Matthew McNelly, 23, and Joey Miller, 20, have discovered that, since the days of highwaymen, the purpose of a mask in crime is not just to conceal your identity but to take off the mask when rejoining society. The two Iowa men used Sharpie markers to draw disguises on their faces — making them rather easy for the police to identify after allegedly trying to break into an apartment.
We previously discussed whether England was becoming a “Nanny State.” Now, it turns out that even the nanny is not welcomed. The city fathers (and mothers) of Watford has solved the danger of strangers bothering children by banning parents from playground areas. Mayor Dorothy Thornhill observes simply, “Sadly, in today’s climate, you can’t have adults walking around unchecked in a children’s playground.”
Continue reading “Nanny State Bans Nannies: English Town Bars Parents and Nannies from Playgrounds”
Rep. Jeffrey Wood has achieved a degree of unwanted national fame after being shown in a police dashcam falling down during a sobriety test. From both a legal and political standpoint, falling down is never good during such tests. It does not make it better when this is Wood’s third arrest in less than a year on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Continue reading “Wisconsin Legislator Falls During Sobriety Check in Third Arrest for DUI in One Year”
When Christopher Swiridowsky, 30, decided to flee the scene after mowing down three pedestrians he had a one problem: one of the victims was lodged in his windshield.
Continue reading “Corpus Delicti: Rhode Island Man Flees Hit-and-Run With One of Three Victims Lodged on Windshield”
A woman in South Australia has achieved a certain infamy among drivers: she has succeeded in killing two people seven years apart in the same intersection in the same way. Michelle Thiele’s driving skills (or the lack thereof) are the subject of a rather understated response by the coroner.
Continue reading “Woman in Australia Succeeds in Killing Two Men in the Identical Way at the Same Intersection — Seven Years Apart”
Betsy M. Hanks, 25, is a real catch looking for a new husband. The Minnesota woman first shot her common-law husband in the head and then tried to blame the killing on her 3-year-old son.
Continue reading “Hankering for a Better Husband: Minnesota Mother of Four Shoots Husband and Then Blames Her 3-Year-Old Child”
Maryland police Sgt. Eric Janik, 37, may not get the thrust of trick of treat traditions. The Baltimore police officer went to a haunted house called the House of Screams with friends and when confronted by a character dressed as Leatherface with a chainsaw (sans the chain, of course), Janik pulled out his service weapon and pointed it at the man, who immediately dropped character, dropped the chainsaw, and ran like a bat out of Halloween Hell.
Continue reading “A Bit Too Scary: Maryland Officer Arrested For Pulling Gun on Character in Haunted House”
We have previously followed the perils of the press (here), but this videotape shows how reporters can be attacked for simply walking around with a cameraman. Paresh Patel was attacked by drunken thugs in Manchester. What is astonishing is that neither John Nugent, 22, nor David Neville McKenna, 27, will spend time in jail for the unprovoked attack.
Continue reading “Perils of the Press VI: BBC Reporter Attacked By Thugs on Video”
We have previously discussed the dangers of increasing taxation in places like New York city. Now it appears that the city is facing a tax-version of the China Syndrome where over-taxation may be causing wealthier families to flee, which increases the need for higher taxes on those remaining.
Continue reading “Is New York Facing a Financial China Syndrome?”
In light of today’s conviction of the Church of Scientology in France, this story from Australia may be of interest. The Church is being accused of actively subverting an investigation into the death of Australian private Edward Alexander McBride. The Church allegedly ordered that McBride’s “auditing file” be sent to the United States before the arrival of a warrant from coroner John Lock.
Continue reading “Church of Scientology Accused of Hampering Criminal Inquiry in Australia”
Given the recent refusal of a Scientology spokesman to discuss the basis of Church’s beliefs, we are unlikely to get much of a response on the conviction this week of the Church for fraud in Paris. The court convicted the Church and fined it more than 600,000 euros ($900,000). However, the court stopped short in banning the group entirely as demanded by the government.
Continue reading “Church of Scientology and Six Leaders Found Guilty of Fraud in France”
There is an interesting decision out of Springfield, Missouri where federal judge Richard Dorr has ruled that a Bonnet Macaque named Richard is not a “service animal” under the Americans with Disabilities Act and his owner Debby Rose is not disabled.
Continue reading “Disability Claim Found Bananas: Federal Judge Rules Bonnet Macaque Not A Service Animal”
It is very common for “mules” to swallow balloons of heroin or other narcotics — only to be put under observation until they “produce” the evidence. It is one of the least glamorous jobs for police officers. However, Damien Ankrah, 28, showed remarkable tenacity in a case in England where he refused to go to the bathroom for 16 days — clearly hoping that the police could not hold him indefinitely without evidence.
In a surprise verdict, a jury acquitted former judge Herman Thomas of sexual abuse, attempted sodomy, and assault related to allegations that he brought inmates to his chambers for sex and spankings. The judge insisted that he brought the men to his office to “mentor” them, but prosecutors put forward evidence of semen on the carpet and testimony of numerous former inmates that they had sex with him or allowed him to spank them for lenient treatment.
Continue reading “Judge Herman Thomas Acquitted”
Norwegian police had a bit of a surprise when they noticed something moving on the body of a 22-year-old man getting off a ferry. They found a tarantula in a bag during a routine stop and then in a strip search discovered 14 royal pythons and 10 albino leopard geckos taped to his body. This was without the use of baggy pants, here.
Continue reading “Snakes on a Ferry: Norwegian Man Found with Tarantula, 14 Pythons, and 10 Lizards Taped to His Body”