, 2009The Unified Government has agreed to pay $499,000 to settle a lawsuit filed over alleged police misconduct at a teen's birthday party in 2005. (The government and the officers, though, do not admit wrongdoing and is framing the settlement strictly...
Playing cards used to publicize cold cases
Posted on November 16, 2009The New York Times has a feature about putting unsolved murders on playing cards distributed to prisons and jails. The idea is that inmates, who typically play a lot of cards, might see a victim's face, remember an important detail...
Another win for Washington?
Posted on November 16, 2009This isn't a criminal case, but I thought you might be interested, regardless: The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear arguments from Native American activists who want to have the Washington Redskins' trademarks ruled invalid. The activists say the...
Report: More states have fewer troopers
Posted on November 16, 2009Missouri and Kansas are among several states that employ fewer state troopers today than they did 10 years ago, USA Today reports. Smaller state budgets are a big reason, the paper says.
The strange death of Hugues de la Plaza
Posted on November 16, 2009In 2007, a man named Hugues de la Plaza was found dead in his locked San Francisco apartment -- killed by three stab wounds. Police didn't rule out homicide, but they leaned toward suicide, though investigators couldn't find the knife...
Got your nose!
Posted on November 16, 2009In Tuscumbia, Ala., a man accused of robbery was sent to jail minus part of his nose -- which was apparently bitten off by one of his alleged victims. The suspect denies this was a robbery: The suspect denied breaking...
Scam artist told women he needed sex to stay alive, Taiwan police say
Posted on November 16, 2009The UK's Telegraph has a story about an elaborate scam involving a 55-year-old Taiwanese man. He allegedly posed as a younger man online and actually got several calls from interested ladies. During their phone calls, authorities say, the "young man"...
KCPD works officer-involved shooting
Posted on November 16, 2009Kansas City police are working an officer-involved shooting from early this morning in Old Northeast. The suspect allegedly tried to run over officers, which led them to open fire on him, the department states. That suspect was wounded, but is...
Another arrest in Bates City sex-abuse case
Posted on November 16, 2009Over the weekend, a man named Darrel Wayne Mohler, 72, appeared in a Florida court -- his first courtroom appearance in last week's sex-abuse case from Lafayette County. Mohler, who's accused of raping two young girls, says he didn't do...
Man robbed mom so he could pay parking ticket, Alaska police say
Posted on November 16, 2009The 27-year-old could get seven to 11 years for the robbery charge, the Anchorage paper reports. He was convicted last week. He reportedly put a gun to his mother's head to get the money -- and then called her from...
Like snakes on a plane, only sexier
Posted on November 16, 2009In Las Vegas, a strip club has decided -- on the advice of its lawyers -- to abandon a planned "strippers-on-a-truck" promotion. It's pretty much what it sounds like. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!
Woman, 27, shot and killed near 11th and Van Brunt
Posted on November 16, 2009From KCPD: On 11/14/09, at approximately 8:00 pm, officers were dispatched to 11th and Van Brunt on an ambulance call. Upon arrival officers observed the victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital,...
Report: Mo. woman's suicide was really a murder
Posted on November 16, 2009A man named Bradley Jennings of Buffalo, Mo., has been sentenced to 25 years for allegedly murdering his wife on Christmas Day 2006 -- which he then told authorities was a suicide. Authorities bought this story for a year, but...
KCPD plans DUI checkpoint for this weekend
Posted on November 16, 2009From KCPD: The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department will conduct a sobriety checkpoint on the weekend of 11-20-09 to 11-22-09 at a location in Kansas City, Missouri that is known for occurrence of DUI related crashes or DUI arrests.
Grandpa is smoking a different kind of pipe
Posted on November 16, 2009From The Washington Post: The government's most recent survey showed that the share of marijuana users ages 50 to 59 increased from 5.1 percent in 2002 to almost 10 percent in 2007.
New Yorkers call 911 on their cat
Posted on November 16, 2009Their 10-year-old cat, which has diabetes and a thyroid issue, the New York Post reports. The callers in this case were a woman and her 27-year-old son.Davila and her son made a dash for it, but the 10-year-old Carmen gave...
Suspect charged in KCPD officer-involved shooting
Posted on November 16, 2009From KCPD: The suspect has been identified as 25-year-old John I. Battaglia of KCMO. He is charged in JACO with Armed Criminal Action and Assault of a Law Enforcement Officer. The requested bond is $250,000 cash.
10th man jailed for refusing to testify
Posted on November 16, 2009From Mark Morris: A federal investigation of Internet gambling sent another man to jail today for refusing to testify before a grand jury. Nicholas Zicarelli became the 10th person jailed for declining to testify, his lawyer, Kenneth Hensley, said at...
4 DUI arrests during Independence checkpoint, saturation patrol
Posted on November 16, 2009From IPD: The Independence Police Traffic Safety Unit conducted a sobriety checkpoint along Jackson Drive south of 39th Street while simultaneously conducting a DWI saturation patrol in that area. The saturation patrol began on Friday 11/13/09 at 10:00 PM and...
Open Thread ... Weekend Edition
Posted on November 14, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Arkansas preacher sentenced 175 years for child sex crimes
Posted on November 13, 2009A federal judge in Texarkana, Ark., has sentenced Evangelist Tony Alamo to 175 years in prison for child sex crimes Alamo, 75, was convicted in July on a 10-count indictment accusing him of taking young girls across state lines for...
Alleged Ohio serial killer pleads not guilty
Posted on November 13, 2009The Associated Press Suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell was arraigned Friday on charges connected to a woman whose rape led to Sowell's arrest and the discovery of 11 bodies in and around his home. |Bob Cronkleton
Defense believes parading defendents in handcuffs "mindless, even medieval cruelty"
Posted on November 13, 2009Okay, should those those accused of white collar crimes be treated different than those accused of other felonies? The way defendants in a case of alleged corruption in the Pennsylvania Legislature has raised the ire of a defense attorney. Attorney...
You mean it is crime to drive my John Deere drunk?
Posted on November 13, 2009Ford Earl Broome, 63, of Export, Penn., is in trouble after taking his John Deere lawn tractor out on a beer run.A trooper spotted him as he was allegedly on his way to a bar to buy beer. The trooper...
Marine reservists gives multiple reasons for clubbing priest
Posted on November 13, 2009Now, he needs to pick the best one. Jasen D. Bruce, who is accused of aggravated battery involivng a visiting Greek Orthodox priest, tried to defend his actions on Bubba The Love Sponge morning radio show today.The list of reasons...
Out of cell phone minutes, man decides to call 911 to seek sex
Posted on November 13, 2009Joshua Basso, 29, of Tampa says he wanted sex, but was out of minutes on cell phone.So for fun, he decided to dial the only number he could -- 911. Once the 911 operator answered, Basso made several sexual comments...
Accused drunken driver just can't stop talking
Posted on November 13, 2009A Pueblo, Colo., police officer got an earful this morning after he pulled over a man on suspicion of driving drunk. The man just wouldn't shut up.Some of the the things the man told the officer: He only had a...
Ohio letting mothers raise children behind bars
Posted on November 13, 2009With the number of women in prison skyrocketing over the last three decades and most female prisoners being single mothers, Ohio is trying an unusual program of letting mothers who are serving prison time to raise their children.Experts say it...
Students banned from saying "Meep" at high school
Posted on November 13, 2009Danvers (Mass.) High parents got a warning from school officials that their children could be suspended if they say or display the word ?Meep.? Hat Tip: Keith G. in P.V. | Bob Cronkleton
Parents hope son's heroin overdose
Posted on November 13, 2009From KMBC: Dorman and Debbie Hayes of Johnson County hope the death of their son Brett from a heroin overdose can be used to warn others. The drug is making its way into the suburbs. About 18 months ago, officers...
Police docket from 1870s to go on display
Posted on November 13, 2009Wanna see what crime was like back in the late 1800s? If so, the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City will hold a public viewing of the police docket book from the late 1870s next month.The historic document includes notes...
Police arrest sixth man in child-rape inquiry
Posted on November 13, 2009UPDATE: A 55-year-old Kansas City man, identified as an associate of Burrell E. Mohler Sr.?s extended family, was arrested on suspicion of rape of a child less than 14 years old. He was being held in the Lafayette County Jail....
Former inmates pleads guilty to being fake lawyer, stealing ?clients? money
Posted on November 13, 2009Jeffrey Tedrick, 46, admitted that while he was a Missouri inmate, he convinced others that he was a disbarred corporate lawyer and ran a bogus legal career behind bars. The truth was he was never held a law license. He...
Open Thread ... Sweet Merciful Friday
Posted on November 13, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. PROGRAMMING NOTE: James is off, so Bob Cronkleton will be minding...
Children found their mother dead this morning
Posted on November 12, 2009From The Star's Christine Vendel: Two children discovered their mother dead in their home today in the 1200 block of Askew Avenue, and police say the death is suspicious. The children, ages 9 and 12, found their 49-year-old mother about...
Family members arraigned in court today on sex charges
Posted on November 12, 2009UPDATE: The father and his four sons accused of sex crimes against young family members heard the charges against them in Lafayette County court today, The Star's Donald Bradley reports. Three of the brothers appeared near tears as they moved...
Boyfriend gets revenge after a lover's spat
Posted on November 12, 2009A Florida man decided to dump his girlfriend's car into a river after an argument. Smooth.
The chocolate sale flopped last year
Posted on November 12, 2009So a brilliant parent-entrepreneur thought it would be a great idea to sell test points. A parent council at a middle school in North Carolina is selling 20 test points for $20 to raise money this year. The principle justified...
An warning to Blue Springs store clerks
Posted on November 12, 2009Don't sell liquor to minors. The police department does occasional undercover investigations. Last week they sent an 18-year-old to buy liquor, telling him to be honest about his age. Then they cited the two businesses who sold him the liquor...
Man drowns at Truman Lake
Posted on November 12, 2009From The Star's Robert Cronkleton: A 67-year-old Warsaw, Mo., man drowned at Harry S. Truman Lake, according to the Missouri Water Patrol. Leslie Hansen?s body was found about 5:20 p.m. Wednesday in 27 foot deep water about 60 feet from...
Protest against firing of teacher at Mission Valley
Posted on November 12, 2009According to the Mission Valley Middle School Teacher who was fired, he was fired after making an offhand sexual joke and was terminated based on that simple slip of the tongue. The administration rebutted, saying that was only one of...
But there was no sign
Posted on November 12, 2009A UK woman was fined 75 pounds for feeding ducks at a park with her 17-month old son, Harry. "Harry was still throwing the bread though and the warden told me he could carry on as he was too young...
He maybe should have hired a lawyer
Posted on November 12, 2009A man, who insisted on representing himself during his murder trial, told the jury that he had actually been running the country. He had told President Bush exactly what to do. He had the cure for global warming and knew...
That's one way to get police response
Posted on November 12, 2009And to get arrested... Police said an East Texas man has outsmarted himself in trying to get a quicker response from officers to an alleged assault. Tyler police said 38-year-old Mark Anthony Johnson called 911 on Monday night and reported...
Wife pulls knife on husband over vodka
Posted on November 12, 2009Police said a woman threatened her husband with a 7-inch knife after he threw away her bottle of vodka as she slept in their suburban Detroit home. Clawson police Lt. Scott Sarvello told The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak the...
BTK case coming up on 'Anatomy of a Takedown'
Posted on November 12, 2009The Eagle reports that the episode -- featuring notorious serial killer Dennis Rader, who haunted Wichita for years -- will air at 6 p.m. Nov. 15 on the Discovery Channel. Rader (known as BTK for his m.o. of "bind, torture,...
'DWI chair' turns into a tough sell
Posted on November 12, 2009A Milwaukee columnist offers this follow-up on the motorized recliner that 62-year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson crashed into a parked car after it unexpectedly popped a wheelie. Anderson was busted for drunken driving, and a judge ordered the chair forfeited to...
Prostitute v. constable
Posted on November 12, 2009Their court case is going on in New Zealand.He says she probably serviced him for free because she thought sex in the patrol car would be "cool and kinky." She says she was pressured, scared and fearful of getting tickets...
Woman escapes porn-watching burglar
Posted on November 12, 2009He broke in, watched porn, cut cords on appliances, placed knives throughout the house and waited for her to come home. | Sara Shepherd
Open Thread ... Thursday (Friday Eve)
Posted on November 12, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. PROGRAMMING NOTE: James is off, so Meredith Rodriguez will be minding...
Parents of 'Balloon Boy' expected to plead guilty to hoax
Posted on November 12, 2009UPDATE: On the balloon boy saga. Richard Heene and Mayumi Heene of Colo. are expected to plead guilty after pulling a world-gripping hoax, reporting that their 6-year-old son had floated away on a helium balloon. They are pleading guilty--him of...
The latest function for Facebook: an alibi
Posted on November 12, 2009A New York man was let go on robbery charges when authorities saw he had posted a status update on Facebook from his dad's home during the time of the robbery. |Meredith Rodriguez
It's time to let him go, sister
Posted on November 12, 2009A Salt Lake woman held on to the passenger door when her boyfriend tried to leave. As he peeled out and drove away, "the girlfriend kept hold of the handle." He dragged the woman 25 to 30 feet before he...
Details on john who was robbed by prostitute
Posted on November 12, 2009Carolyn Williams, 45, of Kansas City was charged for robbing a customer and stealing his car, which contained $50,000 in sports memorabilia, The Star's Christine Vendel reports. The victim said he met the prostitute about 8 p.m. on Independence Avenue...
Add one to KC homicide count
Posted on November 11, 2009The latest was discovered early this morning in the Northeast. Shooter(s) left one dead, another critically wounded. Christine reports that police found one man with life-threatening injuries in the 3000 block of Peery Avenue. He said that he and a...
Man flicked lighter to scare cat, burned mother to death instead
Posted on November 11, 2009A Pennsylvania man flicked a lighter to flush his cat out from under the bed lit the mattress on fire and killed his bedridden mother instead. He pleaded guilty this week and was placed on probation. Lever said he had...
Wayward driver and child survive crash, tropical fish not so lucky
Posted on November 11, 2009She slammed her truck into a 1,500-gallon aquarium tank at the Tampa airport, killing almost all of the fish (and probably creating an unbelievable mess). | Sara Shepherd
Texas polygamist gets 10 years for sex assault of teen 'wife'
Posted on November 11, 2009The jury deliberated for six hours Tuesday before sentencing FLDS member Raymond Merril Jessop to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl five years ago. He feels his trial was religious persecution. | Sara Shepherd Raymond Merril...
John Allen Muhammad is dead
Posted on November 11, 2009Mohammad, 48, said nothing from the time he entered the death chamber accompanied by guards at 8:58 p.m. | Sara Shepherd Family members of convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad pray outside Greenville Correctional Center in Jarratt, Va., at the scheduled...
Not necessarily crime-related -- divorce fairs
Posted on November 11, 2009At the first ever Divorce, Separation and Bereavement fair in Paris, visitors could find everything they needed to ease the pain of separation, from legal and financial advice to life coaching, seduction tips or even cellulite removal. Singletons or soon-to-be...
A family affair: 5 men arrested for child molestation
Posted on November 11, 2009From Meredith:Five men spanning ages 47 to 77 -- two from Independence -- have been charged with multiple felonies, including forcible sodomy and forcible rape with a child less than 12 years old and use of a child in a...
Open Thread ... Wednesday
Posted on November 11, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. PROGRAMMING NOTE: James is off, so Sara Shepherd will be minding...
Study: Scotland needs more drunk tanks
Posted on November 11, 2009Authorities say it will reduce pressure on over-full or expensive jail cells and hospital beds. Instead of sleeping it off there, the study says, maybe the drunks could be put into mobile buses until they sober up. | Sara Shepherd
King of Pop...or funerals?
Posted on November 11, 2009The L.A. Times is reporting that court documents indicate Michael Jackson's funeral cost more than $1 million. Among the line-items: Crypt, $590,000. Outfit, $35,000. Security, $30,000. Looks like the family is still haggling over his estate. | Sara Shepherd
Facebook status update = alibi for accused robber
Posted on November 11, 2009The teen proved he was at his father's apartment posting "Wherer (sic) my IHOP" on his Facebook page. (Hey, no one said he had to prove he could spell...) | Sara Shepherd
Details worsen in case of father/sons charged with child sex abuse
Posted on November 11, 2009UPDATE: According to charging documents, Mohler Sr. and his four sons sexually abused multiple children over the course of several years, often working together during the acts. The abuse included pencils, screwdrivers, a pet dog and "marriage" ceremonies followed by...
Professors behaving badly
Posted on November 11, 2009The race relations conversation between two Columbia University employees probably began on an intellectual tone. But things degenerated and came to blows -- landing a woman a black eye and the architecture professor who punched her in jail. Those involved...
Homicide suspect caught, charged with July double murder
Posted on November 11, 2009UPDATE: Police have since caught up with the guy and taken him into custody. Darell T. Rodgers, 20,of Kansas City is charged with two counts each of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in a double homicide in the 1000...
Another life-threatening shooting in KC
Posted on November 11, 2009This one happened shortly before 2 p.m. at 46th Street and Chestnut Avenue. | Sara Shepherd
Muggers return wallet, fist-bump victim after spotting military ID
Posted on November 11, 2009A warm fuzzy for Veterans Day. Read all the way to the end, though. Authorities think the same bunch committed several robberies before they encountered the reservist. And the guy with the department of corrections ID did NOT get off...
Meanest. Female soccer player. Ever.
Posted on November 11, 2009A University of New Mexico soccer player has been suspended after unsportsmanlike conduct (ie: pretty much assaulting people) on the field during a tournament game against BYU. You can read the story here. But really, the video says it all....
Possible hostage situation near Mo. governor's mansion
Posted on November 10, 2009It's a developing story, and sister-blog PrimeBuzz is following it here. (The post also includes a link to Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder's Tweets on the situation.) | Sara Shepherd
'Oh my God, someone's in the pit'
Posted on November 10, 2009Orange Line operator Charice Lewis saw the passengers at North Station flailing their arms. At about the same time, her radio crackled with a warning that she should pull her emergency brake to avoid hitting a woman who had fallen...
Dad RV'd for months with dead babies
Posted on November 10, 2009As James might say, possibly the most awful story you'll read today: Prosecutors contend that Jason Hann, 34, stuffed 2-month-old Montana Hann's body into a trash bag in 2001 then kept it in trailers and motor homes for nine months...
Man charged in backhoe assault
Posted on November 10, 2009The 48-year-old man told investigators he wanted to "nudge" the victim (who apparently wasn't digging his trench well enough), but didn't want to hurt him. Hat Tip: Thank you, cripjak! | Sara Shepherd
Chimp-attack victim going on Oprah
Posted on November 10, 2009Remember the Connecticut woman who was brutally mauled by her friend's chimp, Travis? She's supposed to be on Oprah tomorrow. | Sara Shepherd
Bicycle bank-robber actually succeeds
Posted on November 10, 2009Authorities are apparently still looking for this suspect, who robbed a bank Friday and made his getaway on a bicycle. Wow! Deputies arrived within a minute of the alarm being tripped, but couldn?t find the man. | Sara Shepherd
Appeal denied, sniper's execution to go on today
Posted on November 10, 2009It still appears Muhammad will go to his grave without acknowledging his crimes: He repeated his assertion that he was an innocent victim of racial bias in a letter to the federal court released last week by his attorneys. Muhammad...
Use of stun gun on mentally disturbed man may fuel second lawsuit
Posted on November 10, 2009The widow of a decorated NYC police lieutenant who committed suicide is planning to sue the city over his death. He ordered the use of a stun gun on a naked, out-of-control, emotionally disturbed man, who then fell to his...
Next-door neighbor guilty of elderly woman's murder
Posted on November 10, 2009Neighbors described the victim as the matriarch of the block. She was found with her throat slashed, her jaw broken and worse. "She had no reason to die like that, none whatsoever," one said. | Sara Shepherd
Carwash romp risky for naked men
Posted on November 10, 2009High-pressure cleaners "for washing cars, not people," authorities explain. The Aussies were also slapped with public nuisance and wilful exposure. | Sara Shepherd
Update on 'space love triangle'
Posted on November 10, 2009The latest in the case of the astronaut accused of driving nearly 900 miles from Houston to Orlando -- wearing NASA diapers to cut down on the number of stops she needed to make -- and donning a disguise before...
The overnight report: Shootings, high-school lockdown
Posted on November 10, 2009Yet another shooting critically wounds someone in Kansas City. (It's been busy lately.) This time the suspect fled in a gold Cadillac Escalade. A couple hours earlier, four people were shot after an argument among a group of teens on...
Open Thread ... Tuesday
Posted on November 10, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. PROGRAMMING NOTE: James is off, so Sara Shepherd will be minding...
Fort Hood shooter 'enjoyed strippers'
Posted on November 10, 2009CBS reports that the devout Muslim man and U.S. Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood last week liked to indulge in lap dances during visits to a local strip joint. From a club manager: "The last...
'It's all fun & games until the cops show up'
Posted on November 10, 2009...and you're arrested and mugged wearing a T-shirt that says "It's all fun & games until the cops show up." Joann Nelson of St.Joseph pleaded guilty Monday to a three-day spree in which she drove her teenage son and his...
Fall kills worker at performing arts center construction site
Posted on November 10, 2009The worker was about 50 feet up in a basket on a man lift when the lift tipped over, throwing him and another worker onto the pavement below. The first worker was pronounced dead shortly after the accident, the second...
Police sic dog on homeowner (instead of degenerate invader with frilly panties)
Posted on November 10, 2009Naturally, the mauled homeowner is very displeased by all of this. ?The main thing that gets me about all of this is that there?s a pervert running around in my neighborhood, and I want this guy caught,? he said. Hat...
How do we fix Kansas' death penalty?
Posted on November 09, 2009Reading through the Eagle's piece this weekend, it's easy to understand why victims' families are frustrated. Kansas reinstated the death penalty in 1994 and has executed prisoners a grand total of zero times since then. In fact, the first person...
Not remotely crime-related
Posted on November 09, 2009The police investigated this case and concluded nothing criminal happened. Your comments? From tcpalm.com ... A Floresta Elementary kindergarten teacher was removed from classroom duties Wednesday pending investigation of an incident in which she is accused of asking a 6-year-old...
A strange kind of mercy
Posted on November 09, 2009In Somalia, a man was stoned to death by Islamists for the crime of adultery, but they've spared his girlfriend -- until she delivers the baby she's carrying, then she'll be killed, too, BBC News reports. Hat Tip: Many thanks,...
9-year-old thwarts 280-pound carjacker, West Virginia police say
Posted on November 09, 2009The kiddo took a punch that knocked him out of his family's car, but he kept the bad guy from stealing the vehicle. Hat Tip: Saw this via Fark!
Open Thread ... Monday
Posted on November 09, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. PROGRAMMING NOTE: James is off, so Meredith Rodriguez will be minding...
Roeder confesses to killing abortion doctor
Posted on November 09, 2009From The Associated Press: Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, spoke to the AP in a telephone call from jail, saying he plans to argue at his trial that he was justified in shooting George Tiller at the abortion provider?s...
Viruses that frame people for illegal pornography
Posted on November 09, 2009Pedophiles can place illegal content on someone else's computer through a virus so that they don't get caught. Hat Tip: Many thanks cripjak! |Meredith Rodriguez
Six-year old thugs vandalize ambulance, threaten to shoot
Posted on November 09, 2009Paramedics had to call for police backup before they could treat a burnt toddler. (And that toddler is mad.) Hat Tip: Many thanks cripjak! |Meredith Rodriguez
Teacher had students vote an autistic peer out of class
Posted on November 09, 2009The Florida teacher was suspended for a year, but will retain her tenure if the board approves. In May 2008, Portillo was teaching kindergarten at Morningside Elementary in Port St. Lucie. She sent Alex, then 5 years old, to the...
State attorneys issuing subpoenas on a journalism class
Posted on November 09, 2009A three-year research project by journalism students in an investigative reporting class brought them to the conclusion that a man was wrongly convicted in the killing of a security guard. But instead of further investigating the case, state prosecutors are...
Police cracking down on pedestrian activity downtown
Posted on November 09, 2009Looks like KCPD read Brad's story. Darin Snapp just sent out this press release, along with some safety tips for pedestrians and drivers. Through Oct. 28, 2009, 10 pedestrians in Kansas City have been killed by vehicles, and another 165...
Bail bond agents in Springfield raided the wrong house
Posted on November 09, 2009The agents possibly broke the dad's rib and pointed guns at the children... in the wrong house. They were looking for a man who had escaped jail. The family is upset and police are investigating. |Meredith Rodriguez
Live by the sword, die by the sword
Posted on November 09, 2009Well he's not going to die. But a Chicago knife salesman fell on his own knives while on a bus. Hat tip: Many thanks cripjak!
New York officer kills acquaintance while showing off his gun
Posted on November 09, 2009From The (Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Eastchester police Officer James Pileggi was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in the fatal off-duty shooting of a New Rochelle man Tuesday night, and his lawyer afterward called it a tragic accident...
KC a most dangerous place for pedestrians.
Posted on November 09, 2009A report shows Kansas City as the most dangerous place for pedestrians in any metropolis in Kansas or Missouri, according to a story by Brad Cooper. With 47 pedestrian fatalities in 2007-08, the Kansas City area had a danger index...
KC man charged with statutory rape after a parent-approved marriage with a 14 year-old
Posted on November 09, 2009A father married his 14-year-old daughter off to a 23 year old because he was concerned that she would become sexually active with a boy her age, according to a story by Christine Vendel. Vincent Mosby, the 23 year old...
"Dude, I do this every night . . ."
Posted on November 07, 2009That is what Zachary R. Duis, of northwest Indiana, told an officer after he was stopped on suspicion of drunken driving. Duis maintained that he was "straight up and not drunk." A breath test disputed his claim allegedly showing that...
Drug addict gets 4 months in jail for stealing charity box in community mourning soldier's death
Posted on November 07, 2009William Fisher was caught emptying the loose coins from the Poppy Appeal collection box in a store in Irlam, Salford, U.K. This was just weeks after the community mourned the loss of a soldier in Afghanistan. From the Daily Mail:...
Intoxicated driver gets 4 years in KCK teen's death
Posted on November 07, 2009Eric Snitz was sentenced Friday for involuntary manslaughter while under the influence. It was tied to a wreck on January 2008 that killed 17-year-old Christopher Brown, who attended Washington High. Dawn Bormann has the details here.
Girl turns down would-be suitor -- he vandalizes her mother's grave, cops say
Posted on November 07, 2009Story is from Ohio ...
How NOT to run a prostitution sting
Posted on November 07, 2009In Pennsylvania, an appeals court has ruled against the state police saying they severely botched a prostitution sting. How? Well, they were contacted by a man who said he'd been repeatedly approached for sex while trying to get a massage....
Can you hear me now?
Posted on November 07, 2009From AP: Oregon police have charged a man with drunken driving after he called 911 to report his marijuana as stolen but the dispatcher couldn't understand him because he was vomiting while on the road.
Who was Otis Beckford?
Posted on November 07, 2009The Orlando Sentinel has a short profile on Beckford, the only person killed during yesterday's office shooting in Orlando. A native of Jamaica, Beckford was an AutoCAD technician, 26 years old, engaged with a young child. Everybody says he was...
Open Thread ... Weekend Edition
Posted on November 07, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
1 dead in Orlando Shooting
Posted on November 06, 2009The Associated Press The Orlando Sentinel coverage here | Bob Cronkleton
Jail's design wasn't all that secure
Posted on November 06, 2009A design flaw at the Vigo County, Indiana, jail allowed inmates to crawl through the ceiling and visit inmates in other cells.Repairs are underway and should be complete by early December. Hat tip to cripjak | Bob Cronkleton
Inmate formerly at Leavenworth accused of killing fellow prisoner
Posted on November 06, 2009A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kan., has indicted Michael White, 30, now in custody at the Florence Federal Correctional Complex in Florence, Colo., with murdering a fellow inmate while they both were in custody at the federal penitentiary...
St. Louis man indicted on sex trafficking, enticement of children
Posted on November 06, 2009James Patrick Grady, 58, allegedly answered an advertisement that young female minors were available for sex.The ad was placed by law enforcement officers conducting an undercover operation into people attempting to purchase children or their services...
Update Kidnapping of Carol A. Thomas: Three charged
Posted on November 06, 2009(Mug shots above: James P. Reardon, Jennifer L. Saling and Erik R. Zimmerman) From Don Bradley: Clay County officials today charged three persons with the kidnapping of Carol A. Thomas, whose body was found Thursday in a wooded field.Charged today...
Bar fight costs Miss England her crown
Posted on November 06, 2009Rachel Christie has been accused of punching Sara Beverley Jones, a fellow beauty queen, after Jones showed a provocative message she claimed was from Christie's boyfriend. From Metro:The attack is alleged to have happened during a porn-themed party in the...
Mini Me is in trouble
Posted on November 06, 2009The actor best known for his role as Mini Me in the Austin Powers films has been banned from going near or contacting his former girlfriend. A judge has issued a restraining order after Yvette Monet, 25, claimed that after...
Olathe plans amnesty day for next week
Posted on November 06, 2009Olathe is planning an amnesty day for people with outstanding municipal warrants. The amnesty period will run from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. From Olathe police: Those who appear in the Olathe Municipal Court during this time will not be...
Former Joplin Globe reporter charged with sex crimes
Posted on November 06, 2009Colby Williams, a reporter for the Joplin Globe with ties to a Christian organization, has been charged in federal court with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 2007 while on a mission trip to Cyprus.The missionary group he was with...
When burglarizing house, best not to leave homework behind
Posted on November 06, 2009Two 15-year-old Woonsocket (R.I.) High School students skipped class to burglarize a nearby home. They made it easy for police to solve the crime. One of the students dropped his homework as they grabbed their backpacks and headed back to...
UPDATE: Driver charged in fatal OP hit-and-run
Posted on November 06, 2009From Joe Lambe: Allegations against a 19-year-old woman charged with running down and killing an Overland Park woman involve drugs and not alcohol, a defense lawyer said today. He asked a Johnson County judge to cut her $100,000 bond in...
Was census worker's death really a suicide?
Posted on November 06, 2009Just a quick update about the case of Bill Sparkman, a census worker whose bound, naked body was found in a Kentucky forest back in September. The case was especially puzzling because the word "fed" was written on Sparkman's chest....
This isn't the first mass shooting near Fort Hood
Posted on November 06, 2009In 1991, the Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, was the site of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history -- at least, it was at the time. (The Virginia Tech massacre was worse.) A man named George Hennard rammed his...
Iowa mother convicted of murdering her son
Posted on November 06, 2009Michelle Kehoe, who murdered her 2-year-old and tried to kill her older son, was found guilty of all counts Thursday. Kehoe had also tried to take her own life, but lived. At her trial, her defense attorneys had argued an...
Why did the elephant cross the road?
Posted on November 06, 2009Well, it had run away from a circus near Enid, Okla., when it got sideswiped by a couple driving home from church. A veterinarian treated the poor beast, and it should be OK. I'm not sure why it wanted to...
Woman calls 911 because boyfriend won't marry her, Tenn. police say
Posted on November 06, 2009It's not clear if she wanted them to make him marry her at gunpoint, or if she just wanted them to shoot him.
Open Thread ... Sweet Merciful Friday
Posted on November 06, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. PROGRAMMING NOTE: James is off, so Bob Cronkleton will be minding...
Report: Fort Hood shooter worked in mental health
Posted on November 05, 2009AP identifies him as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a psychiatrist who had previously worked at Walter Reed before being transferred to Fort Hood a few months ago. More here.
Do you recognize this man?
Posted on November 05, 2009From Joe Lambe: Olathe police are asking for help in identifying a man who robbed a restaurant Wednesday evening. The man armed with a knife went into the business at 13784 S. Black Bob Road at about 9:30 and escaped...
Duo poisoned salsa at Mexican restaurant, feds allege
Posted on November 05, 2009The U.S. Attorney for Kansas has filed charges against two people for allegedly putting methomyl into the salsa at Mi Ranchito restaurant in Olathe on Aug. 11 and 30. The suspects are Arnoldo Bazan, 30, and Yini De La Torre,...
KCPD names victim from homicide at 116th and Holiday
Posted on November 05, 2009From KCPD: The victim is identified as 20-year-old Maurice West of KCMO. There are no suspects in custody and detectives ask anyone with information to call the TIPS Hotline at 816.474.8477.
Missing Emporia athlete found dead from motorcycle crash
Posted on November 05, 2009From The Star's Mara Rose Williams: An Emporia State University student athlete who had been missing for three days was found dead along a road in Lyon County. A county sheriff?s deputy, who had heard that Emporia State track star...
Twelve dead and 31 wounded after rampage shooting at Fort Hood
Posted on November 05, 2009From the Associated Press: The U.S. Army says 12 people have been killed and 31 wounded in a shooting rampage on the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. Lt. Gen Bob Cone said at a news conference that one shooter...
The Human Breathalyzer, in all his glory
Posted on November 04, 2009From AP: James P. Miller, 20, is shown Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, in a police photo provided by the Oxford Ohio police department wearing a Halloween breathalyzer costume. Miller was arrested and charged with driving a vehicle while intoxicated after...
High on K2
Posted on November 04, 2009And by K2, we mean the synthetic substance that strangely resembles marijuana, but isn't illegal. (Sorry, other K2.) David Klepper has a piece about K2 here and how a Kansas legislator is moving to outlaw it. JoCo says it's already...
Vegas hookers make $2 million off "trick rolls"
Posted on November 04, 2009Today's vocabulary word is "trick roll" -- which is when a prostitute robs a john. Sometimes, it's very basic -- they take off with a watch or wallet while the customer is in the shower. But it can be more...
Child rapist gets Hard 50
Posted on November 04, 2009In Johnson County, Christopher D. Britt, a 27-year-old convicted of raping a 9-year-old girl, was sentenced to life in prison without parole until he's served 50 years. He was sentenced under Kansas' version of Jessica's Law, which requires harsher sentences...
Wrongful death suit in KC native's case
Posted on November 04, 2009Jasmine Lynn, a Kansas City woman attending Atlanta's Spelman College, was shot and killed by a stray bullet back in September. It happened while she was visiting Clark Atlanta University, and now her parents are suing the school for having...
"Romeo & Juliet" convict isn't a sex offender, Mich. court rules
Posted on November 04, 2009In Michigan, a state appeals court says it was "cruel and unusual" to force an 18-year-old convicted of having sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend to register as a convicted sex offender. He's completed probation, his record has been expunged and...
Would you report your child for growing pot?
Posted on November 04, 2009In Troy, Mich., a father called the police to report his 16-year-old daughter, who was allegedly growing a marijuana plant in her closet. It's not clear from the story whether the girl has a history of drug use, but I...
UPDATE: Elderly man beaten outside grocery store
Posted on November 04, 2009I remember seeing the man's face on TV last night. He really got worked over.
3 years for man who buggered horse
Posted on November 04, 2009From AP: An undated file photo provided by Horry County Detention Center shows Rodell Vereen, 50, who was arrested Monday July 27, 2009, and charged with buggery for allegedly having sex with a horse. Vereen was sentenced Wednesday, Nov. 4,...
Saudi pedophile to be beheaded, then crucified
Posted on November 04, 2009Well, it's tough but fair. Especially with this joker, who raped five kids between the ages of 3 and 7. He left one of them to die in the desert. Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!
Illegal activity manages to become even more illegal
Posted on November 04, 2009In Eugene, Ore., an Illinois man has been sentenced to 50 days because he hired a prostitute over the Internet. A prostitute who turned out to be (A) 15 years old and (B) a runaway. Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!
Open Thread ... Wednesday
Posted on November 04, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
23 Americans guilty in "extraordinary rendition" case
Posted on November 04, 2009In Italy, 22 CIA agents and one Air Force colonel have been convicted for allegedly grabbing a radical Muslim imam off the streets of Milan and flying him to Egypt, where he claims to have been tortured. This is what's...
Escape from Kansas City!
Posted on November 04, 2009Lord, there is too much craziness to summarize here. Basically, a New York TV anchorman and his wife visit Kansas City a few days after he was on trial for allegedly beating her -- and she changed her testimony to...
Teen beaten for starting MySpace page, Wis. cops say
Posted on November 04, 2009From the Sheboygan Press: The girl said her father held her on the ground while spanking her extremely hard about 20 times. When she squirmed away, Schaal kicked her in the left hip. Winter grabbed the girl by the hair...
"Despondent Canadian" flies stolen plane to Mo.
Posted on November 04, 2009And he's getting two years in prison for doing so. You might remember this case from April, when Adam Dylan Leon reportedly stole a Cessna in Ontario and flew across the border, eventually landing near Ellsinore, Mo. The troopers caught...
Driver arrested after OP woman run over in yard
Posted on November 04, 2009Overland Park police say they've arrested a 19-year-old woman who reportedly ran off the road and hit an elderly woman who was gardening in her yard. (The driver originally left the scene, then returned with her parents.) Sandra Carocari, 70,...
Maybe she's just not that into you
Posted on November 04, 2009Gentlemen, if you really want to have sex with your longtime female friend, but your attempts at wooing her consist of handcuffing her and taking naked photos of her, which you'll later use to blackmail her into weekly "consensual" sex...
Suspect, age 12, gives up Nintendo so he can get bail
Posted on November 04, 2009A Canadian judge agreed to let a juvenile suspect out on bail, but only if the kid agreed to hand over his Nintendo Wii as security. If he breaks any of the conditions of his release, the court keeps the...
Iowa mom tries insanity defense
Posted on November 04, 2009In Grundy Center, Iowa, the trial of Michelle Kehoe continues. Kehoe allegedly drove her two sons into the woods, killed her 2-year-old and attempted to murder her 7-year-old before she slashed her own throat. Only, Kehoe and the older boy...
Boy, 11, charged with first-degree murder in New Mexico
Posted on November 04, 2009This is the boy who, when he was 10, allegedly shot and killed his dad because he was tired of being punished. Under New Mexico law, he can't be tried as an adult, but his attorney is arguing that someone...
Alleged criminal genius works at Ga. convenience store, police say
Posted on November 04, 2009It must be hard work coming up with ingenious criminal schemes, like stealing $3,000 from your workplace and faking a robbery to cover it up. That's probably why he looks so tired.
OP plans Thanksgiving "Click It Or Ticket" campaign
Posted on November 04, 2009From OPPD: The Overland Park, Kansas Police Department will be conducting a Thanksgiving Mobilization S.T.E.P. Campaign from November 23, 2009 to November 29, 2009. This task is being conducted with the goal to focus on seatbelt violations, DUI violations, reduce...
If prosecutors frame a suspect, should they be punished?
Posted on November 04, 2009It sounds like a no-brainer question, but it's actually a major Supreme Court case, with arguments being heard today in Washington, D.C. There was a great summary this morning on NPR, but here's the nutshell version: Back in 1977, two...
How to fail your sobriety test -- spectacularly
Posted on November 03, 2009From nwfdailynews.com: Directed to do a one-leg stand, the woman "began to 'dance with the stars,' grabbed me and twirled herself several times and attempted to rub on my legs using her butt," the report said.
Mo. man charged in friend's hunting death
Posted on November 03, 2009From AP: A rural Granby man has been charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter in the death of a man during a nighttime hunting trip. Newton County authorities say 25-year-old Jacob D. Shamblin was charged in the Oct. 18 shooting that...
Woman rammed other vehicle, threw salad dressing, Idaho cops say
Posted on November 03, 2009What was the reason for the alleged road rage? Wallace reportedly told police she was angry about something else before she began driving that day.
Why did it take so long to discover these bodies?
Posted on November 03, 2009Last week, Cleveland police discovered six corpses at the home of Anthony Sowell, a convicted rapist who's now in custody. But neighbors say they've been complaining about the guy for a long time and accuse the police of not doing...
Men tried to run over black families outside Wal-Mart, Columbia cops say
Posted on November 03, 2009The two men, who are white and siblings, went to the store to steal compressed air, so they could get high, police allege. One of them might be eligible for a hate-crime charge, depending on what prosecutors say.
D.C. sniper's lawyers plan Supreme Court appeal
Posted on November 03, 2009John Allen Muhammad is supposed to be executed next Tuesday.
Not remotely crime-related
Posted on November 03, 2009In Scranton, Pa., a priest has been removed after a report on a diocesan fund-raiser went awry. He was trying to show an informational DVD using his personal computer and a projector. Only a series of scantily clad men appeared...
Couple arrested for trespassing in their own home
Posted on November 03, 2009KSHB has more details here ...
Is someone targeting Seattle cops?
Posted on November 03, 2009In Seattle, the police department is trying to see if the apparent ambush of two officers is tied to the arson of four police vehicles several days earlier. The ambush happened Saturday and left a veteran officer, Timothy Brenton, dead...
Doing the right thing isn't always easy
Posted on November 03, 2009In Wichita, a daycare teacher reported her boss to the police because she feared the woman, who was driving a van full of kids, was intoxicated. The teacher did this even though she knew she'd almost certainly lose her job....
Brother kills brother over old insult, Wash. cops say
Posted on November 03, 2009The suspect and the victim are 61 and 60, respectively. About 23 years ago, the older brother was engaged when the younger brother said something that deeply offended him. The wedding didn't happen. Well, last week, the younger brother repeated...
More about Olathe shootout
Posted on November 03, 2009The FBI is sending a team to investigate the incident Sunday night where a suspect got into a shootout with a bureau task force, which was trying to arrest him. (The investigation is just standard procedure.) Grace Hobson has a...
Olathe plans Amnesty Day for municipal warrants
Posted on November 03, 2009It'll be next week, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 in Olathe's municipal court. Anybody with an Olathe municipal warrant will NOT be arrested. The full details are available below ... From Olathe PD: The City of Olathe Municipal...
Arrests made in Raymore homicide
Posted on November 03, 2009From Cass County Sheriff: The Cass County Sheriff?s Office has arrested two subjects in connection with the homicide of Steven Lawrence. The suspects are identified as 27 year old Christopher R. Sullivan of Pleasant Hill and 25 year old Monica...
Elderly man beaten outside Prairie Village grocery store
Posted on November 03, 2009The victim, age 81, was attacked a little before 2 this morning outside the Hy-Vee on State Line Road in Prairie Village. He was waiting for his wife, who was inside shopping. The attacker, a woman in her 30s or...
Bishop convicted for ringing church bells every half hour
Posted on November 03, 2009Well, he wasn't ringing bells, actually -- he was playing a recording of them. Every half hour from morning to night, every day of the week. It got to the point where neighbors took him to court and won. The...
Abortion protesters win court battle in Pittsburgh
Posted on November 03, 2009An appeals court has found that Pittsburgh's city ordinance creating buffer zones around abortion clinics is illegal. The law essentially created two zones: Protesters had to stay at least 15 feet from entrances, and they had to stay at least...
UPDATE: Dad ran over daughter for being too Westernized, AZ cops say
Posted on November 03, 2009The young woman died on Monday. Prosecutors are expected to bring more serious charges against the father, who was picked up a few days ago.
Mo. governor planning DUI summit
Posted on November 03, 2009That's what the P-D is reporting. The paper has done a series of reports about DUI suspects either getting easy plea deals or retaining their licenses despite refusing a Breathalyzer test. The summit -- aimed at fixing the system --...
Ark. couple chained kids to a tire, police allege
Posted on November 03, 2009That's when the kids were allowed out of the home at all, authorities say. Blogger Kathee Baird has more here.
UPDATE: Teen was set afire because he reported theft to police, authorities say
Posted on November 03, 2009CNN has an update on Michael Brewer, a Florida teen who was allegedly doused in rubbing alcohol and set on fire because he reported some other kids for stealing his dad's bike. (The other kids were reportedly upset because Brewer...
Open Thread ... Tuesday
Posted on November 03, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Do you recognize this man?
Posted on November 03, 2009From KCPD: Detectives are attempting to identify the person in the attached surveillance photos. He is a person of interest in regard to thefts of furniture from the lobby of an apartment building near the Country Club Plaza. The thefts...
The sign said long-haired freaky people need not apply
Posted on November 03, 2009From AP: In this photo provided by the Bedford County, Pa. District Attorney's Office, Evelyn Border is seen holding a sign in front of the Bedford County courthouse in Bedford, Pa. Tuesday Nov. 3, 2009. Bedford County District Attorney Bill...
Blockbuster staffer stabs himself so he can skip work, Colo. cops say
Posted on November 03, 2009I'm thinking about calling stuff like this a "Blockbuster sick day." I don't know what his problem is -- I'd think Blockbuster would be an OK place to work.
Okla. man put a hit on his son-in-law, police say
Posted on November 03, 2009An Oklahoma City man allegedly put a hit on his son-in-law because he was unhappy with how the guy was raising the suspect's granddaughter. (The suspect's daughter died last spring.) The Oklahoma man reportedly hired his handyman to drive to...
Local rally will feature reporter who looked into civil rights murders
Posted on November 03, 2009The Emmett Till Justice Campaign will host a Truth and Justice rally from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Center in Kansas City. The keynote speaker will be Jerry Mitchell, an investigative reporter known for...
Thief steals $450K in feminine-hygiene products in Ark.
Posted on November 03, 2009Your punchline here ...
Was this really a case of child pornography?
Posted on November 03, 2009In Chattanooga, a 23-year-old man was convicted of taking naked photos of his 14-year-old girlfriend. But the judge who sentenced him wondered if this was really child pornography. "He was ... having sex with a 14-year-old. I don't think society...
Gotti judge feeds Twizzlers to jurors
Posted on November 03, 2009In New York City, where John A. "Junior" Gotti, is on trial, the judge reportedly sent Twizzlers to the jurors because they were fighting with each other. The red-colored licorice "puts you in a good mood," Castel said before the...
Yankee pitcher's mom pleads no-contest to drug rap
Posted on November 03, 2009From AP: In this booking photo released by the Lincoln (Neb.) Police Dept., on Monday, May 4, 2009, Jacqueline Standley is shown. The mother of New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain faces up to 20 years in prison on a...
Police didn't have to go far to catch child-porn suspect
Posted on November 03, 2009In Adams, Mass., a police officer is accused of downloading and "enjoying" child pornography -- in his department's evidence room. Hat Tip: Many thanks, You're A Mean Drunk R2D2!
Police name man killed near 31st and Prospect
Posted on November 03, 2009This is the incident from Friday afternoon, where two men were shot, one fatally, outside the shopping center there. From KCPD: The homicide victim is identified as 19yr old Tyler R. Creal, b/m, of KCMO. The case is still under...
You're never too old to be Tasered!
Posted on November 03, 2009In Alaska, Air Force officers Tasered an 81-year-old man who allegedly got upset when they tried to ticket him for speeding. The suspect, who's an Episcopal priest and a real-estate salesman, reportedly drove off when they tried to give him...
KCPD offers to do security surveys
Posted on November 03, 2009Basically, an officer will come to your house and look the place over to see where bad guys might break in -- checking for things like weak locks, shrubs that double as hiding places, etc. Chief Corwin's blog has more...
Amish church leaders charged with failing to report molestation, Mo. cops say
Posted on November 03, 2009The case is from Webster, Mo., where four bishops in an Amish church are facing criminal charges because they allegedly failed to report suspect child molestation by another person in their community. (That man has already been charged.) Court records...
Inmate's cat can't visit him in prison, even if it is his reincarnated mom
Posted on November 03, 2009The man, who's doing time in Germany, actually went to court over the matter. The court turned him down, saying that he hadn't provided proof of the reincarnation. Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!
No prison for transsexual burglar because she's had a "rotten life," judge says
Posted on November 03, 2009Story is from the U.K. Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!
Suspect gets 6 months for flipping the bird in court
Posted on November 03, 2009That's just for the contempt of court, not the charge that originally brought him to court. Story is from Illinois. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Mad Matt in Mid MO!
Roeder supporters launch eBay auction anyway
Posted on November 02, 2009The supporters of Scott Roeder, the man charged with killing Dr. George Tiller, have reportedly started auctioning items on eBay to raise money for his defense -- even though eBay has already promised to shut them down, Judy Thomas reports....
Shootout in Olathe
Posted on November 02, 2009Last night, a federal task force tried to arrest a suspect outside a Subway restaurant near 151st and Ridgeview in Olathe, Joe Robertson reports. The man, who was wanted on a JoCo aggravated-assault warrant, allegedly pulled a gun and got...
Smoking in your own back yard? Could mean a lawsuit
Posted on November 02, 2009Near Fresno, a retired couple has sued their next-door neighbor because cigarette and cigar smoke from her back yard drifts into theirs. The Bee newspaper has a rundown on how things have devolved to this point. And they also note...
Four men fatally shot in "Mayberry"
Posted on November 02, 2009In Mount Airy, N.C., the model for Mayberry in "The Andy Griffith Show," four men were shot and killed Sunday in a TV store's parking lot. A suspect is in custody, but police hadn't released a motive yet.
KCK works triple shooting, police standoff
Posted on November 02, 2009From The Star: Kansas City, Kan., police took two men and a woman into custody this morning following a triple shooting and standoff. About 11:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to the 2300 block of Birch Drive after a report of...
How some drunk drivers beat the system in Mo.
Posted on November 02, 2009The Post-Dispatch had a piece this weekend about Missouri and how it handles DUI cases. Under the law, drivers are supposed to lose their licenses for a year if they refuse to take a Breathalyzer test. Only, those who refuse...
Drunk driver calls 911 to report herself, Wis. cops say
Posted on November 02, 2009She'd allegedly consumed seven or eight brandy-and-Cokes by the time she alerted the authorities, police say.
Misunderstanding over English leads to attempted murder, N.J. cops say
Posted on November 02, 2009In New Jersey, a woman allegedly stabbed her 8-year-old, then herself, because she was worried that her kids were going to be taken away from her, The AP reports. She isn't a native English speaker and apparently has trouble understanding...
UPDATE: Family of five killed in rural Illinois
Posted on November 02, 2009Police are releasing more information about the murders of the Gee family in tiny Beason, Ill. Investigators believe the two suspects -- one of whom used to be married to the victims' grown daughter, who wasn't home -- intended to...
Death penalty in Knoxville torture, murder
Posted on November 02, 2009On Friday, a jury sentenced Lemaricus Davidson to death for his part in the deaths of Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, a young couple that was brutally killed in 2007. Snip from AP: Both were raped, Newsom was fatally shot...
Cook uses steak to stop robber, Neb. cops say
Posted on November 02, 2009In Lincoln, the cook at a Mexican restaurant threw a cooking steak at a robber who had a knife pointed at a coworker's throat. It threw the guy off, and he ran away, police say.
Open Thread ... Monday
Posted on November 02, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Missing boy, 4, found in neighbor's dryer
Posted on November 02, 2009The case is from Mendota, Calif., where a 14-year-old neighbor, who lives in the house where the body was found, has been arrested on suspicion of committing the crime. The little boy was put in the dryer after he was...
How being murdered is like winning the lotto
Posted on November 02, 2009The always excellent Midtown Miscreant takes a look at the numbers ... What are the chances of being robbed and killed? As of 2009, Kansas City Metro Area's population is around 2 million. On any given day, your chances of...
Ark. lawyer sold meth from home-office, police allege
Posted on November 02, 2009Kathee Baird's Crime Scene blog brings up the grisly mugshot ...
Supremes won't intervene in James Ford Seale case
Posted on November 02, 2009The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review the case against James Ford Seale, who's accused of abducting two black teenagers in the 1960s. (Both young men later turned up dead.) Seale's attorneys are arguing that it's not right to...
Former Lawrence cop gets probation in video-game scheme
Posted on November 02, 2009Robert Ryan Sayler, 32, was specifically charged with wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney for Kansas says. He allegedly bought video games from Target and removed the disks while making it look like the package hadn't been opened. He then returned...
Suspect's home is where his heart is
Posted on November 02, 2009From seacoastonline.com: A self-described ?traveling artist? who cites his address as his car and ?random girls? beds? was arraigned Monday on a trio of charges stemming from a pair of summer incidents.
Man in Breathalyzer costume arrested for DUI, Ohio cops say
Posted on November 02, 2009Why, yes, there is a photo. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Mad Matt in Mid Mo!
Woman being questioned in Cass County homicide
Posted on November 02, 2009From the release: Cass County Detectives and Deputies located the white Ford F250 truck seen leaving the scene of a fatal shooting on N. Lyne in Raymore late last night. The vehicle was found abandoned on E. 215th St east...
Report: Mo. police academies see big jump in enrollment
Posted on November 02, 2009Statewide, Missouri had 1,355 academy graduates become licensed police officers -- which represents a 46 percent increase since 2004, the Post-Dispatch reports. Whether they all get hired is an open question. A lot of departments have been forced to freeze...
I bet he doesn't get a callback
Posted on November 02, 2009In St. Joe, police are looking for a man who asked for a job application at Pizza Hut and then robbed the place.
Prediction: Copper thefts will make a comeback
Posted on November 02, 2009Because the price of copper has rebounded, the Washington Post reports.
Teen prostitute, 16, kills pimp who raped her -- gets life in prison
Posted on November 02, 2009The Supreme Court is going to tackle an issue we've discussed a lot here: Should teenagers be sentenced to life without parole? We're one of the few countries that will sentence underage convicts like this. Activists point to the case...
A desperate Teletubby is a dangerous Teletubby
Posted on November 02, 2009In Ontario, police are searching for a man dressed like a Teletubby who allegedly robbed a woman at gunpoint on Halloween. The authorities say he was dressed like the purple Teletubby.
Man was killed over a hat, U.K. cops say
Posted on November 02, 2009A British man was reportedly beaten to death after he tried to get his girlfriend's hat back from a group of drunks, U.K. authorities say. It was on Halloween, and the girlfriend had been wearing a witch's pointy hat. Hat...
You make the call: Is this payback? Or an appropriate complaint?
Posted on November 02, 2009Recently, the Topeka Capital-Journal uncovered a serious problem at the state women's prison near Topeka: There are allegations of inmates offering sexual favors so staff will deliver contraband to them. Now? The state DOC has filed an ethics complaint against...
U.K. cracks down on texters who cause fatal crashes
Posted on November 02, 2009When it comes to fatal wrecks, British authorities treat texting-while-driving as seriously as intoxicated driving, the New York Times reports. It's an "serious aggravating factor" and usually means that a driver will spend four to seven years in prison...
Okla. town plans all-Christian prison
Posted on November 02, 2009Several states have units or programs with a Christian theme, but the proposed prison in Wakita, Okla., would have an all-Christian staff, too. (That's less common, experts say.) The prisoners would have to agree to be sent there, and they'd...
Why silence is golden
Posted on November 02, 2009From nwfdailynews.com, about police investigating a woman's claims of being assaulted: When asked to provide a statement the man spontaneously said he ?did not choke that crack whore.? The deputy noted in the report that at no time did he...
Who killed Steven Lawrence?
Posted on November 02, 2009From The Star: Deputies were called to the scene of a shooting in the 1100 block of N. Lyne in Raymore at 1:55 p.m. Upon their arrival deputies and first responders found 35-year-old Steven E. Lawrence in the front yard...
Charges in fatal DUI wreck in Independence
Posted on November 02, 2009Kenneth Scott Blake II, 19, of Blue Springs, is facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter with a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of at least .18%. It stems from a wreck on Halloween night on U.S. 24 near Blue...
HIV used as weapon in fight, Mich. judge rules
Posted on November 02, 2009An HIV-positive Michigan man has been ordered to stand trial on charges that, when he allegedly bit his neighbor's lip, he was intentionally using the virus as a weapon. (The fight? It was over a football that had landed in...
4 shot outside Independence bar
Posted on November 01, 2009From Judy Thomas: Independence police are investigating a fight outside a bar early today that left four people with gunshot wounds. Police responded to reports of a fight outside the Do Drop In, 10520 E. U.S. Highway 40, at 1:15...
Open Thread ... Weekend Edition
Posted on October 31, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Guilty plea in two Northland slayings
Posted on October 31, 2009From Meredith Rodriguez: A Kansas City man pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of two people in December 2006. Lark E. Gardner Jr. had allegedly joined three others in robbing a home in the...
Was somebody deliberately shooting at Lou Dobbs' house?
Posted on October 31, 2009In New Jersey, the state police are investigating after a bullet hit CNN host Lou Dobbs' house. It's not clear if the shot was intentional or just accidental, maybe from a hunter's bullet. The authorities say they're investigating partly because...
Report: Woman sues over naked pics on camera
Posted on October 31, 2009KCTV has a story about a Belton woman suing Wal-Mart because she bought a digital camera for her teenage daughter, who -- after she opened it -- reportedly discovered the camera already had photos of a naked woman on it.
Cleveland police investigate after 6 bodies found at home
Posted on October 31, 2009In Cleveland, authorities have arrested a convicted rapist, Anthony Sowell, after six corpses were found at his house Thursday. Sowell wasn't picked up until this afternoon, just walking along the street. Police had gone to his home to arrest him...
An unspeakable crime
Posted on October 31, 2009The New York Daily News has the details. We require people to be 21 years old before they can drink alcohol. To legally drive, you have to pass a test, pay for a license and retain car insurance. Yet any...
Shawnee man says he was mistakenly jailed for 25 days
Posted on October 31, 2009Joe Lambe has the full story here, but the nutshell is that Adolph Moreno is suing Johnson County and Overland Park because he was supposed to be jailed for two days. Instead, he says, authorities kept him for 27 days...
Shooter fires on carloads of teens
Posted on October 31, 2009Independence police are investigating after someone fired upon two carloads of teenagers late Friday night near 39th and Bolger. The vehicles were stopped at a red light. A 16-year-old boy was hit in the eye by some shrapnel, and was...
6 DUI arrests during KCPD sobriety checkpoint
Posted on October 31, 2009From KCPD: The Kansas City Missouri Police Department conducted a Low Staffing Sobriety Checkpoint on October 30, 2009 from 2300 hours to 0400 hours at NB I 35 & Chouteau and NB I 35 & Brighton Exit Ramps. Northbound traffic...
The craziest thing you will read today
Posted on October 30, 2009A woman and her father were trying to get from the American Royal to the Marriott on 12th Street downtown yesterday, but got lost and stopped at Paseo Express, 1500 Truman Road, to get directions. They met a guy, Jason...
KCK names homicide victim from1300 block of North 4th
Posted on October 30, 2009From KCKPD: The victim from the homicide which occurred on Friday, October 30, 2009 in the 1300 Block of North 4th Street has been identified. LeDion D. Brown, black male, DOB 03/17/1990, was a Kansas City, Kansas resident. The victim?s...
UPDATE: Private eye died of natural causes
Posted on October 30, 2009In Newton, Kan., police are investigating the death of Richard Schroeder, a former U.S. marshal who worked as a private investigator. His wife found him lying in their driveway last night with serious head injuries. He was pronounced dead at...
1 dead, 1 injured in shooting at 31st and Prospect
Posted on October 30, 2009From KCPD: Officers on Friday at 2:51 p.m. were called to 31st and Prospect to investigate a shooting. Upon arriving the officers found a male in the parking lot of the shopping center near Cash America Pawn. The man had...
UPDATE: KCPD officer hurt when suspect's gun discharges
Posted on October 30, 2009Just an update about the incident this morning at the bus station near Troost and 11th ... From KCPD: During the below described struggle between detectives and a suspect, identified as Kalvin Loyd, detectives placed Loyd in custody. Once in...
Did Mo. need a law to keep sex offenders home on Halloween?
Posted on October 30, 2009The Missouri Attorney General's office is reminding folks -- and by folks, they mostly mean sex offenders -- that registered sex offenders are supposed to follow the following rules on Halloween: ? Avoid all Halloween-related contact with children. ? Remain...
Bar patron shot in the chest Thursday night
Posted on October 30, 2009From Sara Shepherd: Police are looking for four men who barged into an east Kansas City bar Thursday night, ordered everyone to the floor and shot one of the patrons in the chest. According to a police report, the suspects...
Intoxicated driver rams riding mower into stopped school bus, Fla. cops say
Posted on October 30, 2009Which made all the children laugh at him, which -- naturally -- enraged him. He tried to get on the bus, presumably so he could kindly ask the children to stop laughing at him, but the bus driver refused.
Muslim wife tried to kill husband for making her eat pork, drink booze, N.Y. cops say
Posted on October 30, 2009He lived, though. The New York Post article is one long game of he-said, she-said. One interesting point, though: They were put together through an arranged marriage. I've always heard those worked out pretty well. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith...
Open Thread ... Sweet Merciful Friday
Posted on October 30, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Look out, Dog!
Posted on October 30, 2009At the Citizens Police Academy, we went to KCPD's shooting range. On TV, the officers always shoot at an abstract outline of a person. Kansas City police, though, have targets with photographs of "bad guys" on them. (Or actors posing...
Merriam plans DUI saturation patrol on Halloween
Posted on October 30, 2009And into the early hours of Sunday morning.
Man was raped, beaten for hours over missing cellphone, Ohio cops say
Posted on October 30, 2009Oh, and exposed him to HIV, the authorities say.
KISS fan won't take no for an answer
Posted on October 30, 2009From the Athens Banner-Herald: The man walked into Shuffles Bar, 334 W. Main St., in Winder on Saturday evening and demanded that the manager book Kiss. When the manager refused, the man became irate and started yelling at everyone in...
Alaska dad blew kids' college money on Vegas stripper, police say
Posted on October 30, 2009All told, about $36K was stolen, authorities say -- about $12K from the college funds, the rest from savings accounts that his wife set up.
Mission: Improbable
Posted on October 30, 2009Two 14-year-olds in Idaho are in trouble because they were playing "Mission: Impossible" after school, on school grounds, with air pistols -- and another kid, who didn't know about the "mission," accidentally got hit by a pellet in his leg.
A teachable moment at Peyton Place Elementary
Posted on October 30, 2009In Georgia, two elementary teachers were arrested after they allegedly got into a fight at school. The reason? They were both romantically involved with the same man -- who also taught at the school and had impregnated one of them,...
Family awarded $16 million in radio-contest death
Posted on October 30, 2009In Sacramento, the family of Jennifer Strange, a woman who died from apparent water intoxication during a radio station contest, has been awarded $16 million from a wrongful-death lawsuit. Strange was trying to win a Nintendo Wii for her kids....
Police selling motorized La-Z-Boy on eBay
Posted on October 30, 2009Just a quick update about the man arrested for DUI while he was allegedly driving a motorized La-Z-Boy chair. Authorities in Wisconsin have seized the device and are selling it online, where the bids were north of $2,000 at last...
UPDATE: Man ran over daughter for being too Americanized, Ariz. cops say
Posted on October 30, 2009Authorities say they've arrested Faleh Almaleki, an Arizona man who allegedly ran over his 20-year-old daughter because she was too Americanized, police allege. The family moved from Iraq to the United States back in the 1990s. The daughter is still....
Victim sort of deserved to be headbutted, UK judge says
Posted on October 30, 2009A British milkman was arrested after he allegedly headbutted a customer and broke a milk bottle over the man's head. The judge, though, ended up going easy on the milkman because he considered the victim's behavior very provocative. Apparently, the...
Mo. man accused of sexually assaulting his 5-month-old
Posted on October 30, 2009The case is from Miller County. One of the blog's regulars, Silverside, has a post about it and similar cases at her blog, Dastardly Dads.
Iowa mom on trial for 2-year-old's murder
Posted on October 30, 2009In Grundy Center, Iowa, a woman named Michelle Kehoe is accused of killing her 2-year-old son, Seth, and trying to murder her older son, age 7, before she cut her own throat. Prosecutors say Kehoe told authorities that a strange...
Some headlines just write themselves
Posted on October 28, 2009From The AP:Police say ex-lawmaker caught with stripper in cemetery
The most terrifying thing you'll read today (if you're a guy)
Posted on October 28, 2009In Langley, Canada, police are looking for a woman who randomly kicked a strange man in the groin and caused him to lose a testicle. The man was reportedly walking along the street, minding his own business, when the assault...
White supremacist asks to be on Death Row, please
Posted on October 28, 2009Billy Joe Johnson is asking an Orange County, Calif., jury to send him to Death Row because he hears the amenities are nicer there. (Better food, I guess?) He's trying to convince them that he killed two other people. He's...
PHOTO: How smuggler hid 24 snakes, geckos on his body
Posted on October 28, 2009More details here! Photos via AP!
Man plans to sue over "One Nation Under God" button
Posted on October 28, 2009In Okeechobee, Fla., a man is planning a civil lawsuit after he refused to stop wearing a "One Nation Under God" button and was fired from his job at Home Depot. The company says it has a policy against employees...
Semi-pro football player breaks every bone in ref's face, N.Y. cops allege
Posted on October 28, 2009That's according to the appropriately named WHAM-TV. (The bit about it being EVERY bone seems a little much, but I'm in Kansas City and they're in Rochester.) Another blog, Sports by Brooks, says the weapon was the player's helmet.
Fun Fact: Texans can legally show porn to their kids
Posted on October 28, 2009Thanks to the Dallas Morning News' DMN Investigates blog for this one. There was two caveats, though: They have to be your kids, and no child porn. Best Part: State Sen. Bob Deuell, a Republican from Greenville, said he will...
KCPD gets $500K to investigate "cold case" sex crimes
Posted on October 28, 2009Courtesy of the National Institute of Justice. Sex Crimes' cold-case squad has been in operation since 2008, and they've helped close 100 cases. Some of them have been particulary heinous -- one involved a serial rapist responsible for at least...
New sentence for woman who stabbed husband 193 times?
Posted on October 28, 2009In 2004, Susan Wright, a former topless dancer, was convicted of murdering her husband -- who, BTW, was tied up during the aforementioned stabbing -- and sentenced to 25 years. The Texas Court of Appeals has decided that she gets...
Teacher created "secret society" to have sex with teen girls, Texas cops say
Posted on October 28, 2009In San Antonio, a Christian-school teacher is accused of recruiting a pair of teenage girls into his "secret society," which was mostly an excuse for them to have sex, police allege. The whole thing fell apart after a third potential...
Let's Make A Deal, Crime Scene Edition
Posted on October 28, 2009In Oklahoma City, a woman got arrested for allegedly shoplifting hair conditioner and Glad plug-ins and, after she was arrested, offered a variety of sex acts if the officer wouldn't take her to jail. The officer responded that the offer...
UPDATE: Woman accused of offering sex for World Series tickets
Posted on October 28, 2009A radio station has given the woman tickets so she and her husband can attend. Her attorney, by the way, is calling shenanigans on the charges. To be fair, the actual text of the Craigslist ad doesn't include a direct...
I'm too fat to commit murder, suspect says
Posted on October 28, 2009In Florida, a man named Edward Ates is accused of murdering his son-in-law over a money dispute. He's expected to argue that he was too fat and out-of-shape to have committed the crime. The shots were fired from the top...
Open Thread ... Wednesday
Posted on October 28, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
N.Y. mom used Craigslist to get revenge on girl, 9, police allege
Posted on October 28, 2009After her daughter got into a tiff with a 9-year-old girl, a New York woman allegedly placed a Craigslist ad using the girl's name and her phone number, using sexually suggestive language. Several pervos decided to call the 9-year-old, her...
Cyberthieves steal credit-card info from local pub
Posted on October 28, 2009Cyberthieves have apparently hit a local restaurant's credit-card server, Overland Park police say. The department started getting complaints a few days from people who were victims of credit-card fraud. The common thread? They'd all eaten at Llywelyn's on 151st Street...
Would you ever track your kids with electronic devices?
Posted on October 28, 2009Best Buy has started selling a device called "Little Buddy" -- it's a tracker, basically, that can be put in your kid's lunchbox, bookbag or coat. (Or perhaps implanted in them via surgery -- the story doesn't say.) Parents can...
Driver decides to ram car into ex's house, Nev. police say
Posted on October 28, 2009Only it wasn't her house. The car, however, did end up pinning two college students for an hour. The man and woman were literally UNDER the vehicle. CNN has a write-up here, along with some amazing photos.
KC is No. 32 on Forbes' Safest Cities list
Posted on October 28, 2009We tied with the San Berardino / Riverside / Ontario area in California. And we ranked just above St. Louis. The magazine considered workplace deaths, traffic deaths, violent-crime rates and risk of natural disaster among the nation's largest cities. Minneapolis...
Suspect blames steak for failing Breathalyzer
Posted on October 28, 2009In Sheboygan, Wis., a man with previous DUI convictions blew .07 during his regular check-in with a court-ordered intervention program. He denies drinking and blames his results on a Jack Daniels steak that he ate the night before. (You can...
San Francisco debates sanctuary policy for youths
Posted on October 28, 2009For years, San Francisco has been a sanctuary city, meaning that police aren't forced to report illegal immigrants to federal authorities. Some police departments like it this way. They're able to get information from community members, who aren't afraid they'll...
Was this really a suicide?
Posted on October 28, 2009In June 28, a man named Charles McNeil was found sitting in his car near 22nd and Lydia, dead from a gunshot wound to his head. The wound was in the left side of his head, the gun was in...
Boise police investigate reports of naked hockey
Posted on October 28, 2009Best part: The city forbids people from showing their buttocks in public, largely to curb erotic dance parlors. Exemptions include dance, ballet, music or dramatic performances, or artistic displays; nudity during hockey practice isn't on the list.
A not-so-brilliant disguise
Posted on October 28, 2009In Carroll, Iowa, two men -- Matthew Allan McNelly and Joey Lee Miller -- are accused of burglarizing an apartment. Instead of wearing masks, police say, the men apparently drew on their faces with permanent marker. Police say they had...
Now, THAT is a fetching mugshot
Posted on October 28, 2009This is Luke Petruschke. He's the Florida man whose friends reportedly beat him with a cinderblock after one of their kids accused Petruschke of fondling him. The friends have been charged, and now, so has Petruschke.
Robber hits Bank Midwest downtown
Posted on October 27, 2009A man robbed the Bank Midwest at 11th and Main about 10:50 this morning, according to KCPD and the FBI. The suspect had been milling around and went to a teller's window, where he passed along a note demanding money....
DUI suspect sounds like she swallowed a medicine cabinet
Posted on October 27, 2009From the Naples Daily News about an allegedly intoxicated driver ... She told the deputy she drank vodka, smoked crack and had taken Oxycodone, Clonopin, Baklaphine, Lirica, Tegradol, Paxcil, Dilantin and Lamiktal, reports say.
Open Thread ... Tuesday
Posted on October 27, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Okla. man burns himself alive to avoid jail, authorities say
Posted on October 27, 2009In Tulsa County, a man named Johnnie Joe Hobbs, a convicted sex offender, reportedly lit himself on fire when authorities tried to serve protection orders against him and revoke his suspended sentence, the Tulsa World reports. Hobbs was pronounced dead...
Have you seen this man?
Posted on October 27, 2009KCK police are looking for a man named Levert X. Braswell so they can question him in a homicide that happened Oct. 19. (Over in the 1500 block of Georgia, to be specific.) Braswell is 20 years old, 5 feet...
New trial for man convicted of killing elderly couple
Posted on October 27, 2009Kellen C. McKinney, the man convicted of killing evangelists Mildred and John Caylor, will get a new trial, the Missouri Appeals Court has ruled. Why? Because prosecutors tried McKinney for an attempted jail escape during his murder trial. The court....
Driver fled scene with victim stuck in his windshield, R.I. cops say
Posted on October 27, 2009In Providence, a man is accused of hitting some people who were standing on the side of the highway, then fleeing the scene. This was particularly bad because one of the victims was lodged in the man's windshield and still...
Mercedes owner says he was victim of hate crime
Posted on October 27, 2009In Washington state, the driver of a 2001 Mercedes says he was the victim of a hate crime after someone poured motor oil over his car, the Kitsap Sun reports. The man believes he was targeted because of a bumper...
How did the robber get away? By a hair
Posted on October 27, 2009In Indiana, a woman stabbed another lady and tried to steal her money -- but the victim grabbed onto her attacker's hair and wouldn't let go, police say. So the robber used the knife to cut her own hair and...
Drunk burglar steals Sprite, creampuffs at KU, police say
Posted on October 27, 2009In Lawrence, police are searching for a man who allegedly got drunk, broke into the Wilna Crawford Community Center and stole $10 worth of creampuffs and $2 worth of Sprite. An employee was actually there at the time, and the...
You have the right to remain sexy
Posted on October 27, 2009In Pewaukee, Wis., a sergeant has been demoted and suspended after she allegedly tried to date a man being investigated for possible drug crimes. While she was off-duty, the sergeant reportedly had an on-duty colleague look up the man's phone...
Is prosecutor unfairly targeting the Innocence Project?
Posted on October 27, 2009Northwestern University's Innocence Project has helped free 11 men who were wrongly convicted. It's actually a class in the journalism school there. Students reinvestigate cases where they believe someone might have been sent to prison for something they didn't do,...
52 kids rescued during child-prostitution crackdown
Posted on October 27, 2009The FBI and other law-enforcement agencies have wrapped up another three-day crackdown on child sex-trafficking, which led to the arrest of 690 people in 36 cities. About 52 kids were rescued from alleged child prostitution, the bureau says. (The FBI's...
In the words of Emily Litella ...
Posted on October 27, 20098:01 a.m. -- Overland Park police send out a release looking for a GMC Suburban wanted in a hit-and-run. 9:00 a.m. -- Police send out a release saying the vehicle has been found!
Polanski victim wants case to go away -- is she right?
Posted on October 27, 2009The teenage girl who accused director Roman Polanski of rape is now a grown woman with a family and a job. And she's officially asking the courts to dismiss the criminal charge against Polanski -- largely because the renewed focus...
Scientology convicted of fraud in France
Posted on October 27, 2009The church and its library were fined about 600,000 euros, but weren't ordered to stop operations. They're already planning an appeal, the AP reports. The original case involves a woman who spent about 21,000 euros on various treatments, books and...
Dad, pal nearly beat accused molester to death, Fla. cops say
Posted on October 27, 2009In Davie, Fla., two men are facing attempted murder charges after they allegedly used cinder blocks and rocks to beat a friend. One of their children, age 3, had accused the victim of fondling him, the Sun-Sentinel reports. The three...
Jackson County to test anti-meth database
Posted on October 27, 2009The county is getting a software program, MethShield, that will track sales of cold medicines with pseudoephedrine at some local stores, Mike Mansur reports. (Not all retailers are agreeing to participate.) The idea is that police can see who's buying...
OP seeking driver in hit-and-run crash
Posted on October 27, 2009Overland Park police are trying to find a hit-and-run driver from a crash about 6 p.m. yesterday. It happened near 122nd and Tomahawk Creek Parkway. They're looking for a young white male, maybe a teenager, who was driving a black...
Calif. teen gang-raped outside homecoming dance, police say
Posted on October 27, 2009In Richmond, Calif., police are investigating a particularly horrible case of sexual assault. They say a 15-year-old girl was gang-raped in a school courtyard after the homecoming dance on Saturday. As many as six males allegedly attacked the girl, and...
1 shot in the head in 10600 block of East 42nd
Posted on October 27, 2009From Joe Lambe: Kansas City police are working an early morning shooting murder. They responded to a call at about 5 a.m. to an apartment complex at the 10600 block of East 42nd Street and found a man shot in...
Baltimore cop pointed gun at haunted house character, police say
Posted on October 27, 2009In Baltimore, an off-duty police officer is accused of pointing his service weapon at a haunted-house character who "chased" him out of the show. (The guy was dressed as Leatherface and a chain saw without a chain -- he's one...
St. Louis makes $6.8 million off red-light cameras
Posted on October 27, 2009That's over the space of 30 months, and after they've paid the camera company its cut.
UK youths set fire to sleeping man's beard, police say
Posted on October 27, 2009I thought "A Clockwork Orange" was supposed to be science fiction ... Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!
Alleged zombie beaten in Iowa City
Posted on October 26, 2009In Iowa City, police are searching for a man who accused another guy of being a zombie, punched him in the face, punched the victim AGAIN when he tried to call police and then ran off. It happened early Sunday...
Mo. man guilty of former brother-in-law's murder
Posted on October 26, 2009Over the weekend, William Clinch was found guilty of murdering his sister's ex-husband outside a Columbia McDonald's, where Jeremy Bohannon was going for a supervised visit with his kids. Clinch had freely admitted that he fatally shot Bohannon, but argued...
Average wait on Death Row? 13 years
Posted on October 26, 2009That's the national average. There are more 3,000 people waiting in this particular line. About 40 of them are executed in a typical year.
Teacher's aides accused of abusing autistic student, Mont. cops say
Posted on October 26, 2009In Great Falls, two teacher's aides are accused of abusing a teenage boy with autism, police say. The aides are accused of holding the boy's head under a running faucet because he fell asleep, making him eat his vomit and...
Some headlines just write themselves
Posted on October 26, 2009Man Upset Over Gay Naked Barn Dance In Wilton Hat Tip: Saw this via Fark!
Church janitor suspected in N.J. priest's murder
Posted on October 26, 2009In Morristown, N.J., police have arrested a church janitor for the suspected murder of a Catholic priest -- after the two of them allegedly fought over the janitor's continued employment, the AP reports. Authorities believe the Rev. Ed Hinds was...
Open Thread ... Monday
Posted on October 26, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
The case against Roman Polanski
Posted on October 25, 2009The Los Angeles Times has a big report here looking back on the evidence against the famous director in his sex-crimes trial. There have been several pieces arguing for leniency for Polanski and downplaying the alleged crime itself. The Times...
New York's "Jane Doe" has a name
Posted on October 25, 2009Two weeks ago, an apparently amnesiac teenager was found in a New York City shelter. Now? Police say that her relatives, based in Washington state, are on their way to claim her. (Someone in Maryland recognized her from a TV...
Mom hosts Haunted House in same home where sons died
Posted on October 25, 2009A California woman lost her two sons, ages 3 and 5, in a house fire about six months ago. Now? She's hosting a haunted house there. She says it's her way of saying Happy Halloween to her kids. Decorations include...
2 hurt in 3800 block of Indiana
Posted on October 25, 2009From KCPD: At approximately 2:15 p.m. today (Saturday), officers were called to the 3800 block of Indiana on a shots fired call. Upon arrival officers located two victims. The victims pointed to the house where the suspect fled. Officers surrounded...
1 shot, killed in 5200 block of Truman Road
Posted on October 25, 2009From KCPD: On 10/24/09, at approximately 7:48 p.m. officers were called to the 5200 block of Truman Rd. on sound of shots. The call was later updated to a party down. Upon arrival officers located a victim suffering from an...
Suspect nearly drove into KC officer, KCPD says
Posted on October 24, 2009From KCPD: On 10/23/09, just before 11:00 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle at 31st and Penn. After being contacted by officers, the driver/suspect refused verbal commands and refused to exit the vehicle. During a brief struggle with the suspect, another...
Balloon Boy's mom confessed, police allege
Posted on October 24, 2009In court records, Colorado authorities claim that Mayumi Heene admitted the whole Balloon Boy incident was a hoax, specifically designed to garner media attention. Keep in mind, this is the story according to the authorities. The Heenes' attorney says the...
Mo. man arrested for destroying flag -- then released
Posted on October 24, 2009Morley Swingle, the prosecuting attorney for Cape Girardeau County, says he totally didn't know that flag desecration is protected speech, as determined by a Supreme Court decision. For reals, you guys, total surprise to him, though the decision was made...
A funny thing happened on the way to K-State
Posted on October 24, 2009On Thursay, KCK police arrested three people in what's being described as a botched home invasion -- botched because two of three got shot in the attempt, police say. On Friday, a fourth suspect was arrested. Where did they catch...
The not-so-great escape
Posted on October 24, 2009In East St. Louis, a man jumped through a window to get away from the police, who were trying to execute a search warrant. It sort of worked: He died from injuries related to broken glass. But he didn't have...
Football coach used pocket knife to threaten students, Fla. cops say
Posted on October 24, 2009At first blush, you might think: Wow, this is a dangerous dude. He must be a really scary coach. I don't think so, though. The real monster coaches can terrify you with nothing more than a look or a well-placed...
100 pounds of pot found in I-35 traffic stop
Posted on October 24, 2009From Olathe PD: On Sunday, October 18th at approximately 7:32 pm an Olathe Police Department K9 unit was requested to respond to the area of I-35 near I-435 to assist the Kansas Highway Patrol on a traffic stop. Prior to...
Open Thread ... Weekend Edition
Posted on October 24, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Some things, like explosives, better left to the authorities to handle
Posted on October 23, 2009A South Carolina man appears to be very lucky. He discovered that his uncle had collected explosive materials including grenades, dynamite and black powder. After his uncle's death, the man drove 80 miles to his uncle's house, loaded up his...
Tips sought in arson that injured two firefighters
Posted on October 23, 2009Remember the apartment fire on Sunday that injured two firefighters? Authorities are asking for help catching those responsible for setting the blaze. From the press release: The Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline and the Bomb and Arson Section of the Kansas...
Clerk wets her pants, gets $200K
Posted on October 23, 2009In a California, a supermarket clerk was awarded $200K after she wet her pants because her boss refused to let her take a bathroom break. The woman was being treated for cancer and, thus, needed to drink lots of water....
Worst Job Offer Ever
Posted on October 23, 2009In Chicago, an attorney is accused of telling a prospective hire that, besides doing various office work, she'd be expected to have sex with him and his legal partner. (Oh, and flirt and act sexy.) She'd also be required to...
UPDATE: MO girl, 9, missing in Cole County
Posted on October 23, 2009There still hasn't been any sign of Elizabeth Olten, the girl who disappeared Wednesday night while walking home from a friend's house. Searchers spent yesterday searching the woods near St. Martins, based on cellphone data showing that Olten's phone had...
Dallas cop tickets driver for not speaking English
Posted on October 23, 2009The cop in question is a rookie, and yes, he has been reprimanded. There's a city statute that says cabbies have to speak English, but he'd pulled over a regular old motorist -- who, by the way, did make an...
"Law & Order" bases episode off Tiller murder
Posted on October 23, 2009It'll air tonight, the Wichita Eagle says. This is nothing new: L&O "rips stories from the headlines" all of the time. (I can remember one based on the John Robinson case.) The Eagle interviewed people there who say that it's...
Woman chained up adult son, Omaha cops say
Posted on October 23, 2009An Omaha woman, 60, was arrested because she allegedly chained up her son, who is 40 and has developmental disabilities, police say. The woman works as a school secretary. Somehow, the man got loose and was found outside the home...
Woman shows off $27K in cash at bar, gets robbed
Posted on October 23, 2009In Springfield, Mass., a 22-year-old woman reportedly brought a giant wad of cash -- $27,000 -- that she got from an insurance claim to a bar and showed it off. When she left the bar later, she was promptly robbed....
UPDATE: Congress expands hate-crime law
Posted on October 23, 2009The Senate has passed a bill that expands the federal hate-crime law to cover sexual orientation. The measure was actually part of a larger defense bill. (The House approved this earlier.) President Obama is expected to sign the bill, too.
Now, THAT is a fetching mugshot
Posted on October 23, 2009In Oklahoma, police say -- OH MY EYES, SWEET MERCIFUL HEAVENS, IT'S LIKE LOOKING AT A DYING ANIMAL THAT IS ON FIRE AND DYING. (Photo available after the jump.)
Embezzler had big heart, enhanced chest, Ariz. cops say
Posted on October 23, 2009In Tempe, a woman is accused of embezzling $228,000, which she spent on a nonprofit basketball team for kids ... and breast enhancements for herself, police say. Hat Tip: Many thanks, eephus!
Should this woman be treated like a sex offender?
Posted on October 23, 2009In Edwardsville, a 45-year-old woman was accused of giving booze to two 15-year-old boys and showing them pictures of her naked. (One boy's mom says it was 14 shots of vodka, and they drank it in a graveyard.) The defendant...
Like looking for a suspect in a haystack ...
Posted on October 23, 2009In Utah, a suspect was able to escape several police, search dogs and a helicopter with a heat sensor by hiding under a hay stack. But he was quickly arrested after he came home and his stepdad called the authorities.
Why people on PCP take off their clothes
Posted on October 23, 2009At the Citizens Police Academy last night, one of the speakers mentioned that people on PCP often take off their clothes because their body temperatures can reach 105 degrees. I knew about the nudity, but had always assumed it was...
A whole new meaning to "ball and chain"
Posted on October 23, 2009In Sicily, a man was sentenced to prison, but got transferred to house arrest -- and soon asked to be put back in prison because he was sick of arguing with his wife.
Opium, Afghanistan's other big problem
Posted on October 23, 2009Well, it's not a problem for the people growing and selling the drug -- opium is still a major crop in Afghanistan. The U.N., though, estimates that 100,000 people die from using Afghan opium every year. The market for Afghan...
Was it something I said?
Posted on October 23, 2009In Madison, several women in one apartment complex were freaked out when a strange man left notes telling them to lock their back door and, in some cases, approaching them in person with that message. (Sort of like, how does...
Open Thread ... Sweet Merciful Friday
Posted on October 23, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. PROGRAMMING NOTE: James will be around this morning, but Bob Cronkleton...
Parents raising money to help solve son's death
Posted on October 23, 2009Randy and Gwynn McCurdy of Ottawa are raising money for a reward to find the person who killed their son in a hit-and-run crash. Chad McCurdy, 32, was on his way home about midnight July 13 when someone struck his...
Members of London's elite firearms unit to patrol streets
Posted on October 23, 2009Members of Metropolitan Police's C019 will be used for the first time to patrol gun crime hot spots to deter gang members from carrying guns. Some people, however, are upset that the officers will be armed with Heckler & Koch...
Dance Party Friday ... Balloon Boy Edition
Posted on October 23, 2009OK, one more for the road ... Hat Tip: Many thanks, Jane!
Chinese-Mexican businessman allegedly admits to selling meth chemical
Posted on October 23, 2009Zhenli Ye Gon, who was arrested after police found a $205 million stash of cash in his Mexico City mansion, allegedly told U.S. prosecutors that he sold chemical used to make methamphetamine.Here's the AP story. | Bob Cronkleton
Teen uses hidden camera to catch locker thief
Posted on October 23, 2009Tiana Rapp, 17, a student at Newfield High School in Selden, N.Y., was upset that someone broke into her gym locker twice and took her $190. Rapp didn't believe school officials that the thefts probably were being committed by another...
Mother tries to smother infant so she can return to work
Posted on October 23, 2009Christina Marie McIntyre, 23, of Titusville, Fla., has been charged with allegedly trying to kill her 11-month-old baby. Before having second thoughts, she had called on the baby's 2-year-old brother to do the job using a blanket and bean bag...
Opera diva creates her own drama
Posted on October 23, 2009Gabriela Pochinki is facing 90 days in jail for allegedly berating and shoving a restaurant manager who asked the Argentine opera diva to pipe down while on her cell phone. While dining with her daughter Sunday afternoon, Pochinki was talking...
Attorney, author charged with murder 20 years ago
Posted on October 23, 2009San Diego-area attorney and author Eric Francis Fagan, 74, was to be arraigned this morning on charges that in 1989 he fatally shot the mother of two girls he allegedly molested. Fagan was dating the mother of his victim, 32-year-old...
Two wrongly convicted men set free in Texas
Posted on October 23, 2009Claude Simmons Jr., 54, and Christopher Scott, 39, were serving life senteces for the 1997 Dallas murder of Alfonso Aguilar. That is until Alonzo Hardy, 49, confessed to the crime last summer. Simmons and Scott, who were convicted 12 years...
California DA alleges arson-related heart attacks are murder
Posted on October 23, 2009Prosecutors in California this week filed five counts of first-degree murder against a suspected arsonist for the death of five men who died during a 2003 blaze that swept through the foothills of San Bernardino Mountain. Under state law, first-degree...
Somebody gets shot during KCK home invasion ... and it wasn't the residents
Posted on October 22, 2009From KCKPD: On Thursday, October 22, 2009 at about 1406 hours, the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department responded to the area of N. 47th Street and Cleveland Avenue on several reports of shots fired. Upon arrival, it was determined that...
We'll have fun, fun, fun 'til the cops take my motorized La-Z-Boy away
Posted on October 22, 2009From AP: A motorized La-Z-Boy chair driven by Dennis Anderson of Proctor was operating when he hit a parked vehicle in August of 2008. Anderson pleaded guilty to a DWI charge on Monday, Oct. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Proctor Police Department...
DNA hit leads to charges in 2001 rape
Posted on October 22, 2009Jimmie L. Holman, 26, is facing charges of rape with a weapon and forcible sodomy in a sexual assault from September 2001, when a woman was reportedly kidnapped off the street and taken to 94th and Newton in south KC,...
MO girl, 9, missing in Cole County
Posted on October 22, 2009Authorities are searching for Elizabeth Olten, who disappeared last night while walking home from a friend's house. The case is from the St. Martins in Cole County. A search last night found nothing and was scheduled to resume this morning....
More charges in KC pizza guy's carjacking
Posted on October 22, 2009From Glenn Rice: Clay County authorities have charged an 18-year-old man with kidnapping and robbing a Pizza Hut delivery driver. Devin Wood was charged Tuesday with first-degree robbery, kidnapping, armed criminal action and tampering with a motor vehicle...
UPDATE: Warhol collection stolen in L.A.
Posted on October 22, 2009In September, 11 original works by Andy Warhol were stolen from a California home. Most of the pieces were portraits of famous athletes, and each was worth at least $1 million. The owner is hitting back at the police, who...
Bong water counts as a drug, Minn. court rules
Posted on October 22, 2009The Minnesota Supreme Court, the highest court in the state, says that bong water is technically a controlled substance. (They were ruling on a case where police seized a bong full of water, and the water had meth in it.)...
Officers were waiting for KCK bank robbers, police say
Posted on October 22, 2009From Joe Lambe: Three men showed up to rob a bank this morning, but Kansas City, Kan., police and the FBI were waiting. Acting on a tip, they had closed the bank at 77th Street and Parallel Parkway and were...
Scam artists posing as Water Department in south KC
Posted on October 22, 2009KCPD is warning the public about a scam where a caller rings up a Water Department customer and says there was a problem with their last payment -- either they didn't sign the check or the payment wasn't received. To...
A new challenge to DUI law in Kansas?
Posted on October 22, 2009In Douglas County, a man was arrested on suspicion of DUI, and within two hours after the arrest, he blew .08 during the test -- but he was able to beat the rap on appeal by raising questions about reasonable...
Woman starts daycare to force sex offenders from her neighborhood
Posted on October 22, 2009In Florida, a woman is starting a daycare because she wants a large group of sex offenders living nearby to move away. Because of their status, RSOs can't live near those facilities. While this is legal, there's some question whether...
"Scared Straight" tours getting hard core
Posted on October 22, 2009Two shot during "Scared Straight" visit at Pittsburgh-area jail.
Swiss officials say Polanski is probably U.S.-bound
Posted on October 22, 2009The judge still has to rule, but Swiss officials are telling the Americans that, based on the documents, Polanski is probably going to be extradited.
Open Thread ... Thursday (Friday Eve)
Posted on October 22, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Lil Wayne pleads guilty to gun rap
Posted on October 22, 2009The rapper has pleaded guilty to attempted gun possession. It's likely that he's going to go to jail for one year. Photo via AP
Teens kept in cages sue their caseworkers
Posted on October 22, 2009In Ohio, two teenagers have sued their adoptive parents, who allegedly kept them in cages. The youths are also suing their caseworkers, who approved the adoptions. The caseworkers, the suit says, should've known better than to place the teens in...
Pray for Mojo
Posted on October 22, 2009In Springfield, a federal judge has ruled that a woman's monkey is NOT a service animal and, thus, doesn't have a right to enter restaurants, hospitals, Wal-Mart, etc. The woman says she has agoraphobia and anxiety issues, and the monkey...
If your identity gets stolen ...
Posted on October 22, 2009Another local blogger, Carrie On The Cheap, has a post here about having her ID stolen, as well as some advice on reacting to the crime.
KU player gets diversion on DUI charge
Posted on October 22, 2009Brady Morningstar, the KU basketball player who was charged with DUI, has been given diversion and was ordered to pay a $500 fine, the AP reports. He also won't play during any first-semester games.
The boy who wasn't taken
Posted on October 22, 2009Twenty years ago, a masked man stepped from the brush along a Minnesota road and kidnapped an 11-year-old named Jacob Wetterling at gunpoint. Jacob's best friend, Aaron Larson, was with him -- they were riding home from the video store....
UPDATE on big Beauty Brands theft
Posted on October 22, 2009Earlier this year, a truck carrying 4.5 tons of Beauty Brands products was stolen in Lenexa -- more than $30,000 worth of goods. Investigators now say it was an inside job, KCTV reports.
Teen died in Korean exorcism, Va. police allege
Posted on October 22, 2009In July 2008, an 18-year-old named Rayoung Kim was found unresponsive in her home in Fairfax County, Va., and taken to a hospital, where she later died. The cause of death? Blunt force trauma and asphyxiation. Her brother says that...
Man facing criminal charges over F-word
Posted on October 22, 2009Fox 4 has a lovely story here about a man who was charged in Overland Park for saying some ugly, hurtful things to another driver. (The charge involved disorderly conduct.) "I pull up along side him, and essentially told him...
MO man says he killed his sister's ex to protect the kids
Posted on October 21, 2009In Columbia, a man named William Clinch is on trial for allegedly murdering his sister's ex-husband, Jeremy Bohannon, when Bohannon showed up for a supervised visit at a McDonald's. Well, there's not much "alleged" left here -- Clinch says he...
Dad ran over daughter for being too Americanized, Ariz. cops say
Posted on October 21, 2009The young woman, age 20, has life-threatening injuries, according to police in Peoria, Ariz. One of her friends was also hurt, but not as badly. Authorities are still looking for Dad, who was behind the wheel of Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Firefighter went on disability, trained for bodybuilding contests, feds allege
Posted on October 21, 2009There are now federal charges ...
Man wanted for questioning in KCK homicide
Posted on October 21, 2009From KCK PD: The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department?s Major Case Unit is requesting the public?s assistance in locating the person shown in the picture below. Thomas W. Collier, black male, DOB 11/06/1965, is wanted for questioning in the homicide...
N.J. defense lawyer also ran brothel, authorities say
Posted on October 21, 2009He got time served for the brothel case, but he's still being held because he's also accused of getting a witness killed.
Man killed woman for not giving him a cigarette, Nev. police say
Posted on October 21, 2009Details here ...
Muggers steal gold right from victim's mouth
Posted on October 21, 2009From AP: Leavenworth police are investigating a report that several women mugged a woman and then forcibly removed a gold and diamond mouthpiece that had been cemented to her teeth. Maj. Robert Smith, the deputy chief of the Leavenworth Police...
Say, how's Bernard Kerik doing?
Posted on October 21, 2009Not so well. Kerik -- the former NYC police commissioner who was once nominated for Homeland Security chief -- has just had his bail revoked, and he's facing three federal trials. (The first is for corruption, conspiracy and tax fraud.)...
Convict insists that he murdered girlfriend -- cops aren't sure
Posted on October 21, 2009In North Carolina, a convict named Craig Taylor is trying to convince authorities that he killed his old girlfriend back in the early 1990s. The authorities, though, aren't sure they believe him because he's confessed to 65 murders and has...
The cruelest thing you'll read today
Posted on October 21, 2009A Utah woman is accused of tricking her mentally disabled coworker into thinking she was his girlfriend -- and then getting him to open several lines of credit, police say. The man, who worked at Wal-Mart, has an IQ of...
Did victim lie about gruesome attack?
Posted on October 21, 2009You might remember this case: A West Virginia woman said she was kept prisoner in a trailer and "stabbed, beaten with sticks, sexually assaulted, doused with hot water, forced to eat animal feces and taunted with racial slurs," the AP...
Open Thread ... Wednesday
Posted on October 21, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Where is Mohua Roychowdhury?
Posted on October 21, 2009It's been almost a month since Mohua Roychowdhury, a 28-year-old woman from KCK, last contacted her family, father Anil Roychowdhury said. Her family has already contacted police, but they are worried that something might have happened to her. They're asking...
KCPD moves officers to court security
Posted on October 21, 2009The eight officers and their sergeant had previously been doing traffic enforcement, Fox 4 reports. They'll now be providing security in Kansas City's municipal court. Hat Tip: Saw this via Tony's Kansas City!
Not remotely crime-related
Posted on October 21, 2009Woman chasing raccoon accidentally sets fire to mobile home
Great news! Feds want to give lasers to local cops
Posted on October 21, 2009The National Institute of Justice is funding the development of thermal lasers -- devices that shoot infrared light at people, causing them to feel a "significant jolt of pain" without leaving a mark. The goal is to develop handheld versions,...
Man posed as girl on Facebook to get nude pix of boys, feds allege
Posted on October 21, 2009Michael Cowley of Shawnee has pleaded guilty to producing child pornography, the U.S. Attorney for Kansas reports. He pretended to be a 19-year-old girl on Facebook, where he asked boys to send him naked, sexual pictures of themselves. (In exchange,....
Ashcroft asks appeals court to reconsider
Posted on October 21, 2009In Idaho, a federal appeals panel recently gave the green light to a lawsuit against John Ashcroft, the former attorney general. The plaintiff is a man who was arrested in a terrorism case under the material witness rule, but he...
Robber with toy gun fails completely
Posted on October 21, 2009From the Sedalia Democrat: The suspect then pulled a toy gun, with an orange stopper in the barrel, from his pocket. The clerk refused to give him money again. The man, who had set a soda pop on the counter,...
Missouri was No. 5 in child-abuse death rate in 2007, report says
Posted on October 21, 2009Because states have deeply cut their budgets for child-abuse cases, advocates are pushing the federal government to spend as much as $5 billion to fight the problem -- mostly by hiring more case workers. They also want federal standards for...
Man fed vodka to puppy, Iowa City police say
Posted on October 21, 2009The 4-month-old puppy was barely breathing when its owner returned. (The suspect was only dog-sitting.) Luckily, the little guy lived.
Boy, 5, sleepwalks to school, Ill. police say
Posted on October 21, 2009In the Chicago suburbs, police found a 5-year-old boy who apparently sleep-walked to school early Sunday morning. (He lived a few blocks away.) When police asked him what he was doing, he said he was there to watch a movie....
"Big Brother" winner used prize money for drugs, police say
Posted on October 20, 2009I'm terribly surprised. I thought he'd use the money to buy books. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Jay Tee!
Mom, son attacked postal inspector, feds allege
Posted on October 20, 2009From the U.S. Attorney for Western Missouri: Today?s indictment alleges that Christopher Sims and Denise Sims, aiding and abetting each other, assaulted an agent with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service while she was investigating the interference of mail delivery at...
College students charged in Power & Light assault
Posted on October 20, 2009From Christine Vendel: Kansas City police arrested two University of Central Missouri students at their dormitory Monday in connection with a June fight at the Power & Light District that left a 34-year-old man with a broken nose and shattered...
Tenn. man loves horses -- no, LOVES them, police say
Posted on October 20, 2009A man named James Michael Tait has been arrested for allegedly having sex with horses on a farm in Maury County, Tenn., authorities say. He actually has ties to another infamous bestiality case from Washington state, where a man died...
UPDATE: Ill. pastor slain during sermon
Posted on October 20, 2009Just a quick update about the case of Fred Winters, an Illinois pastor who was shot and killed during a sermon this year. The suspect, Terry Joe Sedlacek, reportedly has schizophrenia and has been found unfit to stand trial.
Former Miss California faces breast-implant suit
Posted on October 20, 2009From KTLA: K2 Productions, which directs the Miss California USA pageant, is requesting the $5,200 it gave Prejean for her breast augmentation surgery. They're also seeking to throw out a portion of Prejean's lawsuit, specifically the portion dealing with public...
"Suicidal party" actually was promoting Quiznos
Posted on October 20, 2009In Hopkinsville, Ky., police arrested a man who was reportedly standing on the railing of a bridge, apparently getting ready to jump. As it happens, the man was NOT ready to die -- he was a Quiznos employee, one of...
Armed robber hugs, prays with victim
Posted on October 20, 2009"Dear Lord ... please send a police officer ..."
OP seeks suspects in check scam
Posted on October 20, 2009From OPPD: On October 3, 2009 at approximately 6:15 P.M. a female accompanied by a male attempted to pass a forged check at a business located in the 9300 block of Quivira. Attached are photos of the female and male....
Open Thread ... Tuesday
Posted on October 20, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
"Walk of Death" killer finally dies
Posted on October 20, 2009Howard Unruh became one of America's first mass-murderers after he walked through a neighborhood in Camden, N.J., and killed 13 people in the space of minutes. They called it the "Walk of Death" case. Unruh, who was institutionalized after the...
"He obviously thought he was a real samurai"
Posted on October 20, 2009Philly police confront a homicidal / suicidal party armed with a samurai sword adorned with swastikas and a skull. Rogers, who has several arrests on lesser charges in his criminal background, is covered in tattoos, including one on his neck...
Bigger reward, new pics in Hereford House arson
Posted on October 20, 2009From ATF: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Kansas City Fire Department and the Kansas City Police Department announced they are increasing the reward to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those...
Convicted sex offenders have nicer TVs than I do
Posted on October 20, 2009Or they did, until the Minnesota governor found out. The state had bought two dozen 50-inch plasma TVs for the state's treatment facility for sex offenders -- each one worth about $1,500 plus a $700 mounting bracket. Officials said it...
Did this Naked Guy break the law?
Posted on October 20, 2009In Virginia, a man named Eric Williamson was charged with indecent exposure because he went into his kitchen one morning at 5:30 and fixed himself a cup of coffee, before he'd put on any clothes. Unfortunately, a woman and her...
Drunk guy woke up 6 kids so he could beat them, Wis. cops say
Posted on October 20, 2009They weren't his kids. He just let himself into an unlocked house, police say. Lundy admitted that he may have hit the kids harder than he wanted to due to his level of intoxication and that he was irritated that...
Is a tipster's word enough to justify a traffic stop?
Posted on October 20, 2009In most states, police can stop a driver if a tipster says that person is intoxicated. A handful of states, though, require that the police must witness some kind of traffic violation themselves, first hand, before they can make the...
MO has record number of inmates
Posted on October 20, 2009At the end of September, we had 30,720 inmates -- which was a little more than our previous high, 30,654, in 2005. The number had been slowly declining since then. Authorities aren't actually sure what's to blame for the increase.
Honking at pedestrians? It could be illegal in Columbia
Posted on October 20, 2009Columbia -- which passed a law making it illegal to harass bicyclists -- has now expanded that rule to cover pedestrians, people in wheelchairs, etc. It's illegal to yell, honk or throw things at them, if the intent is intimidation...
Guilty verdict in Filling Station murder
Posted on October 20, 2009Jacob Briggs was shot and killed back in October 2006 outside the Filling Station restaurant and club in south Kansas City. Another victim, Reno Dillard, survived. On Tuesday, a jury found Sylvester R. Sisco II guilty of the slaying. Surveillance...
UPDATE: Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run
Posted on October 20, 2009Lawrence police say they've got a person-of-interest in the death of Rachel Leek, a bicyclist who was struck and killed last week. Leek, 20, lived in Lawrence, but was originally from Olathe. More here from the Journal-World.
Intoxicated man claims to be Meatloaf, Ohio cops say
Posted on October 20, 2009Though the suspect was profoundly ugly, Cincinnati police said he was not actually the beloved rock star. He was merely dressed like a vampire. He was arrested for allegedly trying to grab the wheel of a cab. Photo: The real...
New details in Steve McNair homicide
Posted on October 20, 2009In Nashville, police have released more information about the July 4 murder of former quarterback Steve McNair, who was killed by his girlfriend in a murder-suicide. Text messages show that Sahel Kazemi, the girlfriend, had been having money troubles and...
Only 1 in 10 death sentences get carried out, report says
Posted on October 20, 2009The Death Penalty Information Center has released a new study questioning whether the death penalty is cost effective. Nationally, we've spent about $2.5 billion over the past 30 years on costs related to the death penalty, but most people who...
Should employers be able to require flu shots?
Posted on October 19, 2009In New York, a judge has put a restraining order on the state's health commission, which required that all health-care workers be vaccinated for the seasonal flu and H1N1 by the end of November. Those who didn't would be punished....
A ride-along in Metro Patrol
Posted on October 19, 2009On Friday, I did a ride-along in Kansas City's Metro Patrol, which covers Waldo, Research Med, a big chunk of the Troost Corridor and other neighborhoods. The ride-along was part of KCPD's Citizens Police Academy, which exposes average citizens to...
Olathe PD investigates robbery
Posted on October 19, 2009From Olathe PD: On October 18th at approximately 7:13 am officers from the Olathe Police Department were dispatched to the business at 11960 S. Strang Line Road in reference to a reported robbery. Upon arrival officers contacted the clerk who...
Masked Mom uses toy gun to steal snuff, Pa. cops say
Posted on October 19, 2009She sounds like a classy lady. Oh, and police say she left her baby at home while she allegedly committed the robbery.
More prisons starting hospice programs
Posted on October 19, 2009As life sentences have become more common, more prisoners are dying in prison -- and will continue to do so. About one-third of all U.S. prisoners will be 50 or older next year. So, the New York Times reports, more...
MO murder case dismissed over destroyed evidence
Posted on October 19, 2009Stephen Akin was killed back in October 2008 in Buchanan County, and his uncle, Kenneth, pleaded guilty to the crime. Before he died, though, the victim told police that another man, Dallas Cox was part of the attack, too. Prosecutors...
Open Thread ... Monday
Posted on October 19, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
A pimp explains
Posted on October 19, 2009"I need to do something. I need clothes on my back, I need to be able to have a roof over my head. And uh, I've got a crack addition. That's a monster." -- an alleged pimp, telling Louisiana police...
It's a lot harder to steal cars these days
Posted on October 19, 2009Here's a bit of good news: The rate of U.S. vehicle thefts has hit a 20-year low, even though we have many more cars on the road, USA Today reports. New technology is being given a lot of the credit....
Detroit bracing for Devils' Night
Posted on October 19, 2009Devils' Night is what they call the night before Halloween in Detroit because several people like to set fire to vacant houses over the holiday. It's gotten better over the last decade as volunteers have formed "Angels' Night" patrols to...
Woman arrested for "broadcasting pornography"
Posted on October 19, 2009In Grand Forks, N.D., a woman was arrested because she allegedly played a porno at full blast with her windows and doors open. This was problematic because she lives across the street from an elementary school. School employees called the...
Teen saves pals from his gun-toting dad, Minn. cops say
Posted on October 19, 2009In St. Croix County, Minn., a 19-year-old is being credited for saving his three friends' lives after his dad came home and started firing a gun at them, police say. (Dad was later shot after a standoff with law enforcement.)...
If you kids don't settle down ...
Posted on October 19, 2009From Bob Cronkleton: A school bus made an unscheduled stop at Kansas City police?s Metro patrol station this morning after a fight reportedly broke out between students. The bus driver pulled the bus into the Metro patrol station at 1800...
Racer X has a problem with parking tickets
Posted on October 19, 2009In Birmingham, Ala., a man named Scottie Roberson has a vanity license plate that reads "XXXXXXX" -- a nod to his racer nickname, Racer X. But it's inadvertently led to him getting $19,000 in tickets. That's because, whenever authorities find...
MO troopers will keep doing immigration enforcement
Posted on October 19, 2009The Missouri Highway Patrol has renewed its agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, allowing specially trained troopers to do some basic immigration enforcement. (Which has traditionally been a job for the feds.) Under the Obama administration, there have been...
Have you seen this man?
Posted on October 19, 2009Overland Park police are trying to find a suspect from an attempted purse-snatching that happened about 12:15 a.m. today in the 10400 block of Metcalf Avenue. From OPPD: The suspect attempted to take the victim?s purse and ran into a...
Sex offender says pastor tried to exorcise him
Posted on October 19, 2009For refusing to open his Bible, the sex offender alleges. "He looked over at me and he told me, 'Just come out,' blasted my name and said 'Carl, open your Bible.' And I told him I'm not gonna open my...
Things get cloudier for medical marijuana
Posted on October 19, 2009The White House has issued new guidelines to the Justice Department on medical marijuana: As long as someone is following their state's law on medical marijuana, it's not worth prosecuting them on the federal level, the administration says. That's not...
Can the Balloon Boy story get weirder? Yes
Posted on October 19, 2009At last report, the sheriff was calling shenanigans on the whole deal and recommending that Balloon Boy's parents face felony charges. Now? The sheriff also says a media outlet offered to pay the family, though it's not clear if that...
1 shot dead in KCK's 1500 block of Georgia
Posted on October 19, 2009From Bob Cronkleton: Kansas City, Kan., police are investigating the city?s latest homicide this morning after finding the body of a man inside a house. Police received a call about 12:55 a.m. today of a reported armed disturbance in the...
UPDATE: Wife's charges dropped in Super Glue assault
Posted on October 19, 2009This is the case where a handful of women allegedly tied up a man who'd been fooling around with all of them and then tied his privates to his stomach using Super Glue. Charges have been dropped against the man's...
KCPD offers women's safety seminars
Posted on October 19, 2009They've got classes scheduled for Nov. 14 and Dec. 12 at the police academy. (Which is located next to the Shoal Creek patrol station.) Admission is $25, and classes will run from 8 a.m. to noon each day. They're planning...
UPDATE: Drunk woman accidentally strangles herself
Posted on October 19, 2009Not sure if you remember this case, but a few years ago, a woman named Carol Anne Gotbaum -- who was flying to rehab -- was arrested at Phoenix's Sky Harbor International because she was acting "erratically," i.e. running through...
15 years for ex-Navy recruiter in child sex sting
Posted on October 19, 2009From the U.S. Attorney for Western Missouri: (Shane) Childers, an active duty naval recruiter at the time of the offense, responded to an online ad, using a government-owned computer at the Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Lenexa, Kan., his Navy...
Cheyenne fines drivers $750 for driving while talking on cell
Posted on October 19, 2009Which seems a bit steep. I'm guessing that people who get ticketed will learn their lesson, though.
Clogged toilet leads to stabbing, Vt. cops say
Posted on October 19, 2009The story only says it was a dad accused of stabbing his son with a corkscrew. We don't KNOW that Junior actually clogged the toilet. But I bet that Dad was in charge of unclogging it.
Neighbors failed to help MO woman during home invasion
Posted on October 19, 2009Rose Whitrock, a St. Louis woman, was able to escape when robbers broke into her house and held her extended family at gunpoint. When she started banging on neighbors' doors, nobody answered. (It WAS 1 in the morning, so maybe...
Millionaire's mistress suffers heart-breaking loss
Posted on October 19, 2009The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled against the mistress of a deceased auto-sales millionaire, who was supposed to receive $7,900 every month for the rest of her life under his will. The man's family argued that he spent the last...
Your Honor, I have a right to shoot marauding bears
Posted on October 19, 2009In Connecticut, a man has filed a federal lawsuit after he was charged for shooting and wounding a black bear, which was snacking at a bird feeder in his yard. (Our protagonist was wielding a .22 rifle, if you were...
Morgue worker admits to more sex with corpses
Posted on October 19, 2009The defendant, already serving time for schtupping one body while it waited to be autopsied, has pleaded guilty to two other attacks. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Steve!
KCK couple mugged outside their house
Posted on October 19, 2009Sorry I missed this from Friday, but it's actually a pretty scary story. The couple lived, though it sounds like that was a very near thing. Hat Tip: Saw this via Tony's Kansas City!
KCK names homicide victim
Posted on October 19, 2009From KCK PD: The victim from the homicide that occurred on Monday, October 19, 2009 in the 1500 Block of Georgia Avenue has been identified. Dennis J. Moore Sr., black male, DOB 01/03/1966 was a Kansas City, Kansas resident. The...
Report: Secret Service overwhelmed by work?
Posted on October 19, 2009The Secret Service is under a huge workload right now because there's been a huge increase in Obama death threats, the number of hate groups and, well, people hating the government, the Boston Globe reports. The service also investigates financial-related...
Woman accused ex of molestation so he'd return her calls, Wash. cops say
Posted on October 19, 2009From the Kitsap Sun: The woman was arrested on suspicion of extortion. On her way to jail, she said she just wanted the man to call her back. She thought the threats would get a rise out of him and...
Naked guy terrorizes the normals
Posted on October 19, 2009This time, California police say, he was "terrorizing" his neighbors by banging on their doors and simply being naked.
UPDATED: Sheriff says "Balloon Boy" was hoax
Posted on October 18, 2009In Larimer County, Co., the sheriff says that he expects charges will be filed soon against one or possibly both of the Heene parents, though he doesn't say what kind. Another press conference is scheduled for Sunday morning. At last...
Wichita victim's parents fight killer's parole
Posted on October 18, 2009The parents of Nancy Shoemaker are actively fighting the possible parole of Donald Wacker, who was convicted of helping abduct their daughter in 1990. The little girl was then sexually assaulted and killed by his accomplice. Nancy had been walking...
Driver charged for splashing kids waiting for bus, UK cops say
Posted on October 18, 2009The driver deliberately drove through a mud puddle so she could spray a bunch of kids waiting for the school bus, authorities allege. It probably wouldn't have gone anywhere, except someone was with the woman in the car, taped the...
"Halloween decoration" was actually corpse
Posted on October 17, 2009In Marina del Ray, a man who committed suicide on Monday wasn't reported to police until Thursday because people thought his body, lying on a balcony, was a Halloween decoration. Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!
Man encouraged suicides -- is that a crime?
Posted on October 17, 2009In Minnesota, a man is accused of frequenting suicide chatrooms, befriending trouble people and talking them into committing suicide. Police have found two cases, but are looking for more. It's not clear if they'll be able to bring criminal charges.....
Man tries to euthanize dog -- dog's owner tries to euthanize man
Posted on October 17, 2009In South Carolina, a motorist hit a dog and tried to "put the dog out of its misery" using a hammer and a machete. The dog's owner ran over, grabbed the implements and started attacking the motorist, police say. The...
Music director torched LV church in insurance scam, feds allege
Posted on October 17, 2009The fires reportedly occurred in October 2008 at Leavenworth's Sunflower Missionary Baptist Church, Brad Cooper reports. Carva Lee White is facing a handful of federal charges related to arson and fraud.
45 years for KC gang rape, robbery
Posted on October 17, 2009From Mark Morris: A Jackson County judge on Friday sentenced Kevin E. Hicks of Kansas City to 45 years in prison for participating in a 1992 robbery and gang rape. Hicks, 35, was the fourth man to be convicted of...
Open Thread ... Weekend Edition
Posted on October 17, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments, and...
Do you recognize this man?
Posted on October 16, 2009From Sara Shepherd: The FBI has released photos of a man who robbed the UMB Bank at 6400 Independence Ave. this morning. About 11:10 a.m., the suspect showed the teller a note and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash....
Son won't stop drumming, so Dad opens fire, police say
Posted on October 16, 2009Story is from San Antonio. Dad is 83, and the son is in his 50s, but they share a house -- probably a house that feels very, very small.
An unlikely robber in a dress in South Dakota
Posted on October 16, 2009From the Associated Press: Police said a person believed to be a man disguised as a woman in a black dress tried to steal a bottle of rum and cola drinks from a local drug store. The store's loss prevention...
Mexico City cracks down on chunky cops
Posted on October 16, 2009Can't beat the lead on this Associated Press story: Some Mexico City cops are taking too many bites out of more than crime. The Mexican capital is putting its 1,300 of its heaviest police officers on a diet, concerned about...
But they didn't kiss the boo-boo
Posted on September 30, 2009Liked this bit from a story about a woman who accused her boyfriend of spanking her during a fight. Via nwfdailynews.com: Three police officers later observed the ?obvious (non-capacitating) injuries? on the woman?s backside.
Naked man covered in feces breaks into swimming pool, Fla. police say
Posted on September 30, 2009It's not clear if the vodka and beer that he'd been drinking played a part. For some reason, a K-9 was able to track his scent.
How they caught suspect in MO cold case
Posted on September 30, 2009Yesterday, Columbia police announced that Georgia authorities had arrested a suspect in the 1976 murder of Becky Doisy, a waitress who disappeared. How did the apprehension happen, after all of these years? That suspect, Johnny Wright, actually walked into a...
KS deputy's murder was definitely an ambush, sheriff says
Posted on September 30, 2009We've got more details about the slaying of Sedgwick County Deputy Brian Etheridge: The sheriff now confirms that his killer was hiding behind some brush when Etheridge went to that address. After initially shooting Etheridge, the shooter went over to...
Psychic lied when she said rival psychics beat her up, police say
Posted on September 30, 2009I just have a hard time believing that the "foremost psychic in New England" is some kind of charlatan.
Sometimes, they really are out to get you
Posted on September 30, 2009A California school district is paying a $650,000 settlement to several families that it put on an "enemies list" because those families supported a recall effort against the school board at that time. (The district had not one, but TWO...
Open Thread ... Wednesday
Posted on September 30, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
LV superintendent accused of DUI
Posted on September 30, 2009From Dawn Bormann: Leavenworth Superintendent Kelly Harris has been charged with drunken driving. Parkville Police stopped to question Harris about 4 a.m. Saturday in the 6300 block of Lewis Street, where Harris? vehicle was pulled next to another vehicle...
Police crack down on KC's most violent neighborhoods
Posted on September 30, 2009From Christine Vendel: Police confiscated 20 guns and arrested 81 people during a warrant sweep this week in four violent areas of Kansas City. The areas make up just 4 percent of the city?s land area but have accounted for...
Man accused of simulated sex with gumball machine
Posted on September 30, 2009And "rubbing his pelvis" on movies at his local video store. From the sentencing: During his sentencing, Musgnung said he never spoke to the girl at the counter at 48 Hours Video, but, ?All the other stuff, yeah, I done...
VIDEO: San Francisco cop v. skater
Posted on September 30, 2009Mmm, I'm going to side with the cop here. Draw your own conclusions. WARNING: There is some profanity in the video -- if that's an issue, please don't push play. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Tim P!
Pa. police rescue hogtied naked man
Posted on September 30, 2009The Arizona resident was reportedly in the Pittsburgh area for "drug-related activities," police say. I'm sorry, but they need to make this a public service announcement. I think those "Anti-Drug" and "This is your brain on drugs" commercials are very...
Good riddance to John Evander Couey
Posted on September 30, 2009Couey -- the man who kidnapped, raped and buried Jessica Lunsford alive -- has died of natural causes. He'd been waiting to be executed.
"Immigration officer" steals baby in Nashville
Posted on September 30, 2009A woman posing as an immigration officer went to a Nashville home yesterday afternoon and threatened to arrest the woman inside. Instead, the "officer" stabbed the victim repeatedly and, when the woman ran to get help, stole her baby. More...
Should sex offender be allowed to serve as pastor?
Posted on September 30, 2009In Louisville, a congregation has ordained a registered sex offender as a minister, the AP reports. Mark Hourigan, who did time for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old, has served his sentence, completed his parole and apparently complies with all of the...
$287K grant for local Innocence Project
Posted on September 30, 2009From Tony Rizzo: A federal justice grant of more than $287,000 has been awarded to the Midwestern Innocence Project. The non-profit organization covers a six-state region and said it will use most of the money to pay for two full-time...
Flossing won't stop those kinds of cavities
Posted on September 30, 2009Two Detroit cops have been cleared after a man claimed one of them performed an illegal cavity search. (Not the kind of cavities you get in your mouth.) This ruling comes, however, after the city has already paid $700K to...
Police settle dispute over Beatles, Dr. Dre
Posted on September 30, 2009In Huntington Beach, Calif., police were called because several people were arguing outside an apartment building -- over who had sold more records, the Beatles or Dr. Dre. The police explained that it was the Beatles, and everybody went back...
Wash. town, hookers locked in escalating battle of wits
Posted on September 30, 2009A Washington town -- frustrated that wily hookers have found a way to outwit their undercover stings -- might make it illegal to TRY to outwit a police officer. Snip: Lakewood assistant police chief Michael Zaro said the proposal reflects...
Lynda Callon, QuikTrip win Crime Commission awards
Posted on September 30, 2009Lynda Callon of the Westside CAN Center will receive the Alvin Brooks Award, which the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission gives annually to an outstanding community leader, at the commission's annual law-enforcement-appreciation luncheon next week...
Go forth, and sin some more
Posted on September 30, 2009BlogKC directs our attention to a Wired infographic on the seven deadly sins, as measured by thefts, STDs, etc. Our region is pretty evil when it comes to wrath (violent crime), envy (thefts) and sloth (entertainment spending). Surprisingly, we don't...
Have you seen these men?
Posted on September 30, 2009From Leavenworth PD: The Leavenworth Police Department is seeking the community's help in locating two suspects wanted in connection with a shooting that occurred on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 2004 S. Broadway. Stanley aka ?Duke? Cason is charged with...
Case brings Miranda rights back to Supreme Court
Posted on September 30, 2009The court is also going to hear the case of Van Chester Thompkins, a Michigan man who confessed to murder. A federal appeals court threw out his conviction, though, because Thompkins never waived or asserted his Miranda rights, and so...
The sad, strange tale of Bubba The Parrot
Posted on September 30, 2009Most drug dealers only trade in cash. Occasionally, they will accept a talking parrot.
What a monster! Lady actually helps her neighbors
Posted on September 30, 2009In Michigan, a woman named Lisa Snyder got a nastygram from the state's Department of Human Services for, well, being a good neighbor. They accused her of running an illegal daycare because three of her neighbors drop their kids off...
Ga. sex offenders are "out of the woods"
Posted on September 30, 2009The other day, we had a story about Georgia probation officers telling their paroled sex offenders to live in the woods behind a suburban office park if they couldn't find anywhere else to live. (RSOs aren't allowed to live within...
Jackson County agrees to $70K settlement with prosecutor
Posted on September 30, 2009The county legislature has agreed to pay $70,000 to Daniel Miller, an assistant prosecutor who filed discrimination complaints with the state's Commission on Human Rights and the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission. As part of the settlement, Miller would resign and...
Why nobody messes with farmers' daughters
Posted on September 30, 2009In India, a farmer's daughter reportedly used an ax to stop a terrorist who barged into their house, then killed the bad guy with his own AK-47. Then she went and milked the family's yaks. (OK, I'm speculating on that...
Wesley Ira Purkey would like to live, please
Posted on September 30, 2009Purkey, you might remember, kidnapped and killed a local teen named Jennifer Long back in 1998. Purkey really would like to get that death sentence kicked, but a federal judge has rejected his request for a new hearing. Besides arguing...
KC traffic-fatality count stands at 56
Posted on September 30, 2009Compared to 49 people dead at the same point last year. (The blog occasionally gives updates on the city's homicide numbers, and I'm going to try to do the same thing with traffic fatals, too. Most people -- thankfully --...
Are the Supremes going to make another big gun ruling?
Posted on September 30, 2009The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on Chicago's ban on most handguns. Last year, the court struck down D.C.'s gun ban and ruled that individuals have a right to carry a gun for self-defense. But there's...
Friends don't let friends brand each other with hot cookie cutters
Posted on September 29, 2009Or crucifixes. Or key rings. Or, well, anything really.
Inline skater throws tantrum over 4-year-old on tricycle, Conn. cops say
Posted on September 29, 2009An inline skater, 43, is accused of assault after he allegedly threw a hissy fit over a 4-year-old riding his tricycle on a bike path. The man reportedly yelled at the kiddo's parents, smacked into Dad and threw a water...
Big numbers during Independence prostitution sting
Posted on September 29, 2009From Brian Burnes: Independence police made 27 arrests in a three-day prostitution sting last week. That number represents a department record for such an operation, Capt. Ken Bergman said today ? yet it could have been more. ?At one point...
REPORT: Independence sees big drop in crashes
Posted on September 29, 2009Independence police sent out a release saying that, so far this year, they've recorded a 9 percent drop in crashes compared to last year. They say, if the trend holds up for the rest of the year, this will mark...
"Mamma" helps police arrest man for shooting at officer, authorities say
Posted on September 29, 2009Just a quick update about the incident the other day where a suspect fired at a Kansas City officer: The man accused in the case surrendered at police headquarters this morning. The man had reportedly left his cellphone at the...
Sex offender fights MO's rules on residency
Posted on September 29, 2009The case is before the Missouri Supreme Court, where the RSO argues the law -- which keeps him from living within 1,000 feet of a school or daycare -- isn't fair because it was passed after he was convicted.
Open Thread ... Tuesday
Posted on September 29, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Man pulled out his own teeth to scare friend, N.J. police say
Posted on September 29, 2009A lot of people take their crazy pills, but a select few will grind up the crazy pills and freebase them. Case in point: The New Jersey man who allegedly broke into a friend's apartment and pulled his own teeth...
UPDATE: KS deputy dies from gunshot wounds
Posted on September 29, 2009The Eagle files a report here about the news from Wichita: Brian Etheridge, 26, a deputy for Sedgwick County, was fatally wounded during a call yesterday morning. He was married and had a young child. (His wife is a nurse...
Fat woman on bicycle robs candy store, Calif. cops say
Posted on September 29, 2009Surprisingly, she wanted money, not fudge ...
Why they arrested Roman Polanski now
Posted on September 29, 2009Amusingly enough, Roman Polanski's own lawyers might be partly responsible for his recent arrest. A few months ago, they tried getting the charges dismissed in California, and one of their key arguments was that authorities had apparently given up trying...
Calif. burglar learns that time is money
Posted on September 29, 2009A California appeals court has ordered a convicted burglar to repay his victim for all of the time the victim lost by attending each of the burglar's hearings. The victim is a doctor and makes about $125 per hour, so...
18 months for stealing a hot dog
Posted on September 29, 2009The defendant, a man from Massachusetts, reportedly used a pellet gun during his "heist." You would think that eating the hot dog -- and all of the ingredients within -- would be punishment enough.
Ga. pastor chops off deputy's hand, authorities say
Posted on September 29, 2009It happened when the deputy tried to serve a warrant on the pastor, who was armed with an ax, prosecutors say. Luckily, doctors were able to reattach the deputy's hand. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Amanda!
Report: Local bicyclist says car ran him off the road
Posted on September 29, 2009While he was riding around Kansas City's downtown airport, KSHB reports. Police are investigating the case as a possible assault.
Secret Service investigating Facebook poll on Obama assassination
Posted on September 29, 2009There's a Facebook app that lets users create their own poll questions, and one VERY classy person asked readers if the president should be assassinated. Not only has Facebook removed the poll, it's attracted the attention of the Secret Service....
Iowa City copes with plague of chickens
Posted on September 29, 2009Police suspect a politically minded prankster is responsible for releasing a few dozen chickens throughout the city, many of them near city councilmembers' homes. It took about five hours to round up all of the freed fowl. The city council...
33 years later, suspect arrested in Columbia murder
Posted on September 29, 2009There aren't too many details available yet, but Columbia police say that a suspect -- Johnny Wright, 65 -- was arrested a few days ago in Georgia on a warrant issued in 1985. The victim was a woman named Rebecca...
Arrests made in $500K cemetery vandalism
Posted on September 29, 2009From Bob Cronkleton: Liberty police have arrested three teenage boys suspected of damaging the gravestones in the city-owned Fairview and New Hope cemeteries.The boys ? two 15-year-olds and a 14-year-old ? have been charged with felony property damage, and the...
Should MO get to keep parole absconders' money?
Posted on September 29, 2009The state auditor is wagging a finger at the Missouri Department of Corrections, which wants to use money that various escapees and parole absconders have left behind in their prison bank accounts. It amounts to about $1 million, money that's...
If you mess with the bull ...
Posted on September 29, 2009From AP: A bull runs loose after escaping from ENA Meat Packing Inc. in Paterson, N.J. on Monday, Sept. 28, 2009. Police say the 1,400-pound bull that escaped from the northern New Jersey slaughterhouse dragged officers with a lasso down...
Taiwanese teen cuts off dad's hands, police say
Posted on September 29, 2009Because the boy was upset over Dad allegedly abusing him. Doctors were able to reattach both hands later.
The murder of Derrion Albert
Posted on September 29, 2009Four teenagers have been charged in the beating death of Albert, a 16-year-old who was beaten with railroad ties and stomped to death when he had the misfortune of walking into a street fight between two gangs of youths. It...
After years of harassment, British woman kills herself, disabled daughter
Posted on September 29, 2009In the U.K., an inquest jury has found that police were partly responsible for a woman's suicide by fire, which also killed her daughter, because nobody helped their family deal with gangs of youths that beat up her dyslexic son,...
Why (and how) police are rethinking photo lineups
Posted on September 29, 2009More police department are starting to use "sequential lineups" when they ask witnesses to identify suspects, USA Today reports. That means that witnesses are asked to look at suspect mugshots, but only one at a time. A lot of department...
Robber hits Wendy's drive-through in Waldo
Posted on September 27, 2009From KCPD: On Friday (09/25/2009) at 9:36pm, KCMO police were called to the Wendy's restaurant, 7600 Wornall Rd, in regard to an armed robbery. Witnesses stated that a black male, armed with a handgun, entered the business through the drive-thru...
UPDATE: Census worker found hanged in KY forest
Posted on September 27, 2009The police were hesitant to call this a homicide, but someone who found the body says that Bill Sparkman was naked and gagged, and his feet and hands were bound with duct tape. More here from The AP.
Inmate threatened to shoot KS governor, authorities allege
Posted on September 27, 2009For "wrecking the Kansas economy," according to a letter that was reportedly intercepted by prison officials. The letter said the inmate threatened to shoot Gov. Parkinson after the inmate's release -- next month, authorities allege. Of course, that was before...
Charges filed in KCI chase
Posted on September 27, 2009From KCPD: The three listed suspects (William Wards, Nancy De Laval, Gregory Bullock) were charged in Platte County with resisting arrest in regard to the vehicle pursuit yesterday at KCI. Ward (driver) was charged with a felony and the two...
Director Roman Polanski gets arrested
Posted on September 27, 2009In Switzerland, on a U.S. alert. Which means there's a chance that Polanski could finally be extradited back to America and face trial for allegedly having sex with a 13-year-old girl back in the 1970s. (He fled to Europe back...
18-year-old shot in the face during drive-by
Posted on September 27, 2009From Brad Cooper: An 18-year-old man was shot in the face overnight on Kansas City's east side. Police say the man was standing outside his residence when shots were fired from inside a passing car near the intersection of 26th...
Open Thread ... Weekend Edition
Posted on September 26, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
No charges for woman who filed fake Hofstra rape claim
Posted on September 26, 2009Instead, the district attorney has agreed to not file charges if she completes a yearlong psychiatric program and does 250 hours of community service.
Ex-funeral director charged over rotting corpses
Posted on September 26, 2009From AP: A former Missouri funeral home director accused of keeping rotting bodies in a basement faces three felony counts of unlawful merchandising practices. The indictment that Boone County grand jurors returned Friday stems from allegations that Harold Warren Sr...
Could Ark. case raise new roadblocks for death penalty in America?
Posted on September 25, 2009In St. Louis, four Arkansas inmates are arguing in a federal appeals court that, even with new procedures in place, the process of execution could cause suffering and pain -- and thus be a form of cruel and unusual punishment....
Fla. firefighters run over the person they were sent to help
Posted on September 25, 2009To be fair, the guy was lying two or three feet from the garage door of their firehouse. He was kind of asking for it.
Video catches burglar bumbling through office
Posted on September 25, 2009Not really a "cat" burglar ... more of a cow burglar.
Protect yourself (and your car) from thieves
Posted on September 25, 2009KCPD and Advance Auto Parts have an event this weekend where you can buy car-security devices at a deep discount. It'll run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Advance Auto store at 4401 E. Truman Road. Actually,...
Tip-jar thief suffers instant karmic vengeance
Posted on September 25, 2009In Florida, a young man allegedly grabbed the tip jar at a local restaurant. Only the tip jar was tied to a cord, so he didn't get anywhere with the money -- all of the tips spilled out, police say....
Open Thread ... Sweet Merciful Friday
Posted on September 25, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Chase winds around KCI
Posted on September 25, 2009Sorry about the slow posting, I just spent the last 30 minutes or so watching the BEST POLICE CHASE EVER on Channel 41. Police just arrested three folks who weaved their way around the roads surrounding Kansas City International Airport...
Shots fired at KCSD building, 1 hurt by glass
Posted on September 25, 2009From Christine: One student was injured by breaking glass when bullets hit the old Southeast High School building at 3500 Meyer Boulevard about 3:30 this afternoon. Someone fired 10 shots, and at least some of the bullets entered the building,...
Man wages legal battle to wear baseball cap in court
Posted on September 25, 2009I hear this could be as big as the "New Jersey v. 'I'm With Stupid'" ruling.
Independence man accused of shooting victim 3 times in back
Posted on September 25, 2009John D. Williams, 24, is facing charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action after he and another man allegedly got into the victim's car, forced him to drive to a secluded area and shot him before escaping in the...
National Day of Remembrance for homicide victims
Posted on September 25, 2009Parents Of Murdered Children, a support group of people who've lost loved ones to homicide, is hosting a picnic and balloon launch from noon to 4 p.m. this Saturday at Longview Lake's shelterhouse 12. It should be a good way...
How drunk was he?
Posted on September 25, 2009An Oklahoma man, suspected of DUI after a crash, told police that he lived "here in Tulsa." He was actually in Oklahoma City, which is about 100 miles away from where he thought he was.
1 shot in Leavenworth home invasion
Posted on September 25, 2009From Joe Lambe: A man in Leavenworth was shot multiple times this morning in a home invasion attack. The man wounded in the attack about 10 a.m. on the 2000 block of Broadway Street is in the hospital and one...
Missing man has been found
Posted on September 25, 2009Good news -- Louis McFadden has been found in Mission, and he's OK!
Should pedophiles be forced to undergo chemical castration?
Posted on September 25, 2009Poland has just passed a law requiring chemical castration for anyone who rapes a child younger than 15 or a close relatives, which has upset human-rights advocates. Hat Tip: Many thanks, George!
16-year-old ordered her boyfriend's murder, Fla. police say
Posted on September 25, 2009Because they got into a heated argument, the authorities allege.
Was census worker's death a homicide?
Posted on September 25, 2009Just a quick update on the death of Bill Sparkman, a census worker whose body was found hanged in a national forest in Kentucky. Authorities say the word "FED" was written on his chest, causing some to wonder if he...
Could angry politics lead to violence?
Posted on September 25, 2009Last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned that some of angry political rhetoric in circulation today could be setting the stage for real violence. (Her exact comments can be seen here.) Politico interviewed a handful of experts with backgrounds at the...
How bad are things in Detroit?
Posted on September 25, 2009The Detroit News profiles a resident who's started a Web site -- helpmeleavedetroit.com -- where he solicits online donations to help him move away from the Motor City. He lives between a crack house and an abandoned home. His residence...
Another disturbing detail about the case of the 12-year-old dominatrix
Posted on September 25, 2009They called the girl "Mistress Alisha" when advertising her services to various perverts. It was Mom's idea, the U.S. Attorney reports. "Alisha" had been her old stripper name.
Sometimes, it's perfectly reasonable to smack someone with the butt of a shotgun
Posted on September 25, 2009If you come home to find your 37-year-old friend having sex with your 16-year-old daughter, for example. That's what happened to one Florida father, who promptly grabbed his shotgun and used it to smack the friend. Prosecutors have declined to...
Not remotely crime-related
Posted on September 25, 2009Chicago cabbies want to charge $50 vomiting fee. Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!
Report: Lawrence rape victims being referred to KC, Topeka
Posted on September 25, 2009The Douglas County D.A. is upset because some rape victims in Lawrence have been told to head to Topeka or Kansas City so evidence can be collected. (Because there's nothing like a car drive to make you feel good after...
KCPD's Office of Community Complaints
Posted on September 25, 2009The Office of Community Complaints, which handles the public's complaints about police officers, had a presentation last night at KCPD's citizens police academy. They say this is the 40th anniversary of the office, which is one of the oldest of...
Apartment complex caters to registered sex offenders
Posted on September 25, 2009Near Pahokee, Fla., a pastor has turned a former camp for migrant workers into an apartment complex for registered sex offenders. (Who, you might have heard, tend to have a rough time finding places to live.) They call it Miracle...
Man plotted to blow up federal courthouse in IL, feds allege
Posted on September 25, 2009In Springfield, to be exact. They say Michael C. Finton, a.k.a. Talib Islam, allegedly drove a van to an area near the courthouse, then tried to use a cellphone to detonate explosives in the vehicle. Only Finton had been the...
Robber loses gun -- then politely asks victim to return it
Posted on September 25, 2009In Statesville, N.C., a Pizza Hut employee was able to wrestle away a gun from the man trying to rob the store. As the robber was leaving, he reportedly asked the employee to give him the gun back. ?He said,...
UPDATE: Family of 5 killed in rural Illinois
Posted on September 25, 2009The police now say the cause of deaths was blunt force trauma. Not many other details in the murders of Rick and Ruth Gee's family, who were found slain in their Beason, Ill., home. A 3-year-old girl found in the...
Susan Atkins, Helter Skelter killer, dead at 61
Posted on September 25, 2009Atkins, who brutally killed actress Sharon Tate, died a little before midnight. She had been suffering from brain cancer, which caused her to be paralyzed. In recent years, Atkins had requested compassionate release so that she could die at home,...
Best Headline Ever
Posted on September 24, 2009From the Belleville News-Democrat: Question: Who would pick up a hitchhiker with a chainsaw? Answer: Deputies
Census worker found hanged in KY national forest
Posted on September 24, 2009With the word "Fed" written on (or possibly carved into) his chest. The victim is a man named Bill Sparkman, 51, who worked for Census and was a substitute teacher. (He was also an Eagle Scout, his mother told the...
Wis. boy, 17, charged for having sex with girl, 15
Posted on September 24, 2009Though, as the story notes, she was a willing participant. Under Wisconsin law, the charge is sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age.
Drive tried to run over stranger, then blew her a kiss, WA cops say
Posted on September 24, 2009If it's true, what a jerk. Police say the Washington state woman was behind the wheels of a Mercedes when she tried to run into a complete stranger, as the stranger's kid watched. The Mercedes driver then blew her a...
Pa. teen spiked pregnant girlfriend's drink to kill baby
Posted on September 24, 2009Only the baby lived and is perfectly fine. The teen, then 16, had gone to some friends, who suggested that he put a cow hormone in the girl's drink. The teen has now pleaded guilty.
"I didn?t want to be homeless"
Posted on September 24, 2009In Oklahoma City, a homeless man is accused of robbing a bank because he was sick of being homeless. If the prosecutors have their way, this won't be an issue for him anymore.
Open Thread ... Thursday (Friday Eve)
Posted on September 24, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
KCPD gets letter with white powder
Posted on September 24, 2009From KCPD: At approximately 2:45 pm this afternoon, a civilian clerk was opening mail on the second floor of Police Headquarters. After opening an envelope with a letter inside, a suspicious white powder substance was also located inside. The second....
UK inmate gets drunk on hand sanitizer
Posted on September 24, 2009I'm not happy with this BBC story because it leaves out important details, such as how could I do this at home?
Yet again, karaoke singer beaten
Posted on September 24, 2009In Stamford, Conn., police arrested six women and accused them of beating another woman after she performed at karaoke. They also said some nasty things about her singing.
Terror suspect charged with conspiracy to use WMDs
Posted on September 24, 2009Najibullah Zazi, an Afghani immigrant living in Denver, is now facing more serious charges in the recent terror investigation where the authorities feared bombings on New York City's mass-transit system. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Rhonda!
Independence plans DUI checkpoint, saturation patrol for Friday
Posted on September 24, 2009From Independence PD: The Independence Police Traffic Safety Unit will conduct a sobriety checkpoint and DWI saturation patrol on Friday September 25, 2009. The purpose of this operation is to identify and arrest drunk drivers before they injure someone or...
Parkville man gets 36 years for child porn
Posted on September 24, 2009The Platte County prosecutor's office makes a point to note this is David Liberty's second go-round in the past eight years. He did 180 days for that first one, but Eric Zahnd notes that he's been asking the legislature to...
$3K reward in Hans Wurtz homicide
Posted on September 24, 2009From Crime Stoppers: The Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline and Kansas City, Kansas Police Department requests the public?s help in identifying the individual(s) involved in the July 19, 2009 homicide of Hans Wurtz at 40th and Haskell in Kansas City, Kansas...
Like father, like son
Posted on September 24, 2009A Nebraska man goes to bail his son out of jail for driving while intoxicated -- and gets arrested on the drive home because he, too, was driving while drunk, police allege.
Israel Mireles trial delayed until next year
Posted on September 24, 2009Mireles -- accused of murdering college student Emily Sander in late 2007 -- was supposed to go on trial in November. His trial is now scheduled for Feb. 8.
ACORN sues over undercover video
Posted on September 24, 2009They would like several million dollars, please, because the activists posing as pimp and prostitute at their Baltimore office allegedly broke the law by failing to get consent to make an audio recording. And the groups says the featured employees...
Guilty pleas for training girl, age 12, as dominatrix
Posted on September 24, 2009Tony Rizzo has more details about a case we mentioned earlier.
Bank teller asks robber to wait 10 minutes
Posted on September 24, 2009It happened during a robbery in Salt Lake City. The bad guy had asked for a specific combination of bills -- which that teller didn't have. After being told that he'd have to wait for another window, the robber decided...
How to steal a house for $1
Posted on September 24, 2009In Philadelphia, a city employee is accused of falsifying paperwork so that her daughter could buy a city-remodeled house -- valued at $65,000 -- for $1.
Coyote Uglier
Posted on September 24, 2009A college student is suing Coyote Ugly, the famous Nashville bar, because she climbed on the bar -- and fell backward, giving herself a permanent head injury. (She's lost her sense of smell.) Her federal lawsuit argues the bar should...
Not remotely crime-related
Posted on September 24, 2009Man's "self-improvement" project requires paramedics, pneumatic chisel and two-hour medical procedure.
"Bikini baristas" accused of prostitution
Posted on September 24, 2009Simply because they allegedly let customers touch their buttocks for money and offered to fix coffee naked for $80. (They also reportedly licked whipped cream off their co-workers, but that might have been free.) What kind of witch hunt are...
KCK investigates shooting in 1000 block of Greeley
Posted on September 24, 2009From Bob Cronkleton: Police are investigating an early morning shooting in northeast Kansas City, Kan. The shooting occurred about 2 a.m. Thursday in the 1000 Block of Greeley Avenue. The victim had been shot twice, including once in the stomach....
KCPD works seven fatal crashes in five days
Posted on September 24, 2009From Chief Corwin's blog: Seven people have died in vehicle crashes in Kansas City in the last five days. That?s a very high number in a very short period of time. With 55 so far, we have six more crash...
No more crocodile fears
Posted on September 24, 2009In Naples, Italian police have seized the pet crocodile of a local reputed mob boss, who allegedly used his pet to threaten extortion victims. Authorities say it was fed a diet of live rabbits and mice -- and possibly, uncooperative...
Another MO legislator facing criminal charges?
Posted on September 24, 2009T.D. El-Amin, who sits in the Missouri House, is expected to enter a guilty plea in federal court, though it's not clear on what charges, the AP reports. This comes about a month after two other legislators pleaded guilty to...
UPDATE: Cop accused of sexually molesting cows
Posted on September 24, 2009Noted without comment, from the Philly Daily News: During a bizarre hearing there yesterday, a Superior Court judge dismissed animal-cruelty charges against a Moorestown police officer accused of sticking his penis into the mouths of five calves in rural Southampton...
Couple trained girl, 12, to be dominatrix, prosecutors allege
Posted on September 24, 2009From AP: A man and woman accused of training the woman's daughter to be a dominatrix were expected to change their innocent pleas at a federal court hearing Thursday. Todd Barkau, of New York, and the girl's mother pleaded not...
UPDATE: Elderly Warrensburg woman was killed
Posted on September 24, 2009The Sedalia Democrat has more about the case of 91-year-old Maxine Ballew, whose body was found in her burned house last week. Police classified her death as a homicide and activated the region's Major Case Squad. They've now got a...
New date for Roeder trial
Posted on September 24, 2009Scott Roeder, the man accused of killing abortion provider George Tiller, will go on trial starting Jan. 11, which is two weeks earlier than previously reported.
UPDATE: Fleeing motorcyclist dies in wreck
Posted on September 23, 2009From KCPD: On 9/23/2009 at 0940 hours, KCPD officers responded to meet IPD officers (Independence, MO) at 17th Street and Ewing in regard to a fatality accident. Investigation determined that IPD officers began pursuit of a motorcycle near Westport and...
MO cop accused of dealing drugs near KS school
Posted on September 23, 2009From KBI: Tuesday, September 22, 2009, acting on a request from the Atchison Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) arrested 26 year old Kyle A. Zumbrunn for the sale of a controlled substance within 1000 feet of a...
This was a very poor excuse for fleeing police
Posted on September 23, 2009Wisconsin man allegedly flees traffic stop, gets into 95-mph chase with police. Why? Dowty, the registered owner of the car, was arrested at his home the next day. He told officers he panicked, ?because I have a perfect record and...
If you value your life, don't eat Mama's pork chop
Posted on September 23, 2009After her teenage sons ate the last pork chop in the house, a Sacramento woman allegedly punched one of them and then chased the boys with a knife, police say.
KS stepdad admits to raping girl, setting her on fire
Posted on September 23, 2009Sentencing isn't until Oct. 30. He could get life in prison. If so, he'd have to serve at least 25 years before becoming eligible for parole.
How bad is the dating scene in North Dakota?
Posted on September 23, 2009Two North Dakota men are accused of driving to Kentucky to pick up a 14-year-old so she could come back to North Dakota and marry one man's 14-year-old son.
Wichita mom shot two sons, then killed herself
Posted on September 23, 2009The sons, reportedly in their teens, were in surgery at last report. More here from the Eagle. Members of the Wichita, Kansas SWAT team surround a house at in Wichita Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 where two teenagers reportedly were shot...
Wash. man reports his dentist to police
Posted on September 23, 2009For pulling two teeth instead of the agreed-upon one. Police patiently took a report and forwarded that to prosecutors, though they doubt anything criminal happened.
Where is Janaye Trombley?
Posted on September 23, 2009From KCPD: JANAYE TROMBLEY, W/F, 20 YOA, 5?02?Tall, 117#, brown hair, hazel eyes, she was last seen wearing a black top and black slacks. Ms. Trombley suffers several mental disorders and is off her meds. She was last seen 9-22-2009,...
Lawyer worked on the "barter system," AZ cops say
Posted on September 23, 2009A Phoenix lawyer is accused of sneaking heroin and meth to his client in court, in exchange for sexual favors (really more of a payment than a "favor") from the client's girlfriend. Hat Tip: Many thanks, eephus!
TX boys convince stepdad not to kill them
Posted on September 23, 2009Unfortunately, they weren't able to save their mother or sister.
UPDATE: MO trucker charged in wreck that killed 10
Posted on September 23, 2009Donald Leroy Creed, a truck driver from Willard, has pleaded not guilty. He's been charged in a fatal wreck on an Oklahoma highway that killed 10 people.
Open Thread ... Wednesday
Posted on September 23, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Judge lets IA man leave jail for Royals game
Posted on September 23, 2009Well, they had been planning that trip to the ball game for a long time. I guess it's OK that he only violated a protection order. I mean, who pays attention to those things? Hat Tip: Many thanks, Rhonda!
KCPD seizing more meth
Posted on September 23, 2009From Chief Corwin's blog: The Narcotics and Vice Division?s monthly report showed that it has recovered 91 percent more methamphetamine than last year with 77 pounds seized through August 2009. It has seen a whopping 2,863-percent increase in marijuana seizures...
Fleeing motorcyclist dies in crash
Posted on September 23, 2009From Glenn Rice: A motorcyclist crashed and died in Kansas City while being chased by Independence police this morning, authorities said. The motorcyclist was being pursued by two officers about 9:30 a.m. when he ran a stop sign at 17th...
10 years for making toddler smoke weed, other drug crimes
Posted on September 23, 2009Naturally, the Ohio man videotaped the outing. The kiddo was 18 months old at the time. The incident came to the authorities' attention after someone found the tape in a camera at a pawn shop.
Shooting at San Ysidro
Posted on September 23, 2009The San Ysidro crossing, located in California, is one of the busiest along the U.S.-Mexico border. Yesterday afternoon, three vans containing AT LEAST 70 people tried to bust through the crossing -- which is when federal agents opened fire on...
Did Nebraska man deserve a ticket for his dead dog?
Posted on September 23, 2009An Omaha man is accused of animal cruelty by neglect after his dog, Sable, died. Jacob Palmer had visited the vet, who recommended euthanization for the pit bull. Palmer said he didn't have enough money and left -- so the...
Should it be illegal to publish an officer's home address?
Posted on September 23, 2009In Florida, there's a law that makes it illegal to publish a police officer's home address or telephone number. (Unless you get permission.) A man who posted one officer's information on a site called ratemycop.com and now he's going to...
UPDATE: MO cop accused of sexually assaulting prostitute
Posted on September 23, 2009The FBI thinks that an Uplands Park officer accused of sexually assaulting a prostitute might have other victims. They're asking those women, who might have been robbed or assaulted, to contact them. They think as many as 10 were robbed,...
"America's Most Wanted" to feature unsolved MO case
Posted on September 23, 2009The TV show will feature the 1998 case of Sherri Ann Scherer and her daughter, 12-year-old Megan Elizabeth, who were found slain at their home near Portageville in New Madrid County, Mo. Thanks to DNA evidecne, there's some question whether...
Teacher let special-needs kids drink salsa-laced soda
Posted on September 23, 2009In Miami, a former special-needs teacher has been convicted of child abuse. She allegedly got sick of her students drinking her soda, so she put salsa in it and let them drink it as a lesson, prosecutors said. (The lesson:...
Congratulations, Officers Theison and Smith!
Posted on September 23, 2009Officer Keli Theison received a Purple Heart yesterday from KCPD for her work back in March. Theison was warning crash victims to stay in their cars after a ice-related wreck when another vehicle lost control and hit her. She suffered...
The Belleville Bus Beating
Posted on September 22, 2009In Belleville, Ill., the school district has expelled two students who were caught, on camera, beating up another student. Police originally classified this as a possible hate crime because the victim was white and the two attackers were black, but...
Lawrence man molests daughter, gets 3 years
Posted on September 22, 2009From AP: A Lawrence man has been sentenced to less than three years in jail for molesting his 16-year-old daughter. Douglas County prosecutors say the 35-year-old man ? who is not being identified to protect the identity of his daughter...
Beware of flying refrigerators
Posted on September 22, 2009KCTV interviews a young woman whose car was smashed by a refrigerator that flew off a truck Saturday on Interstate 35 in JoCo. (Merriam police still are sorting out whether the fridge wasn't properly secured or the car hit the...
KCPD's annual report places in national contest
Posted on September 22, 2009It took second place at the International Association of Law Enforcement Planners conference, Chief Corwin reports.
More twists in old Leavenworth murders
Posted on September 22, 2009In 1990, a man named Lloyd Folsom was murdered just west of Bonner Springs by Everett Bishop -- who, two weeks later, was murdered himself. The man convicted of killing Bishop, Sherrill Gary Brinkley, is serving a 24-year sentence. Brinkley...
Ohio teen accused of smoking faith-based dope
Posted on September 22, 2009In Sandusky, a woman called police and reported her 16-year-old for allegedly rolling a joint with a page from his Bible.
Do you recognize this man?
Posted on September 22, 2009From OP Police: On September 21, 2009 at 4:00 a.m., Overland Park Officers responded to a burglary of a business located at 8959 Metcalf. When they arrived they found the back door of the building forced open and eight small...
The morning roundup
Posted on September 22, 2009Lenexa police chased down a man suspected of robbing the Wachovia Bank on 95th Street yesterday afternoon. There's going to be a public meeting tonight at Westport High about the recent shooting deaths of two Kansas City teenagers. It starts...
Retired doctor, 90, accused of killing terminally ill wife
Posted on September 22, 2009In Laguna Woods, Calif, police have charged Dr. James Fish with voluntary manslaughter after he shot his wife in the head and then turned the gun on himself. (Obviously, he survived, though he's still in the hospital.) Mrs. Fish had...
Not remotely crime-related
Posted on September 22, 2009There's a book being published that's based on a series of interviews with former President Bill Clinton. One of the choicer anecdotes: One time, Russian President Boris Yeltsin managed to sneak away from his minders during a trip to D.C....
Major Case Squad investigating fatal Warrensburg fire
Posted on September 22, 2009A woman named Maxine Ballew, 91, died in a house fire last Thursday, but police there believe something's "not right" about her death. So the major case squad serving the Warrensburg area is getting together and looking into the fatal...
Nurse didn't move fast enough, so Chicago cop handcuffed her, lawsuit says
Posted on September 22, 2009In Chicago, a nurse says she was handcuffed and placed in a police cruiser for 45 minutes because she told a cop that she couldn't draw a suspect's blood until that person was admitted to the hospital. While she was...
MO trucker charged with 10 counts of negligent homicide
Posted on September 22, 2009Donald L. Creed, 76, of Willard, Mo. allegedly slammed into a line of cars that were waiting on a turnpike in Oklahoma this summer, killing 10 people. There are 10 charges -- all misdemeanors -- for each victim. More here...
Things that can be Tasered: Emu
Posted on September 22, 2009Mississippi police also handcuffed this particular bird.
These are a few of my favorite things ...
Posted on September 22, 2009In Florida, Niceville police arrested a man for allegedly shoplifting at a convenience store. You can tell that he had a big night planned: When Niceville Police searched the man they found a Sparks 16-ounce beer, a Zero candy bar,...
MO cop accused of sexually assaulting prostitute
Posted on September 22, 2009The case is from Uplands Park, a suburb of St. Louis. The officer is accused of contacting the woman via a Craigslist ad and telling her to meet at a certain spot. Only he allegedly showed up in uniform, in...
Philip Garrido's Magic Box
Posted on September 22, 2009The back story of Garrido -- the man accused of imprisoning and assaulting Jaycee Dugard for 18 years -- just keeps getting weirder. I liked this quote from an old acquaintance. "He was a whack job, but he was a...
Men tortured, planned to blow up snapping turtle, NY police say
Posted on September 22, 2009Naturally, they decided to videotape a good chunk of their planning. (And the ensuing jokes, puns, etc.) Here's hoping that makes the prosecution that much easier.
Open Thread ... Tuesday
Posted on September 22, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Where are Bob and Mary Lou Black?
Posted on September 22, 2009The Blacks are an elderly couple from Atchison, Kan., and they've been missing since Sept. 11, the Cap-Journal reports. Authorities have issued a Silver Alert for them and conducted several air and water searches. (A Silver Alert is sort of...
Judge orders ex-lovers to share dog
Posted on September 22, 2009I feel bad for the judge, who had to sit through this moronic case. The temptation to just cut the dog in half must have been powerful. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!
Death penalty upheld for Dru Sjodin's killer
Posted on September 22, 2009Sjodin was a University of North Dakota student who was abducted from a Grand Forks shopping mall's parking lot, raped and killed back in 2003. Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., the man convicted of her slaying, appealed on several grounds, but an...
Dad puts crying baby out in the cold, OH cops say
Posted on September 22, 2009The little girl, wearing a T-shirt and a dirty diaper, was left in 46-degree weather about 45 minutes, authorities allege. Dad said it might have been the 5-year-old son who did it, but the 5-year-old promptly rolled over on Daddy:...
Girl, 5, goes to hospital for severe injuries
Posted on September 22, 2009From Christine: Kansas City police arrested the mother of a 5-year-old girl who was brought to a hospital early today with severe injuries, including a lacerated liver, a broken arm and internal bleeding. The girl had bruises and swelling to...
Deputy's murder leads to massive L.A. gang crackdown
Posted on September 22, 2009Earlier today, about 1,200 officers -- from LAPD, DEA and other agencies -- started rounding up members of the Avenues gang, a crime group affiliated with the Mexican Mafia. The arrests, which number about 44 at this point, follow a...
Charges filed in Monday's bank robbery
Posted on September 22, 2009The robbery was at the Wachovia Bank on 95th Street in Lenexa on Monday afternoon. Isha Jackson, 34, of Olathe has been charged in federal court with one count of bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm during...
Fla. police play Nintendo Wii during drug raid
Posted on September 22, 2009Specifically, they bowled, which the suspect's home-security camera dutifully recorded to his desktop computer. The authorities aren't happy about what the investigators did, but they say the search is still valid. (The Tampa Tribune quotes some defense lawyers arguing that,...
Family of 5 murdered in rural Illinois
Posted on September 22, 2009Police in Beason, Ill., are investigating after five people -- two adults and three children -- were found slain in a house there on Monday afternoon. The only survivor was a 3-year-old girl, taken to a Peoria hospital, and she...
Northland man says he caused crash that killed girl
Posted on September 22, 2009From Tony Rizzo: A Kansas City, North man pleaded guilty today to causing a November 2007 traffic crash that killed a 3-year-old girl. Jeffrey A. Rouser, 47, entered pleas in Jackson County Circuit Court to involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare...
Jailer shot after trying to scare armed co-worker
Posted on September 22, 2009In Bandera, Texas, a jailer tried to scare a deputy by jumping out at him in a dark room and yelling. The deputy shot him in the leg.
Texan, 71, arrested for doing yardwork in the nude
Posted on September 22, 2009To be fair, police say, he was wearing shoes.
Should this trooper have lost his job?
Posted on September 22, 2009In North Carolina, a former state trooper is pushing to get his job back. He was fired after he allegedly shared an "intimate moment" with another trooper's wife in a car's backseat while they were being driven home from party....
VIDEO: Customer tackles robber at WI bank
Posted on September 22, 2009The tackle itself is awesome. My favorite is the lady who goes over, after the bad guy is down, and gives him a halfhearted kick. Hat Tip: Many thanks, Monty D!
KC man accused of assault
Posted on September 22, 2009Marlon Beaman, 31, is facing charges of first- and second-degree assault, as well as unlawful use of a weapon, Jackson County prosecutors report. His bond has been set at $250,000. The charges are tied to an alleged incident early Sunday...
Plaxico Burress gets 2 years in prison
Posted on September 22, 2009For bringing a gun into a New York City nightclub. (The gun, tucked into his sweatpants, slipped and went off, hitting the football player in the leg.) AP Photo/ Steven Hirsch, Pool Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!
Terror investigation leads to warnings for hotels, stadiums, mass transit
Posted on September 22, 2009Federal authorities have arrested three men -- two in Colorado, one in New York -- in connection with an alleged terror plot that focused on New York's transit system, similar to attacks on London and Madrid. (The actual charges are...
2 DUI arrests during Independence checkpoint, saturation patrol
Posted on September 21, 2009From Independence PD: The Independence Police Traffic Safety Unit conducted a sobriety checkpoint along 23rd Street at Lee?s Summit Road while simultaneously conducting a DWI saturation patrol in that area. The saturation patrol began on Friday 9/18/09 at 10:00 PM...
Was this a justifiable Tasering?
Posted on September 21, 2009In Merced, Calif., police are reviewing an incident where officers twice Tasered a man in a wheelchair whose legs had been amputated below the knee. The man was accused of hitting his wife, and police wanted to place his 2-year-old...
MO man accidentally kills himself while teaching gun safety
Posted on September 21, 2009This happened in Imperial, Mo., over on the east side of the state. James Looney, 40, was trying to educate his girlfriend on how to handle guns. Snip from the AP: Looney was demonstrating how to use the different safety...
UPDATE: Murder suspect had argued with victim over cross-dressing
Posted on September 21, 2009From AP: A Belton man has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the fatal shooting of his children?s mother. Michael Adams Jr. of Belton appeared at his arraignment Monday at Cass County Circuit Court wearing...
Trial starting in John Travolta extortion case
Posted on September 21, 2009This all ties back to the seizure death of Travolta's son, Jett, in January. Two Bahamas residents -- a former senator and the driver of an ambulance -- allegedly threatened to leak a document related to Jett's death unless the...
Man left three blind, deaf patients in car while he ate at diner, PA cops say
Posted on September 21, 2009An ambulance was called because the three men looked like they were "in distress," but they're going to be OK.
What a lovely mugshot ...
Posted on September 21, 2009Meet Roy Bristow. He looks genuinely surprised.
Former Kline assistant investigated over alleged ethics breach
Posted on September 21, 2009From Prime Buzz: The Disciplinary Administrator overseeing lawyers in Kansas has filed a formal ethics complaint against Stephen Maxwell, former assistant to former Kansas Attorney General and later Johnson County DA Phill Kline. The complaint -- attached in full below...
Trial date set in Dan Rinehart case
Posted on September 21, 2009From AP: An April 19 trial date has been set for a Cass County man accused of second-degree murder and other charges in the death of an infant he allegedly fathered with his teenage daughter. ... Prosecutors believe the man...
Now, THAT is a great escape
Posted on September 21, 2009In New Jersey, a suspect reportedly broke the window of a state trooper's cruiser and jumped headfirst from the moving vehicle, then ran into some nearby woods.
Marine accused of lying about wounds, medals
Posted on September 21, 2009Marine Sgt. David W. Budwah is accused of lying about serving in Afghanistan (he never went) and wearing medals that he didn't earn for wounds that he never received. As a result, the authorities allege, he received V.I.P. treatment at...
Fact: Imitating "The Dukes of Hazzard" is harder than it looks
Posted on September 21, 2009Oh, sure, it LOOKS easy when they jump a creek, patrol or burning orphanage in the General Lee. In real life? Much hard to duplicate. After the jump, there is a photo of someone in a mess of trouble. And...
Mich. man shoots himself while looking for burglar -- which was actually his cat
Posted on September 21, 2009Police say the man was apparently surprised by the cat, which jumped out at him. His injuries -- to his index finger -- were minor.
Open Thread ... Monday
Posted on September 21, 2009Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below. As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments,...
Bleach gets rid of stains -- and robbers
Posted on September 21, 2009In Cleveland, police say a convenience-store clerk was able to chase off an armed gunman by pouring bleach on him. (There's a video after the link, too, if you scroll down a bit.)
Woman, 71, shot while planning to ambush her ex, Pa. cops say
Posted on September 21, 2009In North Versailles, Pa., police shot and killed a 71-year-old woman who was reportedly lurking outside her ex-boyfriend's house. Authorities believe the woman planned to ambush her ex and his new woman. Officers went to the home after a neighbor...
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