Criminal Justice Quote: Former Pro Wrestler Kevin Nash and Son Arrested

     Former WWE star Kevin Nash and his 18-year-old son, Tristen Nash, were arrested on December 24, 2014 after getting into a scuffle at their Florida home. Kevin Nash, known as Diesel in the ring, was arrested after police say he got into a physical altercation with his son after the boy came home drunk. Father and son gave the police different accounts of the incident, each blaming the other.

     Tristen Nash claims he and his father got into an argument about the boy's girlfriend and the fact he came home drunk. The 6-foot-10 former wrestler pinned his son to the ground. Kevin Nash told officers that his son had been the aggressor and that he only pinned him to protect his wife…

     Police arrested the father at the scene, but deputies later returned and arrested Tristen after his mother and uncle said he tried to fight with them as well…The family lawyer told reporters that the son was "out of control."

     Kevin Nash and his son were released from the Volusia County Jail without bond.

"Former Wrestling Star Arrested on Battery Charge," CNN, December 25, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Over-The-Hill Sitcom Actor Stabs Man in Bar

     Dustin Diamond, who played Screech on the 1990s TV show "Saved by the Bell," was charged on Friday December 26, 2014 with stabbing a man during a fight on Christmas day. He faces charges of endangering safety, disorderly conduct, and carrying a concealed weapon…According to the criminal complaint, Diamond told police that he and his fiancee went out to several bars on Thursday night in Port Washington, a town thirty miles north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The couple got into a tussle with two men and another woman at the Grand Avenue Saloon…

     Port Washington police say they responded at 11:15 PM to a report of a stabbing. When officers caught up with the couple in their SUV down the road from the bar, Diamond said he had held a pen in his hand during the fight. In the vehicle, however, officers found a bloody switchblade knife. At this point Diamond admitted that he had accidentally stabbed the man while trying to defend his fiancee…The victim had been stabbed under the arm and was not seriously injured.

     Diamond appeared in Ozaukee County court where the judge set his bail at $10,000….His fiancee, 27-year-old Amanda Schutz, faces a disorderly conduct charge…

     Since his decade-long run on the TV show, Diamond has been sued several times for delinquent taxes and in foreclosure proceedings for missing mortgage payments. He has appeared on reality TV [the graveyard for career-dead celebrities] and most recently produced a tell-all documentary on Lifetime TV called "The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story."

"Saved by the Bell Star Arrested After Stabbing," Associated Press, December 27, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Police Officers Killed in the Line of Duty in 2014

     The number of law enforcement officers killed by firearms jumped by 56 percent in 2014 and included 15 ambush deaths. But gun-related police deaths still remain far below historic highs and lower that the average annual figures in the past decade, according to a report released Tuesday December 30, 2014.

     The annual report by the nonprofit National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found that 50 officers were killed by guns this year. That's higher than the 32 such deaths in 2013 but the same as 2012 figures. In 2011, 73 officers were killed in gunfire, the most of any year in the past decade. The average since 2004 is 55 police deaths annually,

     The report found that 126 federal, local, tribal and territorial officers where killed--from all causes--in the line of duty in 2014. That's a 24 percent jump from last year's 102 on-duty deaths and below the average annual figures since 2004 and the all-time high of 156 in 1973. Of the 126 officer deaths this year, shootings were the leading cause, followed by traffic-related fatalities at 49…

     The states that saw the most officer deaths were California, at 14, Texas, at 11, and New York, at nine. Florida followed with six deaths, and Georgia had five, according to the report. The 15 ambush assaults on police officers this year compares to just five in 2013, but matched 2012 for the highest since 1995….

"Report: Police Gun Deaths Up, Still Below Average," Associated Press, December 30, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Flagstaff Man Kills Police Officer

     A police officer in Flagstaff, Arizona was killed Saturday afternoon December 27, 2014 while investigating a domestic violence case…The gunman then fatally shot himself…The officer, Tyler Jacob Stewart, 24, was the first Flagstaff officer to die in the line of duty in 13 years and only the second fatality in the history of the department…

     Officer Stewart was investigating the case on the west side of Flagstaff when a man opened fire. Officer Steward was struck several times…The gunman was identified as Robert W. Smith of Prescott, an Arizona town 90 miles southwest of Flagstaff.

     Officer Stewart was taken to Flagstaff Medical Center where he died shortly upon arrival…Officials reported that the officer had not been able to return fire…Investigators do not know why Mr. Smith killed the police officer. Officer Stewart had been on the force less than a year…

     The last Flagstaff police killing occurred in 2001….

"Man Fatally Shoots Arizona Officer, Then Kills Himself, Police Say," The New York Times, December 27, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Targeting the Police

     Two Los Angeles police officers were shot at Sunday night December 28, 2014 while they drove their patrol car…The officers returned fire…No one was injured in the exchange. One suspect was arrested in possession of a rifle, the other remained at large…

     That Sunday there was a second incident involving police officers who were fired at. This shooting took place in Pasco County, Florida. Someone fired three shots at two sheriff's deputies as they sat in their patrol car. According to a sheriff's office spokesperson, "Both deputies heard the whizzing sound of each projectile. The officers did not see the shooter or the vehicle from which the shots were fired."…

     These two police targeting incidents occurred after New York police officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were gunned down in their patrol car on December 20, 2014….

"Officers Shot At in Florida and Los Angeles," CNN, December 29, 2014 

Writing Quote: The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

     If you want to write or illustrate books for kids, the number one piece of advice you're going to hear is "Join the SCBWI." I'll bet money on it.

     SCBWI stands for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and is a world-wide organization that links together those who want to create content for kids. There are many regional chapters in the United States, and plenty internationally as well. The group holds meetings, has annual conferences (both regional and national) and provides both a support system as well as a wealth of online resources.

Chuck Sambuchino in Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market, edited by Chuck Sambuchino, 2013 

The Death Penalty Remains Popular in Oklahoma

     The botched execution of Clayton Lockett in April 2014 and other troubling executions in Ohio and Arizona gave capital punishment opponents a flicker of hope that areas of the country that most enthusiastically support the death penalty might have a change of heart. They didn't.

     Although Governor Mary Fallin suspended further executions so that Lockett's death and Oklahoma's methods could be reviewed, the state held what amounted to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its overhauled death chamber only months later and is scheduled to resume killing inmates in mid-January 2015. And rather than causing states to question whether capital punishment is just or worth the risk of subjecting someone to a potentially agonizing death, the prolonged executions and problems states have had securing lethal injection drugs have led them to explore new and more efficient ways of killing, including gassing inmates…

     Lockett's execution did little or nothing to dampen support for the death penalty in deeply conservative Oklahoma which has killed more inmates than any other state except Texas since the 1976 reinstatement of the death penalty. In October 2014, officials gave media tours of the renovated execution unit at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, which got a $104,000 overhaul after Lockett's death and now stands in sharp contrast to the rest of the shabby, 106-year-old facility.

     Not content with just the upgrades to the prison and lethal injection equipment, though, Oklahoma's House of Representatives conducted a study on the use of nitrogen gas to execute inmates and is expected to consider legislation early next year that would make Oklahoma the first state to adopt hypoxia by gas--the forced deprivation of oxygen--as a legal execution method…

     Tennessee passed a law in 2014 to reinstate the electric chair if it can't get lethal injection drugs and Utah is considering bringing back the firing squad.

     Oklahoma has executed 194 inmates since achieving statehood in 1907, including one by hanging, 82 by electrocution and 111 by lethal injection….

Sean Murphy, "Death Penalty States Unmoved by Botched Execution," Associated Press, December 27, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Shoplifter Fakes Heart Attack While His Accomplice Steals Toys

     Tarus Scott, 30, and Genard Dupree, 27, were arrested Tuesday December 16, 2014 after a surveillance camera in Walmart in Lake Wales, Florida, captured their shoplifting stunt on tape…The video showed the suspects walking through the store together. Suddenly, Dupree laid on the ground near the entrance and clutches his chest, pretending to have a heart attack.

     When other shoppers saw Dupree on the ground, they tried to help him while Scott allegedly helped himself to $369 worth of toys…Once Scott was out of the store, Dupree got up, brushed himself off, and walked out as well. Both men were seen getting into a silver sport utility vehicle…Police picked up the suspects a short time later and charged them each with grand theft…

     Both Scott and Dupree have extensive criminal backgrounds and Scott was recently released after serving 10 years in state prison. [Apparently ten years wasn't enough.]

"Man Fakes Heart Attack So Accomplice Can Steal Toys," huffingtonpost.com, December 17, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Boy Drowns in Murky Day Care Pool

     A former Philadelphia day care owner pleaded guilty in the drowning death of a boy who attended her unlicensed center. Tianna Edwards, 32, faces up to 22 years in prison…She pleaded guilty on December 18, 2014 to involuntary manslaughter and lesser charges. Prosecutors say it took police nine hours to find 7-year-old Isear Jeffcoat's body in the murky backyard pool at her mother's house.

     According to the police, Tianna Edwards, in June 2012, dropped off 20 children for a swim then left the house. Before pleading guilty to the criminal homicide charge, Edwards had pleaded guilty to improperly taking $1.4 million in day care payments. The judge sentenced her to five years on that charge.

     With regard to the involuntary manslaughter charge, her lawyer said Edwards had pleaded guilty to take responsibility for what he called a "tragic accident." [Letting children swim unsupervised in a filthy pool was not an "accident."]

     Authorities say Edwards hid her criminal record to open Tianna's Terrific Tots day care center and spent government payments on gambling and personal expenses.

"Day Care Owner Pleads in Boy's Death in Murky Pool," Associated Press, December 19, 2014

Dead Infants Found in Abandoned Storage Unit

     A mother is under investigation after sheriff's deputies found the remains of two infants in a storage locker in Placer County, California. In November 2014, Placer County resident Regina Zimmer purchased the abandoned storage unit in an auction. Inside the locker she detected a foul odor coming from a container. "We opened it up, and the smell that came out was horrible," she said. "It was a little skull. It looked like it was in three pieces with some hair. And you could see a jawbone."

     Investigators said the previous owner of the storage unit had defaulted on the rent, leaving the inventory untouched for several months--including the remains of two babies. "The remains were in very poor condition," said Lieutenant John Poretti with the Placer County Sheriff's Department. "I mean, there was no easy way to tell exactly what we had."

     The container was taken to the Placer County morgue for autopsies on both babies to determine the causes of their deaths….

"Remains of Infants Found in Colfax Storage," kcra.com, December 18, 2014 

Writing Quote: The Children's Book Writer Must Identify With His Intended Reader

Before you begin to write your children's book, make sure that you are clear in your own mind whether you are writing about children, or for them. Do you have a reader in prospect? If there is any doubt or ambiguity about this, your work will suffer. If you try to write for children, but hope that adults will be reading the book, too, an element of insincerity is almost certain to slip into your style.

Joan Aiken, The Way to Write for Children, 1999

Criminal Justice Quote: Is Former NFL Star Darren Sharper a Serial Rapist?

     Former New Orleans Saints football player Darren Sharper has been indicted by an Orleans Parish grand jury on two counts of aggravated rape…Sharper's indictment stems from an alleged incident in September 2013. According to a police report, the rape happened in the Warehouse District on September 23, 2013 at ten in the morning. Later, police said a second victim claimed she was raped by Sharper and another man in the same apartment…

     Sharper, who remains in a Los Angeles jail, is under investigation for eight rapes and 11 druggings in Louisiana, Nevada, Arizona, and California. He is being held without bond in Los Angeles as he awaits two rape charges there. He also has been formally charged in two rapes in Tempe, Arizona.

     The 38-year-old Sharper spent 14 years in the NFL as a safety. He played for the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings and then the Saints. He was a five-time Pro Bowl selection. He retired in 2010.

"Darren Sharper Indicted on Rape Allegations in New Orleans,"  USA Today, December 12, 2014 

The Lambert Corpse in the Refrigerator Murder Case

     In June 2014, Patrick Lambert, his wife Anastacia, and their 6-month-old son moved into the Braeswood Oaks apartment complex in southwest Houston, Texas. Anastacia had been born and raised in West Africa and Patrick had lived in New York City, Clearwater, Florida, and Hawaii.

     On September 2, 2014, Anastacia Lambert called 911 to report a domestic disturbance at the second-story Braeswood Oaks apartment. To the responding officers with the Houston Police Department, she accused her husband with threatening her with a knife. The police did not take Patrick Lambert into custody and no criminal charges were filed against him.

     On November 20, 2014, the utility company turned off the power to the Lambert apartment for lack of payment. Because neighbors hadn't seen Anastacia, her husband, or their 11-month-old son since the end of November, they thought the family had moved out. Because Anastacia didn't have family in the country and didn't work outside the home, there were no relatives or fellow employees to report her missing.

     At two in the afternoon of December 8, 2014, maintenance workers at the Braeswood Oaks complex detected a strong odor of death coming from unit 822, the Lambert apartment. The workers called 911.

     Upon entering the apartment, police officers discovered a large quantity of dried blood on the kitchen floor. They also found 27-year-old Anastacia Lambert's corpse stuffed inside the refrigerator. She had been stabbed to death and her son was not in the apartment.

     On the day police found the body in the refrigerator, the authorities issued an Amber Alert for the Lambert child and his 38-year-old father. Police described the missing murder suspect as a five-foot-elven inch black male. The police did not have a description of Lambert's vehicle and had no idea regarding his whereabouts or the whereabouts of his son.

     Police officers had the crime scene refrigerator transported to the Houston Crime Lab for forensic examination.   

Criminal Justice Quote: Police Arrest Brazilian Serial Killer

     A Brazilian man has confessed to killing 39 women in the Rio de Janeiro region… If his claim is confirmed, he will be one of the most prolific serial killers in the country's history.

     In an interview with Brazilian broadcaster TV Globo, the alleged killer, Sailson Jose das Gracas, said he carried out his first slaying when he was 17 and continued to kill over the next decade. "I started robbing purses and small things like that," he told TV Globo. "And as I got older, I started having different thoughts. My thoughts started changing. From stealing, I started thinking about killing."

     The 26-years-old said he didn't kill impulsively but stalked his victims. Rio police said they arrested Sailson on Wednesday December 10, 2014 on suspicion of killing a woman in the suburb of Nova Iquacu. He confessed to that homicide and then told police about the other killings. Sailson described his need to kill as pathological.

     "When I didn't kill, I would get nervous," he told TV Globo. "I would pace around the house, and then when I killed, it calmed me."…The self-declared killer said he had no regrets about his actions and would kill again if set free. "What is done is done," he told the TV reporter. "If I leave prison in 10, 15, 20 years, I'll go back to doing the same thing."

"Brazilian Man Says He Killed Dozens of Women," CNN, December 12, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Man Kills Himself and His Two Children Amid Custody Battle

     A man who was in a custody battle with his ex-wife deliberately crashed his car into a tractor-trailor on a southern California freeway, killing himself and his two children…Alan Dean Edwards, 46, of Lancaster, his 9-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter all died in the crash on Interstate 5 around one in the morning on Monday December 8, 2014.

     The truck was parked in a brake-check area in Castiac, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles when it was struck from behind by Edward's fast-moving Honda Accord…The driver didn't make any attempts to stop…The front half of the car was crushed and wedged under the truck.

     Edwards and his former wife were in a custody battle and he had picked up the children on Friday December 5, 2014 for a scheduled visit. She filed a missing persons report when they failed to return on Sunday December 7.

"Man in Custody Battle Deliberately Crashes Into Truck, Killing Himself and His Two Children," Associated Press, December 9, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Two Atlanta Homeless Men Murdered

     Atlanta police are calling the shootings "sinister" because whoever pulled the trigger wasn't expecting to gain monetarily from the homicides. The victims were homeless men, shot to death as they slept. And police aren't convinced that the threat is over. "A lot of our shootings involve robbery. A lot of our shootings involve someone making good on an old debt or some kind of revenge factor," Atlanta police detective David Quinn told reporters on December 10, 2014. "I don't know why someone would shoot two defenseless men."

     The shootings happened over the Thanksgiving week within three days of each other. The killer hasn't struck since, but police are asking the city's homeless to remain vigilant…

     Dorian Jenkins was fatally shot five times as he slept, wrapped in a blanket, on a sidewalk in downtown Atlanta. Less than three days later, Tommy Mims didn't show up as normal at a recycling center where he took cans and other scrap metals to sell. Mims, known locally at "Can Man" was found dead under a bridge where he usually slept. His body, also wrapped in a blanket, was riddled with seven bullets. He was killed less than three miles from Jenkins…

     Detectives believe the killings are related because the rounds used in both shootings are fairly distinctive: .45-caliber bullets that haven't been manufactured since 2010. They were fired from revolvers, either a Taurus "Judge" or a Smith & Wesson "Governor." Since Mims had been shot seven times, the killer had to reload the gun. [Revolvers only hold five or six rounds in the cylinder.]

     The police have no motive or suspects in the murders.

"Atlanta Police Looking For Suspect, Motive in Killings of Homeless Men," CNN, December 11, 2014 

Stabber in Brooklyn Synagogue Killed by Cop

A man stabbed a person inside a Brooklyn synagogue Tuesday morning December 9, 2014 before he was shot and killed when he lunged at a police officer…The suspect entered the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters where he stabbed another man sometime after one in the morning. A responding officer ordered the suspect to drop the knife. The stabber lunged at the officer who shot him in the torso. The stabbing victim was treated at a nearby hospital. [According to reports, the armed intruder said he wanted to kill a Jew.]

"Man Stabs Another Inside Brooklyn Synagoge, Then Lunges at Officer," CNN, December 9,  2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Rapper Murders His Wife, Kills Self on FaceTime

     Rapper Earl Hayes murdered his wife Stephanie Moseley early Monday morning December 8, 2014 in Los Angeles. Moseley, a dancer who toured with Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Usher, and Chris Brown, starred in VH 1's dramatic series "Hit the Floor."

     An angry Hayes, a member of Floyd Mayweather's Team Money, talked to the undefeated boxer on FaceTime prior to the murder-suicide. The call continued through the event. The rapper, in the midst of a break-up, accused his wife of infidelity with a famous singer…The welterweight boxing champion attempted to talk his friend down from his rage to no avail.

   A Los Angeles SWAT team discovered the bodies in a high-end Los Angeles apartment. Neighbors reported hearing an argument before hearing the gunfire.

     Hayes once belonged to Mayweather's music label and frequently partied with the boxer…

"Floyd Mayweather Witnesses Murder-Suicide on FaceTime," breitbart.com, December 9, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Man Leaves Scene of a Minor Accident to Get Away From His Angry Girlfriend

     Police in Vineland, New Jersey say a man told officers he fled the scene of an automobile accident because he "didn't want to deal with his girlfriend yelling at him." They say David Scarpa was having an argument with his girlfriend when he backed into a utility pole in Cumberland County. The caller who reported the hit-and-run on November 29, 2014 said he heard people "yelling" and then heard a bang and saw debris on the ground by the pole.

     Police say the 21-year-old Scarpa then took off and didn't report the accident immediately. He went to police headquarters to turn himself in a day later…A prosecutor charged Scarpa with leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.

"Man Flees Crash to Avoid Girlfriend," Associated Press, November 30, 2014 

Teen Pimp Arrested For High School Prostitution Ring

     In the summer of 2014, 17-year-old Alexa Nicole De Armas, a Venice High School student in Sarasota, Florida, came up with a scheme to recruit other high school girls to offer sex for money and alcohol. De Armas and an accomplice planned to charge $50 to $70 for oral sex and $100 for intercourse with a virgin. The prostitutes, under the plan, would keep 40 percent of what they earned. De Armas wanted the money for narcotics.

     In a Facebook exchange between De Armas and the accomplice, De Armas wrote: Why pimp out old hoes when I have fresh young hoes I can give up for money? As long as I'm getting paid I'm trafficking all these bitches."

     In August 2014, the high school pimp allegedly arranged for John Michael Mosher, a 21-year-old restaurant dishwasher from Nokomis, Florida, to have paid sex with a 15-year-old girl. The encounter allegedly took place in a community pool shed in a Nokomis park. When the girl told Mosher that she did not want to have sex with him, he allegedly forced himself on her. The John gave De Armas $40 and a bottle of booze for the sexual act.

     In October 2014, four female students at Venice High School reported to school officials that Alexa Nicole De Armas had tried to recruit them as sex workers.

     Vice detectives, on Friday November 21, 2014, arrested De Armas on the felony charge of human trafficking of a person younger than 18. That day police officers also took John Michael Mosher into custody in Nokomis, Florida. Mosher faced the felony charge of sexual battery of a juvenile.

     De Armas and Mosher were placed into the Sarasota County Jail without bond. Police told local reporters that other arrests in this case were forthcoming. 

Man Pushes McChicken Sandwich Into His Pregnant Wife's Face

     A picky eater in Des Moines, Iowa was jailed on December 2, 2014 for using a McDonald's McChicken sandwich as a weapon against his pregnant wife…Marvin Tramaine Hill II, 21, admitted to police that he threw the sandwich at his wife "because he doesn't like them." Hill was arrested for simple domestic assault and taken to the Polk County Jail.

     Des Moines police met with Hill at the couple's home where Hill told them it was actually his wife who assaulted him. Hill said his wife woke him up around one in the afternoon with a McChicken in her hand. He admitted that he became upset and threw the sandwich at her, then picked up some of the bun and threw it at her.

     The woman went to the bathroom to clean herself up but Hill followed and began recording her using his cellphone, which he later shared with the police. In the video, police saw the woman knock the phone out of his hand.

     Hill's wife had mayonnaise on her shirt and face when officers spoke to her. According to the woman, Hill had forcefully smashed the bun into her face. Police noted that the woman's nose was swollen and believed Hill was trying to entice the woman into knocking the phone out of his hand to make her appear aggressive.

"Man Assaulted Wife With McChicken Sandwich, The Des Moine Register, December 3, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Police-Involved Shootings are Up, Violent Crime Rated are Down

     The number of people killed by the police has increased by a third in recent years, even as violent crime has trended downward and the number of officers assaulted or killed in the line of duty has dropped…

     When adjusted for population, the data shows black people were twice as likely to be killed by police than whites. Blacks are also disproportionately more likely to come in contact with police as suspects in violent crime…

     In 2012, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 386 whites and 140 blacks were killed by police, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on causes of death. [According to data I collected in 2011, the police killed 607 people that year.]…The number of people killed by the police has steadily climbed from 381 in 2008 to 546 in 2012…

     Twenty-seven officers were killed in the line of duty in 2013, and 49,851 were the victims of assault, according to FBI statistics…The FBI data show that the number of deaths and assaults have declined in recent years. In 2011, 72 officers were killed in the line of duty and in 2008, 61,087 were assaulted.

     Of the subjects in the 27 officer deaths in 2013, 15 were white and 11 were black, according to the FBI report. Of the officers killed, 25 were white and two were black.

"Killings by Police Increase as Crime Declines," Dayton Daily News, November 29, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Carjacker Runs Over, Kills Victim

     Police say a Long Island, New York man picking up food for a soup kitchen was run over by his own vehicle while trying to stop a carjacker from stealing it. Suffolk County police said 69-year-old Dionel Ramirez parked his car at a 7-Eleven in North Bay Shore early Friday November 28, 2014…He intended to run in quickly, which is why he left the car door open and the motor running.

     According to the police, the car thief started to drive off with the vehicle while Ramirez was in the store. Ramirez tried to stop the thief and the man ran over him. The victim, of North Amityville, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The car was later recovered, but no arrest has been made.

"Carjacker Kills Soup Kitchen Volunteer," Associated Press, November 29, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Juveniles Murder Motorist on Street With Hammers

     Two juveniles are in custody Sunday November 30, 2014 in the death of a man beaten with hammers on a St. Louis Street. The victim, 32-year-old Zemir Begic, suffered injuries to his head, abdomen, face, and mouth…He was unconscious by the time officers arrived on the scene. Begic was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead…

     Investigation revealed that the victim was traveling in his vehicle when several juveniles approached his vehicle on foot and began damaging it. The victim exited his car and the juveniles began yelling at him and striking him with hammers. After the assault the juveniles fled the scene on foot…Two suspects were later taken into custody. A motive for the murder was not immediately clear.

"Man Beaten to Death With Hammers in St. Louis," CNN, December 1, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Something's Not Kosher on Connecticut's Death Row

     A federal judge in Connecticut has rejected the arguments of a home invasion killer on death row who complained that the food he is being served in prison is not kosher. Steven Hayes, convicted of killing a mother and two daughters, sued the Department of Correction in August 2014, alleging the preparation practices for kosher meals in the kitchen at the state's highest-security prison do not conform to Jewish dietary laws.

     Hayes describes himself in the lawsuit as an Orthodox Jew and says he's been requesting a kosher diet since May 2013. He says he has suffered "almost two years of emotional injury from having to choose between following God and starving or choosing to survive. [What life and death choice did this cold-blooded killer give his three victims?]…

     The judge noted that Hayes is offered kosher meals, and the state Department of Correction has two rabbis who periodically monitor the preparation of kosher foods in the prison system. The judge said both rabbis certified that the food and the food preparation process comply with dietary laws. "Although Hayes raises as an issue regarding the lack of a reliable orthodox certificate or an onsite Jewish overseer, he provides no evidence suggesting that this leads to a finding that the meals are not kosher," the judge wrote….

"Death Row Inmate's Prison Food Complaint Rejected," ABC News, November 28, 2014

     

New Orleans Detectives Ignore Rape and Child Abuse Cases

     A New Orleans' city inspector general's report claims that five police detectives failed to do substantial investigation of more than 1,000 cases of sex crimes and child abuse--with one detective being cited for stating a belief that rape should not be considered a crime. The report, released on November 12, 2014, examined the detectives' work between January 2011 and December 2013. It found the detectives filed follow-up reports [the first report after the complaint] for only 179 of 1,290 sex crime cases. In particular, the report found that some cases of potentially abused children and rape victims went completely without investigation.

     Police officials said the detectives were transferred to patrol duty and were under further investigation. The police also said two supervisors who oversaw the detectives have been transferred…

     The U.S. Department of Justice previously investigated the scandal-plagued police force and in 2012 the city agreed to a host of changes in policies. Among the federal probe's major findings were that the police force was rife with corruption and had numerous instances of excessive use of deadly force, discrimination and problems with its sex crimes unit. A federal monitor is overseeing compliance.

     The latest city report charged that a detective handling child abuse failed to investigate a case involving a 3-year-old brought to an emergency room due to an alleged sexual assault, closing the case without any charges even though the child had a sexually transmitted disease. The same detective closed with book with minimal or no investigation, and again with no charges, on two cases involving children brought to the emergency room with fractured skulls…

     Two detectives stood accused of writing six reports on the same day in 2013--to make it appear they had done follow-up reports years before to the old cases…In fact, these documents were written only after inspectors asked for the missing reports…

     The five detectives could face criminal charges and be fired…

"Report Claims Five New Orleans Cops Failed to Properly Investigate Over 1,000 Sex Crimes, Associated Press, November 13, 2014

     

15-Monrh-Old Boy Dies in Hot Car, Father Charged

     A Connecticut man was charged on November 11, 2014 with the death of his 15-month-old son, who died this summer after he was left in a hot car for hours…Kyle Steitz, 36, turned himself in to police and was charged with criminally negligent homicide over his son Benjamin's death…The authorities released Seitz on his promise to appear in court the next day…

     Benjamin Seitz died of "hyperthermia due to environmental exposure" on July 7, 2014 after being left alone in a hot car by his father. The state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. The temperature in the car reached 88 degrees that day, according to a report issued by Danbury Hospital in Danbury, Connecticut.

     Seitz was supposed to take his son to day care that morning but instead he drove to his job at a technology company and accidentally left the boy in the car until realizing he had forgotten about him….

"Connecticut Man Charged in Death of Boy Left in Hot Car," wtaqnews.com, November 12, 2014 

Whackademia Quote: Graduating Magna Cum Debt

     The average amount of student debt per borrower in 2013, according to a study released on November 13, 2014 by the Institute for College Access and Success's Project on Student Debt, is $28,400…Matthew Reed, who directed the study, said the report aims to analyze increasing student debt averages for graduates with a bachelor's degree at a time when the cost of higher education is rising…

     "Debt varies from state to state and college-to-college so where you go to school can make a difference," Reed said. "It's something that prospective students should take a look at…Federal student loans come with protections such as fixed interest rates for the life of the loan, income based repayment programs, and public service loan forgiveness," Reed said. "These are not always available for private loans. Private loans are not a form of financial aid. They often have variable rates, and they do not have customer protections."…

     Kevin Long, a professor of economics at Boston University, said the rising averages of student debt is related to a combination of both poor labor market forces and increasing tuition costs….

"Recent Graduates Average $28,400 in Student Debt," The Detroit Free Press, November 17, 2014 

Police Officer Kills Woman Who in a Struggle Took His Taser

     A Citrus County, Florida deputy is on administrative leave after he fatally shot a woman who pointed a Taser at him during a disturbance call in Inverness late Sunday night November 16, 2014…The sheriff's deputy shot 46-year-old Dawn Renee Cameron following a struggle after receiving a call in Inverness. A witness told deputies that Cameron attempted to light a truck on fire then left the scene.

     Once the deputy encountered Cameron at the entrance to a park, she attacked him, removing his Taser that she then pointed at the officer. That's when the deputry shot her. Cameron was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after midnight…

     Jail records show that Cameron was arrested in June 2014 on a parole violation related to a previous grand theft case. Authorities have launched an investigation into the police-involved shooting.

"Citrus Deputy Fatally Shoots Woman Who Pointed Taser," tbo.com, November 17, 2014 

Two Americans Accused of Stealing Infant Body Parts From Bangkok Medical Museum

     On Saturday November 15, 2014, workers at a DHL office in Thailand's Pathum Thani province noticed something gruesome while scanning packages destined for the U.S. The discovery caused a DHL manager to notify the Royal Thai Police.

     Inside five plastic boxes officers discovered an infant's head, a baby's left foot sliced into three pieces, an adult heart, and patches of human skin.

     Thai investigators questioned Ryan Edward McPherson and Daniel Jamon Tanner, the Americans who had tried to ship the body parts out of the country. The men claimed to have purchased the body parts at a flea market for $100. The idea was, they said, to shock their friends back home.

     Notwithstanding the fact McPherson and Tanner could not remember the location of the flea market, the Thai authorities, unsure if these men had broken any laws, released them without criminal charges. The men said they were headed to Cambodia.

     On Monday November 17, 2014, Thai detectives determined that the infant body parts had been stolen from the Siriraj Medical Museum within Bangkok's Sirira Hospital. The items had been taken from the forensic medicine section of the museum.

     Closed-circuit camera footage from the hospital showed that McPherson and Tanner had visited the institution on the day the body parts went missing. A Thai judge, that Monday, approved arrest warrants for the two Americans on charges of theft from a government hospital. If convicted as charged, McPherson and Tanner could be locked up abroad for up to seven years.

     In Thailand, infant body parts are purchased on the black market by people who believe they possess the power of black magic. Believers make these macabre acquisitions for protection, good luck, and success in business. In this case, the stolen body parts brought McPherson and Tanner no protection and plenty of bad luck. 

Whackademia Quote: In Class, Speak Softly and Carry a Big Knife

     A middle school math teacher in New Mexico waved a large knife at two students who were talking too much during a pop quiz. The incident happened on Friday November 14, 2014 at Bernalillo Middle School in Bernalillo, a small suburb 20 miles north of Albuquerque…The teacher, Benjamin Nagurski, had the knife out in the classroom to dig out staples from a bulletin board. He approached the two students who were chatting during the pop quiz.

     "Stop talking," Nagurski, 63 said while holding the knife about four feet from the students. "Maybe next time I'll pull a machete on you," the teacher later told one of the boys... The students sent a text message to his parents after the incident.

     Nagurski insisted that he had made the machete comment in jest…

     In the complaint filed with local police, one of the students said he felt "unsafe" and "scared." The school district superintendent assured parents that the children were never in harms way…

     Police officers booked Nagurski into jail on charges of unlawfully carrying a deadly weapon on school premises and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The teacher posted his $10,000 bond and was released. He was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the case.

"Math Teacher Pulls Knife on Students," The Daily Caller, November 18, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Charles Manson: Idiots Should Not Be Allowed to Marry Death Row Psychopaths

     Mass murderer Charles Manson plans to marry a 26-year-old woman who left her midwestern home and spent the past nine years trying to help exonerate him. Afton Elaine Burton, the raven-haired bride-to-be, said she loves the man convicted in the notorious murders of seven people, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate.

     No date has been set, but a wedding coordinator has been assigned by the prison to handle the nuptials, and the couple has until early February to get married before they would have to reapply…Burton, who goes by the name "Star," told the Associated Press that she and Manson will be married next month. "Y'all can know that it's true," she said. "It's going to happen. I love him," she added. "I'm with him. There's all kinds of things."

     However, as a life prisoner with no parole date, Manson is not entitled to family visits, an euphemism for conjugal visits.

     Sharon Tate's sister, Debra, who acts as a spokesperson for the families of Manson's victims, said the impending marriage is "ludicrous."

"Manson Gets Marriage License," Associated Press, November 18, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: NYC Man Pushed to Death at Subway Station

     The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says a man killed by an oncoming train at a Bronx subway station had been pushed onto the tracks. A MTA spokesperson said it happened around 8:40 AM on Sunday November 16, 2014...

     The 61-year-old man was hit by a southbound D train at the Grand Concourse and East 167th Street station. The police are looking for a suspect…

     The victim is Wai Kuen Kwork of the Bronx. There have been three other incidents in recent years that involved a person being pushed onto the tracks.

"Man Hit by NYC Subway Train Was Pushed," Associated Press, November 17, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Illegal Alien Suspected in Hit-And-Run Murder of Girl

     An illegal immigrant driving drunk and without a license crashed through a fence Sunday November 9, 2014 hitting and killing a 3-year-old girl as she was waiting in line for ice cream in Porterville, California. Adolf Balbuena, 18, mowed down the toddler, Angeles Moreno, as she and several others, including an 8-year-old boy, were waiting for an ice cream truck. After hitting Moreno, Balbuena backed up and drove away. He was arrested at his home around an hour later…

     Balbuena…is an illegal immigrant from Mexico. Though the local district attorney is handling the case, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will ultimately decide whether he will be tried in the U.S. or deported back to Mexico….

Chuck Ross, "Illegal Immigrant Drunk Driver Hits and Kills 3-Year-Old Waiting for Ice Cream," The Daily Caller, November 11, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Manhattan Diamond Heist

     The search in New York City continues for two men who robbed a Manhattan jewelry store at gunpoint on November 11, 2014…The two men robbed the store in the middle of the afternoon. Police responded to the scene in force, sweeping the building looking for suspects…"All of a sudden we saw the SWAT team and all the cops outside the building," one witness said. Diamond district workers and shoppers say they got the scare of their lives…

     Investigators say just before 2:30 PM, two men posing as deliverymen buzzed for entrance into the Watch Standard Jewel Store saying they had some letters…"Suspect number one pulled out a firearm and demanded that the store empty out the safe and place the jewelry inside a bag," Deputy Chief William Aubrey said...

     The four employees inside the eighth floor wholesale and retail store complied but yelled for the owner to call 911. The first suspect then whipped the 56-year-old owner, leaving him with a minor injury while the second suspect waited in the hall…

     The first suspect had a black shoulder bag with a letter K in a blue circle. The second suspect was wearing black True Religion jeans. Police haven't revealed how much jewelry the robbers walked off with.

"Police Investigate Armed Heist in Diamond District," NY1.com, November 12, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Trooper and His Dog Find Missing Girl in Woods

     A 2-year-old girl was found Thursday November 6, 2014 in the woods wrapped in a blanket. She had wandered away from her home 22 hours earlier. Brooklyn Lynn Lilly wandered off while playing outside her Tawas City, Michigan home in the eastern part of the state near Lake Huron. Her neighbors and family had feared the worst. "We worried that maybe somebody came and grabbed her, family friend Patrick McDonald said…

     State Trooper Denis McGuckin and his dog Jax found Brooklyn…"She lifted her head up off the ground and looked back toward me and my dog and smiled," McGuckin said. "She said, 'I love the woods.' "

"Toddler Who Spent 22 Hours Alone in the Woods Found Safe," ABC News, November 7, 2014

Miguel Mejia-Ramos Sentenced for Tripple Murder

     Miguel Mejia Ramos, a 45-year-old New York City man, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison for fatally stabbing his sleeping wife in a rage triggered by jealousy and then killing their two toddlers. Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown says Mejia-Ramos was sentenced Friday November 7, 2014. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month for the January 2014 killings. [Why did they let him plead to such a lesser offense? In places like Texas, killing three people will get you the death sentence.]

     Majia-Ramos told police officers he snapped after drinking and finding a photo on his wife's phone of her with another man. [Okay, but how does this explain the killing of the children?] He grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed 21-year-old Daisy Garcia and their daughters ages one and two. Police arrested him near Schulenburg, Texas. He was trying to flee to Mexico.

"NYC Man Gets 45 Years For Stabbing His Wife and 2 Toddlers to Death," Associated Press, November 7, 2014

Whackademia Quote: Vinita Hegwood: Teacher in Trouble for Profane, Racially Charged Tweets

     A Duncanville, Texas teacher has been "suspended without pay pending discharge" after accusations that she sent racially charged tweets about the incidents in Ferguson, Missouri…Vinita Hegwood, a high school English teacher at Duncanville High School near Dallas, allegedly sent the tweets from her personal Twitter account on November 7, 2014. "Who (expletive) made you dumb (expletive) crackers think I give a squat (expletive) about your opinions? #Ferguson kill yourselves," read one of the messages.

     Later that evening another Hegwood tweet appeared, saying: "You exhibit nigga behavior, I'm a call you a nigga. You acting crackerish, I'm a call you a cracker." Hegwood is African-American…

     It's not clear exactly to what or whom the teacher was referring, but the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, have often hinged on race…A grand jury is expected to decide soon whether Officer Darren Wilson will face charges.

     Hegwood is in her second year at Duncanville High School, where she maintained a website for her students…The Twitter account from which she allegedly made the comments has since been taken down…

     Lari Barager, Duncanville Independent School District spokesperson, called the messages "offensive" and "reprehensible" and stressed the tweets do not represent the 240 other teachers at Duncanville High School…

     The board of trustees for the school district will decide Hegwood's fate at its next meeting. 

"Texas Teacher Suspended After Racist Ferguson Tweet," CNN, November 11, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: AC/DC Drummer Accused of Murder Solicitation

     Phil Rudd, the drummer for the legendary hard rock band AC/DC, has been charged with attempting to have two men killed. The 60-year-old appeared in a New Zealand court Thursday November 6, 2014 facing a count of attempting to procure the murders…He was also charged with threatening to kill, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of cannabis…

     Rudd entered a no plea to the charges at the Tauranga District Court, and was bailed out until November 27, 2014…The Australian-born drummer moved to New Zealand in 1983 after being sacked by the group. He rejoined the group years later…[On November 7, 2014, the New Zealand prosecutor dropped the murder-for-hire charge against Rudd.]

"AC/DC Drummer Phil Rudd Charged with Attempting to Have Two Men Murdered," CNN, November 6, 2014 

Whackademia Quote: Federal Money Wasted on For-Profit Schools

     A trade group which represents some 1,400 for-profit colleges and universities sued in federal court on November 6, 2014 to force the U.S. Department of Education to rescind regulations designed to prevent the schools from taking billions in federal aid if they stick students with thousands of dollars in loan debt in return for unmarketable, dead-end degrees.

     Mainly at issue is a federal regulation called the "gainful employment rule." The rule compares graduate job earnings to their debt payments…Schools run afoul of the regulation if graduates can't get jobs which pay enough so that loan payments don't exceed 8 percent of their total annual earnings or 20 percent of their discretionary income.

     Schools that fail to meet these income-to-loan levels risk losing access to taxpayer-subsidized student loans and taxpayer-funded grants…

     For-profit schools rely heavily on federal cash and their chief executive officers bring home obscenely high salaries. For example, the CEO and president of Devry Education Group, Daniel Hamburger, made $5,680,939 in 2013. Edward H. West, president and CEO of Education Management Corporation, made $6,025,304 in 2013. Scott W. Steffy, president and CEO of Career Education Corporation, made $4,837,992 that year…

     Career Education Corporation, reached a $10 million settlement agreement in 2013 with the New York attorney general over charges of gross deception. The…company admitted that only 24 percent to 64 percent of graduates were able to find meaningful jobs. The company had touted an inflated rate of 55 percent to 80 percent…

     For-profit schools in the United States currently enroll about 2 million student.

Eric Owens, "For-Profit College Sue To Keep Billions In Federal Aid Flowing Despite Awful Student Outcomes," The Daily Caller, November 7, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Stealing From The Dead

     A 26-year-old Brockton, Massachusetts man turned himself in Friday night November 7, 2014 after Boston Transit Police released his surveillance photo as the suspect they believe stole the cellphone off a woman struck and killed by a Red Line train the day before…He is to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court…
   
     The well-dressed young man still possessed the dead woman's phone and turned it in. The Transit Police had released the surveillance video that showed the suspect walking toward the phone, which had a distinct orange case. He covered it with his foot, then picked it up.

     The woman was struck and killed at 9:48 PM Thursday November 6, 2014 at the Downtown Crossing Station.

"Man Wanted in Theft of Woman's Phone Turns Himself In," The Boston Globe, November 8, 2014

     

Writing Quotes: The Use of Flashbacks in a Novel

     Flashbacks are not designed for the writer's amusement, but rather the reader's education. If your flashback is not going to elucidate, illuminate, or provide context, then you probably don't need it.

     It is also advisable not to use a flashback in a novel-length manuscript when you only have one or two flashbacks to insert. You're better off setting up a pattern of at least half a dozen flashbacks at fairly regular intervals, rather than taking one or two lonely excursions into the past. If there are only two flashbacks, the reader will be jarred by the digressions and they will stand out as an abnormality.

Jessica Page Morrell, Between the Lines, 2006

Criminal Justice Quote: Bottle Bomb Injures School Bus Driver

     On November 3, 2014, classes at Emily Dickinson Elementary School in Richmond, Washington were canceled after a two-liter bottle exploded in the parking lot, injuring a bus driver…The explosion happened at eight in the morning. No students were on campus at the time of the incident.

     Police Sergeant D. B. Gates said the bottle was filled with a volatile substance and exploded as the bus driver walked past it. The driver was hit by something that came out of the bottle. There is also a second adult who may have been exposed to fumes. Both were taken to a nearby hospital.

     Nothing was found when the King County Police Bomb Squad swept the school. As a precaution, a nearby school was closed and another placed in a modified lockdown.

"Explosion in Washington Elementary School Parking Lot," Fox News, November 3, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Going to Jail For Feeding the Homeless in Public

     On Sunday November 2, 2014, 90-year-old Arnold Abbott and two pastors in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, were charged with feeding the homeless in public. This was the city's first crackdown of its new ordinance banning public food sharing…According to Mr. Abbott, "an officer said, 'drop that plate now,' like I had a weapon."

     Despite some criticism from homeless advocates, city officers have vowed that the new law will be enforced. "Just because of media attention we don't stop enforcing the law. We enforce the laws here in Fort Lauderdale," Major Jack Seller said. "I'm not satisfied with having a cycle of homeless in the city of Fort Lauderdale. Providing them with a meal and keeping them in that cycle on the street is not productive."

     But Abbott, who has been helping feed homeless people in the area through his Love Thy Neighbor nonprofit since 1991, said the authorities are targeting the city's most vulnerable residents. "These are the poorest of the poor. They have nothing. They don't have a roof over their head," he said. "Who can turn them away?"…Abbott said the threat of jail won't stop him from doing it again.

"90-Year-old Florida Man Charged for Feeding Homeless People," CNN, November 4, 2014

Whackademia Quote: High School Student Writes About Committing Mass Murder

     A Radnor, Pennsylvania high school senior who had a "fascination" with the Columbine High School massacre of 15 years ago wrote about shooting "everyone in classrooms" and blowing up the cafeteria. "I would be the first female shooter," the student…wrote in her journal…"I'm homicidal and I'm fine with that."…

     The student made references to killing a teacher, killing fellow students in a certain manner, and also injuring herself…"I want to trap them, pick them off one by one," the girl wrote. "Blow up the cafeteria, shoot everyone in the classrooms…Imagine the power, the bullets leaving the gun with a loud bang, piercing kids around me, the way they collapse, their blood splattering the floor--the screams."

     The student, who will be charged on November 3, 2014 as a juvenile with making terroristic threats, has a history of treatment for "psychological issues." [If this girl ever gets straightened out, she should consider a career as a true crime writer.]

"Radnor Police: Girl Threatened School Shooting," Philadelphia Inquirer, November 4, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: English Teen Sentenced for Murdering Teacher

     A 16-year-old boy has been imprisoned for life after being convicted of murdering a teacher in Leeds, England. Ann Maguire, 61, was attacked at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds in April 2014.  She had worked at the school for more than 40 years and had been due to retire.

     Speaking outside Leeds Crown Court, Chief Superintendent Paul Money described Mrs. Maguire's murder as a "cold-blooded, brutal and cowardly act." He said the boy's motive appeared to be an "inexplicable hatred of this teacher who was simply carrying out her duty."

"Ann Maguire Murder: Killing 'Brutal and Cowardly'," BBC News, November 3, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Former Mob Boss Back in Prison For Violating Parole

     A reputed former mob boss was ordered back to prison Friday October 24, 2014 for violating parole, and his lawyer complained that the FBI would pursue his client "to the grave." Joseph "Skinny Joey" Merlino, the reputed head of Philadelphia's La Cosa Nostra in the 1990s, must serve four additional months for failing to report a meeting with a former co-defendant at a Boca Raton, Florida cigar bar. "I never had dinner with Johnny Ciancaglini. I bumped into him," said Marlino on a return trip to Philadelphia. "I didn't report it…It just slipped my mind."

     Merlino, 52, has been living in south Florida since 2011, when he left prison after more than a decade from a Philadelphia racketeering conviction. His lawyer maintains that Merlino plans to work as a maitre d' at a new Boca Raton restaurant that will bear his name…

     The FBI has been tailing Merlino as part of a new, unspecified criminal probe, according to testimony from organized crime task force members. On the night of the cigar bar meeting in June 2014, five officers in five cars were on the surveillance detail. The FBI task force members, who feared they stood out among regulars as they sipped pricey drinks, said they observed Merlino talking with Ciancaglini and other felons in a glass-enclosed VIP section of a spot called Havana Nights.

     "It's very obvious what is going on. This is a night on the town with his mob buddies," said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Troyer…Defense lawyer Edwin Jacobs Jr insists the contact was random and amounted to nothing more than "a couple minutes of chit chat."…

     Although Merlino appears to be enjoying an enviable lifestyle, he reported having almost no income.

"Ex-Mob Boss Gets 4 Months For Meeting Friend," Associated Press, October 24, 2014  

Criminal Justice Quote: Hit and Run Driver Kills Three Girls

     Three teenage girls trick-or-treating in Halloween costumes were killed on October 31, 2014 by a hit-and-run driver at a crosswalk near an elementary school in Santa Ana, California. There were hit by a Nissan Pathfinder at 6:45 PM. Two men were in the SUV.

     The girls ranged in ages from 13 to 15. Two of them were killed immediately while the third victim died on the way to the hospital. The vehicle involved was found abandoned not far from the scene. [The Nissan was probably stolen.] Santa Ana is located near Anaheim about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

"Three Trick-or-Treaters in Santa Ana Killed by Driver," NBC News, October 31, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Aerial War on Pot

     Georgia police raided a retired Atlanta man's garden on October 1, 2014 after a helicopter crew with the Governor's Task Force for Drug Suppression spotted suspicious-looking plants on the man's property. A heavily-armed K9 unit arrived and discovered that the plants were, in fact, okra bushes.

     The officers eventually apologized and left, but they took some of the suspicious okra leaves with them for analysis. A Georgia State Patrol spokesperson told reporters that, "We've not been able to identify the plants as yet. But they did have quite a number of characteristics that were similar to a cannabis plant." Indeed, like cannabis, okra is green and has leaves.

     Okra busts like these are good reasons for taxpayers to be skeptical about the wisdom of sending drug cops up in helicopters to fly around aimlessly, looking for drugs in suburban gardens. [It's a lot easier than wearing out shoe leather working on difficult criminal cases.] And that's not to mention the issue of whether we want a society where heavily-armed cops can burst onto your property, with no grounds for suspicion beyond what somebody thought he saw from several hundred yards up in a helicopter.

     Marijuana eradication programs, like the one that sent the helicopter up above the Georgia man's house, are typically funded partly via the Drug Enforcement Agency's Cannabis Eradication Program. Many of these funds come from the controversial asset forfeiture programs that allow law enforcement officials to seize property from citizens never even charged--much less convicted--of a crime.

     The Cannabis Eradication programs have historically inflated the size of their hauls by including non-psychoactive "ditchweed" in their totals of plants seized. In past years, ditchweed accounted for up to 98 percent of outdoor plant totals….

Christopher Ingraham, "Heavily Armed Drug Cops Raid Retiree's Garden, Seize Okra Plants," The Washington Post, October 6, 2014 

Whackademia Quote: Should Teachers Be Trained in Hand-To-Hand Combat?

     The altercation that took place in early October 2014 at Carver Vocational-Technical High School in Baltimore, Maryland was caught on camera…The video shows a female teacher who appears to charge a female student, then throws the girl against lockers and pulls her hair. A male student attempts to intervene and break up the fight.

     But another part of the video shows what happened before the teacher lashed out at the student. In the classroom, the teacher appears to order the girl to stop using her phone while the class is taking a test. The student is seen shoving a chair toward the teacher and appears to throw something at her. The student slams an object down on the teacher's desk and rushes out of the room.

     When the teacher confronts the girl in the hallway, the student throws a book at the teacher, prompting the teacher's physical response.

     While at least one parent believes the teacher was in the wrong and should have acted more professionally, a student at the school said the teacher's actions were justified because they were in self-defense. According to a press release from the school, the teacher was treated for injuries and placed on administrative leave while an investigation is concluded. The student has been charged with assault. [I presume this student has been suspended from the school.]

"Fight Between Teacher and Student Caught on Camera," Cox Media Group, October 16, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Man Lured Boys By Posing as Woman on Craigslist

     A Tustin, California man arrested for allegedly posting an ad on Craigslist in which he attempted to lure teenage boys by pretending to be a woman was released from jail on October 18, 2014…Sherwin Ngo, 34, posted bond a day after he was arrested by Irvine police…

     The mother of one of the alleged victims, a 15-year-old boy, found explicit emails on her son's computer…A 16-year-old from Mission Viejo has been identified as a second victim…

     Irvine police arrested Ngo on suspicion of committing a lewd act on one of the teens and an attempted lewd act on the other. Detectives suspect there may be additional victims based on emails seized during a search of Ngo's online accounts.

Scott Glover, "Irvine Police Say Man Posed as Woman on Craigslist to Lure Teen Boys," L.A. Now, October 18, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Rape Fugitive Caught

     Accused child rapist Gregory Lewis, the subject of a multi-state manhunt, was arrested on October 28, 2014 in upstate New York after fleeing from the police then crashing his vehicle into a river…Police said a New York Police trooper attempted to pull over Lewis' vehicle because it was missing a license plate. Lewis fled from the trooper and drove into Fort Edward Village…The trooper and Fort Edward Village police began searching for Lewis. A short time later a 911 call came in indicating that a vehicle had crashed into a river.

     Lewis was taken into custody at the scene of the crash. At that time the arresting officers recovered a handgun from the fugitive.

     Lewis had cut off a court-ordered ankle bracelet and fled Massachusetts after his September 2014 arraignment on two counts of statutory rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. He is accused of going on a multi-state crime spree in the weeks since that included alleged sexual assaults, kidnappings, and robberies.

"Fugitive Captured: Southbridge Man Accused of Child Rape Caught in New York," October 29, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Lewd in LA

     "Django Unchanged" actress Daniele Watts and her boyfriend have been charged with one count each of lewd conduct…If found guilty, both Watts and her boyfriend, Brian James Lucas, could face a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

     The charges stem from an incident that took place in September 2014 outside CBS Studio Center in Studio City, California. Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department received calls that the couple was having sex in a parked car. The African-American actress and her white boyfriend accused police of racism for questioning them in what they said was only a public display of affection.

     Watts, a native of Atlanta, made her feature film debut in 2012 as Coco in the Oscar-nominated "Django Unchained."

"Actress, Boyfriend Charged With Lewd Conduct," CNN, October 22, 2014 

Drug Bust at John Wayne Airport

     Federal agents conducted a major drug arrest at a southern California airport that netted thousands of ecstasy pills…On October 9, 2014, Krista Marieann Boseley, 30, and Gilles Lapointe, 61, were arrested upon landing at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California. A consensual search of their aircraft led to drug dogs discovering 50,000 ecstasy pills and 90 pounds of raw MDMA, also known as "molly."

     Boseley and Lapointe also had $20,000 in cash, which they claim had been won from a Las Vegas casino. According to Orange County officials, the private plane transporting Boseley and Lapointe had previously been linked to drug trafficking allegations, and authorities had automatically marked it for search upon entering U.S. airspace from Canada.

     Boseley, an aspiring model, previously worked as a real estate agent. However, her model listing has been taken down….

Christian Datoc, "Private Plane Caught Carrying 50,000 Ecstasy Pills, 90 Pounds of MDA," The Daily Caller, October 18, 2014 

Can Police Officers Be Trusted with Seized Cellphones?

     A California Highway Patrol Officer suspected of stealing nude photos from the cellphones of women arrested on drunken driving charges sent the pictures to at least two fellow officers…Officer Sean Harrington, 35, confessed to investigators that he sent such photos at least six times over several years to colleagues…

     Harrington has worked for the CHP for five years…He is assigned to administrative duties pending the investigation. Contra County prosecutors say they expect to announce if they will file criminal charges in the coming days. Officers Robert Hazelwood and Dion Simmons are named in the October 24, 2014 search warrant affidavit, suspected of receiving the photographs and exchanging banter with Harrington…

     CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a statement that his agency has launched an investigation, citing a similar case several years ago involving two officers in Los Angeles…The investigation was sparked by a 23-year-old San Ramon woman arrested August 29, 2014 on suspicion of drunken driving…She later discovered nude photographs of herself had been sent from her cellphone to an unfamiliar number. Drunken driving charges against the woman have been dismissed in light of the investigation of officer Harrington…

     Harrington also sent officer Hazelwood photos of a 19-year-old woman arrested following a suspected drunken driving crash in Livermore, California on August 7, 2014. The photos show her wearing a bikini. Hazelwood responded in a text asking if there were any nude photos…

     Darryl Holcombe, a senior investigator with the Contra County District Attorney's Office said Harrington's behavior amounts to felony computer theft. Attorney Rick Madsen, who represents the 23-year-old woman, said the officers' communications were "dehumanizing" and "horribly offensive" to his client, saying, "It's going to lead to another level of mistrust and skepticism of law enforcement in general."

"California Traffic Cop Accused of Sending Nude Photos From Female Drunk Drivers' Cellphones," The Daily Mail, October 25, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Honey Boo Boo Gets TV Bye-Bye

     The Learning Channel (TLC) has given "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" the boot after a story surfaced Thursday October 23, 2014 claiming that June Shannon--aka Mama June--was dating a convicted child molester. Shannon reacted to the news in a video posted on her daughter Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson's Facebook page…Shannon denied she was dating Mark McDaniel, a sex offender who was recently released from jail. "The statement of me dating a sex offender is totally untrue," she said.

     McDaniel, who is in his early 50s, was convicted on May 20, 2004 of aggravated child molestation. He registered as a sex offender in March 2014. Shannon wrote a Facebook post on Thursday October 23 that she dated and dumped McDaniel 10 years ago. "I would never put my my kids in danger," she said in the video post.

    TMZ reported that McDaniel went to prison for molesting a relative of Shannon's. The site posted a photo of Shannon and McDaniel together, but Shannon insisted that the photograph was a fake. The cancellation of the TV series, however, is real…

     "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" debuted in August 2012. The show focused on the life of Alana Thompson, who rose to fame as a child pageant winner on the TLC show "Toddlers & Tiaras." In recent seasons, ratings for "Boo Boo" had decreased significantly. An episode in June 2014 brought in just 1.7 million viewers, a big drop for a show that had seen 3.2 million viewers at its peak.

" 'Honey Boo Boo' Canceled Amid Sex Offender Scandal," Fox News, October 24, 2014

     

Criminal Justice Quote: Collateral Damage in the Hunt for a Cop Killer

     James Tully, who doesn't own a car and who walks 5 miles to work every day, has been mistaken for Eric Frein, the Pennsylvania cop killer, more than 20 times by heavily-armed law enforcement officers scouring the Pocono Mountain region. On at least one occasion, Tully, 39, claims he was forced to the ground and had a rifle pointed at his head by an officer as he walked to his job along a heavily wooded road near where Frein is believed to be hiding…

     Hundreds of law enforcement officers descended on the area to search for Frein, who they say shot and killed corporal Bryon Dickson and wounded Trooper Alex Douglas in a ambush September 12, 2014 outside the Blooming Grove state police barracks in Pike County. Frein, a 31-year-old survivalist and expert marksman, has managed to evade capture in the dense woods of the Poconos--despite multiple reported sightings of him by police and local residents…

     Tully, a father of two who lives in Frein's hometown of Canadensis, was stopped by police so many times he started carrying his driver's license and work identification around his neck…After Tully left work Friday night October 17, 2014, he was stopped by an officer dressed in camouflage and a tactical vest and holding a rifle..."He yelled at me to get down on the ground with my arms out wide and demanded my name," Tully said. Tully said the man ripped the lanyard from around his neck as he drove his knee into his back…

     Tully said he was not released until a state trooper told the other officer that Tully was telling the truth. Tully limped the rest of the way home…

     Shortly after the encounter, Tully had trouble and was taken to the hospital where doctors told him his ribs were bruised as a result of the incident…He hopes the police will pay for X-rays and the time he was absent from work. [Good luck with that, Mr. Tully.]

     The Pennsylvania state police, meanwhile, claim they have no knowledge of the incident…

"Police Repeatedly Mistake Pennsylvania Man For Suspected Cop Killer Eric Frein," Fox News, October 24, 2014



     

Whackademia Quote: Phantom Courses for College Athletes

     On October 22, 2014, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said it will discipline nine more employees for an academic fraud that spanned 18 years and made it easier for student athletes to maintain eligibility to play. The school, which has won five national basketball championships, released the results of an independent investigation into the fraud in which 3,100 students took so-called "paper classes"--with no faculty involvement or class attendance. Almost half of the students were athletes…

     A series of probes that began in 2010 revealed the university had improperly cut corners for years to help student-athletes get better grades. The scandal has roiled the campus and drawn harsh national spotlight, shaking up the football program and leading to the resignation of former Chancellor Holden Thorp, who departed last year…

     The latest investigation is the result of information that emerged from a criminal probe by the Orange County District Attorney in North Carolina, where UNC at Chapel Hill is located. The DA last year dropped charges against Julius Nyang' oro, former chairman of the African and Afro-American Studies department that is at the center of the scandal, after he began cooperating with authorities.

    Nyang' oro had been charged with obtaining property under false pretenses after the university released a report in December 2012 that found the black studies department had offered courses where classes didn't meet and made unauthorized grade changes. The criminal charge was linked to payments the professor received for courses he never taught….

Michael McDonald, "UNC Academic Fraud Spanned 18 Years, Involved 3,100 Students," October 22, 2014

     

Criminal Justice Quote: Another White House Fence Jumper

     A man who jumped the White House fence Wednesday night October 22, 2014 suffers from mental problems. According to his father, he has been arrested there before. Dominic Adesanya of Bel Air, Maryland, barely made it onto the lawn before he was subdued as he fought two police dogs…"Dogs got him," a Secret Service spokesman said. His father said his son is paranoid and hears voices.

     Adesanya was arrested near the White House about two months ago and charged with a misdemeanor…

     In the latest incident, before officers moved in, Adesanya kicked a K-9 unit dog and punched another one. The two dogs were treated by a vet for injuries suffered in the incident. Charges against the White House intruder are pending….

"Latest White House Fence Jumper Has Mental Problems, Father Says," CNN, October 23, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Child Porn Producer Gets 20 Years

     A man will spend 20 years in federal prison for taking pictures of himself molesting a sleeping 11-year-old boy…Todd Lapping, 40, of Millcreek Township, was sentenced on October 20, 2014 by a federal judge in Erie, Pennsylvania. He had pleaded guilty in June to producing and possession child pornography and faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison…

     Lapping had befriended the boy's family before molesting the youth, saying, "There isn't anything much worse than taking advantage of an 11-year-old boy who loves you."

     Authorities were alerted when the victim's sister found the pornographic photos on Lapping's computer last year. The boy's mother contacted police in the Erie suburb before federal authorities took over the case.

"Man Gets 20 Years for Porn With Sleeping Boy," Associated Press, October 22, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Random Attacks on College Students by Roving Gangs

     Over the first two weekends in October 2014, groups of young men have been roving the streets and beating people completely at random near the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Police say the beat downs are consistent with initiations by big city street gangs--a phenomenon not typically seen on most Big 10 campuses…

     The attackers--described as black, perhaps 25 years old, wearing dark clothes--prowled aound an area in Champaign, tackling various innocent and unsuspecting victims to the ground and kicking them in the head. Police say five students suffered injuries in four different attacks. Three of the students received treatment for bruises, cuts and facial wounds…One student also had a cell phone stolen. 

     Some victims say their attackers asked them a question or threatened them before the pummeling began. Other victims say they just got attacked. Each incident occurred on a residential street in front of witnesses. There were six to eight attackers in total. They cruised around in a blue vehicle looking for victims. There have been 45 assaults reported in the Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area since October 1, 2014….

Eric Owens, "Black Males Are Viciously Beating People at Random at the University of Illinois," The Daily Caller, October 17, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Shooter Attacks Police in Three Towns

     Police in Washington state say a man opened fire on police stations and police cars in three towns Wednesday evening October 25, 2014 before being shot and arrested. The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said the first series of attacks took place at 9:30 PM, when an unmanned patrol car was shot at from a white pickup truck in the town of Great Falls. A few minutes later, police in Lake Stevens reported that their headquarters were being fired upon…Police cars were targeted in Lake Stevens as well.

     A short time after that, police officers located the truck and chased the suspect into the town of Marysville, where he shot at another patrol car before he was wounded and taken into custody early Thursday October 16…

     Lake Stevens Police Commander Dennis Taylor said the man was apparently armed with a "high-capacity" rifle. Taylor added that "many shots were fired and said that the police vehicles were hit several times.

"Man Opens Fire on Police Stations, Patrol Cars in Washington," Fox News, October 16, 2014

Whackademia Quote: Louisiana Biology Teacher Accused of Sex With Student

     Authorities say a private school biology teacher accused of having a sexual encounter with a 16-year-old student has been arrested…A Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office spokesperson said 27-year-old Nick Dominque, of Ventress, Louisiana was booked into jail on October 10, 2014 on counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and oral sexual battery.

     Nick Dominque had been teaching 75 students in his second year at False River Academy when the allegations surfaced in late September 2014. The teacher has since been fired.

"Biology Teacher Allegedly Had Sexual Encounter With Student," The Associated Press, October 14, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Native American Casino War

     A federal judge closed a central California casino after an armed showdown between tribal factions caused many gamblers to flee with chips left on the tables. U.S. District Judge Lawrence O'Neill, acting on an emergency request by the state attorney general, set no date for the possible reopening of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold 40 miles north of Fresno…The National Indian Gaming Commission also ordered the casino closed, declaring a threat to public safety that could result in serious injury or death.

     A faction that was forced out of the casino to a nearby tribal business center in August 2014 returned Thursday night October 9, 2014. According to the gaming commission, each faction controlled different parts of the casino…Madera County Sheriff John Anderson said about 500 people fled the casino. He said he worried for weeks about escalating tensions and had asked state and federal officials for help.

     The sheriff's department negotiated with about 20 armed tribal members after the casino cleared…There were no arrests, and no one was injured seriously enough to be hospitalized. "When they move the war into the casino, it meant we had to stop this. We have not been getting closer to a solution. If anything, we have gotten father away."

     The casino and hotel were guarded by sheriff's deputies…Vernon king, treasurer for the tribal council led by the faction that was ousted from the casino, said his group wanted to recover audit information and avoid a shutdown later this month. The casino, he said, employs 1,000 to 1,500 people and provides an average of around $450 a month to each of the 900 tribal members.

     Rob Rosette, a lawyer for the group that has controlled the casino since August 2014, said the other faction refused offers to negotiate for several months. Madera County Supervisor Tom Wheeler said the economic impact of the hotel and casino closure will be devastating. Still, he said he was more concerned about the potential for violence and that he had urged authorities to close the casino immediately.

"California Casino Is Closed After Armed Standoff," ABC News, October 10, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Knife-Wielding Degenrates Randomly Invade Home.

     Two young men broke into a randomly chosen suburban Seattle home and attacked an 18-year-old victim with knives. The assailants have been sentenced to more than 25 years each…Vincent Sisounong, 22, and 20-year-old Blessing Gainey earlier pleaded guilty to attempted first-dgree murder and first-degree burglary. They were sentenced Friday October 10, 2014.

     Prosecutors say the two were motivated by "pleasure and greed" when they attacked the teen who was staying at his family's Kirkland, Washington home on October 12, 2013. The victim, Deep Rewat, suffered severe cuts to his leg, shoulder and head and underwent surgery at Harborview Medical Center.

     Superior Court Judge Jean Rietschel called the crime "absolutely horrifying." A prosecutor told the judge the victim would have died had he not escaped and sought help from a neighbor. Outside the courtroom, Rewat said the sentencing was "definitely a big step in moving forward."

"2 Men Who Attacked Teen With Knives Gets 25 Years," chron.com, October 11, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Hidden Locker Room Videos Case

     A man and a woman face more than 250 felonies for allegedly putting cameras in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin locker rooms. Melissa Wenckebach, 28, and Karl Landt, 36, were charged in the spring of 2014 with 37 counts of conspiring to capture an image of nudity without consent, and 214 counts were added against each of them Thursday October 9, 2014.

     The investigation began in April 2014 after Wenckebach was allegedly discovered with a camera in a Pleasant Prairie recreational facility locker room. She confessed to police that she had been recording people changing at Landt's request…She told police they had been in a relationship. They both worked at Uline corporate headquarters in Pleasant Prairie. Later, Wenckebach told investigators she had also placed cameras in locker rooms at work. Wenckebach placed cameras at the recreational facility 40 to 50 times over a four month period and at Uline for more than two years.

     Police seized computers and digital storage devices found at Landt's Waukegan, Illinois home, recovering dozens of videos. The 214 new charges stem from those videos. Both suspects remain out of custody on bond…

"Pair Face 250 Felonies Over Locker Room Cameras," Associated Press, October 11, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Teen Commits Execution Style Murder

     Witnesses told police that a Cheyenne, Wyoming man with a gunshot wound to his stomach was begging for his life when a 16-year-old who had opened fire into a group of teens shot him in the head at point-blank range.

     Philip Sam was in court Wednesday October 8, 2014 on a first-degree murder charge in the death of 19-year-old Tyler Burns. He is being tried as an adult. Sam was at a park the previous Sunday night for a fight. He fired his gun at a group of teens that had gathered there. One of the bullets hit Burns in the stomach. The suspect told a detective that he shot Burns in the head because he didn't want him to suffer.

"Wyoming Teen Shot Man Who Was Begging For His Life," Associated Press, October 9, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: A Pervert on the Loose in Austin, Texas

     Austin, Texas police officers are looking for someone who throws urine-filled bottles at women. Police say a group of women reported a few weeks ago that someone in a dark-colored Jeep Wrangler drove past them and hurled a bottle containing urine. One of the woman was hurt…

     Another woman the bottle-thrower targeted on Wednesday October 8, 2014 described a similar vehicle. She wasn't injured.

     The incidents have occurred about a block apart in a neighborhood west of the University of Texas campus. [Detectives should start polygraphing professors. Just kidding.]

"Austin Police Looking for Someone Tossing Bottles of Urine at Women," Associated Press, October 11, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: No More High School Football This Year in Sayresville, New Jersey

     Seven teenaged high school football players in New Jersey have been charged with sex crimes in connection with an apparent team hazing ritual…Six members of the Sayresville War Memorial High School charged were arrested on Friday night October 10, 2014. A seventh suspect surrendered to the authorities the next day…

   Three of the teens were charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated sexual conduct, conspiracy to commit aggravated criminal sexual conduct, criminal restraint, and hazing for engaging in an act of sexual penetration upon one of the juvenile victims. One defendant and four others were charged with various other counts including aggravated assault, conspiracy, aggravated criminal sexual contact, hazing and riot in connection with four separate incidents that took place at the school in September 2014.

     The Sayresville team is a powerhouse in New Jersey football, with three state titles in the past four years…

"Seven Teens Charged With Sex Crimes in Football Hazing Case," The Times of India, October 12, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Couple Charged With Fatal Poisoning of Disabled Child

     A woman and her boyfriend were charged with murder Tuesday October 7, 2014 after police said they put alcohol in the IV tube of the woman's disabled 13-year-old son, killing him. Melissa Robitille and Walter Richter III of Hardwick, Vermont were charged with second-degree murder in the death of Isaac Robitille. Melissa Robitille called police August 22, 2014 to report that Isaac was dead.

     Isaac Robitille was born with significant medical conditions and multiple disabilities that required caretakers, feeding tubes and IV tubes…Robitille and Richter, both 38, were charged with using the IV tube to administer alcohol to the boy, leading to his death. An autopsy by the state medical examiner's office found the victim's blood-alcohol content was 0.146 percent, nearly twice the legal limit for adults to drive.

     Isaac's health conditions included a brain abnormality that was listed as the cause of death, with the alcohol listed as a contributing factor…

"Couple Held in Boy's Alcohol Death," Associated Press, October 8, 2014 

Writing Quote: The Young Adult Literature Boom

     These days, you don't have to be a parent to be familiar with popular teen book titles like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games or Twilight. These titles have sold millions of copies of books and spawned merchandise empires, been adopted into blockbuster films, and have permeated our pop-culture lives.

     Young adult literature is a booming business and has been one of the fastest growing book categories for publishers in recent years with more than 715 million books sold in 2013…Even though this genre is aimed at audiences 12 to 18, more non-teenagers are picking up these titles. In fact, a 2014 report showed that 77 percent of young adult literature buyers were actually adults, with the largest segment of buyers--43 percent, ages 18 to 29…And given the difficult economic climate the publishing industry has faced over the last few years, more young adult buyers has been a blessing…

Tracy Wholf, "Why Adults are Buzzing About Young Adult Literature," PBS News Hour, October 4, 2014 

Whackademia Quote: Police Sting Teacher Looking For Sex With 15-year-old

     A western Pennsylvania high school choral teacher has been accused of traveling to West Virginia hoping to meet a 15-year-old girl for sex. Instead, police, after monitoring his online attempts, took Daniel McGarvey, 44, into custody.

     McGarvey is a choral teacher at the Laurel Highlands School District near Uniontown. He was arrested Friday October 3, 2014 by Bridgeport, West Virginia police when he arrived there expecting to meet a girl he thought he had contacted online. An investigator had been corresponding with McGarvey after seeing his social media posts soliciting sex…

"Teacher Held in Sex Case," Associated Press, October 7, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Militarizing the Coroner's Office

     A Defense Department giveaway program that equips local police with surplus military weapons also supplies guns to government agencies with limited law enforcement powers and a questionable need for high-powered firearms. [The coroner's office doesn't need low-powered guns.]

     An Arkansas Coroner got a rifle, a handgun and a Humvee. Military-grade weapons also have gone to agencies that enforce gaming laws at Kansas tribal casinos, weigh 18-wheelers in Mississippi, and investigate livestock thefts in Wyoming. While most of the weapons go to municipal police departments and county sheriffs [they don't need this stuff either], an Associated Press review of the Pentagon's 1033 Program shows that a diverse array of other state and local agencies have scooped up guns and other military surplus equipment.

"Even a Coroner Gets Surplus Military Guns," Associated Press, October 7, 2014 

The First Law School Casualty of the Lawyer Glut

     The Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley School of Law publicly announced that it intends to shut down its campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the end of 2014…The announcement makes it the first law school to close amid a severe downturn in applications and enrollment at the nations's approximately 200 law schools…

     Long a major avenue for young Americans aspiring to the upper middle class or seasoned adults seeking a career change, law school has been hit by a crisis that has sent application and matriculation numbers into free fall. The largest factor is a saturation of the legal field, as the country's 204 ABA-accredited law schools produce far more JDs than there are legal jobs open to accept them. Rapidly rising tuition rates and relatively stagnant earnings for lawyers have played a role as well.

     Law school matriculations have declined nationwide (falling from over 50,000 to under 40,000), but Cooley's fall has been exceptionally dramatic. In 2010 the school enrolled 1583 first-year students at its three campuses; by the fall of 2013 that number cratered all the way to 582. Since Cooley relies primarily on tuition dollars to stay open, its shrinking body has wreaked havoc on school finances….

Blake Neff, "Cooley Becomes First Casualty of Law School Crisis," The Daily Caller, October 7, 2014 

Whackademia Quote: Bad Timing in Teacher-Student Sex Case

     A Pennsylvania high school substitute English teacher will strand trial on charges she had sex with two 18-yeasr-old students days before they graduated in the Spring of 2014. But defense attorney Michael DeRiso said Tiffany Leiseth, 26, didn't commit a crime because the students were also "adults" under the law and therefore old enough to consent.

     Moon Township police and Allegheny County prosecutors disagree with the defense attorney's interpretation of the law. They argue that the young men, at the time of the alleged offenses, were still students even though classes at New Brighton High School had ended.

     In Pennsylvania, sex between a student and a teacher is a third-degree felony, regardless of the student's age. [The crime carries a sentence of up to 7 years in prison.]

     Tiffany Leiseth no longer works for the school district and will surrender her state teaching license.

"Substitute Teacher Heads to Trial in Student Sex Case," Associated Press, October 2, 2014