A D.C. police detective is under fire today after he allegedly pulled his service weapon after kids hit his Hummer with snowballs. In addition, the head of internal investigations for D.C. Assistant Chief Peter Newsham is being criticized for telling the public that the detective never pulled his weapon and only had a cellphone in his hand. However, on the videotape below the detective admits that he pulled his weapon. The officer in the video identifies himself as Detective “Baylor” (spelling?) and, when confronted with the claim that he pulled his gun, says “yes I did because I was hit with snowballs.”
Continue reading “D.C. Detective Admits to Pulling Gun after His Hummer was Hit with Snowballs – Internal Affairs Head Clears Officer and Insists It Was a Cellphone”
Category: Criminal law
Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) has written Attorney General Eric Holder to ask that he investigate and prosecute Republican activist Angie Langley for her website “mycongressmanisnuts.com.” In his letter below, he claims that Langley has misrepresented the purpose of the site in raising funds against him.
Continue reading “Rep. Grayson Asks Holder to Prosecute On-Line Critic at “Mycongressmanisnuts.com””
At a hearing concerning domestic partner benefits, Republican Mecklenburg County Commissioner Bill James took a slightly different tact on the issue: referring to gays as if they were vermin. James spoke of the effort to “de-infest” areas where gays “congregate.”
Continue reading “North Carolina Commissioner Refers to “De-Infesting” Areas of Gays”
We previously followed the case of Erick Williamson, 29, who was charged with indecent exposure when he was spotted by two women naked inside his house. He says that he was making coffee and they say he was exposing himself. Well, a Virginia jury has rejected his coffee-based defense and convicted Williamson.
Continue reading “Cafe Delicto: Virginia Man Convicted of Indecent Exposure For Appearing Naked Inside His Home While Making Coffee”

The judges of the Old Bailey in England have a fascinating criminal case before them. Paul Harvey, 46, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter after killing Gloria Laguna, a former American diplomat in India. The weapon was the television remote. It is difficult to see why Harvey was charged with manslaughter in the case given the unique elements in the case.
Continue reading “Remote-Controlled Murder: Husband Sentenced for Killing Wife With 4 Ounce Remote”
Polish police are searching for one of history’s most recognized and most infamous relics: the sign above the entrance gate of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp reading “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work Sets You Free”). Thieves stole the sign this week before dawn.
Continue reading “Thieves Steal Infamous Auschwitz “Arbeit Macht Frei” Sign”
This video belongs in the Hall of Criminal Fame. John H. Ford, 35, was arrested on suspicion of bank robbery. The police grabbed what they thought was the bank robbery note, but put it next to Ford’s mouth on the police cruiser as they cuffed him. He proceeded to eat it.
Continue reading “The High-Fiber Legal Diet: Video Shows Robbery Suspect Eating Bank Note”

In Cortez, Colorado, police are not going to charge the parents of a 12-year-old Colorado boy who shot himself after playing with a loaded pistol left by his parents behind a Christmas tree. Montezuma County Sheriff Gerald Wallace insists that he does not see any basis for a charge in the case.
Continue reading “Sheriff Finds No Basis for Charges After Boy Shoots Himself With Gun Left By Parents Behind Christmas Tree”
Forrest M. Smythers Jr., 54, really wanted those Christmas lights taken down. Smythers was convicted of murdering his wife Dawn Smythers, in a dispute over the lights during which she allegedly hit him with a Christmas angel and he shot her between the eyes with a .22 caliber rifle.
Continue reading “Virginia Man Sentenced For Killing Wife After She Refused to Take Down Christmas Light”
The executive director of the Arizona GOP, Brett Mecum, 30, is embroiled in a bizarre criminal investigation where a woman has accused him of using the “Voter Vault” system to track her down in Phoenix. She is a young Republican and a former volunteer for John McCain.
Continue reading “Arizona GOP Director Accused of Stalking Woman in Phoenix”
Former South Dakota lawmaker Ted Klaudt does not like all of the stories being written about him. Most politicians are delighted with coverage but Klaudt is best known for raping his foster daughters. Klaudt’s solution (after failing to prove innocence) was to copyright his name and demand that newspapers ask his permission to use his name 20 days before any article or face millions in penalties for unauthorized use.
Continue reading “Former Lawmaker Convicted of Raping His Daughters Copyrights His Name to Bar Its Use by Daughters and Reporters”
Finally, an upside to DUI? A judge with the U.S. tax court has ruled that a man who drove drunk and totaled his truck could claim the damage as a write off.
Continue reading “Friends Don’t Let Friends Deduct: Drunk Driver Allowed to Deduct Cost of Truck Damaged in DUI Violation”
American student Lily Sussman, 21, likely has a new appreciation for our TSA personnel after encountering the Israel Border Police. Israeli officers allegedly interrogated her after she entered Israel via Taba, Egypt two weeks ago and ended up shooting her Apple laptop computer. It appears that the Border Police are PC people.
Continue reading “Megabyte: Israeli Border Police Shoot Laptop of American Student”
We often struggle with speedy trials in the United States, arguing over whether the Sixth Amendment can be honored in 160 days or less. The standard in Turkey appears a bit more flexible where they appear to measure speed in years rather than days. A panel of judges have found 39 people guilty in a trial that began on March 15, 1982 — roughly 28 years ago.
Continue reading “The Not-So-Speedy Trial: Turkish Trial Ends After 28 Years”

Italian student Simona Bonomo has become the latest tourist to be nabbed in England for taking pictures of historic or “iconic” landmarks. Police community support officers (PCSOs) stopped Bonomo under anti-terrorism after she took pictures of buildings and arrested her under anti-terrorism laws. She was held in a jail cell and later released after paying a fine.
Continue reading “The Accidental Tourist: Art Student Arrested in London for Photographing “Iconic Sites” as Terrorist Threat”