Katherine Kelly is a one-woman crime wave with 73 arrests in her 76 years (those first three years appear to have been spent as a criminal apprentice). Her latest arrest was for stealing a police decoy wallet in a supermarket and stuffing it in her bra. In addition to 73 arrests, she has 36 alias.
Continue reading “Acting Her Age: 76-Year-Old Woman Arrested for 73rd Time”
Faculty members at Tulane Law School (where I began my teaching career) are searching for the culprit in a dastardly crime: the theft of one of Mr. Rogers’ shoes from the Children’s Museum during the Barrister’s Ball. It appears that someone took a different meaning to his question “could you be mine?” when they spotted the unguarded display. As Mister Rogers might say, the question is now “can you return it?” — I knew you could.
As the fighting in Afghanistan continues to worsen, there are new questions about the government that we are fighting to maintain. An Afghan appeals court sentenced journalism student Parwez Kambakhsh, 24, to twenty years in prison for asking questions about women’s rights under Islam. The sentence for blasphemy was considered a bizarre civil liberties victory since he was facing the death penalty.
The police in Blue Ash, Ohio have finally got their man. Well, in this case, their 80-year-old grandma. Edna Jester was tired of balls going into her yard, so the last time she refused to give it back. Her neighbor called the police and she is now charged with petty theft.
Ok, I have been a criminal defense attorney for over two decades but I am not sure how you charge this crime. In Thomas Township, Michigan, police arrested a 29-year-old man for “receiving sexual favors from a vacuum” at a car wash. As Hoover once advertised, “Nobody does it like Hoover.”
Continue reading “Set for Shag: Michigan Man Caught in Flagrante Delicto With Car Wash Vacuum”
Gayle Williams, 34, a British citizen working with the Christian charity Serve Afghanistan was gunned down on Monday — accusing by the Taliban of spreading Christianity. The death reflects a continuing growth of Taliban actions. Williams had been pulled out of Kandahar due to the growing violence and threats in that city against foreigners.
Continue reading “British Woman Killed in Kabul for Working With Christian Charity”
This week has seen two members of Congress forced into public over affairs. U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, Mark Foley’s replacement in Florida, has admitted to “multiple affairs” but insisted that (while immoral) they were perfectly legal. At least one was with a former staff member. In the meantime, in Virginia, Rep. Vito Fossella was convicted on Friday of drunk driving in an incident that exposes his affair and out-of-wedlock child.
Continue reading “Pressing the Flesh: Two Congressmen Face Public Scandals Over Affairs”
Police in Dalton, Georgia are investigating an explosion at a law office and killed Lloyd Cantrell, 71, who is believed to have set off the blast. One lawyer and three employees were hurt at the small firm of McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle & Fordham. The firm deals with wrongful deaths from their small converted mansion, though not this type of wrongful death actions. This remains one of the continuing perils of this profession when over-wrought individuals come to seek counsel or contest cases.
Continue reading “Man Dies After Trying to Blow Up Georgia Law Firm”
The trial of former Superior Court Judge, Michael T. Joyce, on criminal fraud is now set but will be held in Pittsburgh in a venue change. The case, involving claims of false insurance claims, presents an interesting intersection between torts and criminal law — as well as judicial ethics.
Continue reading “Former Pennsylvania Judge Michael Joyce Faces Criminal Fraud Trial”
David Grigorian really loves his marmoset monkey. In January, Grigorian was arrested for shouting criminal threats in front of a house — a practice common among marmoset monkeys but less tolerated in Van Nuys, California. They soon found that he had a monkey named Cheeta but no monkey permit (yes, there appears to be a “monkey permit”). When ordered to turn over the monkey, Grigorian took an idea for countless kidnap movies: he showed a picture of Cheeta holding a Mexican newspaper with Mexican decorations to prove that he was now in Mexico. The Court did not buy it and Grigorian, 43, admitted that Cheeta was hiding out in an undisclosed location in Los Angeles.
Continue reading “Monkey Business: California Man Stages Mexican Picture to Hide Marmoset”
Details have emerged of the expanding scandal that may have compelled Chief Judge Edward Nottingham to resign. A prostitute from the Bada Bing Club in Denver has reportedly given evidence that Nottingham was not only a regular customer but asked her to lie to cover up their relationship. Continue reading “Bad Times at the Bada Bing: Chief Judge Nottingham Accused of Trying to Get a Prostitute From the Bada Bing to Lie”
Previously classified memos from the White House confirm that torture was directly approved at the highest level of the government. The Administration has previously suggested that it rescinded the infamous torture memo signed by former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and treated that memorandum as an aberrant mistake. However, it is now confirmed that the White House approved a known form of torture to be used on detainees.
Continue reading “White House Directly Approved Torture in Newly Disclosed Memos”
The on-going (never-ending?) prosecution of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has taken a bizarre twist as a serious disagreement between justices has broken into the open. Justice Jan Patterson, a Democrat, is asking the Texas Supreme Court to intervene after she accused Chief Justice Ken Law, a Republican (first picture), of refusing to file her dissent in a case looking at the possible bias of fellow Justice Alan Waldrop, also a Republican (third picture).
Former New York State Republican Assemblyman and National Public Radio (NPR) reporter Chris Ortloff has been arrested for attempting to lure a minor into having sex with him. Ortloff is currently on the state parole board and was arrested at a hotel in Colonie, N.Y.by the New York State Police Internet Crimes Task Force. He allegedly was trying to set up a sexual encounter with fictitious 11- and 12-year-old sisters.
Continue reading “Former Journalist and Politician Arrested In New York for Attempted Sex With Minor”
Pythias Brown
As a screener at Newark Liberty International Airport, Pythias Brown let nothing get past him — literally. He is accused of stealing over 100 valuable items like 66 cameras while working for the Transportation Security Administration. They really should have seen at least the missing cameras coming. The original Pythias (shown on the left) sat on a tripod, spoke in gibberish, and derived her name from pythein (πύθειν, “to rot”).