Friday, December 31, 2010

Flying the creepy skies

What a creep.

Dude even looks like a creep.


Flier blames Tabasco spill for lewd act
The Smoking Gun -

Meet Rafael Escamilla.


Arrested this week for allegedly masturbating while seated next to a teenage girl on an airplane flight, the 50-year-old suspect told police that he was actually massaging and itching himself because he had spilled Tabasco sauce on his penis.

Escamilla’s unique explanation for his alleged indecent exposure is contained in police reports detailing the December 26 incident on a SkyWest Airlines flight from Salt Lake City to Lewiston, Idaho. Escamilla, a Florida resident, was in Idaho visiting family.

The girl, a high school cheerleader who just turned 17, told cops that she was seated directly next to Escamilla, and had chatted briefly with him at the trip’s outset. Mid-flight, as she looked at prom dresses in Seventeen magazine, the teenager spotted something moving “out of my corner of my eye.”

In a handwritten statement, the girl recalled, “I looked over and I could clearly see the man’s penis going side to side under the tray table that was down.” Escamilla, she added, had one hand on his laptop (which was atop the tray table) and the other “under the tray table.” Escamilla is pictured in the above mug shot.

The rest of the story:

Yield the right of way to emergency vehicles

Nice landing; made it seems, under emergency conditions.

I'm surprised the folks on 281 allowed him to "cut" in.

Regarding traffic being snarled, heck, if someone spit out their window, it'll snarl traffic at 281 and Bitters.


Police helicopter loses power, lands on U.S. 281
By Guillermo X. Garcia - Express-News

A police Blue Eagle helicopter lost power and was forced to make an emergency landing Thursday evening on busy U.S. 281 near San Antonio International Airport.

The pilot and an observer aboard weren't seriously injured in the 7:20 p.m. incident, although the observer complained of back pain, said San Antonio Police Chief William McManus. He declined to identify the pair.

Traffic was snarled for hours in the northbound lanes south of Bitters Road as vehicles were forced into two lanes.

I guess some would say the suspect was shovel ready

Be careful, he's considered armed and dangerous.

If you know his whereabouts contact the authorities.


Man is slain with shovel
By Michelle Mondo

Holding the weapon he'd already used to beat the man to the ground, the killer stood over his lifeless body and drove the front end of the large shovel at the man's head again and again, a police report states.

When done, he threw the shovel into the bed of his truck and left.

Police issued a murder warrant late Thursday for Gabriel Reyes Castillo, 33, and are searching for him.

Happy New year!

Best wishes in the New Year!

Dear Readers;

We've done it!  We've survived the 'aughts, the zeroes, the zed's.  Starting tomorrow we'll be in the the teens.

Its been a long year, I hope you will take time to celebrate responsibly.  Its a "no refusal" weekend in both Bexar County and Comal County.  Your blood will be sampled if you refuse to take a breath test or refuse to give a sample of your blood, if you've been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Do be safe out there.

Regards,

Man o' Law

Thursday, December 30, 2010

That sick bastard

If he did this, remember he's innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, can we just keep him away from everyone til he expires?

Okay?

Thank you.


Man accused of sexually assaulting disabled man
By Michelle Mondo - Express-News
 

A man with a history of more than 20 felony arrests in two states was jailed Tuesday, accused of sexually assaulting another man in an abandoned home last month.

Ricky Winston, 55, remained jailed on one charge of aggravated sexual assault of elderly/disabled, with bail set at $100,000, according to county records.

Winston's alleged victim was lured from a group home in Bexar County on Nov. 25 and taken to a house where Winston tried to get him to smoke crack before sexually assaulting him, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Burning desire

Well being an arson suspect sure would put a hickey into your plans to run for a position on city council.

Unless you're planning on running on a platform of urban renovation, I guess.


City Council hopeful among 8 arson suspects arrested
By Michelle Mondo - Express-News

A restaurant owner and San Antonio City Council hopeful was one of eight people arrested on arson-related charges Tuesday by the Bexar County fire marshal's office as part of a warrant roundup.

Seven of the arrests stem from three unrelated fires in 2007 that destroyed a North Side restaurant and two vehicles. Investigators believe they were deliberately set to collect insurance money, according to arrest warrant affidavits.

Another suspect was detained on suspicion of violating his probation on a 1987 charge that he set fire to a commercial building.

The rest of the story:

On the road to no refusal weekends everyday

Don't look here for sympathy.

Go take a cab or have a designated driver.

Better yet, stop at the store, get a bunch of booze and drink yourself into a stupor at home.  Just not on the road.

Thank you.


District Attorney expands 'no refusal' weekends
By Peter J. Holley - Express-News


There have been 11 “no refusal” weekends here since May 2008, when the Bexar County district attorney's office first deployed the legal machinery that allows authorities to draw blood from drunken-driving suspects whether they agree or not.

More than 21/2 years later, the county is primed to implement the policy full time, District Attorney Susan Reed said.

“This was always my plan,” she said, noting her office has applied for grant money from the Texas Department of Transportation that would make Bexar a seven-days-a-week “no refusal” county by spring.
 

Meted out his own dose of justice

Forgive me for sounding jaded but send a Death Certificate please.


Wanted man hangs himself in Mass.

NEW BRAUNFELS — Wanted in Comal County, a former New Braunfels resident hanged himself in a Salem, Mass., holding cell Tuesday.

Harland Littlefield Sawyer, 40, was found hanged in a holding cell for Salem District Court around 2:30 p.m.

The rest of the story:

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Moving on up......

Nice to see the upgrades starting up.


Upgrade begun on New Braunfels airport
By Jeorge Zarazua - Express-News

Upgrades to the New Braunfels Municipal Airport's runway and taxiways have begun, and construction is expected to last until August, officials said.

The first phase of the project includes the reconstruction of the North East Ramp. As work progresses, portions of taxiways and Runway 13-31 will be temporarily closed for reconstruction, according to the city of New Braunfels.

Those flying into or out of the New Braunfels Municipal Airport are encouraged to review the Airport's Notice to Airman.

The rest of the story:

Did they Defraud or did they not Defraud? That is the question.

Well, either they did or they didn't.

Was it a scheme to defraud or was it merely bad loans?

Only time will tell.


Brokers fighting $2 Million mortgage fraud charges
By Guillermo Contreras - Express-News

A mortgage broker and a real estate broker pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that they were involved in a $2 million mortgage-fraud scheme.

FBI agents allege real estate broker Darnell Mason and mortgage broker Justin Zhu recruited “straw” borrowers for homes Mason wanted to acquire throughout San Antonio. The borrowers were to be paid kickbacks for lending their personal information for the scheme, which allegedly exploited lax lending rules.

The government claims the swindle lasted between June 2006 and January 2007 and contributed to the country's financial meltdown. The initial lenders sold the bad mortgages to other lenders, the indictment said.

The rest of the story:

Change day coming at the Bexar Courthouse

Moving Day coming up.

Thank you for your all the good work you've over the years Judge Canales.

Good luck with your new endeavors.


14 judges in Bexar packing to leave
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

With the walls of his court chambers stripped of diplomas and Star Wars posters for the first time in decades, Judge Paul Canales took a moment last week to contemplate just how much paper a judge can accumulate in 22 years.

There were notebooks from judicial conferences in the mid-1990s. There were hundreds of jury charges — he saved every one, and they stacked up in a corner. Now, like him, they must go.

“I ended up shredding them all,” Canales said. “Still, I have tons of junk to get rid of.”

The rest of the story:

What about a little surrey with the fringe on top? Is that also military?

No offense meant to any Native-Americans but this guy has wandered way off the reservation, hasn't he?


Judge dismisses Klaud's court filings
Associated Press -

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A judge dismissed a federal court filing by Ted Klaudt (klowt) that he's illegally imprisoned because of an insufficient indictment and a court that did not have jurisdiction.

The former state legislator from northwest South Dakota is serving 44 years for second-degree rape involving two foster girls who were given phony medical exams on the premise they could sell their reproductive eggs.

U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier dismissed as "frivolous" and "meritless" Klaudt's arguments that the trial court lacked jurisdiction because the American flag in the courtroom had fringe, making it a military tribunal, and because he later renounced his U.S. citizenship.

Acting as his own attorney, Klaudt wanted the court to call a grand jury to consider charges of treason against the governor, Supreme Court justices and others.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

And he shall be called Levon

Best wishes to the Dads.


Elton John and David Furnish become parents

Elton John and his partner David Furnish have become parents of a son born to a surrogate mother, it was disclosed today.
The boy, who has been named Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, was born on Christmas Day in the United States.

“We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment,” they said in a statement issued to magazine Us Weekly. “Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents.” The rock star’s spokeswoman confirmed the report but said no details of the surrogacy arrangement would be disclosed and they intended to respect the privacy of the surrogate. The boy weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 22 inches long.

John, 63, and Canadian filmmaker Furnish, 48, have been together since the early 1990s. They entered into a civil union in 2005 and tried to adopt an AIDS-infected orphan in Ukraine last year, but were thwarted by government regulations.

Their son’s middle name “Levon” is thought to be a reference to John’s 1971 song of the same name, whose lyrics were written by his long time collaborator Bernie Taupin and inspired by drummer and singer Levon Helm.

Speaking in January the singer said: “David and I have always talked about adoption, David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said 'no’ because I am 62 and I think because of the travelling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn’t be fair for the child.” But he said he had changed his mind after their “hearts were stolen” by the child they met in Ukraine, who they were not allowed to adopt. He said he now felt he could “give a future” to a child.

Now a murder investigation

A follow-up to yesterday's posting.  The autopsy examination revealed that JoannaYeates was strangled to death.



Murder investigation launched as post-mortem reveals Joanna Yeates was strangled
The Telegraph - 

Joanna Yeates, whose snow-covered body was found by dog walkers on Christmas Day, was strangled, police said today.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Jones of Avon and Somerset Police revealed the results of a post mortem examination as he declared that her death was now officially being treated as a murder investigation.
He said Joanna, who disappeared on Friday, December 17, had died as a result of compression of the neck.

He appealed for any information about her murder, adding: ''Somebody out there does know what happened to Joanna.''

Speaking at a press conference he said police believed her body had been at the spot where she was found for several days.

''What we have to do next is to try and find out why she was killed and who was responsible,'' he added.

The rest of the story:

Rest in Peace Deputy Schaefer

I'm sorry this happened to the Deputy.

My condolences to his family.


Sheriff's deputy dies in struggle
Express-News -

A Uvalde County sheriff's deputy died early Saturday after suffering a heart attack while trying to arrest a teen girl, authorities said.

Michael Ray Schaefer, 55, was pronounced dead at Uvalde Memorial Hospital.

Uvalde Sheriff Charles Mendeke told KENS5-TV that two officers were called to a domestic disturbance involving the girl and a family member. The deputies struggled to detain the teenager.


A true Nutt case

Sorry, I just couldn't resist the temptation.


Fed Court gets cocaine case
By Susan Carroll - Houston Chronicle


HOUSTON — A former Harris County sheriff's deputy at the center of a drug corruption case is accused in new federal court filings of working with a team of accomplices to rip off drug traffickers.

A criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Houston offers the first detailed description of how investigators snared 43-year-old Richard Bryan Nutt Jr., the former sheriff's deputy accused in a cocaine conspiracy case. Along with Nutt, the undercover sting staged on Dec. 15 resulted in the arrests of John Edward Scott, 34; Danny Bell, 40; and Richard Jerome Banks, 38.

The four defendants initially were charged in state court. Nutt and the other defendants now are expected to face charges in federal court instead, according to a source familiar with the case who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about it.

The rest of the story:

Monday, December 27, 2010

Happy Holidays..............now DUCK!!

Are the cases I've recently posted about a harbinger of bad tidings?

Please walk away before you do something you'll regret later.





Domestic abuse agencies brace for uptick in cases

New year brings spike in violence, groups say — a trend that is worsening

By RENÉE C. LEE HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Houston-area women's shelters are preparing for the storm that comes every year after the calm of Christmas.
Domestic violence counselors say the new year is typically ushered in with a spike in emergency hot line calls and requests for emergency services. And 2011 will likely be the same, considering most agencies saw an increase in the need for services this year.
A study by the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence found that the number of emergency calls tend to drop on Christmas Day and then go up, suggesting that families try to have a joyous holiday, despite the violence that may occur the rest of the year.

"Families go to great lengths to preserve the appearance of normalcy for holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving because they're family holidays," said Rebecca White, president and CEO of the Houston Area Women's Center. "Then other days, such as New Year's and the Fourth of July, we see the numbers go up. Those holidays involve use of alcohol and they're less family-oriented."

Apparently even MADD is on board with the idea

So, let me see if I understand this proposal.

A first-time DWI offender may get deferred adjudication but if they repeat the first offense; i.e. they are caught driving drunk again, the deferred adjudication 1st DWI may be used to enhance the subsequent offenses?

Sounds okay, except I would think that the circumstances of the offense, even if it is a first time DWI, should dictate whether they could or should be offered a deferred adjudication.


Groups urge Texas to fix DWI laws
By Claudia Grisales - Austin American-Statesman -

Those are some examples of what's bringing together a new coalition that includes Mothers Against Drunk Driving, prosecutors and defense attorneys who support a widespread change in how the state punishes first-time drunken drivers.

Supporter say the plan, a legislative proposal to allow deferred adjudication for first-time offenses, would ease the court backlog and improve efforts to track and punish repeat DWI offenders.
First-time offenders could be acquitted of the offense if they complete supervision and treatment. If the offense were repeated, it would become grounds to boost future punishments.

She looks like she was a lovely girl

Someone out there knows what happened.

Rest in Peace, Joanna.  My condolences to your friends and  family.



Body found in snow is missing Joanna: police
The Sydney Morning Herald -


Police are "satisfied" a body found on Christmas day is missing architect Joanna Yeates.

They said at this stage they are treating the death as suspicious, but are waiting on the results of a post mortem examination.

The discovery was made at 9am on Saturday by a couple walking their dogs in the Failand area of North Somerset.

An Avon and Somerset police spokesman said: "We are satisfied the body is Joanna Yeates, but this is pending the results of a post-mortem which is not expected for at least 24 hours due to the nature of how she was found in such extreme conditions."

The remains, clothed and covered in snow, were discovered on a country lane three miles from where the 25-year-old was last seen alive eight days ago.

The last known sighting of Joanna Yeates, known to her friends as Jo, was on CCTV as she bought a pizza at a branch of Tesco Express in the Clifton area of Bristol on the evening of December 17.

The university graduate, who worked as a landscape architect for BDP, was making her way home to the flat she shared with her boyfriend, Greg Reardon, after a night out with work colleagues in Bristol city centre.

Reardon, 27, reported her missing on Sunday night after returning home to their flat in Canynge Road, Clifton, from a weekend away in Sheffield visiting family.

Friends launched a campaign to find her by putting up posters across Bristol and setting up a website and a page on Facebook and using Twitter.

The night Joanna Yeates vanished, she left the Ram pub in Park Street at about 8pm and as she made her way home she rang her best friend, Rebecca Scott, to arrange to meet on Christmas Eve.

She was caught on CCTV in a Waitrose supermarket at the Clifton Triangle and then went to the Tesco Express on Regent Street - a quarter of a mile from her flat.

Officers released footage of her buying a pizza in Tesco, which has become a key part of the investigation.

There was no trace of the pizza, the wrapping or the box in her home - despite the fact that the receipt, the coat she was wearing, and her mobile phone and keys were inside.

Honeymoon ends badly

Why would the groom pay the taxi cab driver to do this?

Why get married only to "off" your bride on your honeymoon?

Insurance?  Or is the cabbie lying?


Honeymoon bride 'executed', says paramedic
Sydney Morning Herald -

A paramedic who examined the body of Anni Dewani, the bride who was killed while on honeymoon in South Africa, shortly after it was found in the back of an abandoned taxi believed she had been "executed".

The unnamed man said Mrs Dewani’s clothes were neatly arranged and there was no sign of a struggle or sexual assault, as had been previously suggested. He said it appeared she had been shot in the neck and stabbed in the back, but said he saw no gunshot injury to her hands.

His claims contradicted a witness at the scene, who said Mrs Dewani’s dress was pulled up, suggesting a sexual assault.


They also contradicted a forensic and ballistics report by experts commissioned by lawyers acting for her husband, Shrien Dewani, a 30-year-old businessman from Bristol who is facing extradition to South Africa over police claims that he paid gunmen to ambush the couple’s taxi and kill his wife in Cape Town.

The latest claims were made by the medical officer who compiled the declaration of death at 7.59am on Nov 14, about 90 minutes after police found the 28-year-old Swedish-born engineer’s body.

"I didn’t see any wounds on her hands," he said. "I didn’t examine them, but I’m sure if she was shot I would have noticed blood coming from her hands. The only wounds I noticed were the bullet wounds in her neck and two or three stab wounds on her back from a knife.

"There was no sign there had been an attempted sexual attack or fighting. Her clothes were neat.
"It looked as if someone in the passenger seat had leant over and shot her in the neck. I got the impression she was executed."

Zola Tongo, the couple’s taxi driver, alleged that Mr Dewani had paid him and his accomplices 1400 pounds to kill his wife.

The two alleged gunmen, Xolile Mngeni, 23, and Mzwamadoda Qwabe, 26, were arrested and charged with murder, aggravated robbery and kidnap. They are due to stand trial in February.

A South African police spokesman declined to comment on the latest reports, saying the full autopsy findings would be made public only in court.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Another Domestic violence matter?

Why can't folks just leave each other alone?

The map shows San Saba County where the suspect is booked into the jail.


Man accused of killing woman in Ingram
By Eva Ruth Moravec - Express-News


Authorities in San Saba County arrested a man in connection with the death of a woman who was discovered dead Friday night in a trailer in Ingram, officials said.

Bryan Keith Crum, 39, is set to be booked in the San Saba County Jail on one count of murder. A judge set bail at $100,000.

Officials have not released the name of the woman, 39, nor have they said how the woman died.

The rest of the story:

Condolences to the Kruse Family

No greater love hath a man than to lay down his life for another

Man dies trying to save his dog
By Eva Ruth Moravec - Express-News

A man died in an East Bexar County fire Christmas morning when he went back into a burning trailer home trying to save his favorite dog, officials said.

The man was identified by relatives as Frank “Poncho” Kruse, 62. He lived with his wife, Tina, in a double-wide in the 5100 block of Stanislaus.

After flames engulfed the home about 3:30 a.m., volunteers from China Grove, St. Hedwig and Lone Oak battled the blaze.

Friday, December 24, 2010

A tragedy which could have been prevented

This is a tragic story and underscores the fact that Law Enforcement officers need to be better apprised of the mental health laws.

This need not have happened.


'The decision to kill my son was wrong'
By Peter J. Holley - Express-News

Squeezed inside their modest Northwest Side hotel room two days before Christmas, the Cullum family is finding no joy this holiday season.

It's been three weeks since their mentally ill son and brother, Tavan Cullum, 31, set fire to his family's house and led authorities on a low-speed chase up Interstate 10 before he was shot and killed by police outside Boerne.

Trading presents, preparing a large turkey dinner, and other holiday traditions have been replaced by phone calls to the insurance company and daily trips to Cullum's gravesite, where his mother lies on his grave and sobs.

The rest of the story:


Merry Xmas for the defense

Times change, laws don't as quickly.

Is the jury sending a message to the system?


Missoula District Court: Jury pool in marijuana case stages ‘mutiny’
By Glenn Florio of the Missoulian

A funny thing happened on the way to a trial in Missoula County District Court last week.
Jurors – well, potential jurors – staged a revolt.

They took the law into their own hands, as it were, and made it clear they weren’t about to convict anybody for having a couple of buds of marijuana. Never mind that the defendant in question also faced a felony charge of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.

The tiny amount of marijuana police found while searching Touray Cornell’s home on April 23 became a huge issue for some members of the jury panel.

No, they said, one after the other. No way would they convict somebody for having a 16th of an ounce.

In fact, one juror wondered why the county was wasting time and money prosecuting the case at all, said a flummoxed Deputy Missoula County Attorney Andrew Paul.

District Judge Dusty Deschamps took a quick poll as to who might agree. Of the 27 potential jurors before him, maybe five raised their hands. A couple of others had already been excused because of their philosophical objections.

“I thought, ‘Geez, I don’t know if we can seat a jury,’ ” said Deschamps, who called a recess.
And he didn’t.

During the recess, Paul and defense attorney Martin Elison worked out a plea agreement. That was on Thursday.

On Friday, Cornell entered an Alford plea, in which he didn’t admit guilt. He briefly held his infant daughter in his manacled hands, and walked smiling out of the courtroom.

“Public opinion, as revealed by the reaction of a substantial portion of the members of the jury called to try the charges on Dec. 16, 2010, is not supportive of the state’s marijuana law and appeared to prevent any conviction from being obtained simply because an unbiased jury did not appear available under any circumstances,” according to the plea memorandum filed by his attorney.

“A mutiny,” said Paul.

“Bizarre,” the defense attorney called it.

In his nearly 30 years as a prosecutor and judge, Deschamps said he’s never seen anything like it.

The rest of the story:

Happy Holidays from Man o' Law!

Dear Readers,

First.

My apologies for posting sporadically this week.  Some meds are wreaking havoc with me.

Second.

A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you.

Best Wishes;

Man o' Law

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Big Brother grabs the Internet

Will this take-over be upheld?

Or is it an overreach by the Administration?

I predict it will ultimately be overruled.


Internet gets new rules of the road
By AMY SCHATZ And SHAYNDI RAICE 
 
WASHINGTON—Consumers for the first time got federally approved rules guaranteeing their right to view what they want on the Internet. The new framework could also result in tiered charges for web access and alter how companies profit from the network.

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday voted 3-2 to back Chairman Julius Genachowski's plan for what is commonly known as "net neutrality," or rules prohibiting Internet providers from interfering with legal web traffic. President Barack Obama said the FCC's action will "help preserve the free and open nature of the Internet."

The move was prompted by worries that large phone and cable firms were getting too powerful as Internet gatekeepers.

The rest of the story:

Did they or didn't they?

This will be interesting to say the least.


Couple arrested on charges of funneling $1.8 Million to Iran
By Guillermo Contreras - Express-News


The FBI on Tuesday arrested a South Texas doctor and his wife, a San Antonio lawyer, on charges that they secretly sent more than $1.8 million to Iran over nine years with the help of the founder of an Oregon charity, violating the U.S. embargo on the Middle East country.

Dr. Hossein Lahiji, 47, and Najmeh Vahid, 35, were named in a federal indictment last week in Portland, Ore., that alleges the couple received tax exemptions for their donations to the Portland-based Child Foundation.

After a court hearing in San Antonio and their release on unsecured bonds, the Iranian-born pair told the San Antonio Express-News that the indictment is inaccurate.

The rest of the story:



That's a lot of robberies, maybe he was hungry?

So he's confessed to at least 11 armed robberies?

Evidence also may include an additional three more.


Robbery spree comes to an end
By Guillermo X. Garcia - Express-News

A man Police Chief William McManus described as a “one-man crime spree” was jailed Tuesday, accused of committing at least 14 West Side restaurant armed robberies since October.

Joe Anthony Rodriguez, 21, was arrested at his home after several days of surveillance, said police Robbery Task Force Sgt. Daniel Alonzo. Alonzo said Rodriguez was to be charged Tuesday with four first-degree felony offenses, and added that more charges would be forthcoming.

Rodriguez told investigators he was responsible for 11 armed robberies — using almost the exact same clothing and the same holdup method — and police believe they have evidence that may link Rodriguez to three others, Alonzo said.

The rest of the story:

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Okay it will either be warmer or hotter.

What is wrong with this fool?

I mean really?  Climate change and the Coast Guard?

Sure make some emergency plans then get back to protecting us.

You know feel up some more airplane passengers.  *snort*


Napolitano says DHS to begin battling climate change as Homeland security issue
By J. Brady Howell - CNSNews.com

(CNSNews.com) - At an all-day White House conference on "environmental justice," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that her department is creating a new task force to battle the effects of climate change on domestic security operations.

Speaking at the first White House Forum on Environmental Justice on Thursday, Napolitano discussed the initial findings of the department’s recently created "Climate Change and Adaptation Task Force."

Napolitano explained that the task force was charged with “identifying and assessing the impact that climate change could have on the missions and operations of the Department of Homeland Security.”

According to the former Arizona governor, the task force would address specific questions, including:
“How will FEMA work with state and local partners to plan for increased flooding or wildfire or hurricane activity that is more serious than we’ve seen before? What assistance can the Coast Guard bring to bear to assist remote villages in, for example, Alaska which already have been negatively affected by changes up in the Arctic?”

The findings from the Homeland Security Department (DHS) also asked: “(H)ow can we focus on how climate change is going to affect our rural citizenry including those who live along our boarders both northern and southern?”

Napolitano did not elaborate on the new task force and the Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to requests by CNSNews.com for additional information on the task force.

The conference did not define “environmental justice,” and the only reference to the task force that can be found is on the DHS Web site. The June 2010 Department of Homeland Security Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan states “climate change has the potential to accelerate and intensify extreme weather events which threaten the nation’s sustainability and security.”

This plan also noted: “Many USCG [Coast Guard] and Customs and Border Protection facilities, by their mission, are located in the coastal zone which will be adversely impacted by sea level rise.  Costs will increase for protecting existing facilities from the impacts of sea level rise and some facilities might have to be abandoned in the longer term.”

The all day White House Forum on Environmental Justice also included talks by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

Getting away with murder

A good deal for her.

She literally got away with murder.

Kinda, sorta like someone else we know.


Woman gets prison for aiding in fatal robbery
By craig Kapitan - Express-News

A mother of two who once faced the possibility of life in prison without parole for her part in a fatal robbery was lead out of the courtroom in tears Monday after a judge sentenced her to 15 years in prison.

Kitcha Ricole Robinson, 30, had initially been charged with capital murder for driving the getaway car on Aug. 29, 2007, after then-boyfriend John Fennell fatally shot Juan Saldivar, 39, in front of a Northeast Side residence.

Fennell was found guilty by a jury in September of capital murder. During Fennell's trial, Robinson didn't have a plea agreement worked out with prosecutors but she was cooperating and had offered to testify against her ex-boyfriend, both sides acknowledged. She did reach an agreement last month, pleading no contest to a reduced charge of aggravated robbery in exchange for prosecutors seeking no more than 30 years in prison.

The rest of the story:

AMF Dude, AMF (AMF = Adios Mother.........)

Considering the fact that the defendant had no prior criminal history the outcome would, in all probability, been the same.

Life without parole.

Thus, his plea saved the citizens of Bexar County untold hundreds of thousands of dollars for his defense and for any and all appeals on this case.


Man agrees to life without parole for double murder
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

A San Antonio man who faced the possibility of lethal injection for the shotgun murders of two women will instead serve life without parole.

Tabari Strong, 35, made a final appearance Monday in 226th state District Court as family members of Vernita Bardwell and Tamika Coleman delivered tearful — and sometimes angry — victim impact statements.

Strong pleaded guilty last week to capital murder when prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty against him.

The rest of the story:

Rest in Peace David Allen Walker

My heart goes out to the family and friends of David Allen Walker.

May your grief be tempered by the knowledge that he dwells in a better place today.


16-year-old discovered dead in field near New Braunfels
NEW BRAUNFELS - David Allen Walker, 16, was found dead in a field by his rural New Braunfels home Sunday.

The cause of death was not immediately apparent. New Braunfels Police Department officers are investigating the Premier High School sophomore's death, said Lt. Michael Penshorn of the New Braunfels Police Department.

The rest of the story:

Monday, December 20, 2010

Death in jail

I wonder what recourse the family actually has?


Family cries foul over father's death in detention
China Daily -


NANCHANG - Prosecutors in an East China city are probing the sudden death of an inmate who was in police custody for less than a month after his family claimed he might have been beaten, local authorities said on Sunday.
Zou Shenghuai, 54, fainted in his cell on the morning of Dec 11 at a detention center in Yuanzhou district, Yichun city in East China's Jiangxi province. He died after emergency medical treatment failed to resuscitate him.
"We have launched an investigation at the family's request and will hold an autopsy to determine the cause of the death," said Li Jianfeng, a deputy director of the district prosecutor's office in Yichun.
Li said investigators had found no signs of assault or illegal treatment so far in connection with Zou's death.
According to a police report on a physical exam that Zhou underwent when he was detained on Nov 23 on charges of illegal logging, he had emphysema, a swollen liver and a blood tumor in the spleen.
"Whether it was caused by illness or beating, the death of my father was a blow to the family," said Zou's daughter, Zou Fuhua. "It is hard for me to accept that he died just 20 days after being detained, especially when I know beating in custody is common."
The autopsy should be conducted by forensic experts from outside Jiangxi, preferably from Beijing or Shanghai where forensic analysis is more trustworthy, Zou Fuhua said.
Beatings and other irregularities in China's detention facilities have come under close public scrutiny following a string of "unnatural" deaths in the past two years.
The most prominent case was reported in February 2009, when authorities at a detention center in southwestern Yunnan province said 24-year-old inmate Li Qiaoming had died while playing a game of hide-and-seek. An inquiry concluded that Li was beaten to death by three other inmates.

Making food crimes a priority

I thought I had read in the past that some folks had been executed for their part in some of the food safety crimes.

That is a very high penalty to pay indeed.

BTW now I want Chinese food for lunch.  Yum!


Harsher penalties mulled for food safety crimes
Xinhau - China Daily


BEIJING - China's top legislature Monday started the second reading of an amendment to the Criminal Law to increase penalties for food safety crimes.

In a newly-added item, the draft amendment stipulates that public servants responsible for supervising and managing food safety will face up to ten years in jail for dereliction of duty or abuse of power in the case of a severe food safety incident.

The current Criminal Law refers to dereliction of duty and abuse of power but does not specifically refer to food safety.

According to the Commission for Legislative Affairs of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the new item will protect people's livelihood.

The draft also broadens the conditions for food safety crimes. It says those who produce and sell a harmful food product will be punished even if poisonings fail to occur.

In November, 50 packages of corn-flavored dairy drink produced in central China's Hunan Province were found to contain high levels of melamine, a toxic chemical added to milk to cheat protein-content tests.

The resurfacing of melamine-tainted dairy products has triggered food safety concerns again.

In 2008, tainted milk products caused the deaths of six infants and the illness of 300,000 children.

The draft was submitted Monday to the NPC Standing Committee, China's top legislature, at its bimonthly session for review. The session started Monday and will run until Saturday.

Teacher; leave those kids alone

This is pretty bad.

No teacher of the year award for him.


Teacher rapes student, flees
The Times of India -


PUNE: A government school teacher in Rajgurunagar allegedly raped a 12-year-old student in the principal's office on December 9. The teacher, Prabhakar Borse, has been booked under sections 376 (2)(F) and section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. He has gone missing after the incident.

Sub-inspector Seema Dhakane of the Khed police told TOI that the girl, a seventh-standard student, had earlier been molested by Borse, who is her class teacher.

On December 9, Borse told another female student to tell the girl that he wanted to talk to her. When the girl hesitatingly went to Borse with the other girl, he said he wanted to take both of them for a ride on his motorcycle, Dhakane said. "When they refused, he forced the victim into the principal's office and raped her," she said.

The police said Borse allegedly threatened to kill the girl if she spoke of the incident. However, some students who had seen Borse forcing the girl into the principal's room told their parents, who later informed the police.

No good deed goes unpunished

Really?

Someone with some common sense please dismiss the ticket.


Good Samaritans face fine after rescuing deer from icy water
CBSBaltimore -

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. (WJZ) – They fought to save a life, and now they say they’ll fight the fine.

It all revolves around the rescue of a deer trapped in icy water Thursday night.

Alex DeMetrick reports that good deed was rewarded with tickets.

Strangers banded together to pull a deer out of the freezing water of the Patapsco River on Thursday night.

“We seen the deer going under,” said Khalil Abusakran. “It couldn’t maintain.  It was starting to freeze, and it was really getting bad.”

Abusakran brought a raft, and Jim Hart joined him.

The rest of the story:

Rapper Gold

Man, the dude was just building up his street cred.


Rapper remains jailed on multiple charges
By Eva Ruth Moravec - Express-News

A local rapper arrested in an undercover sting while shooting a music video Saturday is being held without bail in Bexar County Jail.

Davone O. Truitt, 23, faces nine charges, including felony possession of a weapon, forging a government instrument, possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone, injury to a child, assault with bodily injury, evading arrest, aggravated assault of a public servant and possession of a prohibited firearm.

San Antonio police officers with the San Antonio Regional Intelligence Center had developed information that Truitt, who raps as Dae Teezy, would be shooting a music video at Pletz Park on the East Side, according to a Lone Star Fugitive Task Force news release. About 20 local law enforcement officers surprised the rapper as they prepared to film just before 1 p.m. Saturday, officials said.

The rest of the story:

Over the edge

No excuse for this behavior.  Even if you are stressed out, get help, don't beat the babies.


Man critically injured twin infant daughters, police say
By Eva Ruth Moravec - Express-News

San Antonio police early Sunday arrested a man accused of injuring his infant twin daughters, officials said.

Adrian Maldonado Jr., 29, is set to be booked in Bexar County Jail on two counts of injury to a child with serious bodily injury. A judge set bail at $200,000.

An arrest warrant affidavit states Maldonado and the girls' mother live together in a home in the 300 block of La Manda Boulevard. Around 2 a.m. Saturday, the mother was feeding one of the couple's 48-day-old daughters but she was being fussy, officials said. The mother needed to feed her other baby, police said, so Maldonado took the one who'd already been fed. Authorities said the mother could hear her infant “scream crying” in the other room, and then she suddenly stopped, authorities said. Maldonado put the baby to bed, and offered to take the second girl from her mother, saying he would “walk her to sleep,” the affidavit states.

The rest of the story:

Saturday, December 18, 2010

BOLO for a 180+ pound man running around in lingerie

I guess he'd be easy to spot as he prances around the countryside in his lingerie.


Authorities seeking cross-dressing arsonist
By Guillermo X. Garcia - Express-News

A man who dresses in lingerie is being sought by San Antonio Fire Department arson investigators in a series of late-night Northeast Side fires.

The man, videotaped several times, appears to be in his mid-30s and weighs 180-200 pounds, authorities said.

He's wanted in connection with a fire that destroyed or damaged three vehicles.

The rest of the story:

Another home invasion

A frightening situation for sure.


Home invaders strike in Kendall County
By Zeke MacCormack - Express-News

A Kendall County couple was bound and robbed, but escaped injury in a home invasion early Friday by a woman and two men outside Fair Oaks Ranch, authorities said.

“The couple is pretty shook up, but they're grateful that they weren't hurt,” Kendall County Chief Deputy Matt King said. “We're reluctant to call it a random robbery yet, just because of some of the things that were said during the ordeal.”

He said the Ammann Road homeowners were awakened about 2:30 a.m. by a woman at their door who claimed her vehicle had broken down nearby.

The rest of the story:

Another felon goes to prison

Another felon with a long history sent for a long stint in prison.


Marrin gets 40 years for drugs
The Herald-Zeitung -

NEW BRAUNFELS — Prior felonies dating back almost two decades and her own back-of-the-cop-car chatter earned Shelbie Marrin 40 years in prison Thursday.

She was charged in Comal County in August 2009 with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance (methamphetamine) in an amount greater than 400 grams and possession of a controlled substance (morphine) between 4 and 200 grams, as well as tampering with physical evidence.

The rest of the story:

Don't renege on the deal

A habitual felon goes to prison.

Good job Sammy.


Waldrip gives Forsberg 49 years in prison
NEW BRAUNFELS — Wheels of justice generated some heat and even sparks Friday as Vietnam veteran Charles Michael Forsberg, 59, was sentenced to 49 years in prison on two less-than-a-gram drug possession charges.

The friction came as defense attorney Paul Goeke asked District Judge Dib Waldrip to turn on its ear a 25-years-to-life plea punishment range agreed to last week in exchange for the waiver of a jury trial.

The rest of the story:

Friday, December 17, 2010

You've got Bail!

Interesting that the Judge commented on the relative strength of the Queen's case; apparently taking that into consideration when he set the bail.


Medich granted bail
By Kate McClymont - The Sydney Morning Herald -

The case against accused murderer Ron Medich is not strong, says a NSW judge, and he would not have to spend Christmas in jail after being granted bail this afternoon.

The 62-year-old property developer has secured bail after his younger brother Roy offered to put up $1 million.

In the NSW Supreme Court, Justice Derek Price said that he was concerned about the lengthy period of time Mr Medich would spend in "segregated custody" before the trial, "when there is a reasonable prospect of a jury not being satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he committed the offences".

The rest of the story:

Greed is good?

So said Gordon Gekko.

Maybe not so much, huh?


Businessman jailed for money laundering
The Sydney Morning Herald -

A successful Sydney businessman whose money laundering led to him evading up to $2.4 million in tax has been jailed for at least four years nine months.

Justice Peter Johnson said Michael John Milne had acted out of "personal greed" and that the proceeds which flowed to him were used essentially to buy luxury items and real estate.

In sentencing him in the NSW Supreme Court today, the judge said Milne's criminal conduct could be characterised as "being planned, deliberate and deceitful".
Last month, a jury found Milne, 55, from Neutral Bay in Sydney's north, guilty of money laundering and providing false income tax information to obtain a Commonwealth gain.

The rest of the story: