MARCH 26TH
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Bentley's dad says son likely acted on impulse
By Brian Sharp
Iowa City Press-Citizen The father of a man suspected in the kidnapping
of a 10-year-old Cedar Rapids girl said Friday it likely was a
"spur of the moment" thing and, while his son knew the
girl's family, he had never spoken of them.
"We don't discuss what he's doing, and I don't discuss what
I'm doing," Howard Bentley said of his relationship with
his oldest son, a convicted sex offender.
Roger Paul Bentley, 37, was in the Linn County Jail on Friday
night, held in the abduction and possible slaying of Jetseta Marie
Gage. The child last was seen in a Datsun pickup the 60-year-old
Bentley loaned his son.
On Friday, that pickup sat parked outside a rundown mobile home
near Kalona where authorities discovered a body, possibly of a
female child.
"I think he was acting on the spur of the moment," the
elder Bentley said of the apparent kidnapping. Learning that authorities
were trying to identify a body, however, he added: "As far
as I know, it takes it completely out of character (for him).
I never in the world would think he could do something like that."
In another puzzling development, online court records show the
girl's mother and an unidentified minor child were subpoenaed
last week in a felony sex abuse case against another of Bentley's
sons. The Linn County case against James H. Bentley, 33, dates
from November 2004.
Howard Bentley said he had not spoken to his oldest son since
dropping off tools to him about 4 p.m. Thursday at the Gage family
home. Bentley's son was putting a transmission in the Gage family
van. The elder Bentley remembered seeing a young boy, likely Jetseta's
7-year-old brother, and that his son came out of the Gage house
to greet him.
Trena Gage reported her daughter missing at 8:30 p.m.
"The girl's mother called and asked if Roger was home yet,"
Howard Bentley said. "She just said that she'd seen the girl
in the pickup, and they couldn't find the girl and Roger was gone.
"He's been in the same kind of trouble before. They let him
out, and then he did it again."
Roger Bentley spent a little more than two years in prison at
Mount Pleasant and Oakdale on a felony conviction for lascivious
acts with a child in Benton County before being released in January
1997, according to the Department of Corrections.
He has lived with his father in Brandon the past two years, taking
odd jobs as a mechanic. That he didn't return home Thursday night
was not unusual, his father said. But then police arrived, asking
questions, he said. They searched the house but took nothing and
left.
Authorities said an overnight "Amber Alert," a child-find
notice that provided a description of Jetseta and the pickup,
aided Johnson County authorities who took Roger Bentley into custody
about 7 a.m. Friday. An autopsy on the child's body -- found in
a mobile home at 4703 Orval Yoder Turnpike SW, outside of Kalona
-- had yet to be performed as of 6 p.m., according to the State
Medical Examiner's Office.
Howard Bentley said he didn't have any relatives or friends in
the southern Johnson County area, and he wouldn't know where to
find Kalona.
Mother Says Bentley's Brother Molested Missing Girl
Mother Subpoenaed In Sex Abuse Case
POSTED: 11:26 pm CST March 25, 2005
UPDATED: 11:46 pm CST March 25, 2005
DES MOINES, Iowa -- The mother of a missing Cedar Rapids girl
said she learned something about her former boyfriend, James Bentley,
that involved her 10-year-old daughter.
Iowa Sex Offender Registry: Roger Bentley Jetseta Gage's mother,
Trena Gage said that Roger Bentley's brother, James, molested
her daughter and was jailed in November."It came out he was
molesting her for about one year, and I didn't know it,"
Trena Gage said.
A statewide Amber Alert was issued late Thursday night after Jetseta
Gage, disappeared from her home at about 8:15 p.m. Authorities
say the man suspected of abducting her, Roger Bentley, 37, was
taken into custody at about 7 a.m. Friday by police in Johnson
County.
The Johnson County sheriff said Friday in a news conference that
a body found in a trailer could be that of a young female missing
since Thursday night.
James Bentley is now in jail awaiting trial for second-degree
sexual abuse.
Trena Gage said that Roger Bentley was always great to her daughter.
James BentleyRoger Bentley is on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry
for molesting a girl in 1994.
"I didn't know, I wish I knew," Trena Gage said.
Court documents show that Trena Gage and a child were subpoenaed
last week to testify against James Bentley in his sexual abuse
case.
Roger Bentley is in police custody charged in connection with
the disappearance of Jetseta Gage. His bond is $32,500.
James Bentley is being held on $20,000 bond awaiting his sexual
abuse trial.
Man Charged In Lunsford Case Worked At Girl's School
Neighbors Post Sex Offender Warning Signs
POSTED: 3:12 pm EST March 23, 2005
UPDATED: 10:51 am EST March 24, 2005
HOMOSASSA, Fla. -- Authorities say 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford's
accused killer once worked at her school and parents everywhere
want to know how that could have happened.FeedRoomAccused Killer
Worked In School John Couey, 46, is charged with capital murder
in the girl's death.Investigators said Couey has a long history
of inappropriate contact with children.
Officials recently released tapes from a 1991 interview in which
Couey admitted to exposing himself to another young girl.
"I went over there and I asked her if she wanna play hide
and go seek and she said yes, so we did," Couey said.
During the interview, Couey told investigators that prison would
not cure his desires. He asked for professional help.
"I feel that I need help for myself and that's why I'm confessing,
you know, to my crime that I committed tonight 'cause I want help
for myself," he said.
Jessica LunsfordCouey may have asked for help, but in recent years,
he reportedly took jobs that gave him access to hundreds of children.
He worked construction at two Florida schools -- most recently,
the elementary school where Jessica was a third-grader.
"Our kids are exposed to this and they're killing our children,"
said Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father. "I mean isn't that
like terrorism against children? You know? And we need to stop
that."
Now, Jessica's community is fighting back. Warning signs are popping
up in communities to alert neighbors of other convicted sex offenders
living nearby.
"This is all about the little girl and every other little
girl and little boy from this point on that could go through the
same thing this little girl went through because these guys are
being put in our communities," one neighbor, Frank, said.
It's too late to help Jessica, but as Couey awaits trial for her
murder, neighbors said they hope to save other children from predators
who may live next door.Ä
Taped Confession Details Couey's Attraction To Children
Couey Heard Asking For Help On Tape
POSTED: 5:59 am EST March 24, 2005
UPDATED: 10:31 am EST March 24, 2005
A convicted sex offender who confessed to kidnapping and killing
a 9-year-old Florida girl can be heard on a newly released tape
from 1991 asking for help after attempting to molest another little
girl, according to Local 6 News.John Evander Couey was recently
charged with capital murder and three other crimes in the disappearance
and death of 9-year-old Jessica Lundsford. Jessica's body was
found this month, more than three weeks after she vanished from
her bedroom.
Now, a released taped confession shows Couey apparently knew he
needed help in 1991 after he detailed an encounter with a girl
in Kissimmee, Fla.
Couey described on tape how he lured a 5-year-old on to his lap
after convincing her to play hide and seek. While the child was
on his lap , he exposed himself and positioned the girl's hands
on his lap.
The girl's mother walked out to the yard and stopped the incident,
according to the report.
"I feel that prison is not going to help me," Couey
said on the 1991 tape. "I got a 10-year sentence and I got
out in three years and it doesn't really help. I feel that I need
help for myself, that is why I am confessing to the crime I did
tonight because I want help for myself, so I will never have to
be this again. I mean I feel bad about it, I really do. I feel
that if I can get help for myself then I can make a better person
out of myself.
Officer Angel Conti took the confession from Couey and offered
a report of the incident.
"Couey admitted that this was not the first child that he
had ever touched," Conti said in 1991. "However, this
was the first time he was caught. Couey admitted to molesting
his wife's daughter however she agreed not to report the incident
if he left the house and gave her a divorce, which he did. Couey
knows he has a problem, however he has never sought medical assistance
to help him control his sexual attraction for young children".
Couey was arrested after the 1991 incident and booked for lewd
and lascivious acts. He ended up pleading guilty to a lesser charge
of attempted molestation and given five years, Local 6 News reported.
Couey was arrested 25 times in Florida, Local 6 News also learned.
Sheriff's officials and the girl's father, Mark Lunsford, have
said they will urge prosecutors seek the death penalty in connection
with Jessica's death.
Probation Agency Unaware Of Sex Offender's Past
By RICHARD LARDNER and JIM TUNSTALL The Tampa Tribune
Published: Mar 23, 2005
LECANTO - The probation system in Citrus County worked perfectly,
and it failed 9-year-old Jessie Lunsford completely.
As a judge expressed shock Tuesday at the rape and suffocation
of Jessie, details began to emerge about the nonprofit organization
that monitored the probation of John Evander Couey, who is now
charged with the crimes.
Just as it does for 14 other Florida counties, Salvation Army
Correctional Services handles misdemeanor probation cases for
Citrus County.
However, state rules and Salvation Army guidelines prevent probation
officers from knowing whether their minor offenders have criminal
backgrounds or whether they've been convicted of other misdemeanors
in other counties.
``As far as the system is concerned, we're given a misdemeanor
case and we're supposed to deal with that,'' said Steve Dick,
a spokesman for Salvation Army Correctional Services.
``We have no access and are not given information regarding felonies,''
he added.
Couey, 46, has been arrested 26 times and is a two-time child
sex offender.
Yet Salvation Army officials in Citrus County were never aware
of Couey's past.
Couey was assigned to probation officer Mary Doyle in October
2003 after he was convicted of driving under the influence, according
to Dicks. He attended monthly meetings with Doyle, paying $45
per session, until August, when he was arrested and accused of
drug possession.
Couey spent the next two months in jail. After his Oct. 15 release,
he was supposed to continue his probation but never returned to
Doyle's office, Dick said.
As required, the Salvation Army sent a letter to the Homosassa
address it had for Couey instructing him to check in by Nov. 17.
The deadline passed. Couey had violated his probation, and on
Dec. 2 a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
At that point, Dick said, the Salvation Army's work was done.
``When it's turned over to the court system, the case is basically
out of our hands,'' he said. ``It goes back to the legal entity.''
Doyle did not respond to a request for comment.
But Chris Farrell, who manages Salvation Army operations in Citrus
County, said Doyle is an experienced probation officer who did
her job properly.
``She did everything she was supposed to do in a timely manner,''
Farrell said. ``We're all hurting. We're all sorry, and we're
all downright mad.'' Harsh Words From Judge
``The acts ... you apparently confessed to are really beyond words,''
Citrus County Judge Mark Yerman said via video link between his
Inverness courtroom and the county jail, where Couey is being
held in isolation. Couey was denied bail during the brief hearing.
``This is an infamous case,'' Yerman said, adding that if Couey
is convicted, ``I'm absolutely certain your opportunity to satisfy
your lust for power over ... innocence will be ended.''
Yerman was assigned to Couey's first appearance on charges of
first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual battery on a child under
12 and burglary with battery.
Couey had little to say during the 3 1/2-minute hearing.
He responded, ``Yeah, I need a lawyer,'' when asked.
Couey faces a possible death sentence if convicted of the murder
charge.
``I'd like to see them bring the electric chair [back] to Florida,''
Jessie's dad, Mark, said Monday night on CNN's ``Larry King Live.''
``I just want him to die.''
The case is expected to be presented to a grand jury shortly.
Couey, who will be represented by a public defender, is scheduled
to be arraigned on the charges April 11.
Also Tuesday, Citrus school Superintendent Sandra ``Sam'' Himmel
said Couey worked as a laborer from Jan. 24 to April 9 last year
at Homosassa Elementary School, where Jessie attended classes.
Himmel said there is no indication he had contact with the girl.
The school district doesn't know the background of every employee
of contractors and subcontractors, she added.
``I've asked [the school board attorney] to look into that,''
Himmel said, adding Couey was fired for lack of work.
Jessie was put to bed by her grandmother after attending church
Feb. 23 and was discovered missing the next morning.
Authorities turned their focus to Couey when he was the only one
of 40 registered sex offenders in the county they couldn't locate.
He was arrested in Augusta, Ga., on Thursday.
Citrus Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said Couey confessed the next day after
taking an FBI polygraph test.
Dawsy said Jessie's body was found early Saturday, buried behind
a trailer where Couey lived 150 yards from her home.
Authorities have not said whether she was kept alive for a period
of time.
Couey's earlier convictions include attempted lewd and lascivious
behavior in the presence of a 14-year-old girl in Kissimmee in
1991. He received a five-year sentence but served only about two
years in state prison. Memorial Service Planned
Jessie's family will hold a private funeral service Thursday and
one for family and friends Friday.
A public memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at
Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church, State Road 44, also called Gulf
to Lake Highway, one mile west of State Road 491 in Lecanto.
Mark Lunsford and businessman Joseph Dawson have started a drive
called Jessica's Petition, an effort to get state and federal
lawmakers to toughen laws governing child- sex offenders.
Crime/Courts
Sex offender registry helps, but can't stop crime, chief
says
The suspect in Thursday's abduction has been
on the list in 1997.
By KEVIN DOBBS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
March 26, 2005
The man who oversees Iowa's sex offender registry says the list
of 6,400 names - including suspect Roger P. Bentley - is an informational
tool that cannot be viewed as sure-fire public protection.
Steven Conlon said the list, and the rules for people on it, cannot
stop crime. And lifetime supervision of offenders is not an option.
"The fact is, whether you're talking about sex offenders
or robbers or any other criminal, if a person wants to go out
and commit a crime, unless you're with them 24 hours a day, they
can commit that crime," Conlon said.
Iowa's online registry is far more comprehensive than it was a
year ago.
Until last year, the registry included only the names of people
at high risk to reoffend, based on medical assessments. Analyzing
cases to identify those offenders for the Web site created a backlog
of more than 2,000 cases.
Last year the Legislature allowed registry officials to post nearly
all offenders. Critics said the change would unfairly lump nonviolent
offenders with rapists, but officials say the backlog was eliminated.
"As far as availability and convenience, we've taken a very
big step," Conlon said.
It is unclear whether Bentley has been medically assessed. He
was added to the list in 1997.
Sex offender registries popped up across the country after 1996,
when Congress passed "Megan's Law," named for a 7-year-old
New Jersey girl who was raped and murdered by a convicted child
molester who lived in her neighborhood.
Iowa law requires convicted sex offenders to register with the
sheriff in the county in which they live. The sheriff then notifies
media outlets.
Over the past two years, checks by news organizations and a study
by a New York organization called Parents for Megan's Law found
incorrect addresses for about one-fourth of the high-risk offenders
on Iowa's list.
State officials send letters to offenders every year to verify
addresses, but sometimes offenders move and leave no forwarding
address. Some offenders receive the questionnaires but don't respond.
Bentley was charged with failure to register in 1999 but was acquitted.
"The problem with all this noncompliance is very simple:
We're expecting the most cunning of all criminals to register
themselves, to hold themselves accountable," said Laura Ahearn,
executive director of Parents for Megan's Law.
"We think offenders should have lifetime supervision, which
would make it the state's responsibility to ensure these people
are registered," she said.
She pointed to Florida sex offender John Evander Couey, who last
week admitted that he abducted and killed 9-year-old Jessica Marie
Lunsford and buried her body under the steps of her neighbor's
home, Florida officials say.
Couey, a convicted offender listed in Florida's official sex registry,
was targeted by police after they learned he had failed to notify
authorities that he had moved.
The Origin of the Amber Plan
The AMBER Plan was created in 1996 as a powerful legacy to 9-year-old
Amber Hagerman, a bright little girl who was kidnapped and brutally
murdered while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. The tragedy
shocked and outraged the entire community. Residents contacted
radio stations in the Dallas area and suggested they broadcast
special “alerts” over the airwaves so that they could
help prevent such incidents in the future. In response to the
community’s concern for the safety of local children, the
Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Radio Managers teamed up with
local law-enforcement agencies in northern Texas and developed
this innovative early warning system to help find abducted children.
Statistics show that, when abducted, a child’s greatest
enemy is time.
In April, 2003, President Bush signed the Amber Alert legislation
making it a national program. While the Amber Alert system is
now mandated across the country, some states are still trying
to implement the procedures necessary in bringing the alerts to
the public. Hampered by outdated Emergency Broadcast guidelines
and different activation criteria in each state, the system needs
a fair amount of fine-tuning to be optimally effective. Code Amber
is on the cutting edge with the technology helping to make that
a reality
Code Amber Amber Alert Statistics
The following statistics reflect Amber Alerts carried on the Code
Amber Ticker since August, 2002. There have been several additional
Amber Alerts that were resolved before the Code Amber system was
activated. The alerts that are resolved quickly are the best case
scenario. We would like all future Amber Alerts to end quickly
with the child found safely and never have to activate the ticker
again. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen anytime soon
so we will be here for a while. Details of each of the Amber Alerts
we have published are available on our Previous Amber Alerts page.
As of March 23, 2005:
Amber Alerts published by Code Amber: 275
Number of children involved: 329
Number of States issuing Alerts: 42
Number of Alerts resolved in a different state: 59
Percentage of Alerts resolved out of state: 21%
Number of Canadian Provinces: 2
Number of children still missing: 13
Number of children never coming home: 14
Number of female children: 195
Number of male children: 134
Number of African American children: 60
Number of Asian children: 4
Number of Caucasian children: 181
Number of Hispanic children: 82
Number of Native American children: 4
Note: Three of the Amber Alerts listed as having been resolved
in a different state were actually resolved in Mexico with the
help of Mexican authorities. The above statistics do not include
currently active Amber Alerts.
Megan's Law, Sex Offenders Nationwide
:: Registered Sex Offenders Resources
Go To States
Megan's Law which addresses sex offenders and child molesters
was signed by President Clinton on May 17, 1996. Megan's Law was
much needed, despite Washington State's 1990 Comunity Protection
Act which included America's first law authorizing public notification
when dangerous sex offenders are released into the comunity. It
was the brutal 1994 rape and murder of seven-year-old Megan Kanka
by a previously Registered Sex Offenders that prompted the public
demand for broad based community notification.
Megan's Law requires the following two components:Sex Offender
Registration
The 1994 Jacob Wetterling Act requires the States to register
sex offenders registered of sex crimes against children. Sex offender
registration laws are necessary because:
* Sex offenders pose a high risk of re-offending after release
from custody;
* Protecting the public from sex offenders is a primary governmental
interest;
* The privacy interests of persons convicted of sex offenses are
less important than the government’s interest in public
safety;
* Release of certain information about sex offenders to public
agencies and the general public will assist in protecting the
public safety.Megan's Law & Sex Offender Comunity NotificationMegan’s
Law allows the States discretion to establish criteria for disclosure,
but compels them to make private and personal information on registered
sex offenders available to the public. Community notification:
* Assists law enforcement in investigations;
* Establishes legal grounds to hold known sex offenders;
* Deters sex offenders from committing new sex offenses;
* Offers citizens information they can use to protect children
from Registered Sex Offenders, child molesters and victimization.NORTH
CAROLINA MEGAN'S LAW
:: Information And Resources
Back To Megan's Law By State
North Carolina Megan's Law and Victim's Rights
The right to be informed
The right as prescribed by law to be informed of and to be present
at court proceedings of the accused
(b) The right as prescribed by law to be given information about
the crime, how the criminal justice system works, the rights of
victims, and the availability of services for victims.
(c) The right as prescribed by law to receive information about
the conviction or final disposition and sentence of the accused.
(d) The right as prescribed by law to receive notification of
escape, release, proposed parole or pardon of the accused, or
notice of a reprieve or commutation of the accused's sentence.
The right to be present
(a) The right as prescribed by law to be present at court proceedings
of the accused
The right to be heard
The right to be heard at sentencing of the accused in a manner
prescribed by law, and at other times as prescribed by law or
deemed appropriate by the court.
The right as prescribed by law to present their views and concerns
to the Governor or agency considering any action that could result
in the release of the accused, prior to such action becoming effective.
The right as prescribed by law to confer with the prosecution.
Please refer to the State of Amendment for further information
regarding the victims' rights.
Carolina Constitutionally Guarantees the Following Rights to Its
Victims of Crime:
(1) Basic Rights. Victims of crime, as prescribed by law, shall
be entitled to the following basic rights:
(a) The right as prescribed by law to be informed of and to be
present at court proceedings of the accused.
(b) The right to be heard at sentencing of the accused in a manner
prescribed by law, and at other times as prescribed by law or
deemed appropriate by the court.
(c) The right as prescribed by law to receive restitution.
(d) The right as prescribed by law to be given information about
the crime, how the criminal justice system works, the rights of
victims, and the availability of services for victims.
(e) The right as prescribed by law to receive information about
the conviction or final disposition and sentence of the accused.
(f) The right as prescribed by law to receive notification of
escape, release, proposed parole or pardon of the accused, or
notice of a reprieve or commutation of the accused's sentence.
(g) The right as prescribed by law to present their views and
concerns to the Governor or agency considering any action that
could result in the release of the accused, prior to such action
becoming effective.
(h) The right as prescribed by law to confer with the prosecution.
(2) No money damages; other enforcement. Nothing in this section
shall be construed as creating a claim of money damages against
the State, a county, a municipality, or any of the agencies, instrumentalities,
or employees thereof. The General Assembly may provide for other
remedies to ensure adequate enforcement of this section.
(3) No ground for relief in criminal case. The failure of inability
of any person to provide a right or service provided under this
section may not be used by a defendant in a criminal case, an
inmate, or any other accused as a ground for relief in any trial,
appeal, post-conviction litigation, habeas corpus, civil action,
or any similar criminal or civil proceeding.
Contact Person: Shirley Sanchez or Don Roberts, Division of Criminal
Statistics (919) 662-6248.
Offenders Required to Register: The registration provisions of
North Carolina's law are applicable to persons convicted on or
after January 1, 1996 of a reportable offense or who have been
released from a penal institution on or after January 1, 1996
for a reportable offense.
Information Collected: The person's full name, each alias, date
of birth, sex, race, height, weight, eye color, hair color, drivers
license number, and home address; the type of offense for which
the person was convicted, the date of conviction, and the sentence
imposed; a current photograph; and the person's fingerprints.
Administrating Agency: Division of Criminal Statistics (maintains
database), county sheriff (obtains registrations).
Timeframe for Registration: Within 10 days of release, arrival
in a county, change of residency, immediately upon conviction
if not incarcerated.
Applies to Out of State Offenders: Yes, for substantially equivalent
offenses.
Duration of Requirement: 10 years. Every year for sex offenders;
every 90 days for predators.
Verification of Address: Annually.
Penalties for Non-Compliance: Failure to verify address, failure
to change address, failure to register or if information is forged
or falsified,; all are Class F felonies and carry a penalty.
Access to Information: The DCI will provide free public access
to automated data from the statewide registry, including a photograph
provided by the registering sheriff via the Internet. The public
will be able to access the statewide registry to view an individual
registration record, a part of the statewide registry, or all
of the statewide registry. The DCI will also provide copies of
registry information to the public upon written request and may
charge a reasonable fee for duplicating costs and mailing costs.
Confidentiality Provision: No
Number Registered: 5,915 as of 7/30/02
Percent Compliance: 91%
Internet Access: http://sbi.jus.state.nc.us/DOJHAHT/SOR/default.htm
NEWSBrian Nichols and the Hidden Face of America
by Steven Malik Shelton
(Saturday 19 March 2005)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The violence of Nichols as well as other Black perpetrators,
is usually reported as if it gained momentum from nefarious forces
or sprang menacingly out of a vacuum and rarely are the underlying
causes of this retaliatory violence addressed or examined. Instead
the Blacks who become engaged in it are depicted as monstrous
and evil. Even if explanations are offered, they place the blame
on the supposed moral degeneracy, wickedness and debauchery of
the Black antagonist. The injustices of poverty, racism, political
isolation, etc are brushed aside as contributing factors and no
attention is paid to childhood trauma (as is in the case of White
killers) and few are concerned if (or how) social, medical, or
economic conditions may have impacted upon behavior."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I feel like I’m a warrior-that people of my color
have gone through a lot.”
-- Brian Nichols
Outwardly, the Atlanta incident involving Brian Nichols is just
another senseless act of violence, but if we delve deeper beneath
the surface we discover that the circumstances surrounding this
tragedy are multi-faceted and complicated.
It is almost certain that Brian Nichols, a 33 year old Black man
(on trial for raping his former lover) overpowered a deputy sheriff,
took her hand gun, then entered the courtroom and shot the trail
judge as well as the court reporter and another deputy he met
going out of the courtroom as he made good his escape. What is
not so certain is why. Yet news reports immediately following
the Nichols escape coupled with an understanding of American historical,
judicial and social dynamics will shed some light.
Brian Nichols faced a lifetime in prison if found guilty of raping
his former sweet heart. A crime he maintained he did not commit.
And although( the American judicial system being as clogged and
over-crowded as it is) he was offered the customary court sanctioned
plea bargain, he chose to take his case before a judge and jury.
The first trial ended in a hung jury, but Nichols (like his attorney
Terry Ratzman) sensed that his second trial would likely end in
a conviction and exploded in anger and desperation and took matters
into his own hands.
By all accounts, Nichols is an intelligent, rational and easy-going
man. There must have been something that occurred during his second
trial that conclusively indicated to him that he would be convicted.
And if Nichols was in fact guilty of the crime for which he is
accused, we could understand his frustration, his anxiety, his
hopelessness and his desperation to escape; but this is not solely
what Brian Nichols showed on that fateful March 11th morning.
For what Nichols displayed was not only the desperation of a criminal
attempting to escape the consequences of his crime; what Nichols
showed (if the reports are correct) was incredible anger and retributive
rage. It was most likely a sense of outrage at what he perceived
as the injustice of the court proceedings in particular and of
America in general which drove him to return to the courtroom
(the very courtroom of his trial and the same judge that presided
therein) and seek his revenge.
Both the judge and the court stenographer were White, but this
alone does not explain why he went out of his way to shoot them.
They, whether they were good or bad individuals, were symbols
of American authority and structural inequality in the judicial
system. An injustice and inequality that resulted in Blacks, who
make up a mere 13 percent of the nation’s population, comprising
(in many states and counties) a whopping 70 to 90 percent of the
prison and jail population. These sobering statistics were probably
known to Brian Nichols, who by most accounts is an intelligent
person. Something intense must have welled up within him and overflowed.
Something within him must have resolved that he would not(regardless
of the terrible cost to himself and to others) be a passive victim
of a racist system that manifests such dismal conditions.
Of course, Nichols also reportedly attacked Black people. After
all, it is said, the deputy sheriff whom he struck with such force
(prompting initial false reports that he had shot her), the other
deputy sheriff that he gunned down, and the former lover who filed
rape charges against him are all African Americans. Yet, again,
Nichols did not assault them because of their skin color; they
could have been polka dotted for all he cared; they were attacked
because they stood in his way of exacting retribution by reason
of their being the physical representative of an unjust system,
and it was in this capacity that he moved against them. As for
his former lady friend, it has not been proven that he raped her,
only that she accused him of it. And if he did, he did so after
having over eight years of consensual sex with her.
In many news accounts and on several internet blog sites, Nichols
is described as an “animal” a “terrorist”
a “thug” and a “coward.” This is not surprising,
for America has stigmatized Black men as dangerous and beastly
for hundreds of years to conceal its oppression of them. And White
men have labeled Black men as cowards to project their own fears
and feelings of inadequacy upon the primal source of their dread,
in a pathetic attempt to cover-up their own cowardice.
Today, although usually not as blatant as in previous decades,
the undercurrent of racist ideology and fear is as enduring and
prevalent as ever. Howbeit, sometimes it takes an incident like
the one that occurred in Atlanta to unmask the racism so that
it can be viewed in the full light of day. But even then, many
Black people have allowed themselves to be co-opted into the system
and they see the world through the eyes of Whites and are conditioned
to ignore racism even when it is hiding in plain sight.
The violence of Nichols as well as other Black perpetrators, is
usually reported as if it gained momentum from nefarious forces
or sprang menacingly out of a vacuum and rarely are the underlying
causes of this retaliatory violence addressed or examined. Instead
the Blacks who become engaged in it are depicted as monstrous
and evil. Even if explanations are offered, they place the blame
on the supposed moral degeneracy, wickedness and debauchery of
the Black antagonist. The injustices of poverty, racism, political
isolation, etc are brushed aside as contributing factors and no
attention is paid to childhood trauma (as is in the case of White
killers) and few are concerned if (or how) social, medical, or
economic conditions may have impacted upon behavior.
The national attitude of blaming the racially stigmatized, the
socially disadvantaged and economically exploited for their plight
is a carry-over from the American eugenics movement that was developed
in at the beginning of the 20th Century and was itself a continuation
of the myth of inherent intellectual and moral inferiority which
was assigned to Black people during centuries of enslavement.
This fear of the alleged malignance of Blacks and their tendency
toward crime, violence, rape and moral degeneracy, resulted in
the forced sterilization or “planned parenthood” of
a significant segment of the population andnd jump-started a movement
of genocidal proportions which is still a part of America today.
Brian Nichols is consistently portrayed in main-stream media accounts
as a rapist and conclusions are quickly arrived at regarding his
arrest for the alleged sexual assault on his former girl friend.
Yet before we assume that he is a rapist, we must question the
inconsistency of his behavior. Why did he not rape Ashley Smith,
when he held her for several hours at her home? Surely she was
at his mercy throughout the entire night and morning they were
together. But they spent the time reading scripture from the Bible
and reciting gems of inspiration from the popular book, The Purpose
Driven Life.
No, Brian Nichols was not a bloodthirsty murderer (he had the
opportunity to shoot several others but he refused to do so).
Nor was he merely a criminal (he has yet to be convicted of a
crime) out to escape the consequences of his actions. Nichols
considered himself a warrior in a battle and against a system
that had not only victimized him, but millions like him.
Nichols will no doubt face life in prison, if not death under
the shadow of state and federal law. While Ashley Smith ( either
willingly or unwillingly) will be projected into the image America
has not outgrown; that of the pure White heroine who soothed the
savage beast into surrendering himself . And even before Brian
Nichols is safely and conveniently caged on death row, she will
have reaped millions in book and movies deals.
Yet Nichols in his heart of hearts might feel that he has won
a victory, because he was successful in bringing world attention
to himself. And although he may ultimately be silenced by the
steel cubicle of a prison cell or by the cold finality of the
execution chamber, he will not go to his death in the fog of anonymity.
He has forced America (at long last) to acknowledge him.
Sheriff Admits Security Lapses
Department Has Bolstered Security in Wake of Killings
POSTED: 5:16 a.m. EST March 25, 2005
UPDATED: 11:19 a.m. EST March 25, 2005
Story by wsbtv.com
ATLANTA -- For the first time since a shooter overpowered a guard
and went on a rampage at the Fulton County Courthouse that would
ultimately leave four dead, Sheriff Myron Freeman is admitting
that his department had security lapses before and during the
incident.
In an interview with Channel 2 Action News, Freeman acknowledged
that things in his department, which he inherited in January,
went awry.
"Obviously there was something there that happened that was
wrong," he said.
Among the lapses, officials said, were the failure by deputies
to monitor courthouse surveillance cameras as shooting suspect
Brian Nichols was being escorted by a much smaller female deputy
and the inability to lock down the building immediately after
the shootings.
Freeman also commented on documents found in Nichols' cell that
appear to be escape plans. The man's cell was apparently never
searched even though deputies allegedly found two crude homemade
weapons in his shoes during his rape trial.
Freeman based his statements to Channel 2 Action News on the recollections
of deputies and those involved. Those statements were made nearly
10 days after the shooting.
The sheriff said it was too early to determine if anyone would
be fired as a result of the attack.
Nichols, 33, faced a retrial after a hung jury in a previous trial
on rape and other charges. He allegedly overpowered a court deputy,
taking her gun.
Judge Rowland Barnes, who was presiding over the case, and his
court reporter, Julie Brandau, were fatally shot in the building.
Deputy Hoyt Teasley, who confronted Nichols as he escaped the
courthouse, was shot outside the building.
Nichols is also believed to have killed a federal customs agent
later, then stolen his pickup truck, investigators have said.
After the attack, authorities disclosed that the judge and prosecutors
in Nichols' case requested extra security after investigators
found a knife fashioned from a doorknob in each of Nichols' shoes.
Neither Freeman nor Chief Deputy Michael Cooke said that finding
the weapons necessitated an immediate search of Nichols' cell,
which could have uncovered the documents in his cell.
Freeman and a top aide also addressed the fact that other deputies
were not monitoring cameras as deputy Cynthia Hall escorted Nichols
as he was changing from jail clothes to street clothes as his
trial was about to start. Prisoners change their garments so as
to not influence the deliberations of jurors.
Three deputies were assigned to the room where the cameras, which
would have captured the attack on the woman as it was unfolding,
are located, but two of them were not in the room, authorities
said.
Chief Deputy Michael Cooke, who sat in on the interview with Freeman,
said one of the deputies had left the monitoring room to go to
a courtroom assignment while another deputy had left to run a
personal errand, which apparently involved getting food for a
superior.
Also, Cooke said it was not unusual for Hall, who is much smaller
than Nichols, who stands 6 feet 1 and weighs over 200 pounds,
to have been escorting the prisoner.
"It is not unusal for any deputy sheriff, female or male,
to escort an inmate, regardless of their classification,"
Cooke said. "That's their job. It's a deadly job. It's a
dangerous job."
And Cooke defended the placement of Hall with Nichols.
"It was not a mistake," he said. "It was a policy
issue. Certainly, we're going to look at policy to see if we need
to change it."
Written Documents Found in Nichols' Cell
When asked about the hand-drawn diagrams, Freeman said he did
not know what the documents were.
"It's three pieces of paper and it has names on it but I
don't know where they were found," Freeman said.
The documents were purported to have been in Nichols' cell when
deputies found the crude weapons in the prisoner's shoes. However,
the papers were not discoverd because his cell was apparently
never searched. Said Cooke: "You hate to speculate ... contraband
is found on inmates daily. It's part of the job," he said.
"Does finding contraband on an individual require that we
immediately shake down the cell, no it does not."
New Security Measures
Two weeks after the shootings, Freeman said measures have been
implemented to bolster security procedures at the building, the
busiest courthouse in Georgia.
"We've had extra security in the courtroom," he said,
adding that a special team of officers now is escorting "high-profile"
prisoners. "We've separated them from the general population,"
he said.
Also, armed deputies no longer guard prisoners. Instead, they
carry stun guns, authorities said.
Channel 2 Action News reporter Dale Cardwell contributed to this
report.
Copyright 2005 by . The Associated Press contributed to this
report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Last updated: March 23. 2005 12:00AM
POLICE BLOTTER
Trooper: Men used fake documents
Two men from New Rochelle, N.Y., were arrested Tuesday afternoon
on charges they tried to get North Carolina driver’s licenses
with fake documents.
When Ciro Glendo, 34, and Luis Martinez, 43, presented Progress
Energy bills with local addresses and information and Colombian
passports applying for driver’s licenses, clerks with the
Department of Motor Vehicles became suspicious.
First Sgt. J.O. Holmes, of the State Highway Patrol, whose office
is in the same building as the DMV office at 1 Station Road, said
the DMV clerks called him over after they had tried to verify
the information on the Progress Energy bills.
"They were pretty confident they were fraudulent," 1st
Sgt. Holmes said. "When they called Progress Energy and they
had no record of the names and the account number was bogus, they
got real suspicious."
First Sgt. Holmes questioned Mr. Glendo and Mr. Martinez for two
hours, and they admitted they had bought the fake Progress Energy
bills for $50 in New York and driven to North Carolina because
they felt it would be easier to obtain driver’s licenses
here, 1st Sgt. Holmes said.
Mr. Glendo and Mr. Martinez said their passports, issued in Bogota,
Colombia, were authentic, but 1st Sgt. Holmes confiscated the
passports for verification with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services and took them to the New Hanover County jail.
Mr. Glendo and Mr. Martinez where charged with obtaining a driver’s
license with fraudulent documentation and posted their $1,000
bonds shortly after they were booked.
<rMajsan Boström
Published: Mar 4, 2005
Modified: Mar 4, 2005 3:30 AM
Ex-deputy denies drug theft
A former Chatham officer testifies in a wrongful termination lawsuit
of another
By KAYCE T. ATAIYERO, Staff Writer
PITTSBORO -- A former Chatham County chief deputy testified Thursday
that he botched the handling of 5,000 pounds of marijuana evidence
that was stolen from the department but said he did not swipe
the drugs nor did he work to cover up the theft.
Randy Keck testified in Chatham County Superior Court during a
wrongful termination lawsuit against former Sheriff Ike Gray.
Gray is being sued by former Sgt. Dan Phillips, who says he was
fired in 2001 in retaliation for alerting the FBI about the theft
of marijuana from the old county landfill. Phillips also says
he was fired because of his attempt to expose racism in Chatham
County schools by making a tape recording of a former high school
principal using racial slurs.
Gray has said he fired Phillips for insubordination.
About 4,000 pounds of marijuana were stolen from a surplus Army
truck parked behind the sheriff's office. An additional 1,000
pounds was later taken from the landfill. The drugs, which had
a street value of $5 million, had been seized in February 2000
during an undercover sting.
In September 2000, Keck was in charge of the department's narcotics
unit. He testified that he followed virtually none of the proper
procedures for handling the drugs. His missteps included going
to the landfill alone to bury the marijuana and not taking steps
to destroy the drugs.
Phillips' attorney, Al McSurely, suggested that Keck ditched the
two deputies who were supposed to go with him to the dump so he
could steal the drugs. McSurely said the jury would have to "take
your word for it that you went directly to the landfill."
McSurely suggested Keck's desire to cover up the thefts is what
prompted him to tell Gray that Phillips was insubordinate. Keck
testified that he told Gray that Phillips had threatened to sue
him during an internal affairs investigation into the tape of
the principal.
McSurely contends there was a countywide conspiracy to fire Phillips
to silence him about the thefts and racist incidents at Chatham
Central High School.
Keck testified that he had no part in firing Phillips and didn't
warn deputies to "keep their mouths shut" about the
thefts. He said he does not know of any incidents in which Gray
condoned racism or threatened employees about speaking out.
Like Gray, he placed much of the responsibility for admonishing
deputies at the feet of former Sheriff Don Whitt.
Choking up at times, Keck said he did not steal the marijuana.
He said he simply made some mistakes.
"I made some bad judgments. I let the people of Chatham County
down and I am sorry for that," he said. "The only thing
you have is your pride, and I don't have that anymore because
I did something stupid."
Former deputy Jeffrey Scott testified later for the plaintiff
and refuted many of Keck's statements, including those about not
threatening officers who considered speaking out about the missing
drugs.
Scott testified that Keck told him and another deputy that they
would be indicted by the FBI if they said anything about the thefts.
Scott also said Keck denied requests from deputies that the drugs
be properly logged and destroyed.
Judge Douglas Albright prohibited the Rev. Carrie Bolton from
testifying. He ruled that her testimony was irrelevant. McSurely
sought to have the local civil rights activist testify about the
racial climate in Chatham.
Staff writer Kayce T. Ataiyero can be reached at 932-2004 or kataiyer@newsobserver.com.
MORE NEWS
FTC warns of check overpayment scam being used to cheat legitimate
sellers
March 19,2005
BONNIE THROCKMORTON The old expression, "One man's trash
is another man's treasure" is certainly true. Most people
love to bargain hunt, and even more admit they need to get rid
of items they no longer use.This endless stream of buyers and
sellers plays out every day in the classifieds and through online
auction sites. It seems simple enough. Post or advertise your
item, find a willing buyer, accept his money and both parties
are happy.
Not so fast. According to the Federal Trade Commission, such transactions
are now the home of yet another con game. Known as the check overpayment
scam, here's how it works.
You advertise your item and get a response from a willing buyer.
He offers a cashier's check, personal check or even a corporate
check. Just prior to completion of the sale, he makes up a reason
for writing the check in an amount greater than the cost of your
item. He wants you to wire the difference after the check is deposited.
Once you've you deposited the check and wired the money, you are
advised the check has bounced.
Now it is you who is on the hook for the entire sum. According
to the FTC, the checks are counterfeit but good enough to fool
unsuspecting bank tellers.
Here are a few suggestions to avoid this con game:
n Know with whom you are dealing by independently verifying the
buyer's name, address and telephone number.
n Do not accept checks for more than the amount of your item.
If the buyer sends an overpayment, return the check and don't
send the purchase.
n If it's an Internet auction sale, consider alternative means
of payment such as one of the various online payment or escrow
services.
If the buyer wants to use a particular one, check it out before
you agree. Most information can be learned about these services
at the FTC Web site, www.ftc.gov/onlineshopping.
n If you still wish to accept a check, ask the buyer to provide
one from a bank with a local branch. Take the check directly to
that bank - not your own - for payment. If this cannot be done,
independently contact the bank and verify the check was purchased
there.
n If the buyer insists you wire money back, do not go through
with the transaction. Don't be pressured into acting immediately
and do not use a wire service. If you have difficulty with the
transaction, the FTC warns you will have little recourse.
Those who sell online are better off using legitimate payment
or escrow services. With a local sale, take the check to the bank
upon which it was written or where it was purchased before releasing
the item.
Bonnie Throckmorton is a consumer advocate in Onslow County. Contact
her at bonnie@freedomenc.com.
Published: Mar 2, 2005
Modified: Mar 2, 2005 3:00 AM
Man arrested in dog-finding scam
Police: He conned people who lost pets
The Associated Press
ATLANTA -- Police have arrested a man they say ran a scam that
took advantage of people, including a North Carolina woman, searching
for missing pets.
Andre Gould conned as many as 17 people in six states to wire
him $85 for a pet carrier to fly their dogs back to them, plus
any extra money they wanted to send, police said. But the owners
never got their pets.
Gould's victims paid him a total of $3,000 since December, police
detective Paul Cooper said. An unidentified woman in Beaufort,
N.C., sent him as much as $500.
Police arrested Gould at a motel in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood
on Friday. He has been charged with wire fraud and racketeering.
Police say Gould, 37, used the Internet to find people who had
posted classified ads seeking lost dogs. He focused on ads that
said the animal had been implanted with a microchip that had identifying
information. He also targeted only people who lived far outside
the Atlanta area.
Gould would then find addresses for the phone numbers in the ads.
Using mapping software, he would identify cross streets or landmarks
to add credibility to his claim that he had found their dog beside
the road, police said.
Using skills he developed as a telemarketer, Gould would pose
as a truck driver who had found and nursed the lost pet and offer
to fly the animal home.
"He's the scum of Earth," Ann Rittenberry of Antioch,
Tenn., said of Gould, who told her his name was Ron Barton when
he called claiming he found Peanut, her son's beagle. "It's
the lowest of low, preying on people who are desperate to get
their animals back."
Rittenberry and Justin, her then-8-year-old son, waited in vain
Dec. 22 at the airport in Nashville for their dog.
"I had to tell him Peanut wasn't coming home after all,"
Rittenberry said.
Gould, who had been released from a federal prison halfway house
a few weeks ago, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted,
Cooper said. North Carolina Sites to Be Part of Summer Terrorism
Drill
Myrtle Beach Sun News via the Associated PressSHALLOTTE, N.C.
(AP) -- The largest terrorism drill in North Carolina history
is being planned for August and will include a mock attack on
the Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal in Brunswick County.
Officials said Wednesday the drill will stretch from Fort Bragg
to Morehead City in the state's central coast area to Brunswick
County on the southeastern coast.
Emergency and law-enforcement units from Virginia to South Carolina
have been invited to participate, as have those from the seven
counties that surround Fort Bragg. Participation by military personnel
and equipment will hinge on their availability.
The exercise is thought to be the first to test the new National
Response Plan that takes effect next month and requires coordination
among local, state and federal officials in terrorism and emergency
response.
The idea came from Fort Bragg and the FBI, said Andy Albright,
an exercise facilitator and civilian employee of the Coast Guard
in Wilmington. Other military bases and state and local agencies
were invited to join.
Planning for the drill has been going on for a year, Albright
said.
The exercise is to begin with a weapons of mass destruction drill
at Fort Bragg with some of the perpetrators escaping. Other events
will occur over the next three days at or near other military
bases in eastern North Carolina, at the State Port in Morehead
City and in the Pamlico Sound.
There will be a May 17 workshop in Morehead City to help prepare
those who will participate and a July exercise to test communications
before the August events, Albright said.
Randy Thompson, Brunswick County's emergency services director,
said it has been 3? years since local emergency management has
tested its response to a situation at Sunny Point.
The last time was when a boat loaded with munitions caught fire
and burned at the terminal, the largest military munitions shipping
point in the United States.1:52 Cop of the Week Last updated:
March 23. 2005 11:40PM
Police reward student for citizenship
By Majsan Boström
Staff WriterItamo Jordan, 12, who has dreamed of becoming a cop
since he was 5, never thought that he would be of assistance to
police officers at a crime in his own back yard.
On March 3, Wilmington police officers responded to a call about
a man threatening people with a gun at the corner of Queen and
Eighth streets.
When they showed up, 34-year-old British Tyrone Moss, (thief felon,
drug convictions) COURT DATE IS THE 24TH OF MARCH fled into his
house at 622 S. Eighth St., ran out the back door and tossed the
gun over the fence into Itamo’s back yard, said Officer
J.P. McPhearson, who was at the scene.
Mr. Moss was apprehended and charged with possession of a firearm
by a felon, going armed to the terror of the public and assault
by pointing a gun.
“I guess the kid is in his house, hears the gun crash through
the patio table, gets his video camera and films it,” Officer
McPhearson said.
“He hears us talking about how we can’t find the gun,
that’s when the kid shows up and tells us that the gun is
in his back yard.”
Itamo confirmed that account.
While the officers where waiting for crime scene investigators,
Itamo offered the police officers more help, including a roll
of yellow tape he had on hand.
“He comes out with a roll of crime scene tape and asks us,
‘You need this?’Ũ” Officer McPhearson
said and couldn’t help but laugh. “We said we were
OK and he told us he wanted to be a police officer.”
For his help locating the gun, Itamo was honored by Wilmington
Police Chief Ralph Evangelous at the gymnasium of his school,
Williston Middle School on Wednesday morning.
“They said they wanted to bring me an award but I didn’t
think they were gonna do it at the school and in front of everybody,”
Itamo said.
“I was shy, but I was very happy.”
When the chief presented Itamo with a Citizenship Award and spoke
of his brave actions, the 950-some students in the gymnasium cheered.
“Everybody at school kept asking me all day about what I
did. Some kids even wanted my autograph,” Itamo said. “And,
wow, I definitely didn’t expect a DVD player.”
The chief gave Itamo the device in addition to the award.
But if Wednesday was a big day for Itamo, the day he helped police
catch a criminal was priceless.
“He was happy today,” said Cynthia Jordan, Itamo’s
mom. “But he was just as happy that day, because he got
a chance to work with the police. They where all thanking him,
patting him on the back.”
“I’ve wanted to be a cop ever since I was 5 years
old,” Itamo said. “Because I want to be able to help
people.”
“There are a lot of bad things going on that the cops don’t
know about,” Itamo added.
“I want everybody to have a good time and be safe on the
streets, without guns, knives, drugs.”
Though he turned out to be a neighborhood hero, finding the gun
was a scary moment.
“When I found the gun, everything in my body shut down,”
Itamo said.
“My heart was beating so fast, like I’d been running
for four days. I was scared because it could have gone off when
the guy threw it and because I know that real guns can kill people.”
Majsan Boström: 343-2075
majsan.bostrom@starnewsonline.com
Wanted: Gun-toting leprechaun
Police in Butte, Mont., are looking for a leprechaun who behaved
like a modern-day bandit.
According to Butte Police Capt. Doug Conway, an unidentified man
dressed in a leprechaun costume robbed a local coin laundry at
gunpoint on the eve of St. Patrick's Day.
The suspect wore a fake black beard, mustache, a black plastic
hat and a green kilt. He entered the store at around 11 p.m.,
opened his jacket and showed the clerk the handle of a gun tucked
into his waistband. He then demanded money.
"He told the clerk that he was looking for his pot of gold,"
Conway said.
The man escaped with about $300. He is described as a white male
in his 30s, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall.
Anyone with information should contact the Butte-Silver Bow Police
Department at (406) 497-1120. Man flashes passersby with toy fruit
Arthur Bertana, is that a banana in your pocket?
Police in Greenwich, Conn., arrested Bertana, 62, after he flashed
several women with a toy banana stuffed in his pants.
According to the newspaper The Stamford Advocate, passersby called
police March 12 to report that Bertana was wandering the streets
in noticeably tight pants with a bulge in the front.
Bertana allegedly greeted pedestrians and then attempted to draw
their attention to the area below his waist. He also occasionally
covered the front of his pants with a bag, and then remove it
to display the bulge.
Lt. Daniel Allen of the Greenwich Police Department said eyewitnesses
who called in sightings of Bertana said that the elderly man had
unzipped his pants and exposed a phallic object. Bertana fled
when police arrived at the scene.
He was arrested after a short chase on foot, and police exposed
the source of the bulge.
"It was a toy banana with a smiley face," Lt. Allen
said.
Bertana was charged with breach of peace and interfering with
a police officer. He was released on $5,000 bond. Man robs store
with sword in mouth
Brandon Doucet is a man of few words. But his intentions were
unmistakable on March 19.
The Abbeville, La., resident allegedly walked into a convenience
store growling and clenching a sword between his teeth. He then
robbed the store of a can of tobacco and a bottle of whiskey.
According to the newspaper The Advocate, Doucet, 28, growled at
the clerk and stole the items from behind the counter. He continued
to growl and left the store without speaking to the woman. The
clerk then contacted local authorities.
Deputies from the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office engaged Doucet
in a car chase that took the suspect and the officers into a separate
county.
Doucet reportedly ran two other civilian vehicles off the road
during his escape. He was later apprehended in Broussard County,
the report said.
He is being held in the Iberia Parish jail on $250,000 bond.
Man laughed out of holdup attempt
A reminder to thieves everywhere: your choice of disguise can
make or break your robbery attempt.
Police in Cranberry, Pa., say a man who attempted to rob a grocery
store was humiliated and unable to carry out the holdup because
the store clerk laughed at his disguise.
"[The suspect] was wearing a Pluto the dog mask," police
Sgt. Dave Kovach said.
The store clerk was in the process of closing down at about 9:45
p.m. on March 8 when the dog-faced robber entered. The suspect
reportedly produced what looked like a black semiautomatic weapon
and demanded cash from the clerk.
Instead, the clerk began to laugh and refused to give the man
any money. The man left the store without incident.
The clerk later said that he did not feel felt particularly threatened
when he saw the mask and that he also believed that the weapon
was a pellet gun.
"We don't recommend [laughing] in these sorts of situations,"
Kovach said. He also added that a pellet gun could have caused
serious damage.
The man is still at large. He is described as a white male in
his 20s, approximately six feet tall and 170 pounds. At the time
of the robbery, he was wearing a blue-and-white windbreaker jacket
with a green hooded sweatshirt underneath.
Anyone with information should contact the Cranberry police at
(724) 776-5180.
Man arrested in assault on sheep
Terry Patterson's sheep can sleep easily at night again.
Suspecting that his livestock were the subject of unwanted nighttime
attention, Patterson decided to install a surveillance system
in his barn. In the early hours of March 8, the Pennsylvania farmer's
suspicions proved correct when he caught Bruce Englar having sex
with one of the animals.
Lt. Mark Bentzel of the Northern York County Regional Police department
said that when Patterson's alarm system went off, the man first
called police and then went to check on his animals. The farmer
peered into his window and saw Englar, 53, engaged in intercourse.
Patterson yelled at the intruder to stop what he was doing. A
police officer patrolling nearby heard the commotion and arrested
Englar.
According to the newspaper The York Daily Record, the officer
reportedly found twine in the suspect's back pocket. Englar had
allegedly used portions of the rope to tie down the animal before
engaging in the sexual act.
Englar denied any wrongdoing and instead told police that he was
just petting the sheep, the report said.
He was charged with burglary, trespassing, criminal attempt of
sexual intercourse with an animal, and possession of instruments
of a crime. He was released on $10,000 bond from the York Court
Prison. Special brownies land teen in trouble
When an Idaho teen looked to the raunchy comedy "Van Wilder"
for tips on how to get even with a friend, the plot instead turned
into a scene out of "Fight Club."
According to the newspaper The Spokesman-Review, the 17-year-old
had a strong aversion to peanut butter and wanted to get back
at a friend who had smeared it on his sandwich. As payback, he
allegedly sent the friend semen-frosted brownies.
The unidentified teen told authorities that he hated peanut butter
and his friend's initial prank had "made him more mad than
he could explain," the report said. He modeled his revenge
after a scene in the 2002 movie "Van Wilder," in which
the main characters delivered pastries filled with dog semen to
their rivals.
The teen reportedly took three brownies from a batch his sister
had baked and masturbated onto them. He then delivered them anonymously
to his friend on Valentine's Day. The recipient shared the brownies
with two other students.
According to the report, the students who ate the brownies became
aware of the prank after the boy bragged to other classmates about
it. A fight broke out between the two former friends and they
were both arrested and taken to juvenile detention.
The brownie-maker was charged with three counts of disturbing
the peace. He faces a maximum of 90 days in jail for each charge.
His sentencing is scheduled for April 4.
Man makes 30 calls to police in one night
When James J. Babcock decided to complain about a personal dispute,
authorities in Greenville, N.Y., got his message — 30 of
them, to be exact.
But before Babcock, 39, tied up the main phone line of his town's
police department, he had already made a nuisance of himself with
another police department in Louisiana.
According to Sgt. Sal Mecca, Babcock was involved in a civil dispute
with a woman in Louisiana over an Internet purchase. Babcock allegedly
made several phone calls to the woman and her local precinct on
March 1 until the desk sergeant called police in Greenville. He
asked that Greenville authorities contact Babcock and advise him
to stop calling the woman and their department.
"[Babcock] became irate when our desk trooper told him to
stop with the prank calls," Mecca said.
Babcock asked to speak to an officer of higher rank, who delivered
the same message. But the disgruntled man refused to take "No"
for an answer. He reportedly called back 30 times and harassed
officers on a line that also doubles as an emergency line, according
to Mecca.
The department turned to the local phone company, and a temporary
block was placed on Babcock's number to prevent him from calling
in.
When officers went to Babcock's home to place him under arrest,
he refused to open the door. Instead, he answered a criminal summons
that was issued the next day.
He was charged with aggravated harassment and disorderly conduct.
His case is pending. Naked woman arrested after wrestling dog
Police say the dog didn't seem to mind the attention.
Katherine Jennie Earle was arrested March 2 after authorities
in Grand Junction, Colo., received a call about a naked woman
wrestling a dog.
According to Public Information Officer Kristine Olson, the dog's
owners awoke around midnight and saw Earle, a transient, in their
front yard with their Labrador retriever. Officers arrived at
the scene to find the dog jumping all over the naked woman.
The dog's owner told officers that Earle had wandered around the
property several times in the past and had attempted to befriend
the animal. She had warned Earle to stay away.
But the bond between woman and dog was not easily broken.
Earle, 40, told officers at the scene that she loved the dog and
"did this all the time." She later disclosed that she
had been having sex with the dog. Earle also appeared intoxicated.
The dog was not injured. "He's obviously a friendly dog and
was having fun," Olson said.
Earle was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct. She's
being held on $750 bond. Man coughs up cocaine after being arrested
for marijuana
A suspected drug dealer's attempt to conceal a small bag of cocaine
from police nearly turned fatal.
According to a police document, officers in Coram, N.Y., arrested
Terrance Haynes on March 1 after a drug deal that involved marijuana.
As police prepared to book Haynes at the local precinct, they
noticed that he was unable to speak and was having difficulty
breathing. When he began to turn blue, an officer performed the
Heimlich maneuver on the choking man.
Haynes reportedly then coughed out a small plastic bag that contained
11 packets of cocaine. If he had ingested that amount of cocaine,
the results would have been deadly, the report said.
Haynes was taken to a hospital, where he was found to be unharmed.
He was returned to police custody and charged with criminal possession
of marijuana and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Although the suspect narrowly avoided death, he will have a difficult
time dodging the maximum 25-year jail term associated with the
cocaine charge. The initial marijuana charge only carried a maximum
90-day sentence.
Drunk man steals garbage truck
Vincent Hayes had the right idea when he called his wife for a
ride home after a night of drinking. But police in Knoxville,
Tenn., say by the time the woman arrived at the bar, her husband
had run out of good judgment.
Hayes, 42, insisted on driving. When his wife refused, he allegedly
stole a garbage truck and attempted to drive it home.
According to Officer Darrell DeBusk of the Knoxville Police Department,
a city worker called police to report that his garbage truck had
been stolen on Feb. 22. The worker told officers at the scene
that he had been loading trash into the truck at about 10:00 p.m.
when a man ran up to the vehicle, jumped in and took off.
During the investigation, a woman approached officers and identified
the suspect as her husband, DeBusk said. Officers located the
truck 20 minutes later in the parking lot of a convenience store.
Hayes was asleep behind the wheel.
"He had gone in the direction of his home, but obviously
didn't make it there," DeBusk said.
The truck sustained some damages — a missing antenna and
caution lights, and scratches to the roof — when Hayes drove
it under a low overpass.
The Knoxville man reportedly failed a sobriety test and was placed
under arrest. He was charged with aggravated assault for nearly
running over the city worker during the getaway, vehicle theft,
and driving under the influence.
He was taken to the Knoxville Sheriff's office, where he posted
$10,500 bond. Cross-dressing burglar leaves ID behind
Police in South Jordan, Utah, hope that if Wayne Frandsen serves
time for burglary, he'll get some help for another problem.
Frandsen, 18, reportedly broke into a neighbor's home on Feb.
27 to use her computer to access Internet pornography websites
and to dial 1-900 sexual service numbers. But before Frandsen
engaged in the alleged activities, he stripped out of his trousers
and put on a pair of the woman's underwear and pajama bottoms.
When the homeowner returned from church and discovered Frandsen
wearing her clothes, the suspect fled, but forgot to retrieve
his pants, which contained his wallet and identification.
South Jordan Police Detective Dan Starks said investigators were
able to track Frandsen to his family's home a few houses away.
The suspect was in the shower and was surrounded by evidence when
officers arrived.
"There was the woman's underwear and pajamas on the floor,"
Starks said. "It was pretty damning evidence."
Frandsen was arrested and charged with residential burglary and
two counts of theft.
According to Det. Starks, Frandsen has a troubled past and has
been in and out of state's custody over the past three years.
Frandsen was on a temporary release to visit his family when he
broke into the victim's home. Starks also indicated that Frandsen
may get help for his porn habit.
However, Frandsen currently has to deal with a more pressing issue
— getting out of jail.
"He's having trouble coming up with his bond," Starks
said. "His parents are not very thrilled with him and have
not come to get him out." Man with sword chases neighbors
Curtis Rarick's neighbors were traumatized twice on Feb. 27.
When the residents of South Front Street, in North Liberty, Iowa,
discovered their neighbor standing naked in his front yard in
the middle of the day, they asked him to put on some clothes.
Instead, Rarick, 44, threatened them with a sword.
According to North Liberty Police Chief Jim Warkentin, police
responded to reports of the altercation at about 2:30 p.m. Witnesses
told officers that Rarick became upset when another homeowner
yelled at him to cover up because there were children in the area.
Rarick reportedly went into his house to put on some clothes,
but returned with a two-foot, six-inch blade. He then walked across
the street with the weapon and chased the other man around a parked
car. Neighbors ran into their homes and called 911.
As officers questioned neighbors, Rarick came out of his home
with the sword and flung it on the grass, Warkentin said. Rarick
denied that he stood in his front yard naked. He told officers
that he had gotten upset and confronted his neighbors because
he felt harassed.
He was arrested and charged with public intoxication and aggravated
assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, a misdemeanor that
carries a $5,000 fine and up to two years in prison.
Rarick was released the next day after posting $2,000 bail, according
to the newspaper The Iowa City Press-Citizen. |
