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Boy left in car while stepdad hunts for drugs, police charge

Donald Vicente II of Coopersburg allegedly forgot where he parked in Philly

Tracy Jordan

THE MORNING CALL

September 15, 2009

31-year-old Coopersburg man went in search of drugs in North Philadelphia and left his 6-year-old stepson waiting in his vehicle for about two hours Sunday because he could not remember where he parked, according to police.

Donald Vicente II of 7300 Main St. remained in custody Monday under $4,000 bail on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment, according to court records.

Vicente went to Philadelphia to buy drugs and brought the boy with him, police said. Police said he parked the vehicle around 4:30 a.m. in the 200 block of E. Clearfield Street, and they discovered the boy about two hours later.

When they located Vicente he appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance, and he told officers he could not remember where he parked his vehicle, police said. The boy was taken to a hospital for evaluation and released to the custody of his mother.

According to court records, Vicente has pleaded guilty to charges in five separate cases involving illegal drugs or alcohol in Chester, Bucks and Lehigh counties since 2001. Three of the cases stemmed from charges of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and the remaining two included assault charges.

http://www.mbworld.org/forums/off-topic/312178-free-food-ruby-tuesdays-no-purchase-necessary-vol-recession-ftw-mmm-mmm-good-enjoy.html

Off-duty city officer shoots man in attempted home invasion

Suspect critically injured after being struck 'multiple times,' police say

Justin Fenton

Baltimore Sun

3:24 p.m. EDT, September 14, 2009

A man was shot and critically wounded by an off-duty police officer after an attempted home invasion Monday afternoon in Northeast Baltimore, police said.

Following a policy implemented earlier this year, police did not identify the officer other than disclosing that he is assigned to the Southwest District.

About 1 p.m., the officer was attempting to enter his home in the 3600 block of Glenarm Road in the leafy Glenham-Belford neighborhood when the suspect, a 19-year-old man, stuck a gun in his back and forced him inside the home, according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

The suspect forced the officer to lie down, and the officer was able to grab his service weapon. The officer chased the suspect two blocks before opening fire, striking the suspect "multiple times," Guglielmi said.

The suspect's weapon was recovered from the scene, according to Guglielmi. He was transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital in critical condition, and police declined to identify him until he was charged.

Several neighbors reported hearing two sets of four to nine gunshots but did not see the officer or the suspect. They said the shooting was rare for the neighborhood of single-family homes with well-kept yards.

"This is a very unusual situation," said Sylvester Macis, 63.

Baltimore police say an off-duty officer shot a man who pulled a gun on the officer during an apparent home invasion attempt.

September 12, 2009

Area schools may soon sell naming rights

By LINDA TRIMBLE
Education Writer

DELAND -- Football uniforms with a manufacturer's logo just like the Nike insignia Florida Gator star quarterback Tim Tebow wears.

A computer lab named for a bank that forks over big money to pay for upgraded equipment.

A high school theater named for a patron of the arts.

Any of those -- and more -- could be coming to Volusia County schools under an advertising and naming rights agreement the School Board will consider Tuesday.

It would give School Partnerships, a company founded last spring by longtime Volusia school supporter Nancy Holman, exclusive rights to sell naming rights for school facilities and advertising to appear on district property, uniforms, Web sites or printed materials.

"The idea is for a person to go out and solicit those opportunities that would bring in some significant dollars to the general fund for student activities and educational programs," said Superintendent Margaret Smith, who is recommending the board approve the agreement Tuesday.

"Everything would still be under our control. We could say no to a company, firm or vendor we thought would be inappropriate for an educational setting," she said.

The Volusia proposal is part of a growing trend around the nation as school districts struggle financially in the weak economy. Orange County schools, for example, hired a sales and marketing manager in July who will do much the same job as Holman would under the local contract.

"There was a wake-up call during the last budget cycle that we should look for supplemental sources of income wherever possible," said Dylan Thomas, public relations director for that Orlando-based school district. "It's a new field to plow."

But not everyone is a fan of allowing advertising in schools.

"Children are exposed to so much advertising these days. . . . They need a space where they can learn without exposure to this stuff," said Josh Golin, associate director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood in Boston.

"Parents are getting increasingly concerned about advertising," he said in a telephone interview. "When you have it in schools, you can't turn the channel. It's compulsory. That's why advertisers like to be in schools so much because they get a captive audience."

Volusia County School Board members, who still are studying details of the proposal, said they understand concerns about advertising on campus but most are leaning toward giving it a try.

"We do have to look at alternatives about how we're going to fund programs in our district," Chairwoman Diane Smith said.

"I'm hoping we can use this as a stepping stone to get sports back in middle schools and keep sports going," board member Al Williams said. "Advertisement is all around us. If you don't misuse it or abuse it, it's not a bad thing."

Holman, an Ormond Beach mother of two and former General Electric engineer and marketing manager, said it's too early to know how much money the proposed agreement could generate for the district. The school system would get 60 percent of the gross advertising revenue in the first year and 75 percent in the second and third years of the agreement.

Holman headed a political action committee that spearheaded the 2001 successful campaign for a half-penny sales tax to pay for school construction. She led a committee last spring that raised $100,000 to save junior varsity sports and academic competitions from elimination.

Holman floated the idea of launching an advertising and naming rights program to the superintendent in mid-2008. "This is really my forte. You combine it with my passion for the schools and it's the perfect thing for me," she said.

School Board member Stan Schmidt suggested the district may want to invite other interested parties to make proposals. "If we're going to have exclusive rights, should we not open it to other people?" he asked. "Maybe we can get a better deal."

But a majority of board members said Holman has proven her ability to deliver for the school system.

"I feel extremely comfortable this is in Nancy's hands," Diane Smith said. "Nancy is a strong advocate for education and our children."

Millions in stolen goods found at Houston home

Pasadena police said they recovered more than $2 million in stolen goods this week when they arrested a man suspected of hitting J.C. Penney stores in three states.

Pasadena police said they believe Ricky Orlando Garcia, 38, broke into a J.C. Penney store July 2 at 5120 Fairmont Parkway by cutting a hole through the roof.

One of the detectives said the case resembled another burglary in 2002.

Store officials also told detectives it was similar to another burglary a few days earlier at a J.C. Penney in Indianapolis. On July 26, another store in Rosenberg was burglarized in the same manner, Pasadena police said.

In August, burglars also struck two J.C. Penney stores in Louisiana. Detectives learned that some of the stolen items taken from the store in Covington, La., were later sold at a pawnshop.

After an investigation lasting about two months, detectives tracked Garcia down to a home in Houston, where he was taken into custody on Tuesday, police said.

Charges also are pending against Garcia for the burglaries in Rosenberg and Louisiana. Police in Dallas County and Hays County also issued warrants against him for burglaries in 2008.

38-year-old Ricky Orlando Garcia

Fast Food Marijuana Mix Up

WPRI CBS 12 Providence
Sep. 12, 2009. 07:26 AM EST

Two McDonalds Customers Receive a Gun and a bag of Marijuana in their order. The package was meant for the next people in the drive-thru line.

LINK TO VIDEO:

http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/5898/1094864

Police: Well-dressed elderly man robs Calif. bank

LA JOLLA — Authorities say a well-dressed elderly man carrying an oxygen tank has robbed a bank in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla.

San Diego police Sgt. Ray Battrick says the suspect on Saturday presented a note demanding money to a teller at the San Diego National Bank. He fled with an unknown amount of cash.

Battrick says it's unclear whether the suspect had a weapon.

The robber is described as a tall man in his 70s with white hair, a gray mustache and glasses. He was wearing a white beret, argyle sweater and brown sports jacket.

Battrick says the oxygen tank was in a black bag and connected to the man's nose with plastic tubing.

Men lie six times a day and twice as often as women, study finds

Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:59 PM on 13th September 2009

Men tell twice as many lies as women, it emerged yesterday.

Researchers found they tell six fibs a day on average to their partner, boss and work colleagues, but women come out with just three.

The study of 2,000 Britons also revealed that the most common lie told by both sexes was: ' Nothing's wrong, I'm fine.'

Fibbing: A study has found men tell 42 lies a week - twice as many as women

While men are likely to fib about having their last pint and claiming their partner's behind doesn't look too big, women avoid telling the truth about their latest shopping purchases.

Eighty-three per cent of adults of both sexes said they could easily tell if their partner was lying.

But body language expert Richard Newman said: 'Most people can't read the signals.

'They assume that if someone is hiding the truth, they would hide their face and avoid eye contact. In fact, the opposite is true.

'Liars usually do everything they can to convince you of the truth, sitting still and looking at you to watch your reaction.

'People simply overestimate their skills in this area.'

The findings emerged in a poll by 20th Century Fox to mark the DVD launch of TV series Lie To Me, starring Tim Roth as a deception expert who helps to solve crimes.

Top ten lies men tell:

1. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine
2. This will be my last pint
3. No, your bum doesn't look big in that
4. I had no signal
5. My battery died
6. Sorry, I missed your call
7. I didn't have that much to drink
8. I'm on my way
9. It wasn't that expensive
10. I'm stuck in traffic 

Top ten lies women tell:

1. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine
2. Oh, this isn't new, I've had it ages
3. It wasn't that expensive
4. It was in the sale
5. I'm on my way
6. I don't know where it is, I haven't touched it
7. I didn't have that much to drink
8. I've got a headache
9. No, I didn't throw it away
10. Sorry, I missed your call 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1213171/Men-lie-times-day-twice-women-study-finds.html#ixzz0R2pev0L3

SHAWNE K. WICKHAM
New Hampshire Sunday News Staff

September 12, 2009

A Westmoreland woman is now believed to be the oldest person in the United States -- and second-oldest in the entire world.

Mary Josephine Ray, who lives at Maplewood Nursing Home, turned 114 years old on May 17.

Ray, who was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada, became the oldest U.S. resident after the death Friday of a 115-year-old California woman who was considered the oldest person in the world.

Gertrude Baines' death also means Ray is now the second-oldest person in the world, behind a woman in Japan who is just one week older, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which verifies claims of extreme old age.

Ray's granddaughter, Katherine Ray of Westmoreland, said her "Gram" is nothing short of "amazing."

Aug. 4, 2009: NH woman thought to be world's third-oldest 

 LINK: 

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Aug.+4%2c+2009%3a+NH+woman+thought+to+be+world%27s+third-oldest&articleId=26b3f02a-d3cc-4d8f-abf7-9e9467eec18a

"She's just spry for her age. Even though she's in a wheelchair, she's strong."

"She's very smart and sharp still," she said.

Ray said she stopped by to tell her grandmother the news Friday, but she was sleeping and Ray chose not to wake her up. But she said she doesn't expect her to get too excited.

Granddaughter Kathy Ray and son Donald Ray get a laugh from Mary Josephine Ray in July, shortly after she celebrated her 114th birthday. (BOB LAPREE)

"It doesn't faze her that she's that old," she said.

As for Kathy Ray, she finds the whole idea "sort of mind boggling."

Among her grandmother's favorite pleasures are the Boston Red Sox, Hershey's Kisses and ice cream, Ray said. And she plays cards on Thursdays with a friend who visits her at the nursing home.

Kathy Ray said her grandmother underwent medical testing that found something "very, very rare" in her DNA. "She'll never have cancer or heart problems," she said.

"She'll just die of old age."

Identity-theft victim meets her identity thief

Five Seattle-area people, including a mother and daughter, have been indicted in U.S. District Court in Seattle with a litany of fraud charges. Three of them have already pleaded guilty and are facing prison sentences. The federal agents and the prosecutor on the case say none of it would have been possible without one victim's presence of mind.

Ian Ith

Seattle Times staff reporter

September 7, 2009 at 12:15 AM Updated September 8, 2009 at 1:58 PM

Back in January, Michelle McCambridge found herself staring into the face of the woman who stole her identity.

Only a week earlier, she learned that someone had taken out credit cards in her name and racked up thousands in charges. A federal agent had shown her a surveillance photo. But the image didn't ring a bell.

Now the woman in thick-rimmed glasses was standing there at McCambridge's women's-casual counter at J.C. Penney at Southcenter, asking to open a credit account.

McCambridge's heart lept. She excused herself and secretly got the store's security crew to train their cameras on the woman.

And in those few minutes, the 23-year-old retail clerk and college student set in motion a federal investigation that has brought down what authorities say is a prolific ring of ID thieves responsible for victimizing at least 39 people.

"Out of how many customer-service desks, out of how many registers she could have gone to, and she had to come to me?" McCambridge wondered this week.

"It was fate."

Now five Seattle-area people, including a mother and daughter, have been indicted in U.S. District Court in Seattle with a litany of fraud charges. Three of them have already pleaded guilty and are facing prison sentences.

The federal agents and the prosecutor on the case say none of it would have been possible without McCambridge's presence of mind.

"I'm very proud of her," said Joseph Velling, a special agent for the Social Security Administration. "It was heroic."

The 23-count indictment charged Jeania Dyson, 36; Gordon Burrage, 44; Stephanie Locke, 29; Valorie Dade, 58; and her daughter, Lakaia Dade, 36, with bank fraud, aggravated ID theft and misuse of Social Security numbers.

Burrage, Locke and Lakaia Dade have pleaded guilty to reduced charges and face sentencing this fall before Judge Robert Lasnik.

Velling and his partner, Special Agent Matthew Lavelle, said the investigation required complicated detective work to find patterns and connections in otherwise-ordinary, scattered complaints of credit-card fraud.

Unexpected bills

But it really began one day in January when McCambridge got her mail and discovered several bills for department-store cards she had never asked for.

She had just become one of about 9 million people whose identification is stolen and misused every year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

"I was kinda furious," McCambridge said.

Turns out, McCambridge's father went to high school with Velling. So he called him. Velling said he'd look into it, and he got store surveillance footage showing the woman opening a card in McCambridge's name around Christmas time.

The woman later turned out to be Locke, but they didn't know that then. All they could tell was that it was a black woman with distinctive glasses.

Then she came into McCambridge's store.

"I was a little panicked; I was a little shaky," McCambridge said.

"But I was angry."

McCambridge made a lame excuse to step away. She ducked over to the fragrance counter and found her manager. They got the store security cameras to zoom in and capture an image of a fake ID Locke was presenting with another woman's name, Velling said. But police couldn't arrest Locke right then, so she left when the credit application was refused.

Now they had more images of the suspected thief, but still no name to attach to the face.

Then, a break.

In February, local police arrested Burrage at a Kohl's store as he tried to open a fraudulent credit-card account. The security video had also gotten an image of a woman with him.

Lavelle said he recognized her as Dyson, who has previously gone to prison for bank fraud.

By checking old police reports, the agents were able to connect Dyson with Locke in previous cases, they said. Eventually, they tied all five suspects to a black Cadillac Escalade that had been used in credit thefts from Lacey to Lynnwood.

By April, the agents had rounded them all up.

Victims take action

Looking back, agent Velling says what made this case special was that McCambridge and other victims had gotten involved and contacted stores to save their security tapes.

That doesn't happen very often, he said. Usually, people just file a police report, cancel their accounts, and the cases languish for lack of evidence and resources.

"Identity-theft crimes are some of the most difficult criminal cases to investigate," Velling said.

"It is not that law enforcement does not know what crime was committed. Rather, it is a simpler question — who did it? Store surveillance video and photos can be the difference in making the identification of the criminals and a successful prosecution of the crime."

As for McCambridge, she's getting ready to go back to college and move on with her life. But the sense that someone took her Social Security number — something you can't simply cancel — means she feels a sense of permanent vulnerability.

"Yes, no violence was done to me, but that's my identity," she said. "It's a violation of your space and who you are."

McCambridge says she is actually looking forward to seeing Locke again later this month — when Locke will be standing before the judge for sentencing.

"I want to ask her if she remembers me," McCambridge said.

"It's nice to know it's one of the biggest crimes out there and we can get someone behind bars for it. I'm glad there's going to be some justice served."

Joy ride in police car leads to arrest

remote to the car door opening and the deputies think he was hiding in the bushes next to the car," McCloskey said of Anderson.

Other agencies follow the same procedure for leaving their car.

"A lot of times when officers respond to calls, it's not unusual to secure a car and leave it running," Farmington Police Lt. Vince Mitchell said.

There is a way to lock it and leave it running, which ensures the in-car camera is recording, he said. If the car is off, the camera won't work.

The deputy heard the door open and the vehicle began backing up rapidly.

The deputy pursued on foot after the police vehicle backed away, the Sheriff's Office said. The second deputy also chased after the stolen vehicle, but lost sight of it.

The in-car camera showed the suspect drive away at a high rate of speed down dirt roads for approximately two minutes before abandoning the car and leaving on foot. The stolen vehicle was found 30 minutes later near a well site about one mile from where it was taken.

No equipment was missing and the vehicle sustained minor scratches after being driven through sagebrush.

A distinct set of footprints led away from the vehicle, the Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies eventually located several people hiding in the bushes near the party site and they identified a possible suspect.

About three hours later, deputies located a male walking down New Mexico 173 who matched the description of the suspect, the Sheriff's Office said.

Stealing a police car is a rarity, especially when there is another officer sitting right there, McCloskey said.

Anderson was advised of his rights and admitted to taking the police vehicle because he thought it would be fun, the Sheriff's Office said.

Insult lands man in jail

Judge's sentencing in out-of-court incident is questioned.

Chuck Lindell
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, September 08, 2009

This summer, incensed by a ruling in a child-custody case involving his granddaughter, 69-year-old Don Bandelman followed the judge into a public courthouse restroom and berated him as "a fool," court records show.

District Judge Jack Robison, Bandelman said, angrily told him to leave.

Then Robison did something more problematic, raising questions about whether he abused his power as a judge. Robison directed bailiffs to arrest Bandelman and then sentenced the man to 30 days in jail for contempt of court.

There was no hearing, no notice of charges and no lawyer present for Bandelman, who was handcuffed and taken to the Caldwell County Jail to serve his term in a cell with 12 bunk beds and 23 far younger inmates. After the first two nights of near-constant noise and never-extinguished lights, the grandfather said, he was physically wrecked and doubted he could survive another 28 days in captivity.

Two days later, shaken but otherwise healthy,

he returned to his home about 10 miles northeast of Lockhart after Robison, facing inquiries from an Austin appeals court, amended his contempt order to time already served.

Robison, a district judge for 15 years, declined to comment through his court coordinator for this article.

Said Bandelman: "I don't guess I regret telling him what I did. It probably wasn't the smartest thing, but it was a (gut) reaction. I guess you have no freedom of speech with a judge."

On the contrary, though judges enjoy greater protection from ridicule than most Americans, that privilege rarely extends beyond the courtroom. And because the power to jail people on the spot, known as a finding of "direct contempt," is contrary to the constitutional guarantee of due process, it is strictly limited to avoid abuses.

"What ought to scare people is the ability to jail a citizen for 30 days when a judge just doesn't like his behavior," said Bill Allison, law professor and director of the University of Texas Criminal Defense Clinic. "The courts have kept, and continue to keep, this type of contempt very closely watched, very narrowly defined."

Bandelman's jailing was unusual because a finding of direct contempt is generally reserved for acts that:

• Take place during court proceedings, usually in the courtroom or jury room.

• Are witnessed by the judge.

• Disrupt court, impede the administration of justice or challenge the judge's authority.

In cases that meet the three criteria, swift and harsh punishment behind bars is often essential to protect the court's integrity, appellate courts have said.

But those accused of contempt for acts outside of the courtroom should be given notice of charges and be allowed to defend themselves at a future hearing, a standard that the U.S. Supreme Court set 84 years ago.

'Get me out of here' On June 23, Bandelman was waiting in the hallway of the Caldwell County Courthouse for news about who would get temporary custody of his 13-year-old granddaughter. Bandelman — who has two grown children, a daughter in California and a son in Lockhart — hoped it would be his son, but Robison chose the ex-wife.

Court was adjourned, and minutes later, Bandelman noticed Robison entering a public restroom down the hall.

When Bandelman barged in, Robison reacted forcefully and a bailiff quickly intervened. Family law, particularly divorce and child-custody cases, often produces volatile court proceedings, and across the nation, security officers and judges are trained to beware of confrontations.

Bandelman was escorted from the courthouse and was standing on the sidewalk when two bailiffs handcuffed him and returned him to Robison's courtroom. (Robison's home courtroom is in New Braunfels, but several days a month, he hears cases in Lockhart and San Marcos.)

The judge sent out documents on the contempt of court charge but did not appear in court, said Bandelman, who had no previous criminal record.

Later that afternoon, he was photographed, fingerprinted and booked into the Caldwell jail, said Bandelman, a retired electrical safety instructor for Texas A&M University.

"I couldn't understand why all this was happening," he said recently. "I was upset about what was happening about my granddaughter, more upset about that than what they were doing to me at the time."

Bandelman figures it was about midnight on his second night in jail when his body — worn down by stress, lack of sleep and arthritic aches — began shaking uncontrollably. He carefully climbed down from the top bunk, the last available bed in the cell.

"I started banging on the glass window, yelling, 'You gotta get me out of here. I have to get out.' The guard yelled, 'Get back!' " Bandelman said. "The (other inmates) were yelling, 'What's the matter, old man? Can't you take it?' They were all laughing and hollering."

Bandelman said he was eventually placed in solitary confinement, where he stayed in relative peace until he left the jail.

'Can be problematic' Bandelman was jailed on a Tuesday afternoon.

The next morning, his wife, Pat, hired Lockhart lawyer John Bennett, who that day filed a habeas corpus petition asking the state district court to free his client. But when Bennett, who declined to discuss the case, couldn't get a hearing scheduled, he filed a new petition at the 3rd Court of Appeals late Thursday.

The Austin appeals court asked Robison to respond to the appeal by noon Friday. Before that deadline, the judge amended his contempt order, freeing Bandelman.

Bandelman's habeas petition alleging illegal restraint remained pending at the appeals court until Aug. 7, when justices issued a ruling raising questions about Robison's contempt finding.

"Jailing individuals for contempt under circumstances such as those presented here without the court being in session and without notice and hearing can be problematic," the opinion by Justice Alan Waldrop said.

Even so, the appeals court said, Bandelman could not be granted relief because his appeal was moot.

Bandelmansaid he intends to file a complaint with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, an independent agency that investigates allegations of wrongdoing against Texas judges.

Since 2000, the commission has privately sanctioned seven judges for abusing direct contempt powers, among the agency's lightest punishments because offending judges' names are not made public.

Bandelman also worries that his arrest and jailing will remain on his record — a valid concern, according to the Department of Public Safety. Contempt charges reported to DPS with fingerprints are posted to the state's computerized criminal history system, a DPS spokeswoman said.

'Thicker skin' needed In 1991, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a pair of rulings stating that insults and offenses to a judge's sensibilities are not enough for a contempt finding. In addition, offensive comments — even if spoken in court — do not constitute contempt unless they are disruptive or boisterous, the court said.

"Court opinions over and over imply that judges need to have a little thicker skin than your average citizen," said Allison of the UT Law School. "When it gets to the point of disrupting the (legal) process, then they may take the gloves off and put a stop to it."

Though judges are given wide discretion to determine what is contempt, they have less leeway on how they can respond, Allison said.

Court rulings have been clear that direct contempt is reserved for disruptions to "the business of the court," he said. Similar disruptions in the hallway, stairway or restroom do not apply, he said.

Jim Harrington, head of the Texas Civil Rights Project, agreed. "The law is very clear," he said. "Once you're outside the courtroom, the judge loses a lot of power. You can cite someone for contempt, but that has to be heard by another judge."

Because of the clearly defined limits on direct contempt, misuse of the power is rare, said Harrington, who called Robison's action outrageous.

Robison "is out of sync, not only with the Constitution but with contemporary judicial practice," he said.

 

Don Bandelman spent time

in jail for contempt of court.

LINK:

http://www.livescience.com/health/090911-7-bad-thoughts.html