truesee's Blog

Despite Eviction, Family Fights To Stay

Family Squats In Foreclosed Home Despite Eviction Notices

 

 

MIAMI -- A Miami family illegally squatting in their own foreclosed home is facing eviction, for a second time. Once again, they're taking a stand to keep their home.

The Trody family was first evicted from their home on 849 NW 137 Street on Feb. 23. The matriarch of the family, Carolyn Conley, claims she lost the home because of a refinanced mortgage that was too complicated to understand.

With the help of Take Back the Land, a vigilante housing advocate group, the family of 12 broke into the same home from which they were evicted and moved back in. At one point, they were living in a van.

On Wednesday, the family was served with another eviction notice. Rather than leave and return to living in the van, they are taking a stand to keep their home.

"Housing is a human right," said Max Rameau of Take Back the Land. "As such, the Trodys have a greater need, and right, to this home than big corporations getting billions of dollars in our money for a bailout."

Members of the family said they would have to be forcefully removed from the home.

Community members and organizations are planning to support the Trodys and defend against the eviction for as long as the family wants to stay.

Police and mortgage companies say the Trodys are trespassing. Anyone caught violating the mandate to leave could be arrested.  The Trody family was first evicted from their home on 849 NW 137 Street on Feb. 23. The matriarch of the family, Carolyn Conley, claims she lost the home because of a refinanced mortgage that was too complicated to understand.

 

With the help of Take Back the Land, a vigilante housing advocate group, the family of 12 broke into the same home from which they were evicted and moved back in. At one point, they were living in a van.

 

On Wednesday, the family was served with another eviction notice. Rather than leave and return to living in the van, they are taking a stand to keep their home.

 

"Housing is a human right," said Max Rameau of Take Back the Land. "As such, the Trodys have a greater need, and right, to this home than big corporations getting billions of dollars in our money for a bailout."

 

Members of the family said they would have to be forcefully removed from the home.

 

Community members and organizations are planning to support the Trodys and defend against the eviction for as long as the family wants to stay.

 

Police and mortgage companies say the Trodys are trespassing. Anyone caught violating the mandate to leave could be arrested.

 

LINK TO VIDEO:

 

http://www.justnews.com/video/20474237/index.html

Father Wants Public Caning for Malay Woman Over Beer 

 

By Ranjeetha Pakiam

Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The caning of a Malaysian mother for drinking a beer should be conducted in public if it is meant to set an example to fellow Muslims, her father said, days before the punishment is set to be carried out in a closed prison.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, 32, faces six strokes of the cane after a Shariah court found the former model guilty of breaking a law that forbids all Muslims, including foreign visitors, from drinking alcohol.  After deciding not to appeal, she may become the first woman to be caned in Malaysia.

The Shariah court in the eastern state of Pahang Kartika fixed Aug. 24 to 30 for the Prisons Department to conduct the sentence, said Mohamad Isa Abd Ralip, president of the Syariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia.  Kartika will be held for a week at the women’s prison in Kajang outside Kuala Lumpur, a decision that has puzzled her father, Shukarno Abdul Muttalib.

“As a Muslim, I agree with her punishment, but I don’t agree that it should be done in jail, she is not a prisoner,” Shukarno, 60, told Bloomberg in an interview. “If the authorities want to use this as an example, then the caning should be done in public in Pahang.”

The businessman said it was embarrassing for his daughter to be brought to prison where criminals are held. If there was no alternative, Shukarno said he would ask the authorities to allow him and the media to attend the caning to ensure transparency.

“Nobody should have to endure corporal punishment, be it a man or woman,” said Ragunath Kesavan, president of the Malaysian Bar Council. He said a public caning would be considered unacceptable to many members of society and would set an unwelcome precedent.

Long Ordeal

Kartika, who is married to a Singaporean, decided not to appeal against the court’s July 20 judgment because she wants to get the ordeal over with and get on with her family life, the New Straits Times reported on July 22.

The mother of two, who also paid a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,420) for drinking in a hotel lounge in July last year, wants other people to learn from her experience. Her husband, also a Muslim, wasn’t with her at the time.

“When I received the news, I was relieved,” Kartika said in a telephone interview yesterday. “I want it to be over, rather than leave it hanging. I’m a bit afraid because I don’t know what to expect, but I’m prepared” to be punished.

Kartika and her husband left Singapore Aug. 18 when they heard of the court’s decision and traveled to her father’s house in the northern state of Perak. Shukarno said they hadn’t received any written notification and would wait for the Islamic authorities to pick up Kartika and take her to the prison.

‘Fair Decision’

Malaysia has a dual-track judicial system where Islamic courts operate alongside civil institutions. Three of the Southeast Asian nation’s 13 states permit the caning of convicted women under the Shariah Criminal Offences Code.

“This is a fair decision, because the Shariah laws do not discriminate whether the offender is male or female,” said Mohamad Isa. “The punishment is more geared to teaching a lesson. The caning is not meant to physically hurt.”

Shariah judges have meted out the maximum sentence for drinking alcohol to a woman on one previous occasion. The first offender, waitress Noorazah Baharuddin, 22, was sentenced in January for consuming liquor in a pub in Pahang last year, state news agency Bernama reported. She has appealed and the case is pending, the Star newspaper said.

Three men who were previously convicted for drinking alcohol and were sentenced to be caned are still waiting for their appeals to be heard, Mohamad Isa said.

Caning Rules

According to Islamic principles and the Pahang Shariah rules, caning should be conducted with a small, thin stick and cannot be administered on the head, face, stomach, chest or genitals.

The prison officer wielding the cane is not allowed to use much force, ensuring his or her hand doesn’t rise above head- height, Mohamad Isa said. The offender must be fully clothed and men must stand, whereas women can be seated.

Under the government’s civil criminal system, men can be caned for serious offences such as rape. These punishments are administered using a thicker cane and applied to the bare buttocks of the offender, who is bound to a frame.

Neighboring Singapore’s law also allows for caning for serious offences such as rape and drug trafficking. In 1994, U.S. teenager Michael Fay received four strokes of the cane in a Singapore prison after being convicted of vandalism.

In Indonesia, caning is not part of the criminal legal system though it is used in Aceh province, which has introduced a form of Shariah law since being granted autonomy in 2005.

About 60 percent of Malaysia’s population is Muslim. The rest are mostly Buddhists, Hindus, Christians or Sikhs.

Too Harsh

Many Malaysians feel caning is too harsh a sentence, said Chandra Muzaffar, president of the International Movement for a Just World, a Malaysian non-governmental organization, adding that there are no studies to suggest caning is a deterrent to drinking alcohol.

“Accepting the fact that the consumption of alcohol is prohibited” in Islam, “the best approach is to counsel,” said Chandra. If he or she persists, “it’s between the person and God.”

 

Last Updated: August 20, 2009 05:31 EDT

 

 

 

 

                                   ORIGINAL STORY

 

 

Burglar targets police station

A suspect has been arrested in the theft of Tasers, a radio and a patrol car in North Bend

Winston Ross

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2009

Funeral Fiasco: Wrong body sent to family

 

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - August 18, 2009 (WPVI) -- It was to have been a time to say farewell to 80-year-old Kenneth Roberts.

As if funerals aren't sad and emotional enough, what happened in South Philadelphia was a nightmare for the family and friends of Mr. Roberts.

The funeral was to be held at Tindley Temple United Methodist Church on South Broad Street Tuesday morning, but the body that was brought there was not that of Kenneth Monroe Roberts, a South Philadelphia resident and army veteran.

"They kept trying to tell us that it was him and I knew it wasn't him," the wife of Kenneth Roberts, Janin Holsey, said.

The body of Kenneth Roberts and that of another man were mistakenly switched.

Family members who viewed the body on Monday say they knew something was wrong and told the funeral director.

"I told them it wasn't my grandpop; all his grandkids came in here and said that's not their grandpop. We know what my grandpop looked like, that wasn't him," granddaughter Kenayah Cerban said.

The funeral home of James Hawkins at 17th and Federal Streets handled the arrangements. Tuesday morning, during the viewing and just before the funeral service began, the error was acknowledged.

"She came in the service and said, 'we made a mistake, that's not your husband.' Everyone went into a rampage," sister-in-law Lois Bundy said.

The family waited an hour and a half and then Roberts' body finally arrived.

However, mourners were still horrified as the body was face down and partially hanging out of the ajar casket.

"This is not right. I never in my life... and that's my dad and I just want it fixed," daughter Rhonda Warring said.

One man suffered a seizure and was taken to the hospital along with a woman suffering an asthma attack. The funeral was cancelled.

A similar scene played out across town at the Francis Funeral Home in Southwest Philadelphia.

Claire Beverly and her sister were laying to rest their father, Charles, when they too realized their father was not in the casket, but rather the body of Kenneth Roberts.

"Id like an apology and make sure this doesn't happen to another person because this is ridiculous," Claire said.

Family members tell Action News both funeral homes are owned by Frankie Francis. Embalming is performed at the Francis Funeral home and the bodies are then transported to the services.

After repeated calls were not returned Action News went looking for answers, but found none as no one would explain what happened.

Family members say they've received the same response.

"I'm lost for words. The words out of my mouth I don't think he wants to hear because this doesn't make sense," relative Melanie Oliver said.

The family of Kenneth Roberts is planning a small private funeral.

 

LINK TO VIDEO:

 

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/video?id=6971877

 

                                                   RELATED STORY

Beloved husband & dad is mourned, but it's not his body in the casket

By KITTY CAPARELLA
Philadelphia Daily News

Wed, Aug. 19, 2009

Mints Believed To Be Crack Land Man In Jail

Posted: 5:27 pm EDT August 17, 2009

  Updated: 11:30 am EDT August 19, 2009

WFTV 9

Department for an arrest over mints. When officers pulled Donald May over for an expired tag, they thought the mints he was chewing were crack and arrested him.

May told Eyewitness News they wouldn't let him out of jail for three months until tests proved the so-called drugs were candy.

May said he was just minding his business, driving home from work, when a Kissimmee police officer pulled him over near 192.

 

LINK TO VIDEO/ COMPLAINT/MUST SEE STRANGE SLIDESHOW:

http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/20435114/detail.html

 

"I don't know how it occurred," he said.

May was pulled over for an expired tag on his car. When the officer walked up to him, he noticed something white in May's mouth. May said it was breath mints, but the officer thought it was crack cocaine.

"He took them out of my mouth and put them in a baggy and locked me up [for] possession of cocaine and tampering with evidence," May explained.

The officer claimed he field-tested the evidence and it tested positive for drugs. The officer said he saw May buying drugs while he was stopped at an intersection. He also stated in his report May waived his Miranda rights and voluntarily admitted to buying drugs.

May said that never happened.

"My client never admitted he purchased crack cocaine. Why would he say that?" attorney Adam Sudbury said.

May was thrown in jail and was unable to bond out for three months. He didn't get out until he received a letter from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney's Office that test results showed no drugs were found.

"While I was sitting in jail I lost my apartment. I lost everything," he said.

While May was behind bars, the Kissimmee Police Department towed his car and auctioned it off. He lost his job and was evicted. Now May is suing the city for false arrest and false imprisonment. He wants to be compensated for the loss of his car and job.

May's attorney and the city of Kissimmee discussed a possible settlement last year, but failed to reach an agreement.  Department for an arrest over mints. When officers pulled Donald May over for an expired tag, they thought the mints he was chewing were crack and arrested him.

May told Eyewitness News they wouldn't let him out of jail for three months until tests proved the so-called drugs were candy.

May said he was just minding his business, driving home from work, when a Kissimmee police officer pulled him over near 192.

"I don't know how it occurred," he said.

May was pulled over for an expired tag on his car. When the officer walked up to him, he noticed something white in May's mouth. May said it was breath mints, but the officer thought it was crack cocaine.

"He took them out of my mouth and put them in a baggy and locked me up [for] possession of cocaine and tampering with evidence," May explained.

The officer claimed he field-tested the evidence and it tested positive for drugs. The officer said he saw May buying drugs while he was stopped at an intersection. He also stated in his report May waived his Miranda rights and voluntarily admitted to buying drugs.

May said that never happened.

"My client never admitted he purchased crack cocaine. Why would he say that?" attorney Adam Sudbury said.

May was thrown in jail and was unable to bond out for three months. He didn't get out until he received a letter from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney's Office that test results showed no drugs were found.

"While I was sitting in jail I lost my apartment. I lost everything," he said.

While May was behind bars, the Kissimmee Police Department towed his car and auctioned it off. He lost his job and was evicted. Now May is suing the city for false arrest and false imprisonment. He wants to be compensated for the loss of his car and job.

May's attorney and the city of Kissimmee discussed a possible settlement last year, but failed to reach an agreement.

Katrina victims in Oprah homes indicted

They are accused of taking FEMA money after moving

MARY FLOOD

Houston Chronicle

Aug. 19, 2009, 1:35PM

 

Three Hurricane Katrina evacuees who bought houses here with the help of Oprah Winfrey appeared in court today on charges they cheated the Federal Emergency Management Agency by lying to continue to obtain rental assistance for storm victims after they moved into the furnished homes.

The three came to Houston from New Orleans after the storm devastated that city. They received legitimate FEMA help and then were aided by Winfrey's “Oprah's Angel Network,” which provided the financing to allow the storm victims to move into and own new homes.

“Oprah's Angel Network” worked with Habitat for Humanity to build and furnish homes for approximately 65 families, most of whom moved onto Asheburton Springs Drive in southwest Houston, which was subsequently renamed “Angel Lane”

“The response to natural disasters brings out the best and worst in people,” said Houston-based U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson. “Generous acts of charity are tarnished by those who despite the generosity of others, fraudulently make claims for government relief funds. This office will continue its efforts to bring those who make false claims for public funds to justice.”

The trio was charged along with the sister of one of them, who allegedly helped her sibling cheat FEMA.

Darlene McGruder Poole, 30, of Houston, and her sister, Lashona McGruder Victor, 37, of La Place, La., are charged together with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Victor is expected to surrender to law enforcement authorities in Houston by the end of the week, a press release from the U.S. attorney stated.

Kiesha Murphy, 34, of Houston, and Angela Payne, aka Angela McKinnies, 38, of Houston, are each charged in separate indictments with making false statements to FEMA and theft of government property.

After Katrina and Rita hit in 2005, FEMA provided rental assistance payments to displaced individuals. Winfrey visited some of the victims in Houston and through her charitable organization partnered to build and furnish homes.

The indictment against Poole — who had received $23,000 in legitimate assistance after being displaced from her home in New Orleans — continued to submit declarations of need for rental assistance despite her August 2006 purchase of a home on Angel Lane. Poole also claimed to be unemployed though she was working for Harris County.

Her sister, Victor, registered with FEMA as Poole's landlord on Angel Lane and the pair submitted fraudulent lease agreements and fictitious rental receipts to collect $14,000, the government alleges.

Murphy, who received $17,000 in legitimate disaster assistance after being displaced from New Orleans, is also accused of continuing to submit bogus rent receipts after moving onto an Angel Lane home in July 2006. The government alleges she too claimed to be unemployed though she was working for Memorial Hermann. Murphy is accused of wrongfully obtaining more than $12,000 in benefits as a result of fraudulent filings with FEMA.

Payne, also from New Orleans, purchased her home on Angel Lane in July 2006, and is also accused of submitting fraudulent claims for continued rental assistance.

These four charges bring to 94 the number of persons charged in the Southern District of Texas with fraud arising from three hurricanes — Katrina, Rita and Ike.

 

LINK TO VIDEO:

 

http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/07/templates/listpop.html?bcpid=823433113&bctid=13806813001

2 fired from Broomfield Best Buy for tackling shoplifter

   

Internet addiction treatment center opens in Fall City

JANE MCCARTHY 

KING 5 News

08:23 AM PDT on Tuesday, August 18, 2009

FALL CITY, Wash. - China, South Korea and Japan have several already. Now, the first in-patient treatment center for Internet addiction is launching in Fall City.

And it already has its first patient: a 19-year-old whose parents tried everything before finding this program.

Ben Alexander is a long way from his home in Iowa City. At the reSTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program, he feels a world away from his gaming addiction.

"My game of choice was 'World of Warcraft,'" said Alexander.

He played so much, it started affecting his schoolwork.

"I'd have all these rationalizations of, well, it's not a big deal to just miss this one class," he said.

One class turned into several and he eventually withdrew from college.

"I would play until I fell asleep on my keyboard," he said.

His parents struggled to find appropriate help.  Initially, he went to a substance and alcohol abuse program, even though he didn't have that kind of addiction.

"It was kind of hard to really relate to the other people there," he said.

His parents finally found reSTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program, which sprawls over 5-acres.  It's the first of its kind in the U.S., specifically aimed at treating people who are addicted to the Internet.

Co-founder Cosette Rae saw the need in her job as a social worker.

"Concerns like their children would be gaming 16, 17 hours a day; that they stopped bathing; that they would just eat at the computer," said Rae.

Rae launched the  new six-bed facility with Dr. Hilarie Cash, who specializes in Internet addiction. The 45-day program works to launch tech-addicted people back into the real world.

"What are they avoiding?  What are they using the Internet to numb out for?" said Rae.

Alexander was once interested in biology and animals, so now he helps with taking care of the goats, chickens and other animals on the reSTART property.  Cross country running is also something Alexander used to enjoy 'pre-gaming', so it is again part of his daily routine at reSTART.

Alexander knows the internet will likely be a part of life down the road, but he believes he's finally found a balance in Fall City.

"I'm not able to say, oh, I'm never going to be online ever again," he said.  "But at this point I'm not really worried about it."

The reSTART Center offers individualized plans to treat a number of Internet issues.

The program is not covered by insurance and runs about $14,500 for 45 days.  They do have a few scholarships available now, based upon need.

 

LINK TO VIDEO:

 

http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_081809WAB-internet-addiction-center-LJ.f1222024.html?rss

The Maryland Gazette

As word spread of his imaginative marriage proposal last Friday, Jon Cardin has been the toast of the town this week.

With the help of a friend, Cardin concocted a plan to surprise his girlfriend, Megan Homer, but even the hubby-to-be wasn't in on all the details.

The couple was invited to a happy hour cruise on the Inner Harbor aboard the buddy's boat where Cardin was to pop the question. But not without some drama.

Cardin's friend told him not to fret if "some people" boarded the boat during the cruise — that it was all part of the plan. So there they were, enjoying the company of friends, when a boat and helicopter from the Baltimore City Police Department converged on the vessel under the guise that there were reports of contraband aboard.

Understandably, Homer was startled and worried that she would be detained, even though she knew there was nothing illegal on board, Cardin said.

"I knew that we were not going to get in trouble, but I think she thought we were going to get arrested," he said.

After a brief search, an officer pointed to a box on the deck behind Homer and asked her what was inside. She turned back around and responded that she didn't know. The officer then told Homer to turn around as if to slap on handcuffs.

When she did as told, Cardin was on bended knee with ring in hand. Once Homer's heart started beating again, she said "yes."

Cardin, who knew the cops delighted in practical jokes from a high school senior project he did with the city police department's marine unit some 20 years ago, made sure to note that there was no abuse of public resources. The police's involvement was only to take place if they were not on assignment, he said.

The bride and groom have not yet set a wedding date and are "just enjoying the moment" for now, Cardin said Thursday in Ocean City, where he was to hold an evening fundraiser that has some speculating about a possible run for Baltimore County executive next year.

Here's betting the couple will wait until after November 2010 to tie the knot.

 

LINK TO AUDIO OF POLICE COMMISSIONER:

 

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-bealefeld-cardin-mp30818,0,7022871.mp3file

 

                                   Update

 

Police upset that officers were used in lawmaker's marriage proposal prank

Peter Hermann

Baltimore Sun

6:33 p.m. EDT, August 17, 2009

 

City police are investigating why on-duty marine and helicopter officers helped a Baltimore County state delegate propose to his girlfriend by pretending to raid a boat the couple were aboard, a department spokesman said Monday.

Officers boarded the boat, owned by a friend of Del. Jon S. Cardin, Aug. 7 in the Inner Harbor. As the helicopter Foxtrot hovered overhead, adding to the sense of tension, one report says officers pretended to search the vessel and even had the woman thinking she was about to be handcuffed before the delegate got on one knee and proposed.

Megan Homer said yes.

Baltimore police did not find the account of the pretend raid amusing or charming.

Police said they are investigating what appears to be a misuse of police resources at a time when the budget-strapped department is begging for private donations to keep its horseback unit running and is immersed in investigating the latest violence at the Inner Harbor -- a double shooting inside the Light Street Pavilion at Harborplace over the weekend. Residents and visitors have complained that police presence is thin at best.

"Definitely there was some poor judgment exercised by some officers," said Anthony Guglielmi, the Police Department's chief spokesman. "The Police Department is not in the business of renting out the helicopter and the boats for bachelor parties and birthdays. We're in the business of upholding public safety in Baltimore."

Del. Curtis S. "Curt" Anderson, D-Baltimore and chairman of the city delegation to Annapolis, said he is appalled by the apparent indiscretion and angry that officers both in the air and on the water diverted from their primary mission of protecting citizens against crime.

"How in the world did he get something like that?" Anderson said of Cardin, also a Democrat. "If I wanted to do this myself, I wouldn't have the first clue as to how to get that accomplished. This is totally astonishing that a state delegate, especially one from Baltimore County, could commandeer the forces of the Baltimore City Police Department like that. It's a big waste of the city's money if that actually happened."

Cardin, an attorney who represents Northwest Baltimore and is the nephew of U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, did not return several calls Monday. The U.S. senator was not aboard the boat; a spokeswoman said he was out of town with his granddaughter.

In a statement, Delegate Cardin gave a toned-down account of the proposal, reported Friday in the Gazette newspapers, which dealt with the news as a whimsical "reporters notebook" item. Cardin described the actions by police as a "5-minute safety check." He did not mention the helicopter, which police confirmed was used.

Cardin's statement says that during the "fuss" of the police involvement, "I surprised her with my proposal and she honored me with her answer of 'yes.'" It continued: "During the evening, I was focused on making my fiancee's night perfect. In retrospect, I should have considered that city resources would be involved and used better judgment to put a stop to it."

The delegate promised to contact Baltimore police and to "reimburse the city for whatever costs they deem appropriate."

The Gazette article says Cardin and a friend dreamed up the idea. It is not clear who made the request to Baltimore police for help with the surprise; Guglielmi said that no one in the command staff was aware that police resources were being used for a party for a state lawmaker.

The police spokesman said that the marine unit -- whose members complained earlier this year that the city was endangering the public by grounding them over the winter and spring because of budget cuts -- was patrolling the water at the time the mock raid was conducted, and that the helicopter was already flying over the harbor area.

"There was no drain on the resources of the department," Guglielmi said, adding that the financial cost to citizens is negligible because the officers were already in the area and on duty. But the spokesman did say the officers should not have allowed themselves to be distracted from their duties for a friend or a politician. A figure for how much it costs per hour to keep the helicopter flying was not available Monday.

"Most officers want to help out and engage with the public," Guglielmi said, though he readily admitted that helping a politician with a surprise party is not the same as letting a civilian pet a horse or allowing a child to sit in a patrol car. "I think there was no malice with this. I think the officers were trying to be good stewards in the department, but I don't think good judgment was used."

The upbeat Gazette article, titled "Police: There weren't more important things to do," makes light of the proposal and says that, "With the help of a friend, Cardin concocted a plan to surprise his girlfriend" and that "even the hubby-to-be wasn't in on all the details."

According to the story, officers pretended to search the boat and found a box that they suspected contained contraband. They ordered the soon-to-be fiancee to turn around as if they were about to handcuff her, according the report, and then she saw Cardin "on bended knee" and holding the ring that had been in the box.

"Once Homer's heart started beating again, she said 'yes,'" the Gazette reported, noting that Cardin was the "toast" of a convention of government leaders in Ocean City this past weekend for his "imaginative marriage proposal."

 

       LAWMAKER APOLOGIZES FOR STUNT

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 Man accused of leaving girl locked in room By Heath Hamacher Gwinnett Daily Post Staff Writer

LAWRENCEVILLE - An unexplained excursion has landed a Lawrenceville man in jail, accused of leaving his 3-year-old daughter home alone and locked in a bedroom.

Sometime Saturday morning, Gwinnett police arrested 28-year-old Paul Wilson and charged him with first-degree child cruelty, possession with the intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

According to reports, Wilson's roommate, David Beamer, came home at about 10 p.m. Friday night and, after hearing noises upstairs, sent his dog to investigate about 45 minutes later.

Beamer discovered the child locked in the bedroom watching TV, according to reports.

Wilson and his daughter have separate bedrooms upstairs in the Paden Drive residence, police said.

After several unsuccessful attempts to reach Wilson on his cell phone, reports said, Beamer called police.

Responding officers said they noticed two things upon an upstairs inspection: that the girl's bedroom door had been locked from the outside and that there appeared to be marijuana and paraphernalia in plain view on Wilson's nightstand across the hall.

Around midnight, as police were outside speaking with Beamer and Department of Family and Children Services representatives, police said Wilson called and said he was on his way home.

Upon his arrival, according to police, Wilson said that he had just gone to his girlfriend's house because she had called "hysterical" because her washer was leaking. Wilson said he told his girlfriend, who is not the child's mother, to go over to the house and watch his daughter.

When the girlfriend - identified only as Amy - showed up on scene, reports said, she told police that she had been also been unable to reach Wilson on his cell phone and that her washer had been fixed days earlier.

"Nobody has been there (tonight) except for me and my three cats," she reportedly told police.

Officers searched Wilson's pickup truck and bedroom, reportedly finding marijuana, baggies, scales, smoking devices and a loaded .45-caliber Glock handgun.

Police seized the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado, believing Wilson used it to distribute narcotics.

The child was released to her mother, whom police told there would be an investigation into living arrangements.

Wilson is being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Jail. Records show he is on probation for felony convictions in 2008.

 

 

LINK TO PHOTO:

http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/print.aspSectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&ArticleID=63408&TM=22494.24

Octomom plus four: Tunisian woman pregnant with 12 babies, may break Nadya Suleman's record: report

Jacob E. Osterhout
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, August 17th 2009, 5:50 PM

Move over, "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

Several British media outlets are reporting that a Tunisian teacher is set to give birth to twelve babies this month, breaking the record of "Octomom" Nadya Suleman, who delivered healthy octuplets in January.

The woman, whose name has yet to be released, is in her thirties and lives in a town southwest of the capital Tunis. She underwent fertility treatment after suffering two previous miscarriages and is currently pregnant with six boys and six girls.

The expectant father, a high school Arabic teacher, said that he and his wife of two years initially expected twins, but were overjoyed once they found out about the duodecaplets.

He also claims that his wife desires a natural birth, but medical experts say this is impossible - and also say that the likelihood of all 12 babies surviving is slim.

"When you get to a pregnancy with that many multiples, often some of them spontaneously die," said Dr. Manny Alvarez, managing health editor of Fox News. "Anything more than five babies becomes a very high-risk pregnancy."

"It is certainly possible to carry 12 babies but not for long," Peter Bower-Simpkins of London's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists told the Daily Mail. "The problem is the capacity of the uterus. This woman is going to be enormous by 20 weeks. And when the uterus goes into labor there is nothing you can do about it.

"I wouldn't even give her a one in 100 chance of even one surviving. It's frightening," Simpkins added.

The Tunisian government has already vowed to support the future mother and her family, the Daily Mail reports.

Ut/AP

'Octomom' Nadya Suleman of California holds the record for most multiples brought to term

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/08/17/2009-08-17_octomom_plus_four_tunisian_woman_pregnant_with_12_babies_set_to_break_nadya_sule.html#ixzz0OXN4mKHv

Honolulu Cops Try to Run Away; Arrested on Drug Charges

Jim Mendoza kgmb9

August 17, 2009 03:27 PM

Authorities say two Honolulu police officers tried to elude park police but were arrested on marijuana charges during a weekend softball tournament in Las Vegas.

Clark County spokeswoman Stacey Welling said Monday that 37-year-old Kevin Fujioka and 47-year-old Shayne Souza were arrested Saturday night near Desert Breeze Park, about six miles west of the Las Vegas Strip.

Welling says 38-year-old Scott Wilson of Honolulu was also arrested.

Welling says park police approached the men in a white van because it was parked sideways across two spots in the park's parking lot.

Welling says that as officers approached, the van drove off. She says that after a short car chase, Fujioka and Souza tried to elude authorities on foot.

Welling says all three men are charged with possession of marijuana.

 

 

LINK TO VIDEO:

http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/20252/245/

PORTSMOUTH — Arraigned Monday on charges alleging he pawned stolen gold and was caught stealing sneakers from a mall store, James Morphy told a judge he was “caught up in a gang” that steals shoes and was beaten when he refused to do so.

Morphy, 19, with no permanent address, was arrested by Newington police after a J C Penney employee reported the theft of a $65 pair of Adidas sneakers. Police allege the Saturday theft was committed by Morphy, who led store security on a chase, during which a glass store door was shattered. Following Morphy's arrest, officers learned he was wanted on a warrant for pawning two gold chains that were stolen in Barrington, police allege.

Arraigned by video from the Rockingham County House of Corrections, Morphy was charged with a pair of felonies alleging he pawned two pieces of gold jewelry and collected $650 for each. He was also arraigned on a misdemeanor count of shoplifting.

Police Capt. Brian Newcomer petitioned the court for cash bail noting Morphy has reported four different addresses “depending on the occasion.” The police captain said Morphy's criminal history includes thefts in Maine and burglaries in Florida.

Morphy said he was “running with the wrong crowd,” called the judge's attention to a cut over his right eye and said it was inflicted by someone in the so-called shoe-stealing gang when he refused to steal shoes.

“There's no shoe-stealing gang,” Newcomer said after the hearing.

Judge Sawako Gardner ordered Morphy held on $2,500 cash bail and said if he is able to post it, he must observe a 6 p.m. curfew and obtain employment within two weeks of his release. He was also scheduled to return to the district court for a Sept. 1 probable cause hearing.

 

LINK TO PHOTO:

 

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090817-NEWS-908179977

Curtain falls on world’s oldest pupil, but after fulfilling his dream

Published on 17/08/2009

 

 

Susan Anyangu

The Standard

Nairobi Kenya

The world’s oldest pupil, Kimani Maruge, 89, passed on at the weekend after living the proverbial nine lives of a cat.

He burst into fame in his sunset days when he enrolled in primary school and his life as a pupil remain’s well documented.

The move, prompted by the Free Primary Education introduced by the Narc Government in 2003, brought him fame and his life is now the subject of a Hollywood film, The First Grader: A True Story of Kimani Ng’ang’a Maruge.

Maruge’s displacement from Eldoret at the height of post-election violence, early last year, highlighted the senseless mayhem. Many innocent Kenyans had their lives shattered, never to be the same again.

Maruge, old as he was, never returned to Eldoret, the epicentre of the skirmishes.

 

 

He had made it his home for most of his life, but did not return to his first school, where he had enrolled to learn how to read.

He told the world he wanted to read the Bible for himself and carry out simple arithmetic.

After the displacement he was plagued by ill health that would see him in and out of hospital from which he never really recovered.

"People have been telling me things in the Bible, which I do not know if they are true," Maruge said in 2004. "I want to read the Holy Book for myself and find out."

The Mau Mau veteran also said he had been cheated for a long time about his earnings and he wanted to calculate his money.

With unwavering determination and hunger for knowledge, he strolled into Kapkenduiywo Primary School in Eldoret, and sort admission in Class One.

School administrators at first treated the old man with skepticism.

However, Maruge’s persistence broke their hard stance and in 2004 they enrolled him alongside six and seven-year-olds.

With a straight face full of sheer determination, Maruge braved the giggles of fellow pupils and worked hard to become a straight ‘A’ pupil at the school.

By the time he passed away, Maruge had fulfilled his life long dream of being able to read the Bible. His will demonstrated a rare spirit of resilience and perseverance.

He became a beacon of hope for many and a symbol of the importance of education.

"Maruge was a motivator and there is no doubt his story is worth emulating," former Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) Secretary-General Francis Ng’ang’a told The Standard, yesterday.

Images of the wrinkled Maruge bent over a wooden desk, perched in the middle of children young enough to be his great, great-grandchildren became a symbol of the Government’s free education initiative.

 

It also gave many Kenyans the courage to seek knowledge and ability to read and write. The image touched many hearts across the world and the Guinness Book of World Records declared him the oldest pupil.

His decision to enroll in school was marked by a whirlwind of adventure that saw him travel abroad and receive praise for his contribution to the education sector.

In September 2005, Maruge boarded a plane for the first time in his life and headed to New York, US, to address the United Nations Millennium Development Summit on the importance of free primary education.

His message while in New York, where he met with renowned dignitaries was: "It is my life dream to make sure nobody has to wait as long as I to receive an education. It is a basic human right."

During a meeting with the wife of former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, Maruge told Mrs Nane Annan, "You are never too old to learn. At no time ever say, ‘It is too late. I always wanted to be a veterinary doctor because I love animals. It remains my dream’."

Maruge believed "it would be good if all children of the world could go to school" and told the UN summit as much.

His status as Kenya’s most popular pupil would propel the image of the little known Kapkenduiywo Primary School.

During his tour, Maruge highlighted the plight of the school, which lacked permanent structures, water and electricity.

The school was refurbished soon after, turning him from a mere spectacle to a hero whom the pupils looked up to.

But the post-election upheavals in 2007 and early last year, threatened to cut short Maruge’s dream of pursuing education.

His property was reportedly stolen, forcing him to flee. For a moment he contemplated quitting school overwhelmed by the challenges of living in an IDP camp.

However, his unique resilience saw him walk four kilometres, daily from his makeshift home, to attend class.

In June last year, Maruge was forced to withdraw from the school and relocate to Nairobi in a retirement home.

After settling down at: the home, he enrolled again into school, this time joining Class Six at Marura Primary School in Kariobangi.

 

LINK TO PHOTOS:

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=1144021754&catid=159&a=1

 

 

As the challenges of age weighed down on him, Maruge persisted with his determination to attain education. For him, the sky was the limit, and the idea of pursuing a university education was not too far-fetched.

But as fate would have it, Maruge’s failing health confined him to a wheelchair.

And on Friday, August 14, this year, Maruge lost life’s battle to stomach cancer. At the time of his death, Maruge was in Class Seven.

Age just a number

Inspired many

Read and write

It's Time to Legalize Drugs

 

Monday, August 17, 2009

Undercover Baltimore police officer Dante Arthur was doing what he does well, arresting drug dealers, when he approached a group in January. What he didn't know was that one of suspects knew from a previous arrest that Arthur was police. Arthur was shot twice in the face. In the gunfight that ensued, Arthur's partner returned fire and shot one of the suspects, three of whom were later arrested.

In many ways, Dante Arthur was lucky. He lived. Nationwide, a police officer dies on duty nearly every other day. Too often a flag-draped casket is followed by miles of flashing red and blue lights. Even more officers are shot and wounded, too many fighting the war on drugs. The prohibition on drugs leads to unregulated, and often violent, public drug dealing. Perhaps counterintuitively, better police training and bigger guns are not the answer.

When it makes sense to deal drugs in public, a neighborhood becomes home to drug violence. For a low-level drug dealer, working the street means more money and fewer economic risks. If police come, and they will, some young kid will be left holding the bag while the dealer walks around the block. But if the dealer sells inside, one raid, by either police or robbers, can put him out of business for good. Only those virtually immune from arrests (much less imprisonment) -- college students, the wealthy and those who never buy or sell from strangers -- can deal indoors.

Six years ago one of us wrote a column on this page, "Victims of the War on Drugs." It discussed violence, poor community relations, overly aggressive policing and riots. It failed to mention one important harm: the drug war's clear and present danger toward men and women in blue.

Drug users generally aren't violent. Most simply want to be left alone to enjoy their high. It's the corner slinger who terrifies neighbors and invites rivals to attack. Public drug dealing creates an environment where disputes about money or respect are settled with guns.

In high-crime areas, police spend much of their time answering drug-related calls for service, clearing dealers off corners, responding to shootings and homicides, and making lots of drug-related arrests.

One of us (Franklin) was the commanding officer at the police academy when Arthur (and well as Moskos) graduated. We all learned similar lessons. Police officers are taught about the evils of the drug trade and given the knowledge and tools to inflict as much damage as possible upon the people who constitute the drug community. Policymakers tell us to fight this unwinnable war.

Only after years of witnessing the ineffectiveness of drug policies -- and the disproportionate impact the drug war has on young black men -- have we and other police officers begun to question the system.

Cities and states license beer and tobacco sellers to control where, when and to whom drugs are sold. Ending Prohibition saved lives because it took gangsters out of the game. Regulated alcohol doesn't work perfectly, but it works well enough. Prescription drugs are regulated, and while there is a huge problem with abuse, at least a system of distribution involving doctors and pharmacists works without violence and high-volume incarceration. Regulating drugs would work similarly: not a cure-all, but a vast improvement on the status quo.

Legalization would not create a drug free-for-all. In fact, regulation reins in the mess we already have. If prohibition decreased drug use and drug arrests acted as a deterrent, America would not lead the world in illegal drug use and incarceration for drug crimes.

Drug manufacturing and distribution is too dangerous to remain in the hands of unregulated criminals. Drug distribution needs to be the combined responsibility of doctors, the government, and a legal and regulated free market. This simple step would quickly eliminate the greatest threat of violence: street-corner drug dealing.

We simply urge the federal government to retreat. Let cities and states (and, while we're at it, other countries) decide their own drug policies. Many would continue prohibition, but some would try something new. California and its medical marijuana dispensaries provide a good working example, warts and all, that legalized drug distribution does not cause the sky to fall.

Having fought the war on drugs, we know that ending the drug war is the right thing to do -- for all of us, especially taxpayers. While the financial benefits of drug legalization are not our main concern, they are substantial. In a July referendum, Oakland, Calif., voted to tax drug sales by a 4-to-1 margin. Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron estimates that ending the drug war would save $44 billion annually, with taxes bringing in an additional $33 billion.

Without the drug war, America's most decimated neighborhoods would have a chance to recover. Working people could sit on stoops, misguided youths wouldn't look up to criminals as role models, our overflowing prisons could hold real criminals, and -- most important to us -- more police officers wouldn't have to die.

Peter Moskos is a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the author of "Cop in the Hood." Neill Franklin is a 32-year law enforcement veteran. Both served as Baltimore City police officers and are members of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.