Category: Crime

Memo to Penn State students: This isn’t about football

Posted by dcrim – November 10, 2011

Penn State fired football coach Joe Paterno Wednesday night in the wake of the horrific sexual abuse scandal involving former assistant Jerry Sandusky. The firing of the winningest coach in major college football history sent angry students into the streets where they shouted support for Paterno and tipped over a news van, creating a surreal scene.

Writes Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com: Finally, adults with backbones and courage made a prudent decision at Penn State. Paterno was fired because he failed miserably while making the biggest decision of his life. Click here for the full story.

Notes Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com: It is a sad and stunning end to a 20th-century American success story. An Italian-American kid from Brooklyn grew up to become one of the most influential figures in American sports. He supped with Presidents. He transformed a university. And a career that should be celebrated is sullied instead. Click here for the story.

Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle says Paterno got what he deserved. Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes that Paterno failed Penn State more than any coach has failed any school.

The students? Their disturbing actions are detailed here and here. The first questions that pops to mind: Where was their outrage for the eight boys who allegedly were molested? C’mon. Football coach, icon or not, or one of the most disgusting stories of our time? Seems like these future leaders have their priorities out of whack. Maybe they should take the time to read the grand jury report.

On the political front, one question that emerged from Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate: Is Texas Gov. Rick Perry now officially toast? Click here and here to see what insiders think.

Story of alleged sexual abuse disgusting on every level

Posted by dcrim – November 8, 2011

There is nothing more disgusting than bringing harm of any kind to a child. A close second is doing nothing about it — other than “going through the chain of command,” which is political speak for covering your own butt —  when learning about potential harm.

The story about former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, seen above, is revolting in every way. That university personnel did little once allegations of sexual abuse by Sandusky were made nearly a decade ago is equally insidious. It already has cost two Penn State officials their jobs, and they still face perjury charges.

The Pennsylvania attorney general and the state police commissioner excoriated Penn State officials for failing over 15 years to alert the authorities to possible sexual abuse of young boys by Sandusky. The Harrisburg (Pa.) Patriot-News is calling for school President Graham Spanier and head fooball coach Joe Paterno to resign in this editorial.

Michael Tomasky, writing for the Daily Beast, admits that Paterno has been a great man. He is the winningest big-time college football coach in history, and his name is on the school’s library, not an athletic facility. But his failure to bring a rapist to justice has ruined his reputation for good. Click here for the story.

Meanwhile, Frank Bruni of the New York Times says parents should also remain conscious of an additional lesson suggested by the Penn State story because institutions do an awful job of policing themselves. Click here for the column.

The whole thing makes the 2001 book, “Touched: The Jerry Sandusky Story,” a sad, ironic title. Now it seems like Penn State is laying the groundwork for Paterno’s departure.

BTW, nobody cares about Saturday’s game against Nebraska.

Bill would make it illegal to practice medicine while intoxicated

Posted by dcrim – March 15, 2011

The Missouri House Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety heard testimony Monday on a measure that would make it illegal to practice medicine while intoxicated.

You mean it’s legal now?

The Associated Press reports the bill would make it a misdemeanor to perform surgery or a medical procedure while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The charge would be a felony if a patient were injured or killed. Supporters say the law could save patients from serious injuries or death at the hands of drug-addicted doctors.

Let’s hope the state or federal government didn’t bankroll an expensive study to reach that conclusion.

St. Louis attorney Paul Passanante said the law might deter physicians from performing improper surgeries or writing illegal prescriptions to support their habits. The Missouri State Medical Association opposes the measure, arguing lawmakers should instead make it easier for the state to confiscate a doctor’s license.

Maybe the next step is to install breathalyzers in operating rooms.

When will America decide that senseless killings should end?

Posted by dcrim – January 13, 2011

One thing that’s getting overlooked while columnists, commentators and presidential wannabes lob verbal grenades over what caused the tragedy in Tucson is that six innocent people were killed and 12 more wounded by a deranged young man who was able to get his hands on a weapon.

Unfortunately, as Bob Herbert of the New York Times notes, murder is a flourishing business in the United States. He points to sobering statistics that show, excluding the people killed in the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, more than 150,000 Americans have been murdered since the beginning of the 21st century. Think about that number for a minute, and ask yourself why that issue merits little more than lip service.

Writes Herbert:

This endlessly proliferating parade of death, which does not spare women or children, ought to make our knees go weak. But we never even notice most of the killings. Homicide is white noise in this society. … For whatever reasons, neither the public nor the politicians seem to really care how many Americans are murdered — unless it’s in a terror attack by foreigners. The two most common responses to violence in the U.S. are to ignore it or be entertained by it. The horror prompted by the attack in Tucson on Saturday will pass. The outrage will fade. The murders will continue.

Click here for the full column.

Drug use and college campuses: Here’s a list of the not-so-top 50

Posted by dcrim – December 15, 2010

The Daily Beast compiles a list of the 50 colleges and universities which it considers the biggest hotbeds for student drug use. Two schools in Illinois and one in Missouri make the list.

Campus drug use has been on the rise for decades, as nearly half of full-time college students binge drink or abuse drugs at least once a month, according to a 2007 study by the national Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse on drugs in American colleges. The percentage of students that smoke marijuana or use other illegal drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, doubled from 1993 to 2005.

U.S. Postal Service question: Deliver mail, or dump it in the river

Posted by dcrim – April 19, 2010

The U.S. Postal Service is hemorrhaging money, laying off employees and talking about reducing delivery to five days a week to keep from going broke.

So it couldn’t have been welcomed news Monday when it was reported that a Southeast Missouri man who worked for Postal Service admitted to dumping mail along a river instead of delivering it last year.

The Associated Press reports Lance W. Kinder of Oran pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to one felony count of delay or destruction of mail. The U.S. Attorney’s office says Kinder dumped the mail sometime between Aug. 1 and Nov. 5 of last year. Sentencing is set for July 20. Kinder faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

An Oran man and his son said they found the undelivered mail along the Diversion Channel last Thanksgiving. Authorities said there were about 600 to 1,000 pieces of mail that should have been delivered to people in Sikeston, Dexter, Kennett, New Madrid and other Bootheel towns.

Any wonder why people prefer e-mail?

It’s never good to show up drunk for a DUI sentencing hearing

Posted by dcrim – April 2, 2010

It doesn’t always take Horatio Caine to bring criminals to justice. To wit:

• A 49-year-old Montana man who apparently was intoxicated when he came to court for his trial on a felony drunken driving charge has pleaded no contest to his 11th DUI.

Thaylin Shawn Pierce, of Billings, entered the plea Thursday. He’s free on bond until his sentencing June 22. The Billings Gazette reports Pierce was charged in November 2008 after he tried to drive after being kicked out of a casino. His trial was scheduled to begin Wednesday, but the judge suspected Pierce was intoxicated.

A breath test showed Pierce had a blood-alcohol level of 0.093 percent. Negotiations for a plea agreement began. One of the conditions was that Pierce had to return to court sober the next morning to enter his plea. Pierce has nine previous drunken driving convictions in Colorado and another one in Wyoming.

• The people who witnessed a robbery attempt at an Oregon convenience store didn’t need to describe the muggers. They just needed to point.

The Mail Tribune reports the two men accused of trying to rob someone at knifepoint were arrested when they returned to get their car while officers were interviewing witnesses.

Medford police Lt. Bob Hansen says a man leaving the store late Tuesday was accosted by two men. One brandished a knife and demanded money. The would-be robbers fled when the man ran back into the store and called police.

Hansen says officers were interviewing witnesses in the parking lot when the suspects showed up. Though the men were wearing different clothes, witnesses identified them as the robbers. The men, 19 and 20 years old, were jailed on charges of attempted first-degree robbery.

• Prosecutors say an Ohio inmate’s letter to his mother included detailed instructions on how to sneak drugs to him — but lacked the correct ZIP code.

Ottawa County Sheriff Bob Bratton says the letter was returned to the Port Clinton jail where corrections officers read it along with the other incoming mail. Donald Dudrow III of Toledo was indicted Thursday on charges of attempted drug trafficking and trying to get drugs into a correctional facility.

The Portsmouth Daily Times reports Dudrow already was in jail on a probation violation.

It didn’t take Columbo to nab this dynamic duo

Posted by dcrim – February 2, 2010

There is a reason why jails face overcrowding: Stupid criminals.

The Kingsport (Tenn.) Times-News cites a release from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office in reporting 34-year-old James M. Denoon and 18-year-old Anthony Stout were found hiding under a truck Friday night at the Merita Bread Company.

The deputies found about $300 worth of stolen snack cakes — Zingers, Twinkies, cupcakes — stacked on the ground nearby. Finding the accused thieves was easy: Deputies only had to follow their footprints, because there was more than an inch of snow on the ground.

Denoon and Stout were charged with theft under $500 and two counts of auto burglary. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys. Or why somebody would steal snack food.

It’s always a good thing to double-check phone numbers

Posted by dcrim – December 4, 2009

Here are a few Friday follies to ponder while we wait to see if the Alabama-Florida game lives up to its billing:

• In an embarrassing blunder, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist mistakenly directed parents of uninsured children to call a toll-free sex line.

The Palm Beach Post reports people calling the governor’s office heard an on-hold recording of Crist promoting the toll-free Florida KidCare line. Except two numbers were transposed. Anyone calling the number Crist gave out was told to call another number. The recording on that second phone number begins, “Hey there sexy guys” and says the caller can have a more graphic conversation with a woman for $2.99 a minute.

Crist quickly fixed the mistake after the newspaper discovered it.

• Customs inspectors at Dulles International Airport say they have arrested a man from Guatemala who was carrying a cooked chicken stuffed with more than $4,000 worth of cocaine.

Customs and Border Protection spokesman Steve Sapp told the Associated Press that agents decided the fully cooked chicken that 32-year-old Wagner Mauricio Linares Aragon brought with him on a flight Saturday from El Salvador warranted closer inspection.

Inside the chicken’s cavity they say they found two small, clear bags that contained about 60 grams — about 2.3 ounces — of powder cocaine. Linares Aragon is being held awaiting trial on felony drug charges.

• A man dressed as an elf is jailed after police in Georgia say he told a mall Santa that he was carrying dynamite.

Police say Southlake Mall in suburban Atlanta was evacuated but no explosives were found. Police arrested 45-year-old William C. Caldwell III, who was being held without bond. He was not part of the mall’s Christmas staff.

Police say Caldwell got in line Wednesday evening to have his picture taken with Santa Claus. Police say when Caldwell reached the front of the line, he told Santa he had dynamite in his bag. Santa called mall security and Caldwell was arrested.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Caldwell faces several charges, including having hoax devices and making terroristic threats.

San Diego police baffled by antics of ‘Geezer Bandit’

Posted by dcrim – November 25, 2009

1e73a501-2fce-4591-b28c-ea8390f4d8c9.rp420x400Here’s a Thanksgiving edition from the world of the odd:

NEWS: FBI officials say an elderly, thin, gray-haired man nicknamed the “Geezer Bandit” is responsible for holding up five San Diego-area banks since summer.

According to the Associated Press, investigators say the man, pictured at right, appears to be in his 70s. Officials say that in the most recent robbery nine days ago, he approached a Bank of America teller in La Jolla, displayed a handgun and asked for cash. He fled on foot.

FBI spokesman Darrell Foxworth says investigators believe the man is also responsible for robbing four other San Diego County banks since Aug. 28.

VIEWS: Have to kind of chuckle about the “fled on foot” line. Can’t picture this guy darting through crowded streets, clutching money in one hand and a pistol in the other, dodging horrified women and children, and eluding Starsky and Hutch. I can see some senior citizen group blaming these heists on the decision by the Social Security Administration to not apply a cost-of-living increase to benefits.

NEWS: A federal judge in Boston has denied a convicted murderer’s request for more hair removal treatments as she waits to find out if she can get state-funded sex change surgery.

U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ruled that Michelle Kosilek failed to prove “irreparable harm” or a “serious medical need” to continue electrolysis treatments. Kosilek was named Robert when married to Cheryl Kosilek, and was convicted of murdering her in 1990.

Kosilek’s lawyers have argued that having facial hair is “intensely personally stressful” to her. The state Department of Correction said Kosilek has already received “significant hair removal” and remaining hair can be removed by shaving or using depilatories.

VIEWS: Let’s see, this guy/gal was convicted of killing his/her wife, and now he/she wants the government to pay for a sex change operation and for hair removal to ease his/her stress. No easy button required here. “No. Next case.”

NEWS: The Honolulu Police Department is creating a virtual wall of shame by posting mug shots of drunken driving suspects on its Web site. At 10 a.m. local time each Wednesday, the photos of those arrested in the previous week will be posted for 24 hours under the headline, “Oahu’s Drunk Drivers.” After six months, the department will evaluate the results of the program.

Supporters say the experiment in public humiliation should be used elsewhere in the nation if it reduces the number of drunks on the road. Critics counter the photo gallery is a heavy-handed tactic that threatens to violate constitutional rights and stain reputations without court convictions.

Recently released DUI mug shots in Hawaii include lawmakers and several stars of the ABC drama “Lost,” which is filmed in the state. Mothers Against Drunk Driving said it hasn’t found any research on whether posting online photos of suspected drunken drivers would reduce offenses. It said an estimated 11,773 people died in drunken driving crashes in the U.S. in 2008.

VIEWS: If the threat of going to jail, paying a big fine, losing driving privileges, facing humiliation or killing yourself or somebody else isn’t enough to deter drunken driving, then I’m not sure having photos posted on the Web is going to tilt the scales. But I’m all for trying.