truesee's Blog

City Tickets Car 7 Times With Dead Body In Backseat

       Body in car identified as Gainesville engineer

Megan Rolland

Karen Voylese 

Staff Writers

The Gainesville Sun

Published: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 3:52 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 3:52 p.m.

The identity of man found dead inside a car in College Park on Monday afternoon has been confirmed as that of a Gainesville engineer missing since Feb. 11.

 

 AARON DAYE/The Gainesville Sun

Gainesville Police Department forensic investigators Marc Trahan, center left, and Wendy Shirah, center right, investigate a 2001 BMW 330i parked at the 1900 block of NW 2nd Avenue where a man found dead inside the car who was believed to be John F. Waldo who disappeared earlier this month

 

Now city employees are answering questions about why the man's car was ticketed seven times by city employees, beginning the day after he was last seen alive.

Gainesville police said that a preliminary autopsy on the body found in the backseat of the 2001 silver BMW 330i confirmed that it was John Waldo, 42, an engineer at AvMed, who was last seen alive Feb. 11 at Calico Jack's Oyster Bar, 3502 SW 2nd Ave., in Gainesville.

"But the autopsy was inconclusive — there was no obvious cause of death," said Gainesville Police spokesman Keith Kameg. Investigators are awaiting toxicology results, which may take up to six weeks, before they will likely narrow their focus in trying to determine the cause of Waldo's death.

At 4 p.m. Monday, a resident of College Park called police about a car that had been parked in the 1900 block of NW 2nd Avenue for several days and had been ticketed seven times by city employees.

Police detective Bennie Smith said Waldo was seated face-forward on the passenger side of the back seat, was fully clothed and had the car's ignition key in his possession when he was found. A loaded pistol was found inside the trunk of the car.

"We don't expect the cause of death to be foul play," Smith told The Sun on Wednesday afternoon.

City records show a ticket officer issued seven tickets to Waldo's BMW, with the first ticket being issued Feb. 12, the day after Waldo was last seen alive.

According to Kameg, Smith said the reason the ticket officers apparently did not notice someone slumped over in the BMW may have been because the window tint on the car was illegally dark.

"Even the person who called this in was not real sure if they had seen him clearly," said Kameg.

Bob Woods, spokesman for the city of Gainesville, said that the city's ticket officers are not trained police officers but work out of the city's public works department. The police department had been charged with enforcing parking in the city until January 2008, when the duty was assigned to public works.

Woods said that after three parking tickets are issued, a car is flagged for additional enforcement such as booting or towing, However, Woods said it could take several days for the system to register the tickets, which was apparently the case for Waldo's BMW.

According to Woods, the city will now make a point of alerting ticket officers about specific vehicles that police are looking for.

Entry #168

Man Puts Son In Dryer Then Turns It On To Take Picture

Man accused of putting toddler in dryer

by Nicole Ethier - Feb. 26, 2009 05:44 PM
The Arizona Republic

A 19-year-old Mesa father was arrested after he allegedly turned on the clothes dryer his year-old son was playing in, police said Thursday.

Mesa Police responded to a home in the 10900 block of East Flossmoor Avenue about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday after family members reported that Jose L. Rocha closed the dryer door and turned it on, causing the toddler to tumble in the machine. The toddler received a large bruise on his back, according to police reports.

Rocha and his girlfriend, the child's mother, fled before police arrived but later returned.

 

The incident allegedly began when the child was sitting in the dryer and Rocha and the child's mother wanted to take a picture.

The mother told police she heard the dryer turn on and the child scream as she was grabbing the camera. Another family member told police she had witnessed Rocha remove the child from the dryer after hearing the dryer turn on and the child scream.

Police said Rocha denied shutting the dryer door. Instead, he told police he spun the dryer with his hands, causing the child to land on his back and bruise.

The child was treated at the scene and remains in the custody of his mother, said Steve Berry, Media Relations Detective for the Mesa Police Department.

Rocha was arrested on two outstanding warrants and booked into jail on suspicion of child abuse.

 

Entry #167

Man Arrested, Claims Iraq Service Gave Him the Right To Steal M & M

Man arrested in Fort Pierce claims Iraq service entitles him to free M&M's

Will Greenlee
Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Eric T. Ambrose

Eric T. Ambrose

 FORT PIERCE — Eric T. Ambrose claimed he served in the military in Iraq, so he could swipe all the M&Ms he wanted.

Police apparently disagreed and arrested him about 3:50 a.m. Monday after pulling packages of the candy known for melting in your mouth, not in your hands, from his pockets at the Pilot truck stop in the 7100 block of Okeechobee Road, according to a recently released arrest affidavit.

It wasn’t the first time Ambrose, 31, had been arrested this month — on Saturday he created a “spectacle” at a Super 8 Motel and was arrested and charged with disorderly intoxication and causing a public disturbance, police said.

In the most recent case, in addition to the three packs of peanut M&Ms, Ambrose reportedly absconded with two black T-shirts, a 20-ounce Bud Light and single packages each of Circus Peanuts candy, chewing tobacco, Wonka Nerds candy, Planters cashews, Reese’s Pieces and Sour Patch candy. Also allegedly taken were two each of large Snickers candy bars and beef jerky packages.

An officer approached Ambrose at the cashier counter, and initially he denied taking anything.

“This officer could clearly see the pocket on the right side of the defendant’s pants were bulging and M&Ms packages could be seen,” the affidavit states. “This officer started removing the candy from his pocket and (another officer) started removing more candy and a T-shirt from his left pockets.”

Ambrose said he bought everything but had no receipt. A clerk and a supervisor said they’d rung up no purchases for Ambrose, who appeared to have been drinking. Ambrose, listed as homeless in Fort Pierce, faces a retail theft charge.

“While in the patrol vehicle the defendant was screaming out the window that he had served in the military over in Iraq so he could steal all the M&M’s he wanted,” the affidavit states.

Ambrose’s claim of military service could not be immediately verified. He was held Wednesday in the St. Lucie County jail on $5,000 bail, a jail official said.

In the earlier case, Ambrose had “thrown himself onto the ground and was curled up to a black handbag,” at the motel when officers arrived, according to a police report.

Officers noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from Ambrose. He said “he had nowhere to go and he can’t go back to his home state because they have methamphetamine.” Ambrose then stated that Fort Pierce “only had crack,” which keeps him high for a little while and was “safer for him.”

Officers placed him under arrest for disorderly intoxication after a fifth warning. He was released Sunday on $250 bail. Ambrose also was arrested in April on charges including disorderly intoxication, simple assault and panhandling, a jail official said.

Entry #166

Driver Flashes Gun at Police Officer

FLORIDA'S TURNPIKE

Driver flashes gun, arrested

A Hollywood man is accused of threatening a police officer with a gun while they drove on the Florida turnpike.

DAVID SMILEY

 Diego Jose Feliciano was arrested on the Florida Turnpike after he allegedly waved a revolver at a Miami police officer driving an unmarked car.

Diego Jose Feliciano was arrested on the Florida Turnpike after he allegedly waved a revolver at a Miami police officer driving an unmarked car.

Had Diego Jose Feliciano been satisfied with merely flipping off a motorist on Florida;a Turnpike Friday morning, it's possible he could still be a free man..

Instead, he allegedly waved a revolver at the driver who, unlucky for him, happened to be a Miami police officer. The Hollywood man wound up on his knees on the highway with his hands behind his head as a Miramar police officer placed him under arrest.

Feliciano, 56, was charged with aggravated assault, according to Miami police.

His excuse, according to police: He said he ``was under a lot of stress because his father died yesterday and was going to be buried tomorrow at 11 a.m.''

According to an arrest affidavit, Feliciano was driving a 2002 Ford pickup north on the turnpike at about 7:40 a.m. when he began to yell and make obscene gestures toward Miami Officer Joseph Amaya, who was driving to a shooting range in Medley.

Amaya, who was in an unmarked unit, said he noticed Feliciano after changing lanes near Northwest 41st Street in order to move into a SunPass lane. ''As I was next to the defendant's vehicle, he put his window down, leaned his torso out of the window [while yelling] and proceeded to show me his left middle finger,'' Amaya wrote in the report.

Amaya said Feliciano then grabbed a revolver and held it up in his right hand so that he could see the gun. Amaya then called 911 and backed off, said Officer Jeff Giordano, a Miami police spokesman.

The Florida Highway Patrol and Miami-Dade County police were notified.

Feliciano was pulled over near Northwest 52nd Avenue in Miramar, where he was arrested by Miramar police.

A loaded Colt .32 was found in his truck.

Feliciano was being held Friday in Broward County's main jail. He was to be transferred to Miami-Dade.

Miami Herald staff writer Jennifer Lebovich contributed to this report.

 

Entry #165

Funeral Director Charged, Left Corpse In Hearse For More Than 1 Year

BREAKING NEWS: Local funeral home owner charged with abuse of corpse


Lisa Rogers
Gadsden Times
Staff Writer

Published: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 10:02 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 10:03 a.m.

A Gadsden funeral home owner has been charged with abuse of a corpse after a decomposing body was found in the back of a hearse Tuesday night.

Harold Watson, Sr., 76, owner of Watson and Sons Funeral Home was taken into custody Tuesday night and charged this morning with the felony, Gadsden Police Sgt. Mark Henderson said.

Forensic tests are expected to confirm the identity of the body found in the back of Watson’s hearse, parked on his property with several other junk vehicles in a lot of East Broad Street.

The body is believed to be that of a 52-year-old woman who died of natural causes on Nov. 13, 2007, Etowah County Coroner Michael Gladden said.

Gadsden police officers were called to investigate a suspicious odor coming from the hearse just before 5 p.m. The parking lot is about a block from the intersection of Hood Avenue and East Broad Street and a couple of miles from Watson’s Funeral Home on West Meighan Boulevard.

The body was in a shipping container, common in the funeral industry, he said. A death certificate for the woman states she was cremated on Nov. 20, 2007.

After the woman’s death, her family requested that she be cremated, but never signed a form authorizing Watson to have her cremated, and did not pay, Henderson said. Watson kept her body at the funeral home at the intersection of Sixth Street and West Meighan Boulevard.

“They were supposed to come back but never did,” Henderson said. “He just kept her there, thinking they might.”

Henderson said Watson told police that the odor became so bad a few weeks ago that he decided to move the body to another location.

“He put her in the hearse and took it over to this property,” Henderson said.

The hearse was parked against an abandoned building.

After someone noticed the odor coming from the hearse, they saw the shipping box and called police.

"If this who we think it is, we know why she died," Gladden said. "If it's not her, then we'll have an autopsy."

The woman's body will be transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences lab in Huntsville today for tests to determine her identity.

Entry #163

Mother Jailed Again, Daughter, 11, Didn't Attend School 100 Yards Away

Chris Brooke

Last updated at 3:46 PM on 24th February 2009

 

dailymail.co.uk

 

Lisa Walker

Jailed: Lisa Walker was sent to prison for the second time after failing to ensure her daughter went to school

 

A single mother has been jailed for the second time for continuously letting her 11-year-old daughter play truant, despite living just 100 yards from school.

Lisa Walker, 41, was given a 60-day sentence by magistrates after admitting her fourth offence in five years of failing to ensure her three children went to school.

Her tearaway daughter Danielle missed 90 per cent of her schooling last summer and more recently, with the threat of prison hanging over her mother, she still only attended lessons 60 per cent of the time.

Walker, a jobless mother-of-three living off benefits, failed to co-operate with attempts by the authorities to help her. Her main explanation for her daughter's truancy was 'some mornings she won't get up'.

She was given a 56-day jail sentence during the summer holidays in 2004 and yesterday Leeds Magistrates' Court heard the experience had done nothing to solve the problem.

Nigel Augustin, prosecuting, said council officials had been working with the single mother and her child to 'encourage' her back to Whingate Primary School in Leeds.

'The defendant failed to take an opportunity offered to her,' he said.

Walker was visited several times last July and August and a child protection conference had been called in which Walker agreed to make an effort to get Danielle to school.

'Unfortunately, of course, that didn't happen,' said Mr Augustin.

Between June 3 and September 12 last year Danielle failed to attend morning and afternoon registration on 81 of 90 occasions with her mother's knowledge.

That shocking record improved marginally when the decision was made to prosecute, although during this academic year she has still missed a majority of classes.

Lisa Walker jailed for letting daughter truant

Shocking record: Danielle, 11, attended school just nine times out of 90 over a two month period, despite living just 100 yards away

Passing sentence, bench chairman Phyllis Caffoor said:'We have had to consider that she is an 11-year-old child whose life will be significantly disadvantaged if she does not receive the required education.

'You have not responded to previous orders. You have not co-operated with all the various agencies who, on numerous occasions, have endeavoured to assist you and facilitate Danielle's attendance at school.'

Walker was asked if she understood and replied: 'Yeah, course mate.'

Members of her family wept as she was led away in handcuffs, swearing at reporters in court.

Walker's other children are Dominic, 20, and Jade, 17. They were playing truant, along with six-year-old Danielle, when Walker was first jailed, for her second offence.

The mother was given a further suspended sentence in 2006 over Danielle missing school.

Today neighbours living near the family's rented terraced house in Armley, Leeds, slammed the wild child and offered sympathy to her mother.

One neighbour said: 'The little girl is not very nice and I feel sorry for her mum. She causes trouble with everyone on the street.

'She is mouthy and she throws sticks at people's houses and runs away.'

Another, who also asked not to be named for fear of reprisals, said: 'I've seen her take the girl to school some mornings but there are some days you don't see them at all.

'It's like she just gave up trying because there was nothing she could do.

'I don't see her causing trouble when she's supposed to be in school because we are so close to the school here that she would probably get spotted.

'But she is allowed to roam about at night doing what she wants. She doesn't seem to care about anything or anyone.

'She doesn't have a male figure in her life and I think the mum has given up trying to give her some discipline.'

Ros Vahey, deputy chief executive of Education Leeds, said: 'Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their children go to school.

'Attendance is something we take very seriously and legal action is very much a last resort, but in exceptional cases we have to use the full force of the law.

'We will now continue in our efforts to bring this child back into full-time education so she can get the most out of her time at school.'

Entry #162

Man, 75, Chases and Catches Thief, 29

February 24, 2009

4:11 PM ESt

Stuart, Fla (AP)  A uspected robber in his physical prime thought he saw an easy target outside a Stuart Best Buy. But police said that the 75-year-old victim chased down 29-year-old man, who had just snatched the victim's brand new laptop computer and printer on Sunday.

The victim told police he was waiting in front of the store for his wife to pick him up when the man grabbed the packages and ran.

Authorities said the suspect made it about 8 feet before the man grabbed him. Moments later, an off-duty deputy saw what was happening and joined the struggle.

The man was charged with robbery by sudden snatching and battery on a person over age 65. He was being held on $12,500 bail.

Entry #161

Father Stabs Son For Refusing to Remove Hat In Church

Man stabs son in left buttock after he refused to take off his hat in church

The Baltimore Sun 4:35 PM EST

February 24, 2009

 

BALTIMORE (AP) — Police said a 58-year-old man stabbed his teenage son after he refused to take off his hat at church earlier in the day. The father and his 19-year-old son got into an argument on Sunday afternoon. That's when police said the father went to a car, got a knife and stabbed his son in the left buttock and fled.

The son was taken to University of Maryland Medical Center for treatment. The father's name was withheld pending his arrest.

Entry #160

Man Loses His Job then Wins $2,000,000 House

Danville couple wins $2 million house in raffle

Paul Liberatore

Bay Area News Group

02/23/2009
05:54:46 PM PST

 

 

A Danville woman won a $2 million house in Marin County with a raffle ticket she bought as an anniversary gift for her husband, who had just been laid off from his job.

"I'm floored," said Susan Wells, who hadn't told her husband she had purchased the ticket. "I can't even believe this has happened. Needless to say, my husband is very surprised."

On Wednesday, Brad Wells, who is in his early 50s, was laid off from his job as a sales executive for a high-tech Silicon Valley electronics company. Susan Wells also is unemployed.

"I got laid off on Wednesday and the company went bankrupt on Friday," he said. "It's been a really rough ride for the last year. This gives us an unbelievable lift."

Susan Wells said that she bought the raffle ticket on a whim to secretly celebrate their 16th wedding anniversary.

The couple, who do not have children, own their home in Danville and said they would have to think about whether to take the Marin house or the alternative prize, about $1.2 million in cash.

"We're discussing that right now," she said. "We're still trying to make that decision."

After getting the winning phone call Saturday, Brad Wells immediately went to the Community Action Marin Web site to look at the 4,400-square-foot home on a hilltop in San Rafael.

"The views are spectacular," he said. "We really love the house. But the cash sounds good, too."

They planned to celebrate by having dinner with their neighbors.

 

Community Action Marin netted about $1.3 million from the raffle, the second year it has held the event, down from $2 million last year, according to Russ Hamel, Community Action Marin's director of development.

Incorporated in 1966 as the county's official antipoverty agency, nonprofit Community Action Marin is now Marin's largest private social services organization. More than 4,000 people benefit from its services every day.

In the current recession, however, Hamel said the agency has seen a 25 percent to 30 percent increase in demand for its services.

"These are from middle-class people who have lost their jobs," he said. "Like the people who won the house."

Man Loses Job Then Wins This $2 Million House [PICS] (nbcbayarea.com)

 

 

 

Entry #159

700 Pound Man Had To Rent A Truck To Get To Court For Arraignment

John Stith

The Post-Standard

Monday February 23, 2009

 5:08 PM

Dennis Nett / The Post-StandardStephen Turo of Genoa sits in the back of a rental truck after his arraignment in Cayuga County Court. The arraignment took place on the loading dock. To the right is Turo's attorney Doug Bates.


Auburn, NY -- Stephen A. Turo, of Genoa, sat on a chair covered with a blanket in the back of a rental truck, shivering in the 18-degree cold, as Cayuga County Judge Thomas G. Leone arraigned him Monday on a 24-count indictment alleging sale and possession of prescription painkillers.

Turo, 56, of 1138 Maple St., by his own estimate weighs about 700 pounds. He was accompanied to the arraignment by his wife and daughter, and he sucked oxygen from two plastic tubes fed by a portable machine during the proceeding.

It was an unusual setting for a court proceeding: a 10-foot box truck backed up to the loading dock in the rear of the Historic Post Office in Auburn. Leone and a dozen other court personnel stood in the swirling snow for the 15-minute proceeding.

If found guilty of just one of the felony charges, Turo could be sent to state prison for 25 years. If he lands in prison, he would be the heaviest inmate ever housed by the state Department of Correctional Services, spokesman Erik Kriss said.

 

The Genoa man pleaded innocent. Leone set bail at $1,000 cash or $2,000 bond, even though Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher T. Valdina said Turo posed no risk of flight. Turo has until 5 p.m. today to post bail.

"Thank you, your honor, for coming down," Turo told Leone as the arraignment ended.

After the arraignment, Leone said Turo needed to be present at the proceeding to avoid any misunderstanding about the charges or his rights. The judge said he would not go to Turo's home for the arraignment.

"That's a dangerous precedent to set,' Leone said.

Turo remained in the truck to be fingerprinted and have his "mug" shot taken by a sheriff's investigator.

The whole process, including the time Turo sat in the back of the closed truck waiting, took less than 90 minutes.

Turo's wife, Claudette, had been arraigned last week on a 17-count indictment that also alleged possession and sale of prescription painkillers.

The trip to Auburn was the first time Turo has been out of his home in several years. He is unlikely to appear back in court until his case is settled. He waived his right to attend any future court sessions, to argue motions on April 16 or to bargain with the District Attorney's Office. His attorney, Douglas Bates, will handle the plea negotiations.

"I don't know what outcome our office will ultimately approve of, but gross obesity in and of itself is no defense," Valdina said after the arraignment.

Kriss, the state prison spokesman, said if Turo is convicted and is sent to state prison, the prison system will accommodate him.

"No one on our medical staff can recall an inmate that heavy being in our custody," Kriss said, "but they did say whatever size inmate we get and however heavy, we will make sure they will have the right bed and all the rest of that stuff so that they can have their needs met."

The prison system has four medical facilities across the state, Kriss said, and Turo could end up in one of those facilities.

Cayuga County Sheriff David S. Gould said his corrections staff will make whatever adjustments are necessary to house Turo in the county lockup in Sennett if he is housed there.

"We would do whatever we had to do," the sheriff said. "We could do it. ... It would be something different, but we could do it if we had to."

John Stith / The Post-StandardStephen Turo, at his Genoa home last week, is in Cayuga County Court today. He needed a U-Haul truck to be transported to court because he can't fit into a normal car.
Entry #158

Trucker Busted With $2,000,000 of Marijuana Mixed With Frozen Foods

Cops Bust Truck Driver With 1,400 Pounds Of Pot Mixed With Frozen Food

February 22, 2009 10:42 a.m. EST

 

David Goodhue - AHN Reporter

Miami, FL (AHN) - Police in Arizona busted a Connecticut semi tractor trailer driver after they say they found more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana mixed with frozen food products inside the rig's trailer.

The truck was stopped by an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer for an equipment violation on I-17 early Sunday morning. A search of the trailer revealed 1,400 pound of pot mixed in with the frozen food the truck was hauling.

The truck is owned by M&G Enterprises of East Hartford, Conn., the DPS said. The driver was making a run from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. to Westborough, Mass., KPHO TV reported.

Police arrested 40-year-old Thomas Belliveau on charges of transportation of marijuana for sale.

Police estimate the drugs were worth $2.1 million.



Entry #157

Robber asks cashier for pen, writes note, then holds up store

app.com


February 23, 2009
1:00 PM EST

Robber asks cashier for pen, uses it to write holdup note

Suspect arrested hours later

MICHELLE SAHN

Asbury Park Press
STAFF WRITER

A Red Bank man walked into a department store, asked a cashier for a pen, then

used it to write a holdup note, police said.

Eric Greene, 23, of West Bergen Place, fled from the Marshalls store with a bag of

cash, but with help from police in two other communities, he was taken into custody

about 5 1/2 hours later, authorities said.

Shrewsbury Police Capt. Timothy Spencer said Greene walked into the store in

Shrewsbury Plaza on Broad Street around 8:45 p.m. Saturday, approached the

cashier and asked for a pen. Greene wrote a threatening note, demanding money

and indicating he had a weapon, although no weapon was shown, police said.

When the worker handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, Greene stashed the

money in a Marshalls bag, then ran away, said Spencer.

Witnesses gave local police a description, the officers gave that description to police

in surrounding communities. Red Bank Sgt. Errico Vescio realized the description

was similar to Greene. Vescio then went to Shrewsbury, reviewed some evidence

with police there, and was able to help identify Greene as the man responsible for

the robbery, said Red Bank Capt. Stephen McCarthy.

Red Bank police told Shrewsbury officers that Greene was known to frequent Asbury

Park, said Spencer.

Around 2:15 a.m. Sunday, Asbury Park police arrested Greene in the city.

He was charged with robbery and sent to the Monmouth County Jail, Freehold

Township, with bail set at $50,000.

 

Entry #156

Man Buys Coffin, Jumps in, Shoots Self

February 20, 2009 • 1:58 pm
By Diana Fasanella

A Montenegrin man made an unsuccessful suicide attempt in front of shocked funeral home staffers after he purchased a coffin, climbed in and shot himself.

Would you buy a coffin from these guys?

Would you buy a coffin from these guys?

Milo Bogisic paid cash for the casket at Palma Funerals in Podgorica before he wrote out his obituary and climbed into the coffin. He then put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

The 52-year-old man survived the blast when the bullet passed through his chin and nose, missing his brain, Ananova reports.

Police said Bogisic was having family problems and was even more devastated when he “hadn’t managed to end it all.”

To add insult to injury, the funeral home refused to give him a refund on the coffin.

Entry #155

Baby Born With 12 Functioning Fingers and Toes

Baby in California born with 12 functioning fingers and toes, in a rare case of polydactylism

Friday, 06 February 2009

Reposted

Friday, 20 February 2009

A six-pound infant born in San Francisco, California has six perfectly formed and functional fingers and toes on his hands and feet, so that it isn't considered a disability or deformity, say doctors at Saint Luke's Hospital who were amazed by the oddity.

In a medical rarity, super baby Kamani Hubbard was born two weeks ago with 24 working digits. He is healthy and home with his parents in Daly City, California. Polydactyly, a congenital disorder is not uncommon in humans and animals, including cats, but to happen on both hands and feet is a rare hereditary condition.

"Nurses and doctors, looked so normal they couldn't tell, they told me he was six pounds in good health, that was all they said," said Miryoki Gross, Hubbard’s mother. Her baby's specialness didn't even show up on prenatal ultrasounds. "I heard nothing before I gave birth so I'm still in shock, kinda," Gross added. Despite the mother's shock, Kamani's father, Kris, was the first to notice the condition.

Polydactyly (from Ancient Greek means 'πολ?ς' (polus) or "many" + 'δ?κτυλος' (daktulos) "finger[s]"), also known as polydactylism, sexdactyly, hexadactyly, or hexadactylism, is a congenital physical disorder consisting of supernumerary fingers or toes.

In Kamani's case, however, all of the digits are perfectly formed and function or work normally. "I was in amazement, it took a little time for me to take it all in," said Kris, a postal worker, who has a family history of polydactylism, but none of his relatives can remember it happening on both hands and feet.

Mostly, cases of polydactyly are surgically corrected. Kris himself had nubs of sixth digits, which were removed during his early childhood, for having been non-functional. "My son has six fingers then I saw toes, and I thought, this is quite unique. Some family members have had six fingers, not completely developed. But not the toes," Kris noted.

"I would be tempted to leave those fingers in place. I realize children would tease each other over the slightest things, and having extra digits on each hand is more than slight. But imagine what sort of a pianist a 12-fingered person would be imagine what sort of a flamenco guitarist, if nothing else think of their typing skills," Dr. Treece remarked.

"I just want him to see what greatness will be in store for him," said Kris.

Fully developed and functional extra digits on both hands and feet are considered very rare as a genetic trait in medical history, amid some partial development of an extra digit occurs about twice in every 1,000 white male births. Ordinarily, polydactylism appears as an extra piece of non-functional tissue, typically occurring as an extra finger, sometimes with a bone, but no joint.

"It's merely an interesting and beautiful variation rather than a worrisome thing," said Dr. Michael Treece, a St. Luke's Hospital pediatrician, and the OBGYN who delivered Kamani. He has postaxial polydactyly, which is 10 times more likely to occur in black children, and also more likely to appear in boys.

Goliath, a figure in Old Testament, was depicted as having had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.
Bilateral polydactyly with short fingers in Ellis-van Creveld syndrome patient

Blues guitarist Hound Dog Taylor, Get Carter, Little Tich, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and several other figures in history have had polydactyly. Sid Wilson, a turntablist of Slipknot, had been born with an extra finger and toe on his hands and feet which were removed shortly after his birth as doctors considered them to be dead.

View the video on YouTube : Baby Born In Bay Area With 12 Functioning Fingers, 12 Toes

 

Entry #154