Sunday, March 31, 2013

No Fear?

How crazy is this?

I mean really?  Smoking Pot in the Po-Po's parking lot?


Men caught smoking pot in police lot

UPI.com -

TOTOWA, N.J., March 28 (UPI) -- The New Jersey State Police said a trooper followed the scent of marijuana to a group of alleged pot smokers in the police barracks parking lot.

Police said the trooper was at his personal car in the parking lot of the Totowa barracks Tuesday when he detected the scent of marijuana and looked over to see a group of three men smoking marijuana in a 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue two cars away, The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Thursday.

Investigators said the men were waiting for a fourth friend who was attempting to pick up a car from impound.

The rest of the story:

Cover up?

Hmmmm?

Okay?

Why?


Case dropped against cop accused of cover-up
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

The Bexar County district attorney's office has dismissed its case against a San Antonio police sergeant accused of helping cover up a bizarre incident last year involving a colleague found without pants near his wrecked city vehicle.

Sgt. Ramiro H. Garcia, 53, had faced up to 10 years in prison on the tampering with evidence charge. He remains on temporary suspension without pay, a Police Department spokesperson said Friday.

Prosecutors signed a motion to dismiss Garcia's only charge Thursday afternoon — three months after he and fellow Sgt. Joseph Earl Myers, 53, were indicted.

The rest of the story:

Find the Bastards

Exactly 2 months ago one of his Assistant DA's was murdered walking to the courthouse from his car.

Now this.

Y'all be careful out there.


Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, wife found dead in home

By TANYA EISERER and TASHA TSIAPERAS- Dallas News

Kaufman County’s district attorney and his wife were found slain Saturday, raising fears that their deaths may be part of a plot that included the death of one of the county’s assistant district attorneys in January.

Kaufman Police Chief Chris Aulbaugh and other officials confirmed that Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia Woodward McLelland, had been shot at their home near Forney.

Their deaths followed the Jan. 31 slaying of Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse.

The rest of the story:

Friday, March 29, 2013

Si, se pueda!

I am so happy our Border is secure!

Yes, I know I'm egging on the Department of Homeland Security


Border agents cracking down on cascarones
Express-News

As Easter and Fiesta approach, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reminding that border crossers are allowed only 10 cascarones each.

The confetti-filled eggshells also must be clean and dry and for personal use, CBP said this week in a news release.

Fines for importing undeclared cascarones can run as high as $1,000 per person and up to more than $50,000 for commercial use.

The rest of the story:

Another head-on DWI

My biggest fear on the smaller roads, the car that crosses the center line.


DWI suspect critically hurt in wreck
By Ana Ley - Express-News

A man is clinging to life this morning and facing intoxication assault charges after he caused a head-on collision Thursday night, police said.

Officer Matthew Porter said Edgar Abrego, 28, was traveling south on Bulverde Road near Evans Road in a Toyota 4Runner about 10:40 p.m. when he crossed into the northbound lane and hit a pickup.

Witnesses said the pickup's driver, Robert Mack, 45, tried to avoid the 4Runner but couldn't get out of the way.

The rest of the story:

Didn't pass the Whiz that day

What a Richard!


Man accused of using fake penis for drug test
Associated Press -

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — A man accused of using a prosthetic penis to try to pass a drug test is now facing charges in eastern Missouri.

Authorities allege that 34-year-old Sydney Levin was submitting a urine sample last week as part of his probation when an officer allegedly spotted him using a prosthetic known as a Whizzinator. The prosthetic is advertised as a discreet device that includes synthetic "medical grade urine."

Levin, of Lake St. Louis, was charged last week with possessing a forging instrument, KMOV-TV  reported. He was arrested and released after posting $25,000 bond, and pleaded not guilty on Monday.

The rest of the story:

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Lost on the way

A terrible death and terrible news to her family.

We really need to implement a guest worker program here and try to also help those seeking to move here.


Woman found on I-35 last year identified
By Michelle Mondo - Express-News

For the past four months, Esther Zaruma Nivelo's family had waited for word.

They hadn't heard from her since October, when with about 1,700 miles left to go, the end of her more than 6,000-mile trek from her small village in Ecuador to her husband in New Jersey appeared to be in sight.

The date she left her two sons and small immediate family in El Tambor in Canar, Ecuador wasn't clear; but Nivelo had set out on what was known to be a dangerous journey for those who try entering the United States illegally.

The rest of the story:

Remember the Jersey Lilly!

This would be a great loss for the state.

Langtry is pretty iconic Texas to me.


Rest stop closures could shutter small Texas town
By Dug Begley - Houston Chronicle

Judge Roy Bean put the little Texas town of Langtry on the map as the American West was won, once fining a corpse $40 for carrying a concealed weapon there.

Proposed legislation that would close the Langtry travel center, could take the community off the map, leaders now are warning.

Officials in Val Verde County are fighting a plan to privatize or close Texas' 12 travel information centers, a move they fear will mean Langtry is lost for good.

The rest of the story:

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Unravelling the lies

O how the tangled web of lies we weave fall apart because of  DNA we leave .


DNA leads to arrest in sex assault
By Michelle Casady - Express-News

A 23-year-old man has been accused of sexually assaulting a teen after police said DNA evidence linked him to a January attack.

Joshua Echuala Bradley was arrested Tuesday and remains in Bexar County Jail without bail after being accused of a parole violation.

The 16-year-old victim was leaving a party in the 5200 block of Meadow Field when Bradley began chasing her, she told police.

The rest of the story:

C'mon, Rome wasn't in a day, ya know

It sure seems like this has been taking forever and I still am not seeing an end to it at all.

I doubt they can get finished by the proposed August 3rd date either.


$1,600 a day fine levied
By Greg Bowen New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
 
Next week, Walnut Avenue project contractor Texas Sterling Construction will begin paying a $1,600-per-day fee to the City of New Braunfels for failing to finish the project by the agreed-upon date of April 3.

The Walnut Avenue Reconstruction and Improvements Project is now expected to be completed by Aug. 8, Octavio Garza, the city’s capital projects manager, told New Braunfels City Council on Monday.


Councilman Ron Reaves expressed concern that the contractor — in order to minimize fines — might hurry and not do satisfactory work. Reaves said he wanted city staff to ensure the work on Walnut is thoroughly inspected.

The rest of the story:

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

More sickos

So this guy convinces an underage relative to engage in explicit online activity with an A&M prof, tries to blackmail him and the Prof commits suicide?

Sounds like a crime occurred to me.

Oh and BTW the guy who committed the extortion of the Prof also stands accused of incest and oral sexual battery of the minor girl too.


Prof's suicide linked to alleged blackmail in online sex scam
By Dane Schiller - Express-News

A Louisiana man is accused of using an underage female relative to lure a Texas A&M University professor into a sexually explicit online relationship that ended with blackmail demands and the professor leaping to his death from atop a campus parking garage.

The charges, filed in Houston, clear up some of the mystery surrounding why James Arnt Aune, 59, who chaired the school's department of communication, committed suicide on Jan. 8.

Daniel Timothy Duplaisir of Metairie, La., is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on Tuesday on a charge of using a phone and the Internet to extort money from Aune.

The rest of the story:

Sickos everywhere

Way to go Champ!

Way to eff your career up!


USAA lawyer accused of seeking sex with minor
 By Eva Ruth Moravec - Express-News

A USAA attorney expecting to meet a 14-year-old girl whom he'd allegedly propositioned online was arrested by the Texas attorney general's Cyber Crimes Unit over the weekend.

Robert Michael Bohanek, 44, had been communicating with an undercover officer posing as a teen for less than a week when they'd arranged to meet at a movie theater in Cedar Park, according to the attorney general's office.

He was arrested on one count of online solicitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, and was released from Williamson County Jail after posting $20,000 bail.

The rest of the story:


Gun theft

Great, more stolen guns out on the street.


Police: New Braunfels man reports theft of guns
New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung reports
 
A New Braunfels man told police that someone broke into his pickup truck overnight last week and stole three guns, a New Braunfels Police Department spokesman said.

The vehicle burglary occurred some time between Thursday night and Friday morning, NBPD Capt. John McDonald said.


Police arrived about 7:40 a.m. Friday at a home in the 2000 block of Sundance Parkway. Officers learned someone smashed the rear window to enter the man’s pickup truck, McDonald said.

The rest of the story:

Monday, March 25, 2013

The British are coming, the British are coming!

After his last visit here, the cry now goes out not to hide your guns but:

"Hide the women!"


Prince Harry to visit the United States
Associated Press -

LONDON (AP) — Officials say Britain's Prince Harry is returning to the United States — but this time he's skipping Las Vegas.

St. James's Palace said Monday that the 28-year-old prince will travel to the U.S. east coast as well was Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado. His trip will include trips to Arlington National Cemetery, Walter Reed National Medical Center and the competition between British and American veteran athletes in the Warrior Games in Colorado Springs.

He will also visit Hurricane Sandy victims in New Jersey.

The rest of the story:

Love hurts

Apparently it kills too.



Sheriff:  Jilted husband kills wife, wounds lover
Associated Press-

CANTON, Texas (AP) — Authorities say an East Texas man has been arrested for allegedly fatally shooting his wife after finding her at the home of another man.

Forty-four-year-old Larry Maples of Ben Wheeler was charged with murder Sunday. He was being held at the Van Zandt County jail.

Sheriff Lindsey Ray says 34-year-old Heather Maples was pronounced dead at the home near Canton, 60 miles east of Dallas.

The rest of the story:

Congratulations Bexar County DA's Office

Good Job DA Susan Reed and to your staff as well.

Felony murder it is.


Drunk driving can be murder
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

By the time Frances Rosalez Ford drove the wrong way on U.S. 281 in October 2010 with a blood alcohol level of 0.19 — ignoring frantic warnings from other motorists — court records show she was already well aware of the consequences of getting behind the wheel drunk.

She had twice before been convicted of driving while intoxicated.

Prosecutors believe that knowledge made the resulting death of motorist Lawrence Vigier Belcher, 38, more than just intoxication manslaughter. They believe it was murder.

The rest of the story:

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Bad cops, bad

This was pretty reprehensible behavior by the troopers.


Troopers Indicted After Roadside Cavity Search Of Two Women

CBS Dallas  -

DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - CBS-11 has learned two state troopers involved in a controversial roadside cavity search of two North Texas women have been indicted on criminal charges by a Dallas County Grand Jury.

CBS-11 has learned that one of the troopers, Kelley Helleson, who left the courthouse after testifying Friday, is charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of official oppression.

She was seen on dashcam video searching the body cavities — front and back — of the two women along an exit ramp of the Bush Turnpike in Irving last summer.

The Texas Department of Public Safety fired Helleson.

The rest of the story:

Don't hop into IHOP late at night

This won't help IHOP will it?


One Killed, Two Wounded In Newark IHOP Restaurant Shooting

CBSNewYork -

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — One person is dead and two others have been listed as critical following a shooting at an International House of Pancakes restaurant in Newark early Saturday.

As 1010 WINS’ Gene Michaels reported, the shooting happened around 3 a.m. Saturday at the IHOP at 109 Bergen St., right across from the University Hospital.

Papa Khaly Diaye, 30,  of Middlesex was pronounced dead late Saturday night, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said.

The rest of the story:

Sorry, wrong number

Can you just hang up and it will go away?


World's smallest blood monitoring implant tells your smartphone when you're about to have a heart attack
ExtremeTech.com -



A team of scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed the world’s smallest medical implant to monitor critical chemicals in the blood. The 14mm device measures up to five indicators, including proteins like troponin, that show if and when a heart attack has occurred. Using Bluetooth, the device can then transmit the data to a smartphone for tracking. The device can also track levels of glucose, lactate, and ATP, providing valuable data for physiologic monitoring during activity, or in possible disease conditions like diabetes. As far as tricorders go, this device may be the one you have been waiting for, provided you are on board for the implant.

Outside the body, a battery patch provides the 100 milliwatts of power that the device requires by wireless inductive charging through the skin.(See: How wireless charging works.) Each sensor is coated with an enzyme that reacts with blood-borne chemicals to generate a detectable signal. For patient monitoring, a device like this would quickly become indispensable once introduced. In cancer treatment for example, exact dosing is critical. Numerous blood tests are often required to calibrate the treatment according the to the patient’s particular ability to break down and excrete the drug. Often these parameters change when the disease, or the therapy, directly affects the organs involved in these processes — typically this would mean the liver and the kidneys.

Often in the hours before a heart attack, fatigued or oxygen-starved muscle begins to break down, and fragments of a heart-specific smooth muscle protein, the troponin mentioned above, are dumped into the blood. If this can be detected before disruption of the heart rhythm, or the actual attack, lifesaving preemptive treatment can be initiated sooner. To be fail-safe, this depends on the patient having access to their data. Dependence on the integrity of multiple weak links to the cloud, to the doctor, and back again — as is often the prescribed future care scenario — are unacceptable, particularly when heart attacks might be counted on to occur precisely at those times when those links may not be there. Assuming the battles for patient rights will be won sooner rather than later, the next important choice would be getting the proper ringtone when that fateful troponin call comes. A standard ringtone with universal appeal would let bystanders know what was going on and assistance could, at least in theory, be had.

The rest of the story:

Ten years after

Ten years later he still owes $53,000 in restitution.

Should his probation be revoked?

Its unlikely they would to do that.


A decade later, probation still stings for officer's widow
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

For the past decade, Rachel Rangel, the widow of a San Antonio Police Department sergeant, has vigilantly called the probation officer for the drunken driver who killed her husband.

The hope — that Simon Feliciano Cordova might slip up and get sent to prison for a probation violation — never was realized.

Now she has one last chance.

The rest of the story:

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Good job!

Good job Medina County DA, Daniel Kindred.


S.A. man pleads to murder over wrong-way accident
By Zeke MacCormack - Express-News

A San Antonio man involved in a fatal wrong-way crash four years ago has pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, Medina County District Attorney Daniel Kindred said.

He said Gilbert Yanez, 40, began serving the term last week. The Dec. 4, 2009, collision on Interstate 35 in Medina County killed Celso Rodriguez, 60, of Irving, and injured another man.

Noting Yanez had two prior DWI convictions in Bexar County, Kindred said in prepared statement that he sought the murder indictment because, “We must do everything we can to protect our community and send a clear message that drunk drivers will be held responsible.”

The rest of the story:

All too typical behavior

What is a 20 year old doing driving around drunk?

Oh wait!  It's San Antonio.

Nevermind.


Suspect jailed in alleged DWI hit-and-run
By Michelle Casady - Express-News

A man edging a sidewalk with a weed trimmer was struck by a 20-year-old intoxicated driver Thursday night on the Northeast Side, police said.

Conor Sharp, 20, fled after driving onto the sidewalk and hitting the man, but a witness followed him and told police where he went, according to a police report.

Jerry Valdez, 47, was taken to Methodist hospital with a serious head wound. An update on his condition was not available late Friday.


The rest of the story:

Interesting

Were criminal charges ever filed?

Should they be filed?

Don't know, but it sounds like a mess.


'Scammers' cited by both sides in dispute over checks
By Zeke MacCormack - Express-News

KERRVILLE — Prominent rancher Gus Schreiner and Broadway National Bank both claim to be the victims of a scam involving three stolen checks worth $181,753, which he deposited there.

A criminal investigation is under way and the bank filed a fraud suit against Schreiner, the great-grandson of legendary local frontiersman Charles A. Schreiner.

Schreiner, 54, has countersued. The bank says he duped its employees into taking the checks last year by falsely claiming to own the three businesses to which they were made payable.

The rest of the story:

Justice will be served

The March, 2013 indictment list has been released.



Fox faces murder indictment
By Dalondo Moultrie New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung

Violent crimes stand out on this month’s list of grand jury indictments Jennifer Tharp, Comal County criminal district attorney, released from her office Thursday afternoon.

Grand jurors handed up the indictments March 13.


On the list is Nathaniel Paul Fox, 27, of New Braunfels, accused of the most heinous of all crimes: Murder.
Along with the count of murder, jurors indicted Fox on one count of aggravated assault of a family or household member with a deadly weapon in connection with the New Year’s Day death of Melissa Eason, 27, of New Braunfels.

The rest of the story:

Friday, March 22, 2013

Three dead

An apparent double murder-suicide.

Was the killer related?  Why did he do this?

Answers to questions we need to know.


3 found dead in West Side home
By Ana Ley - Express-News

An elderly couple and a man were found dead, their corpses badly decomposed, inside a West Side house Thursday in what police called a double murder-suicide.

Officers received a call for a welfare check at the home in the 9600 block of Vale Drive about 8 a.m., Police Chief William McManus said. Inside, officers found the body of the woman on a bed, and the body of a younger man on the floor of another bedroom.

A second man was found in a living room chair. He apparently killed the other man and the woman using a .22-caliber rifle before turning the weapon on himself, the chief said.

The rest of the story:

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Do Not Enter the Naval Air Station!

I expect two things to happen:

1. The death toll will go up because the radio said this morning many of the others taken to the hospital were non-responsive; and

2. Law suits to be filed by the families against the Naval Air Station for activating their security barriers after the truck blew past the first guard station and also against the City of Kingsville.


Several suspected immigrants killed in crash
Express-News -

Six people believed to be illegal immigrants were killed and nine more were injured early today when a truck being pursued by Kingsville police made a sudden turn and crashed into a security barrier at Naval Air Station Kingsville.

“They ran past the first guard gate that was there,” Senior DPS Cpl. Charlie Ramirez told WOAI-AM. “The individual notified the second gate guard, and he activated the barrier that prevents anyone from driving onto the base. The pickup struck the barrier.”

Ramirez told the station that the victims were rushed to the hospital after the 12:30 a.m. crash. He said he didn't know where the people in the pickup were from or who was driving.

The rest of the story:

New Trial Granted

New Trial?

I don't agree with this ruling; I understand it, I don't agree with it.


Ex-guard to get new trial in child's burning
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

A former prison guard who one year ago was handed a five-year sentence in the burning of a child will get a new trial, thanks to a Fourth Court of Appeals ruling published Wednesday that says the trial judge violated his constitutional rights.

Henry Benson III, 32, was found guilty of reckless injury to a child in February 2012 after more than three weeks of testimony.

However, it was during jury selection when Benson's Sixth Amendment right to an open trial was violated, Justice Patricia Alvarez wrote in the appellate ruling.

The rest of the story:

More Stimulus Fraud

Anyone surprised?

I'm thinking we need to root out more government waste and fraud at all levels of government and start really paring down costs.


Contractor charged with obtaining $2M from stimulus funds by fraud
By Guillermo Contreras - Express-News

On the heels of a report that the Veterans Affairs Department wasted $2.2 billion in taxpayer money last year, a Navy veteran appeared Wednesday in federal court in San Antonio on charges he lied about his company's qualifications to the VA to get $2 million in contracts for work at one of its hospitals.

Jonathan Patrick Saunders was indicted by a federal grand jury March 6 on six counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

Saunders, of Colorado, is president and co-owner of Saunders MEP Inc., which has been awarded government contracts around the country, including one for building construction projects at the VA Hospital in Kerrville, which is at the center of the indictment.

The rest of the story:

The Dynamic (drug) Duo!

Two more busted.


Sheriff's Office: Duo arrested on drug charges
By Dalondo Moultrie New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
 
NEW BRAUNFELS — Comal County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested two people on drug charges and other suspected crimes Tuesday afternoon in New Braunfels, a CCSO spokesman said.

The man and woman had unrelated warrants when they were arrested for possessing suspected methamphetamine, CCSO Lt. Mark Reynolds said.

Deputies arrested Elijah Ricarte Balderas, 33, of Seguin, and Meranda K. Mladek, 31, of Canyon Lake. Deputies took the pair to Comal County Jail.

The rest of the story:

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Fire the mouses!

Mass Hacking Attacks?

Has the war started?

Where did North Korea get the computers to do this?  Where did they get the electricity to run them?


 South Korea raises alert after hackers attack broadcasters, banks
 Reuters -


(Reuters) - South Korean authorities were investigating a hacking attack that brought down the servers of three broadcasters and two major banks on Wednesday, and the army raised its alert level due to concerns of North Korean involvement.

Servers at television networks YTN, MBC and KBS were affected as well as Shinhan Bank and NongHyup Bank, two major banks, the police and government officials said. At least some of the computers affected by the attacks had some files deleted, according to the authorities.

"We sent down teams to all affected sites. We are now assessing the situation. This incident is pretty massive and will take a few days to collect evidence," a police official said.


The rest of the story:

Why?

He sucks.

So does the owner.


Cowboys owner Jones:  QB Romo will get new deal soon
By Tom Osborne - Express-News

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is confident a new contract for Tony Romo will be brokered soon and that the quarterback will respond to the extension with superior play.

“He's not going to be paid to be a bus driver,” Jones said Tuesday.

Speaking at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, Jones also touched on a number of other subjects, including the future of beleaguered right tackle Doug Free.

The rest of the story:

Stupid is as stupid does

Racing off a parking lot building?

Priceless stupidity.


Racing driver plunges off parking garage 
By Ana Ley - Express-News

A young driver plunged nearly 50 feet off a parking garage late Tuesday at North Star Mall while he was racing and doing “doughnuts.”

Traffic detectives said the motorist, 19, couldn't stop as he reached the edge of the garage's fifth level and crashed into a concrete wall about 10:30 p.m. His vehicle fell 49 feet below.

The man was rushed to University Hospital in stable condition. He was wearing a seat belt.

The rest of the story:

About Dam time!

Well all I can say I am glad its finally finished.



Comal County to mark completion of Krueger Dam
New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung reports
 
NEW BRAUNFELS — Invitations have been sent for a dedication ceremony for the Dry Comal Creek Flood Retarding Structure — a.k.a. Krueger Canyon dam — to be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

The invitation-only event will mark the completion of the 12-year effort to build the dam, located off Farm-to-Market Road 482 west of New Braunfels.


The $23 million flood-control project, finished in late 2012, is designed to hold back floodwaters and cut flood heights on Dry Comal Creek. The dam is the sixth county dam in the watersheds above New Braunfels. It is the fifth dam on the Dry Comal Creek watershed, and protects the final uncontrolled tributary of the Dry Comal that threatens New Braunfels with floodwaters.

The rest of the story:

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Hot for teacher

She might've been "old enough" but she still was his student.

So, you lose.


Edison teacher under arrest, out of a job
Express-News

An Edison High School teacher has been arrested after being accused of an improper relationship with an 18-year-old student.

Juan Carlos Ramos was arrested Monday after being accused of a relationship with the female student and has resigned, the San Antonio Independent School District told local media. He'd worked at SAISD since August 2008, KSAT-TV said.

“This is a very serious allegation, and we want parents to know that the safety and well-being of our students is paramount,” the district said in a statement.

The rest of the story:

Trying to avert the needle he surely deserves

Let me list what one poster wrote about the underlying crime he committed.

"He put the gun to Ram's stomach and shot him.
Then shot Douglas for not opening the cash drawer fast enough. Then ordered the woman, Kroger, to get the cash. After she did, he shot her in the back and began kicking her in the head. Then he picked Douglas up again and shot him again.
He was positively identified in a lineup, his fingerprints and DNA were found at the scene. The criminal court of appeals affirmed the conviction in 2009. He's had his day in court, and lost his appeal. It's time to move on. . ."

Indeed, it is.


Taco Land killer returns to court
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

A condemned killer responsible for San Antonio's infamous 2005 Taco Land double murder returned to a Bexar County courtroom Monday to begin a series of appellate hearings.

A jury convicted Joseph Gamboa, 30, in 2007 of the fatal shootings of Taco Land owner Ramiro “Ram” Ayala and Douglas Morgan, an employee at the since-shuttered music venue. A second employee was also shot but survived to testify against Gamboa.

Texas' high court rejected Gamboa's death row appeal in 2009. The latest request for a new trial, in which Gamboa's current attorneys are expected to argue that he had ineffective defense counsel, is a necessary final step in the state-level appellate process.

The rest of the story:

Have you seen me?

He oughta be able to be found given the photograph.


Police: Smoke shop robbed; mysterious package forces evacuation

By Dalondo Moultrie New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
 
NEW BRAUNFELS — An armed robbery at a local business turned into a bomb scare Monday afternoon in New Braunfels, according to police and the alleged victim.

Authorities, however, discovered no bomb and cleared the scene after diverting traffic and evacuating a couple of area businesses during the busy lunch hour.


“We got a call from a clerk saying a male came in, robbed the store and left a suitcase,” said Capt. John McDonald of New Braunfels Police Department. “He said, ‘Don’t touch it.’”

The rest of the story:

Monday, March 18, 2013

The face of a monster

They're out there, be aware!


Man accused of sexually assaulting girl, 12
By Eva Ruth Moravec - Express-News

San Antonio police on Sunday arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a teenager, and officials believe there may be more victims.

Julian Martinez, 20, is set to be booked in Bexar County Jail on one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Bail had not been set.

Police spokeswoman Sandy Gutierrez said Martinez is accused of assaulting a 12-year-old girl, whom he allegedly drugged with Xanax before and after the March 10 incident. The assault took place in Martinez's bedroom, Gutierrez said. Police said he was introduced to the victim through a mutual friend.

The rest of the story:

Did you wear green yesterday?

I did, I was made an Honorary Irishman in 1975.

Anyway it was all in good fun.

And yes, the San Antonio River is dyed green every year for St. Patrick's Day.


Green-decked crowds turn out to mark St. Patrick's Day
By Craig Kapitan - Express-News

Soon after the Air Force brought scientist Patrick Dowd to San Antonio in the 1960s, he, like many newcomers, decided to visit the Alamo. The first-generation American was surprised — and proud — to find an Irish flag hanging prominently in the shrine.

It turns out that almost a dozen Irishmen, and twice as many settlers of Irish descent such as Davy Crockett, contributed to the storied battle that would inspire Texas' fight for independence.

A year after Dowd's visit, he and others formed the Harp and Shamrock Society of Texas. The Irish heritage group has returned to the Alamo every St. Patrick's Day since.

The rest of the story:

Closing the Loophole?

Or at least trying to.


ATF says it must act on gun buys

Work on illegal sales tied to shows defended.
Federal agents in South Texas knew Harmon Chester Strunk Jr. as a “gun show groupie” who bought hundreds of weapons at bargain prices from elderly people and sold them — without a license — for a handsome profit through classified ads and at gun shows.

His customers included gang members who used the weapons in drive-bys.

Finally, agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent a convicted felon to buy from Strunk as part of an undercover sting. Strunk, 59, an Army veteran, later got 10 years in prison for selling a weapon to a felon and selling without a license.

The rest of the story:

Sunday, March 17, 2013

No gun sale here

Waiting for the anti-gun nuts to jump on this  in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...


Armed man kills self in Pa. sports store bathroom
Associated Press


FAIRLESS HILLS, Pa. (AP) -- Police say an armed man barricaded himself inside an eastern Pennsylvania sports store bathroom and killed himself.

Police say the man entered Dick's Sporting Goods in Fairless Hills on Saturday night and asked to see a shotgun and ammunition. Once the clerk handed those over, the man pulled out a handgun and ordered the worker to undo the shotgun's gun lock.

Police say the man then barricaded himself inside a bathroom in the Bucks County store. He didn't take any hostages.

The rest of the story:

Do the crime, do the time

They're facing staying in a Juvenile Detention Center/Jail until they turn 21.

Doesn't seem like much does it?


2 Ohio teen football players found guilty of rape
-


STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) -- Two Ohio high school football players who were found guilty of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl are apologizing for their actions.

Steubenville High School students Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond were found guilty Sunday of attacking the girl after an alcohol-fueled party last August. The case roiled the small city and stirred reaction from activists online.

After the verdict was read, both apologized to the victim and to the community. Both were emotional as they spoke, and Richmond struggled at times to talk through his sobs.

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Why does DHS needs to buy so much ammo?

When they start shooting their own fingers off?


Cops:  Pa. guard shot finger trying to remove ring
By Joe Mandak - Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A federal prison guard has been charged with shooting his own finger in a drunken attempt to remove his wedding ring during an argument with his wife at their northwestern Pennsylvania home, police said.

A criminal complaint said Bradford police were called just before 9 p.m. March 2 and were met by Alfredo Malespini III, 31, who told officers he was "trying to get rid of his wedding ring" and decided to "shoot it off." The Bradford Era first reported the shooting on Friday.

The gunshot badly mangled Malespini's finger, but didn't remove the ring, police said.

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High flow means no go

The river can be a dangerous place at times.

Use your common-sense.



Drowning death suit settled
By Greg Bowen New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung
 
A confidential settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by the family of a couple who drowned while tubing during high river flows on the Guadalupe River near New Braunfels in 2010, an attorney in the case said this week.

The suit, which alleged gross negligence and wrongful death, was filed in U.S. District Court in San Antonio against the ownership of Whitewater Sports, the FM 306 tubing outfitter that on Sept. 17, 2010, rented tubes to Mario Morquecho and wife Maria Mendoza, a vacationing couple from Nuevo Leon, Mexico.


The suit was filed by attorney Derrel Luce of Waco on behalf of Carmen Farias of Nuevo Leon and the rest of the couple’s six children, two of whom were on the ill-fated tubing trip.

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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Throw away the keys to the jail

Apparently where he belongs.


Man behind bars after knife attack
Felicia Frazar - Seguin Gazette
 
SEGUIN — A Seguin man was arrested after allegedly slicing another man’s throat on Monday.

Seguin Police Detective Bruno Cavazos said a 52-year-old Seguin resident was attacked at a convenience store on North Austin Street around 8:15 p.m.


“When officers arrived they observed a black male had been cut in the neck area,” he said. “Witnesses reported that a Hispanic male wearing black clothing walked into the store and cut him.”

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WTH?? Pig soup?

No news of this found anywhere in the U.S. media.

Thousands of dead pigs float by Shanghai

by RIA Novosti - Moscow News
 
The Chinese authorities have failed to stop a massive flood of hog carcasses into a tributary of the Yangtze River, which has now risen to 7,545 bodies over the past week, the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported on Friday.

But the municipal authorities insisted the water was not polluted in the Huangpu River, which provides 22 percent of the drinking water for Shanghai, China's most populous city and home to 23 million people, 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) south of the Russian-Chinese border, China Daily said.

At least some of the pigs died of a disease called circovirus, which cannot be passed to humans, China Daily said, citing forensic tests performed on the dead pigs.

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Yummy..... No!

Hey!

At least he didn't put him the hamburgers or meat pies.


Meat thief butchers buddy for stealing

by Aleksandras Budrys - Moscow News
 
A meat processing plant worker is suspected to have killed and dismembered his coworker in the Moscow region after the deceased had started stealing meat on the side, the regional investigative committee said on Friday.

It said in a statement the man, a resident of Domodedovo who had a previous criminal record, had been stealing meat together with another plant worker for months. But later he started suspecting that his friend in crime was cheating him.

The suspect had been preparing the crime meticulously for half a year. He bought an ax and a saw and finally killed his buddy, wrapped his body in an oilcloth and kept it in a workshop before dismembering and transferring it to a village in the Tula region where he burned and buried the remains.

The suspect has been detained. If found guilty, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

Child Predator gets 35 years

Good job, Sammy in getting the 35 years in a plea deal.


Vargas enters pleas in sex assault
By Dalondo Moultrie New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung 

A New Braunfels man indicted last year for sexually assaulting a young girl pleaded guilty Thursday morning in Comal County Court, his defense attorney said.

“He didn’t want to put his family nor the victim’s family through the misery of trial,” New Braunfels defense attorney Tom Clark said. “He had given a confession. He wasn’t hiding the ball or anything.”


Clark represented Samuel Vargas, 48. He said Vargas pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child in front of Judge Dib Waldrip.

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