CJ Quote: How Many Pet Dogs Do the Police Kill?

     A man who's dog was shot and killed by Salt Lake City police has posted a video of an exchange he had with officers minutes after the shooting. Sean Kendall's 3-year-old Weimaraner, named Geist, was shot in the head on June 24, 2014 after officers entered the homeowner's house while searching for a missing child…."Which officer shot my dog? Please," Kendall asked several officers standing in his front yard when he arrived at the scene.

     "We were looking for a lost child," one officer responded. A neighborhood parent had reported her 3-year-old child missing earlier in the day. The child was later found asleep in the basement of the family's home. [Why didn't they start the search in the missing boy's house?]

     "And that gives you probable cause to enter a private residence without permission from the owner?" asked a livid Kendall who asked for the names and badge numbers of the officers.

     "He [the shooting officer] was threatened by the dog, and he shot the dog. That's as simple as it gets," one officer said. [Cops like to keep things simple.] The officer who shot Geist was not at the scene at the time, though the officers gave Kendall his name. [The cop was probably meeting with his union rep.]

     "So backing up slowly and leaving the residence was not an option?" Kendall asked, his voice growing more agitated. "I understand it wasn't you personally," Kendall said, "but you guys killed my dog. I had this dog for three years. He was my best friend, and he was shot because an officer couldn't back out of my house! Is that against policy? Is that against training?" Kendall asked….

Chuck Ross, "Man Confronts Police After They Shot His Dog," The Daily Caller, June 26, 2014

     

Criminal Justice Quote: Child Sex Trafficking Arrests

     Nearly 170 victims of child sex trafficking, many of whom had never been reported missing, were rescued as part of an annual nationwide crackdown, the FBI announced on June 23, 2014. Besides the 168 children rescued from the sex trade, agents arrested 281 pimps during the same period on state and federal charges.

     "These are not kids in faraway lands," FBI Director James Comey said in announcing the annual enforcement push known as Operation Cross County. "These are America's children," he said….

     Since its creation in 2003, the FBI's program has resulted in the identification and recovery of about 3,600 children who have been sexually exploited….

CBS News, "FBI: 168 Kids Rescued," June 23, 2014 

Writing Quote: Romance Fiction

In 2008 in the United States romance fiction is said to have been worth $1.37 billion in actual book sales, quite apart from subsidiary rights income. Over 7,000 novels were published in the genre. The Romance Writers of America Association provides the...flag-waving statistics that 74 million people read at least one romance novel in 2008. Most readers--perhaps as many as 90 percent--are female.

Michael Schmidt, The Novel: A Biography, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Ex-Cop Wanted for Rape Arrested in Alaska

     Joseph Keenan May's quiet life on the lam in Alaska unraveled after he used his late stepbrother's name to apply for a driver's license and unemployment benefits…May, a former sheriff's deputy wanted since 1991 for capital sexual battery in Bradenton, Florida, was arrested on identify theft charges early Friday, June 20, 2014. Federal officers took him into custody at his home in Eagle River, Alaska.

     "Sometimes Alaska draws people who want to run away from things," Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Bradley said."We find that there's an inordinate amount of fugitives here…Authorities say May, 60, has been the subject of a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution since 1993. For years May lived under the identity of stepbrother Michael Camp who died in his teens in Pennsylvania…

     May faced up to 12 years for the federal charges in Alaska and potentially the death penalty in Florida…A former road patrol deputy, the authorities arrested May in 1990 for the rape of a 6-year-old girl in the 1970s. May fled before he could be tried.

Ray Sanchez, "Ex-Florida Deputy Arrested in Alaska After More Than Two Decades on The Lam," CNN, June 21, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Patronizing Prostitutes: One Old Customer

     According to New Castle, Pennsylvania police, two officers observed  35-year-old Brandy Lynn Bartley loitering on South Mill Street. They saw her get into a car driven by Harry Anthony Mooney, 83, about 9 PM on Wednesday, June 28, 2014. Officers arrested Bartley and searched her purse. They found a glass pipe commonly used to ingest crack cocaine.

     A Lawrence County prosecutor charged Bartley with promoting prostitution and possession of drug paraphernalia. The 83-year-old suspect was charged with patronizing a prostitute….

"Man, Woman to Face Prostitution Charges," New Castle News, June 20, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Intoxicated Driver Fatally Runs Over Her Father

     A southern California man identified by family members as a former Laotian military officers who aided U.S. efforts during the Vietnam War, was run over and killed by his daughter while he attempted to prevent the woman from driving drunk….Thirty-seven-year-old Soukvilay Barton ignored her father's pleas not to drive and backed her BMW convertible out of the garage, striking him.

      Bounmy Rajsombath was rushed to Riverside Hospital where he was pronounced dead Friday night, June 13, 2014. Witnesses say Barton had been drinking and arguing with family members. She stopped the car after seeing that her father was injured and sat sobbing before being taken into custody.

     Barton was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and gross vehicle manslaughter and was held on $75,000 bail….

"California Father Run Over Trying to Stop Daughter From Driving," FoxNews.com, June 15, 2014 

Hellementary Education Quote: Kiddie Boot Camp

     The principal at a North Carolina elementary school is in hot water after parents say she forced a group of students to trudge around a dirt track for over two hours without water because they failed to wear their uniforms on the last day of school. The incident occurred on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at Manchester Elementary School just outside Fayetteville, North Carolina. The principal is Tammy Holland.

     Complaining parents say the trouble began when their kids showed up at school in regular garb instead of khakis and white polo shirts….The temperature was in the high 70s when the slog started and in the high 80s when it finally ended more than two hours later. The high humidity made the air seem hotter….

     School district officers are investigating the allegations….The superintendent noted that forced physical activity is illegal under school district rules….

Eric Owens, "Grade School Principal Makes Kids Walk For Hours in Heat Without Water," The Daily Caller, June 15, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Wife Beater Gets Off Light

     Some call it creative ruling; some call it bench buffoonery. In 2012 Joseph Bray was accused of shoving his wife and putting his hands around her throat when she snapped at him for forgetting her birthday. Judge John Hurley decided to hand out a unique punishment: a little romance.

     Not only did Judge Hurley order Bray to take his wife on a date, he also specified that it must be dinner at Red Lobster, followed by bowling, and that he must purchase flowers.

     Sounds like a good sentence, right? Bray can throw his wife around all he wants, as long as he takes her out to dinner afterward.

Neil Patrick Steward, Headlines! Headlines!, 2012 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Bergdahl Stalking Case

     The father of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl…harassed a pair of twin sisters in Hailey, Idaho, for several months, according to police reports obtained by The Daily Mail. In 2011, long before Robert Bergdahl began learning Pashto and Arabic…the bearded dad stalked Lacey and Allie Hillman, police documents say….

     The Hillman sisters told police that Bergdahl, a UPS deliveryman, harassed them for more than four months. Bergdahl's son Bowe was into his Taliban captivity during this period….The twins said Bergdahl, 51, drove by their residence--apparently they lived together--several times each day. On one occasion, the sisters claimed, he left an angry note charging that one of the girls [in their twenties] was "two-timing" him. Later, he allegedly left a note saying, "I am sorry for whatever I did."

     A few weeks later, the sisters told the police, Bergdahl confronted Allie Hillman at her front door after her boyfriend had left her house. She told police Bergdahl knocked on the door and said, while laughing, "Why are you two-timing me, bitch?"…

     Another time, Bergdahl allegedly sneaked around the outside of the home for a few hours and approached the house as Lacey Hillman was taking a shower. Lacey told local cops that she heard a noise and stepped out of the shower wearing a towel. She walked to a glass door. There, she told police, she saw a "shadowed person." It was Bergdahl, she said. He tried to get her to come closer to the door….

     It was after this voyeuristic episode that the sisters went to the police, saying they were "very scared," reports The Mail….

     The cops had a chat with Bergdahl, warning him to stay away from the twins's residence and places of work. He agreed to the terms. The Hillman twins agreed not to press charges.

     Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier in the U.S. Army, was held captive by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in Afghanistan from June 2009 until his release in May 2014. The release was part of a five-for-one prisoner trade with the Taliban….

Eric Owens, "Twin Sisters Say Bowe Bergdahl's Dad Was Obsessive Peeping-Tom Stalker," The Daily Caller, June 14, 2014  

Criminal Justice Quote: Hot Bacon Grease as a Weapon

     A woman is wanted for allegedly throwing bacon grease on a man with whom she had been arguing. New Castle, Pennsylvania police charged Shawntay Hope Thomas, 37 in connection with the incident that happened about 10:15 PM on Thursday, June 12, 2014 at her house.

     Police say they were called to Jameson Hospital regarding a man suffering from burns and redness on his face, neck, and chest. He told officers that he and Thomas had been arguing and he had gone out to the porch. A short time later, he said, she went outside carrying a cup of hot bacon grease and threw it on him….She is charged with simple assault and harassment….

"Woman Charged With Bacon Grease Assault," New Castle News, June 18, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: Some Retirees Golf: Others Take Up Cooking

     Fresno, California police arrested a 64-year-old man suspected of cooking methamphetamine in his apartment at a retirement community….Robert Short was pulled over as part of a routine traffic stop late Saturday, June 14, 2014. Officers found meth in his car.

     Investigators then went to Short's apartment in the California League-Fresno Village, where they found a half pound of meth, heroin and materials for a meth lab. Police said the street value of the drugs Short was carrying was close to $1,700. Officers also found scales and baggies in his car….

     Short's neighbors at the senior housing facility say despite the tight-knit community there, they didn't know Short. He kept to himself. Short has been on supervised release for previous drug sales.

"Meth Lab Found at California Retirement Community," Associated Press, June 14, 2014 

Activist Students Accuse Campus Men of Rape Through Graffiti and Flyers

     Pursuant to a federal law called the Clery Act, the nation's colleges and universities are required, among other things, to promptly report allegations of campus rape and other sexual offenses to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Congress passed the law amid valid complaints that colleges and universities, to avoid bad publicity, routinely discouraged campus rape victims by making it difficult to file these complaints. Moreover, college administrators were reluctant to pass on these allegations to the police. The Clery Act was passed to solve this problem. Results have been mixed.

     It hasn't been a secret that on the campus of Columbia University in New York City, rape has been a campus problem for years. On April 25, 2014, twenty-three Columbia students filed a Clery Act complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. Through this document, the university stood accused of discouraging campus rape allegations to the authorities. These complainants also accuse university administrators of protecting students suspected of rape by refusing to kick them out of school.

     On May 7, 2014, a group of activists wrote the names of four accused rapists on the stalls in a Hamilton Hall women's restroom. Under the headings "Sexual Assault Violators" and "Rapists on Campus," the published names had been written in four different sets of handwriting with each writer using a different color marker. The last person on the lists was labeled a "serial rapist."

     The Hamilton Hall bathroom rape lists were posted less than 24 hours when university officials got wind of the "graffiti" and removed it. This not only prompted the activists to spread their message to other women's restrooms, it resulted in the publication of rape list flyers that were posted around the campus. For university administrators, the lists presented a public relations nightmare.

     On May 16, 2014, after Columbia student Emma Sulkowicz filed a rape complaint against one of the students on the rape lists with the New York City Police Department, the school paper, the Spectator, published this male undergraduate's name.

     A few days after the rapist's name appeared in the Spectator, Emma Sulkowicz, one of the Clery Act complainants, held a press conference. In describing her experience at the New York City Police Department, Sulkowicz said, "the officer basically treated me as if I was the criminal. After you've been physically violated the last thing you want is to have a policemen who is high on his own power telling you that everything you've just experienced is invalid."

     Regarding the Columbia rape lists, campus opinion seems divided between students who consider the lists the work of out-of-control vigilantes, and others who praise these students for standing up for victims' rights.

     At present, federal agents are investigating 55 colleges and universities for violations of the Clery Act. 

Criminal Justice Quote: School Security Has Not Reduced Shootings

     There has been no real reduction in the number of U.S. school shootings despite increased security put in place after the rampage at a Connecticut elementary school in December 2012 left 20 children and six educators dead. An Associated Press analysis finds that there have been at least 11 school shooting this academic year alone, in addition to other cases of gun violence in school parking lots and elsewhere on campus when classes were not in session. Last August 2013, a gun discharged in a 5-year-old's backpack while students were waiting for the opening bell in the cafeteria at Westside Elementary School in Memphis. No one was hurt.

     Experts say the rate of school shootings is statistically unchanged since the mid-to-late 1990s, yet still remains troubling….

"No Reduction in U.S. School Shootings Despite Increased Security, Analysis Finds, Associated Press, February 2, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Child Molester Spared Prison

     In 1984, a Kalamazoo, Michigan man was found guilty of sexually assaulting his underage stepdaughter over a period of seven years, until she ran away. Rather than serve prison time, the judge ordered that he undergo chemical castration, a drug therapy that would diminish his sex drive.

     The craziest part is this: the drug was manufactured by the Upjohn pharmaceutical company, which was founded by the grandfather of the accused, making him the heir to the fortune. He'd go on to get rich off the company, but not before being forced to sample his own products.

Neil Patrick Steward, Headlines! Headlines!, 2012

Criminal Justice Quote: Couple Murdered for "Defriending" Girl on Facebook

     In the most awful case of overreaction ever, a young Nashville, Tennessee couple was brutally murdered after they "defriended" a girl on Facebook in 2012….

     It was the girl's father who decided to exact retribution for the snub. He went to the couple's house, shot them both, and slit the husband's throat for good measure. In an appalling testament to the senseless savagery of the crime, the killer left the couple's crying eight-month-old baby in her dead mother's arms.

Neil Patrick Steward, Headlines! Headlines!, 2012

Criminal Justice Quote: Unlawful Shooting at the Moon

     An Arizona man arrested for unlawfully discharging a firearm told authorities he was trying to shoot the moon. On June 6, 2014, Prescott Valley police responded to the home after a woman reported that her boyfriend had fired several shots from a handgun and still was armed.

     The woman and her teenage son told police that 39-year-old Cameron Read was talking about seeing the Halley's Comet and fired a round out of the window. They heard several more shots before fleeing.

     Police say Read has been booked into the Yavapai County Jail on suspicion of felony counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, endangerment, and misdemeanor criminal damage. [Obviously not to the moon.]

"Arizona Man Arrested For Shooting at Moon," Associated Press, June 11, 2014 

Whackademia Quote: Campus Sex Crime on the Rise

 A new federal report says sex crimes reported at American colleges and universities went up in the last decade even as overall campus crime decreased. The report, released on June 10, 2014 from the U.S. Education Department, says 3,330 forcible sex offenses on college campuses were reported in 2011, a 51 percent increase from the 2,200 reported in 2001. The number of crimes in every other category, such as burglary, declined during the same period….

"Report: Sex Crimes Were Up at US Colleges," Associated Press, June 10, 2014

     

Criminal Justice Quote: Car Burglar Dies of Heart Attack After Struggle With Police

     A 30-year-old man suspected of breaking into cars died of an apparent heart attack following a foot chase and struggle with officers early Wednesday, June 11, 2014. Yonkers, New York police said a resident called 911 at 3:58 AM to report that a man was attempting to break into a vehicle on Bolmer Avenue. The caller said the man was running away through backyards.

     Police said officers from the Fourth Precinct responded and that the man was spotted on Corbalis Place. Police said a struggle ensued and the man was taken into custody. While being treated by Empress Ambulance personnel, police said the man went into cardiac arrest. He was treated at a local emergency room but died….

     The Yonkers Police Department Internal Affairs Division and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office are investigating the incident….The death comes about two and a half months after another suspect in Yonkers died during a police investigation. David Tena, 45, jumped out a window of an apartment and fell three stories to his death as police conducted a drug raid…

Thane Grauel, "Yonkers Suspect Dies After Struggle With Police," lohud.com, June 11, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Burglar Set Free By Mistake Stabbed to Death

     A jury's confusion over how to fulfill their duty must have felt like a ticket to freedom for Bobby Lee Pearson, who was cleared of a burglary charge and set free. Unable to reach a verdict, Person's Fresno, California jury mistakenly signed a not guilty form on June 11, 2014. If fact, the jurors had actually deadlocked on his verdict….

     Pearson and a co-defendant, Terrell Minnieweather, were accused of burglarizing an apartment in 2013 and stealing a video system and a gun. The homeowner allegedly caught the intruders and wrestled with one of them….It was too late when the judge finally learned that the jury was unable to reach a verdict, stalling on an 8 to 4 vote in favor of guilt….

     After being released from jail, Pearson went to the home of his sister, Lasandra Jackson, to pick up some clothing and belongings….Pearson apparently got into a fight with his sister's boyfriend, 35-year-old Willie Gray. The two had a history of problems….Investigators believe Gray killed Pearson, who was found dead in the street with a chest wound from a knife and a cut on his stomach. Investigators found a steak knife near the body….

     Gray was arrested and treated for injuries to his hands before being booked on suspicion of murder….

Scott Smith, "California Man Dies Hours After Freed by Jury Mistake," Associated Press, June 13, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Good Thing the Robber Assaulted Jerimiah Willey

     Call it a mixed blessing--one that may have saved an Arizona convenience store employee's life. When Phoenix Circle K manager Jerimiah Willey was pistol-whipped during a robbery last month, he landed at St. Joseph's Hospital with a head injury that required eight staples. "He hit me in the head twice, and then throughout the whole thing, he was nudging me with the gun." Willey said.

     The hospital did a CT scan and discovered something far worse--a massive and potentially life-threatening brain tumor. "They said that had this not been found and found soon, he probably just would have gone to sleep one night and not been able to wake up," his wife, Alisha Willey said.

     Jerimiah is recovering from the first of what's expected to be three brain surgeries….The surgery has left him partially paralyzed, with slurred speech and some loss of hearing. He's undergoing therapy. Although the road ahead for the Willeys and their three children is uncertain, they're hopeful that the slow-growing tumor is benign and was caught before it was too late. A fund has been set up to help pay for the family's medical expenses….

Ed Payne and Dave Alsup, "Arizona Store Employee Discovers Brain Tumor After He's Pistol-Whipped," CNN, June 13, 2014

Criminal Justice Quote: The Decline of the Coroner's Office

     The office of coroner fell out of favor toward the end of the nineteenth century, as too many coroners were shown to be venal, corrupt, or incompetent. For a fee, a corrupt coroner might certify a suicide as an accidental death, allowing the relatives of the deceased to collect the life insurance. A coroner in Brooklyn, New York, who was paid by the coroner's inquest hearing, had the body of a drowned man moved from place to place around the East River waterfront and held multiple inquests over the same corpse.

     The office of coroner is disappearing around the United States, with coroners being replaced by medical examiners who are medical doctors trained in forensic pathology. In some jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles County, the title of coroner is kept, but the position is filled by a trained forensic pathologist. [In many states coroner offices still exist in rural counties. Coroners are elected into office, medical examiners are appointed.]

Michael Kurland, How to Try a Murder, 1997 

Criminal Justice Quote: How Big is Sex Trafficking in the U.S.?

     Estimates of the number of victims of human trafficking in the U.S. vary widely. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has estimated there are between 100,000 and 300,000 child victims of trafficking, though it no longer uses these figures, acknowledging the difficulty in measuring the scope of the problem.

     The Polaris Project, a nonprofit organization founded to combat human trafficking and "modern day slavery," has counted about 14,000 sex trafficking cases in the U.S. over the last six years, based on the number of calls to its national hotline. In 2012, the Department of Justice convicted 138 human traffickers in cases involving forced labor, sex trafficking of adults and sex trafficking of children, compared to 151 convictions in 2011. The majority of the cases involved sex trafficking.

     Human trafficking is a $9.8 billion annual industry in the U.S., according to the nonprofit Shared Hope International organization.

Monica Alba, "Super Bowl Surge in Sex Trafficking? Maybe Not, But Issue Grabs the Spotlight," NBC News, January 29, 2014 

Whackademia Quote: Fighting Racism in the Engineering Profession

     To become a good engineer or business major, a student must first study the all-important subjects of race and ethnicity--at least according to student government leaders at the University of Michigan, who are working to extend the liberal arts college race requirements to all colleges of the university. A proposal, drafted by the members of the Central Student Government, aims to reform the requirement that all students in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts study race and ethnicity before graduation. Moving forward, all students--even those in the Colleges of Engineering and Business--would be forced to take a class with a racial component, if the proposal were approved by faculty….

     The proposal is supported by the Black Student Union, a race-based group at UM that recently made news for presenting a list of demands to the university. Administrators immediately caved to the group's most costly demand: a $300,000 renovation of the campus's multicultural center….

Robby Soave, "Activists at U-M Trying to Force Engineering Students to Study Race and Ethnicity," The Daily Caller, March 14, 2014

Hellementary Education Quote: Two Charged in Connection With First-Grader Bringing Bags of Heroin to School

     Authorities say a man and a woman are facing charges after a first-grader brought 11 packs of heroin to a Philadelphia school. School officials say 20 students at Barry Elementary School in the city's Cobbs Creek section were taken to a hospital after a teacher saw a 6-year-old girl playing with one of the packets.

     No injuries were reported, although police said one of the packets appeared to have been bitten and a girl was complaining of stomach pains. Police and prosecutors said Wednesday, June 11, 2014 that 28-year-old Christopher Troy-Jenkins White and 32-year-old Marie Hunter were charged with endangerment and narcotics possession….

"2 Charged Over Heroin Found in Philadelphia School," elitebartend.com, June 11, 2014 

Hellementary Education Quote: Another Toy Gun Suspension

     First-grader Darin Simak is a little shy, a little upset and a little confused about why he can't go back to Martin Elementary School in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, but he knows it's the result of him bringing a toy gun to school in his backpack on June 4, 2014. Jennifer Mathabel said her son left his usual backpack in a friend's car the night before, so he packed another one but missed the toy gun inside. "So I sent my child to school. My child discovers a toy gun at about 1:30 PM. He turns it in to the teacher and he's sent to the office and suspended," said Mathabel.

     But she felt her son shouldn't be suspended, and still sent him to school the next morning. "I got a phone call from the principal at 9 AM, and she said, 'Darin is not to be in school,' and I said, 'I'm sending him to school because he's entitled to be in school and be educated,'" said Mathabel. [She should have said, "My God! You people are idiots!"]

     Darin was given an in-school suspension until his father came to pick him up and take him back home. The New Kensington-Arnold School District superintendent said that bringing a toy gun to school violates the district's policy at the highest level [of stupidity] and requires a child to be suspended immediately until a meeting can be held to discuss what happened and whether punishment is warranted.

"First-Grader Suspended After Toy Gun Found in Backpack," WTAE.com June 6, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Mayor Caught Dumping Dog Dirt in Neighbor's Yard

     The mayor of San Marino, California was caught on surveillance camera tossing a small bag of dog poop into a neighbor's front yard, and the homeowner is refusing to accept his apology. Resident Philip Lao said he discovered the small bag outside his home Saturday evening June 7, 2014 before going on a walk with his wife. After returning, he viewed footage from his home surveillance cameras to find out who dumped the bag in his yard. To his surprise, Lao recognized the culprit as Dennis Kneier, mayor of the wealthy San Gabriel Valley community.

     "We have not been able to sleep at night for a while because of this," Lao said. Kneier appears in the surveillance video holding a briefcase in his left hand and a small bag in his right as he walks in the 1400 block of Charlton Road. A woman, who was later identified as Kneier's wife, was walking a few steps ahead of  him and appears to say something to him, then points toward Lao's walkway moments before he tosses the bag.

     Lao called police about the incident and officers took a report, indicating the bag "appeared to have been intentionally placed in the walkway entrance," the San Marino Police Department said in a statement. Although police said Lao does not want to press charges, detectives are still investigating the incident.

     Lao claims the major has not been happy with him since he placed a "No poop zone" sign outside his home and has been vocal about his opposition to a proposed dog park at Lacy Park. But Kneier says he has no opinion about the dog park because it's not up for City Council review. As for the sign, Kneier said it has been a sore subject for many neighborhood residents, who have pleaded with him to convince Lao to remove it. "I personally don't like the sign, but I can't tell him to take it down," the mayor said.

     Kneier has not talked to Lao, but sent him a letter of apology [in which he claimed the dog dirt incident was accidental.]…But Lao says he's not accepting Kneier's apology because he believes the mayor is not being truthful. "He's compounding the situation by lying about how this occurred," Lao said. [Of course the mayor lied. He's a politician.]…

Veronica Rocha, "San Marino Mayor Caught Tossing Bag of Dog Poo in Neighbor's Yard," Los Angeles Times, June 10, 2014  

Criminal Justice Quote: Dinosaur Fossil Smuggler Turned Snitch For Light Sentence

     A dinosaur smuggler turned informant will spend only a few months in prison, about two years after Mongolian authorities realized Tyrannosaurus fossils had been pilfered from the Gobi Desert. Eric Prokopi, 29, pleaded guilty last year [2013] to three counts related to the smuggling of dinosaur fossils into the U.S. His biggest find was a 2-ton Tyrannosaurus bataar, about 8 feet tall, 24 feet long, and 70 million years old. Prokopi enlisted a New York auction house to put the dinosaur up for bid, but the quirky offering caught the eye of paleontologists, including an advisor to the Mongolian president.

     The fossils had a grayish-sand hue, which indicated they could have only come from Mongolia. Officials there worked with U.S. authorities to halt the million-dollar sale and prosecute Prokopi. Mongolian authorities even uncovered photographs of Prokopi working at an excavation site in the Gobi Desert.

     But prosecutors eventually requested leniency for him because Prokopi shared details about the fossil smuggling world that helped them recover several other items….Every fossil-smuggling investigation since Prokopi's arrest has been made possible in part by information he provided….

     Prokopi had faced up to 17 years in prison, but a federal judge on June 3, 2014 sentenced him to three months in prison and about a year of probation. Still, Prokopi had sought to avoid prison altogether because his reputation as a professional fossils dealer already has been tarnished, according to his attorney. He must turn himself in by September 2014. Prosecutors said Mongolia plans to open a natural history museum, beginning with the fossils recovered from the Prokopi case.

Paresh Dave, "Dinosaur Fossils Smuggler Turned Informant Gets Short Prison Sentence," Nation Now, June 4, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Another Slender Man Inspired Teen Knife Attack

     A teenage girl's brutal attack on her mother has been linked to an obsession with fictional horror figure Slander Man. An Ohio mother, who was stabbed by her 13-year-old daughter in the kitchen of their home, has told how her child assaulted her after the girl became obsessed with the fictional character.

     "I came home one night from work and she was in the kitchen waiting for me and she was wearing a mask, a white mask," the mother told a local news station. The mother suffered multiple minor injuries, including a puncture wound in her back. "She [the girl] was someone else during the attack," the victim said.

     The attack came to light after two Wisconsin adolescents were charged with the attempted murder of a 12-year-old classmate as a sacrifice to the online demon. Prosecutors allege that Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyster, both 12, stabbed a friend 19 times and left her to die….Police say the girls told detectives they wanted to murder the girl after reading tales about Slender Man on the horror website CreepyPasta….

     Slender Man, the creation of paranormal enthusiasts, is said to be a lanky, faceless creature in a suit who terrorizes and kidnaps children. It is believed the spooky figure was invented in a Photoshop contest on the Something Awful forums in 2009 and became the subject of online paranormal fan fiction….

     The mother who was assaulted has pleaded with parents to monitor the behavior and reading material of their children….

"Mother Attacked by Daughter Says Slender Man Could Be To Blame," news.com.au, June 9, 2014
    

Criminal Justice Quote: Police Fight and Taser Naked Man on Cocaine Who Died the Next Day

     A 34-year-old…man died Sunday, June 8, 2014 after he was hospitalized following a confrontation with police early Saturday morning….Gilbert, Arizona police responded at about 3:30 AM Saturday…after callers reported that a naked man was yelling for help….Daniel Best assaulted police as they tried to detain him….It took five officers to subdue Best….Tasers were used several times. Police believe that Best had an altercation with his wife prior to their arrival, and that cocaine played a role in his actions….

     Once in custody, Best showed signs of medical distress and the fire department transported him to a hospital, where he died….

Matthew Casey, "Naked Gilbert Man Dies After Police Confrontation," The Republic, June 9, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: The Crappiest Little Whorehouses in Texas

     Fifteen women and three men were arrested on May 19, 2014 after a double prostitution sting in East Harris County, Texas.

     Undercover officers went into the suspected locations, a bar and a cantina located just east of Houston, disguised as customers after several complaints. A makeshift bedroom was discovered in the restrooms. The group had a total of 21 charges of prostitution and other crimes.

"Texas Prostitution Ring Busted," dve.com, May 20, 2014 

Mystery Plot Structures

      In a narrative constructed around a mystery, the central mystery, if anything, takes on an outsize importance, one that threatens to blot out everything else. On some level, the only thing that matters in a mystery story is the last chapter. You may think that's unfair, but it's just the way the genre works.

     One theory about the ideal structure of a mystery story holds that in a mystery there are essentially two kinds of plot: an apparent plot and a revealed plot. The apparent plot is everything that happens up to the final chapter of the story is immediately apparent, until the very end. The revealed plot is what really turns out to be the case after all the mysteries have been revealed.

     In a really good mystery the difference between these two kinds of plots isn't just mechanical, it is interpretive. It isn't just about who appears to have done it and who really did it. It's about what it all--the world, good and evil, women and men, family, justice, society, the truth at the heart of humanity--really means: what it seems to mean when we're wandering in the darkness, and what it means when we come into the light.

     Another theory holds that what the structure of a mystery is really about is story and discourse, signifier and signified. The mystery, in its opening chapters, posits the existence of a coherent, meaningful story: the body in the woods, the blood spatter, the knife in the grass, the partial footprint. But the story is hidden, its meaning obscured. The narrative that proceeds from this point is not, itself, the story--it is, rather, discourse, the system of talk and empty signification and endless deferment that surrounds the story, like planets orbiting a star that can be glimpsed only glancingly, never directly. The story, usually, is revealed in the final chapter, but the story that preceded the story--the story of the detectives finding clues, signifiers throbbing with a meaning that lay just outside their grasp--that wasn't the story.

Andrew De Young, "'True Detective': Just Another Murder Mystery, After All," The Stake, March 13, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Self Inflicted Gunshot Wounds

     Gunshot deaths are relatively straightforward when compared to other deaths that can be easily masked.  [For example, drownings, poisonings, and falls.] The challenge in these fatalities is determining whether the one-shot deaths are suicides, and even those can be difficult because there have been cases of people firing multiple shots into themselves. [That is extremely rare.]

     There are two common characteristics to look for in gunshot wound cases: close contact between the muzzle [the business end of the barrel] and the skin will produce a scorching effect, depositing soot around the wound [tattooing]; and the entry wound wound will be smaller and more rounded than the exit wound, which will be much larger and jagged.

Jarrett Hallcox and Amy Welch, Bodies We've Buried, 2006 

Gary Dudek Charged With Stealing $357,000 Worth Of Human Skin

     Gary Dudek, a resident of Wallingford, a suburban community outside of Philadelphia, from September 2006 to September 2013, worked for a Massachusetts based company called Organogeness. As a sales representative and "tissue-regeneration specialist," Mr. Dudek had allegedly been given a so-called "open purchase order" that authorized him to acquire human skin grafts from Mercy Philadelphia Hospital.

     During the period November 2011 to July 2013, Gary Dudek ordered 219 human skin grafts from Mercy Philadelphia Hospital. According to hospital administrators, each graft is worth $1,700, money the medical facility has not been paid.

     On Monday, May 26, 2014, detectives with the Philadelphia Police Department took the 54-year-old suspected skin thief into custody. According to reports, Mr. Dudek had been caught twice on a surveillance camera taking skin grafts from Mercy Philadelphia Hospital to his car. Officers booked him into the city jail on charges of theft, receiving stolen property, and tampering with records. He quickly posted his $10,000 bond, and was released.

     Following the accusations in this unusual theft case, a spokesperson for the suspect's former employer, Organogeneness, told reporters that the firm is not in the business of buying or selling human skin grafts. (Skin grafts or patches are used mainly as replacements for serious infections, burns, or wounds.) According to this corporate spokesperson, the company has developed a product called Apligraf, an organic material made of collagen and skin cells that is designed to mimic human skin.

     Mr. Dudek's attorney, Eugene Tinari, in speaking to a television reporter with a local NBC affiliate, said, "If Mercy Hospital has suffered losses they deem to be a result of Mr. Dudek's actions, then perhaps a civil suit could have been initiated. But to take this case into the criminal arena against a man who has been nothing but hard working and law abiding his entire life is a bit draconian, in my view."

     A preliminary hearing in the Dudek case is scheduled for June 10, 2014. Law enforcement authorities have not revealed what the suspect did with the 219 skin grafts. Did he sell them? If so, to whom? And for how much? 

Criminal Justice Quote: Drunk Mother Recklessly Kills Her Infant

     A Maryland woman who killed her 2-month-old daughter by passing out drunk on top of her while breast-feeding is going to jail. Twenty-two-year-old Yadina Morales of Hagerstown was sentenced on June 3, 2014 to fifteen months after entering an Alford plea to involuntary manslaughter. An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt but an acknowledgment that the state has enough evidence to convict.

     Prosecutors agreed to drop some charges, including child abuse and reckless endangerment, as a part of the plea deal. Morales was arrested in November 2013 after the girl's father came home and found her passed out on top of the unresponsive infant. Morales registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.256, more than three times the level needed for a drunken driving conviction. The judge says her actions were grossly negligent.

David Disheau, "Woman Who Drunkenly Smothered Baby Gets 15 Months," Associated Press, June 3, 2014 

Whackademia Quote: University of Alabama Coach Makes More Than 70 Professors

     The highest paid college football coach is about to get richer. The University of Alabama's Board of Trustees compensation committee collectively approved a contract raise for head football coach Nick Saban on June 3, 2014. Saban, who was already the highest paid college football coach in 2013 with a salary of $5.5 million, will now make $6.9 million a year….

     Since taking over the head coaching job at Alabama in 2007, Saban has guided the team to three national championships. Saban's contract cements his presence at Alabama until January 2022. The contract also includes a clause guaranteeing an increase of salary for Saban in certain circumstances if other football college coaches start making more than him….

Jane Bartless Pappas, "Highest Paid College Football Coach Gets $1.4 million More Than Last Year," The Daily Caller, June 3, 2014 

Whackademia Quote: High School Teacher with HIV Accused of Sexual Relations With Student, 16

     A Louisiana high school teacher is accused of having sex with a 16-year-old male student and intentionally exposing him to HIV….Sheriff deputies arrested Derrick Nesby, 37, on May 28, 2014 at H.L. Bourgeois High School in Terrebonne Parish, the school where he teaches.

     Nesby is charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile and intentional exposure of the AIDS virus….However, Nesby denies all the allegations. Investigators say a school resource officer [security guard] was the first to receive a complaint that Nesty and the 16-year-old were involved….It was during the investigation that detectives learned Nesby had HIV….Deputies say that despite knowing that he had HIV, Nesby exposed the student to the virus without the teen's knowledge.

     Nesby, who had been employed at the school for a year and also coached track, is being held on a one million dollar bond.

"Cops: Louisiana Teacher Had Sex With Student, Exposed Him to HIV," CBS News, June 2, 2014 

Criminal Justice Quote: Teen Violence

     At least fifteen million children in the United States are exposed to domestic violence each year….Imagine the confusion and fear in the mind of a young child who routinely watches his or her mother being battered by the other parent or another intimate partner. Imagine the long-standing confusion about what intimate relationships mean.

     Beyond the confines of the home, imagine the world through the eyes of a young child who grows up familiar with the sound of gunshots and where the funerals of young people killed in disputes and by stray bullets are common….In one community in Rochester, New York, the homicide rate for young black men fifteen to nineteen is sixty-five times the national homicide rate, while the rest of Rochester has a more typical homicide profile.

     According to a growing body of research…exposure to violence has a direct link to behavioral and emotional problems such as PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder], aggression, phobias, stress-related symptoms, insomnia, low self-esteem, and depression. We believe PTSD is closely linked to truancy and school dropouts. School performance usually drops precipitously when children are exposed to violence. These children are often unable to concentrate; they develop learning disabilities; they have poor problem-solving skills; they have low self-esteem; and they have difficulty forming attachments to others.

Kamala D. Harris, Smart on Crime, 2009

Whackademia Quote: School Cop Dumps Student Out of his Wheelchair

     The Oakland, California United School District has fired a high school resource officer [in the private sector we call these people security guards] who is also facing a felony charge after he slapped and dumped a student out of his wheelchair….The district announced the firing of Michael Mitchell Thursday, May 29, 2014, while also apologizing to the parents of the injured…student.

     Mitchell became angry when a group of students were lingering in the school's hallway earlier in the month. District spokesperson Troy Flint says Mitchell grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and began to push the student toward class. The student objected and began to slap the officer's hands.

     The school officer then responded in an extremely emotional manner, basically by...punching the student several times, and dumping him out of his wheelchair and onto the floor….Prosecutors have charged Mitchell with child abuse.

"Security Officer Fired After Alleged Attack on Student in Wheelchair," Fox News, May 30, 2014 

What Happened to College Students Hye Min Choi and Brogan Dulle? Two Unrelated Missing Persons Cases

     From Greensboro, North Carolina, 19-year-old Hye Min Choi attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a full-scholarship mechanical engineering major. The five-foot-six, 100 pound junior, who went by the first name Joseph, had earned high grades at the university.

     At three in the afternoon of Saturday, May 17, 2014, Choi checked his luggage at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in advance of a 7:40 PM United Airlines flight to Greensboro. Two hours later, the student called and spoke to his father from the airport. During their brief conversation, the father told his son to make sure he got something to eat before boarding the plane. At seven that evening, forty minutes before the flight's scheduled departure, someone swiped Hye Choi's Wells Fargo credit card at an airport McDonalds.

     Hye Min Choi did not board the plane or re-book another flight. His mother, waiting for him at the airport in Greensboro, went home without him.

     Three days later, on Tuesday, May 20, Chicago police superintendent Gary McCarthy announced that the college student had been found, safe and sound. "The young man," he said, "was apparently having some problem in school. It appears that he may not have wanted to go home." According to reports, Choi had been upset over his final exams. The police have not released information regarding what Choi was doing, or where he was, while the police in Chicago wasted their time looking for him. He is back in North Carolina with his family.

Brogan Dulle

     Brogan Dulle, a 21-year-old student at the University of Cincinnati, resided in an apartment building in the Mount Auburn Historic District of the city. At two in the morning of Sunday, May 18, 2014, Dulle walked out of his apartment carrying a flashlight in an effort to find his missing cell phone by retracing his steps. He believed he had left the phone at the St. Clair, a bar, or at Mac's Pizza near campus. He left behind his keys, wallet, and jacket. He did not return to his apartment.

     Over the next eight days, hundreds of volunteers searched for the missing student. Dulle's friends and family posted missing persons posters around the city, and a $30,000 reward was offered for information regarding his whereabouts.

     At 9:00 PM on Monday, May 26, 2014, the landlord of the building adjacent to Dulle's apartment, called 911 to report a possible break-in. At the time, the building was under renovation. Police officers investigating the landlord's complaint found Brogan Dulle's body hanging from a cord in the basement. Dulle had apparently gained entry by climbing up a fire escape and using a crowbar to break an upper floor window. The building was unoccupied at the time.

     The Hamilton County Coroner listed Brogan Dulle's cause of death as "asphyxiation by strangulation," and his manner of death as suicide. A police spokesperson told reporters that the student had not left a suicide note. Near his body officers found a wine bottle. The police official said there is no suspicion of foul play in this case.

     In the social media, there are some who disagree with the coroner's ruling of suicide in Brogan Dulle's death.
     

Criminal Justice Quote: Most Violent Criminals Aren't Deterred by Punishment

Most of the rapes and murders, and other crimes of high emotion or specific motivation…are perpetrated by people who fit one or more of the following profiles: They are emotionally out of control; they are convinced that they are so justified in the act they are committing that it is not even a crime; and/or they believe that they won't be caught…. Put more simply, they are so angry, delusional, arrogant, or lacking in moral conscience that they don't care about the punishment. They don't connect the dots between behavior and consequence until after the act is committed.

Kamala D. Harris, Smart on Crime, 2009