There is a disturbing report out of Las Vegas this week concerning a fatal crash involving a police car. Officer James Manor was driving at 109 mph without either lights or siren on May 7th. The sheriff admits that the speed and manner of Manor’s driving was “excessive and unsafe” — leading to his own death after crashing into the the pickup truck of Calvin Darling. Yet, the police promptly arrested Darling for failing to yield to a police car and driving under the influence (despite the fact that he was not driving under the influence).
Continue reading “Police Officer Killed After Plowing Into Pickup Truck at 109 MPH Without Seatbelt, Siren, or Lights — Police Charge Other Driver”
Category: Bizarre
Tort law has long imposed greater liability for the mishandling of corpses. A story out of Indianapolis seems to beg for such a lawsuit. The Marion County Coroner’s Office was called to retrieve the body of Teresa Smith, 48, who weighed 750 pounds. In front of family, the coroner’s office dragged the body out of the house on her bed and across the lawn — then loaded her on a flat-bed, openback wrecker where she was transported covered in part of a torn-off dirty carpet.
Continue reading “Bring Out Your Dead: City Under Fire For Abuse of Women’s Corpse”
Recently, we discussed the forthcoming book by former Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland, the leading cleric who was accused of date rape and covering up the abuse of children by other priests. The church paid $450,000 in 1998 to a man who had accused him of assault. Now, Weakland insists that he and other priests did not know it was a crime to have sex with children and thought they would not remember or they would “grow out of it.”
Continue reading “Weakland: I Did Not Know Sex With Child Was a Crime and Thought Kids Would “Grow Out of It””
President Barack Obama today defended his decision to close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and promptly raised more serious concerns for civil libertarians. In his speech, Obama announced that the country’s “moral authority” demanded closure but then said that his lawyers were working new policies to hold certain detainees indefinitely without trial.
Continue reading “A Law Unto Himself: Obama Promises To Hold Some Detainees Without Trial”
There has been a spate of juror problems of late in courts around the country. Grant Faber, 25, in Hillsboro, Oregon (left) is facing contempt charges for walking out of a trial due to “extreme boredom” while Erik Sly, 36, got into trouble in Gallatin county in Montana for writing the court to inform it that he would “rather count the wrinkles on my dog’s balls” than serve on a jury.
Continue reading “Two Angry Men: Recently Unsuccessful Juror Excuses”
A French judge has ordered a magazine off newsstands for publishing a photo of a Jewish man Ilan Halimi, who was allegedly tortured to death. The alleged culprits are facing trial. Judge Phillipe Jean-Draeher based his decision on the “exceptional” attack by Choc magazine on the feelings of Halimi’s mother and sisters.
Continue reading “French Judge Censors Magazine to Protect Feelings of Family in Torture Case”
This will not be a POPS case. A 78-yea-old woman is being held on $70,000 bond after repeatedly beating her 84-year-old husband with a bowl, metal pipe, and carpet cleaner as well as kicking him in the groin. The reason: the long festering anger over her belief that her husband cheated on her 35 years earlier.
Marcia Powell, an inmate at the Goodyear prison in Arizona, died after being left outside during the day in an uncovered chain-link cell in the desert heat. With temperature reaching 103, Powell collapsed and was later pronounced dead.
Continue reading “Arizona Inmate Dies After Being Left in Outdoor Cell with Temperatures as High as 103”
Paul Bergrin, 53, a former federal prosecutor, and three others were arrested this week on charges relating to the murder of a witness in a drug case as well as racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering charges. He is also accused of trying to hire a hitman. Prosecutors says that Bergrin had a favorite saying: “He liked to say ‘No witnesses, no case.”
Continue reading “Jersey Boys: Former Federal Prosecutor Arrested in Murder of Witness”
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has claimed another American hero. Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, an F-15E Strike Eagle with nine Air Medals, including one for valor for assaulting an Iraqi ambush position while under heavy anti-aircraft fire has been discharged for liking men instead of women.
Continue reading “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: Hero Pilot Discharged for Being Gay”
I have to say that was something odd in this story out of London where authorities appear to complement the planning and consideration that David Grant showed in his own suicide.
Continue reading “Atta Boy: Police Compliment Man for Excellent Suicide”
Colleen Hauser and her son, Daniel, have disappeared in the wake of losing the court fight to block chemotherapy needed to save Daniel’s life. He is suffering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma and an x-ray on Monday showed that the tumor had grown.
Continue reading “Minnesota Mom Flees with Ailing Son To Avoid Chemotherapy”
The King children are at it again: demanding consultation (and presumably payment) for any work on their father. Recently, I wrote a column denouncing the King family’s history of bilking authors, institutions, and even the King Memorial committee for money. Now, two children are objecting to a movie on the life of Martin Luther King Jr, by Dreamworks due to the temerity of the creators not to seek their blessing and permission. They are threatening legal action. If Dreamworks has an ounce of civic pride and love for Martin Luther King, it will tell these King kids to get lost and invite such a lawsuit. Their brother, Dexter, reportedly cut a deal with Dreamworks, which should detail any such payments. I fail to see the basis of such a lawsuit, but also why companies continue to enable this family in controlling and cashing in on King’s legacy.
Pirates being tried in the Netherlands are announced that they want to stay in the country — citing such things as the toilets in their cell as just one of the great things about the country. One Dutch professor has suggested that the promise of a better life in the West might be a good incentive for pirates to surrender.
A new study by Pew Research has found that the happiest people tend to be older, male Republicans. It turns out that, while sitting in an undisclosed location planning torture, Cheney was gleefully happy. Below are some of the other happiest fellows around.