By Lisa Sink of the Journal Sentinel

Drunk Pilot Arrested Before Flying Plane To Chicago

May 21, 2009 5:21 p.m. EST

Windsor Genova - AHN News Writer

London, U.K. (AHN) - Police in London have arrested a drunk American Airlines pilot before he could fly a plane with 204 passengers from Heathrow Airport to Chicago, USA.

The pilot, whose name was not revealed, was arrested after he failed a breathalyzer test, American Airlines said in a statement issued Thursday. The alcohol test was conducted by police called in by airport security staff who noticed the pilot was drunk.

"Employees at all levels of the company are not allowed to be on duty while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and regular screening is carried out," American Airlines said, according to Sky News.

The flight was delayed by 75 minutes as the airline looked for a substitute pilot for the Boeing 777 plane.

Flight attendant jailed for bomb hoax

Thu May 21, 2009 2:14pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - A flight attendant was jailed for 18 months on Thursday for leaving a bomb hoax note on board an Emirates aircraft he was working on and sparking a scare that led to London's Gatwick Airport briefly closing.

Australian national Matthew Carney, 24, left a message in the toilet of a flight from Dubai to London in March which read: "Explosive material can be found in the FWD (forward cargo department). We have the Taliban to thank for this."

A passenger on board the Boeing 777 found the note 10 minutes before the plane was due to land and raised the alarm. When the flight arrived at Gatwick it was taken to a secure holding area and surrounded by armed police.

The 164 passengers and 16 crew were taken off the plane and interviewed and Carney was arrested shortly afterwards.

He pleaded guilty to communicating false information, namely a bomb hoax, at Lewes Crown Court, police said. 

The court was told that earlier in the flight Carney told his co-workers he had "found" wires hanging down from behind a mirror in a toilet in the economy section, the Press Association reported.

But senior cabin crew members who inspected the area found the wires were not attached to anything and the plane carried on to Britain.

Prosecutor Dale Sullivan said that because of the earlier incident, Carney was arrested and his luggage searched.

Inside a pair of his shorts was found a piece of paper with the words "Cargo contains explosives," which handwriting experts linked to the note left in the toilet.

His lawyer Andel Singh said Carney had been under a great deal of stress and was "extremely tired" at the time having worked on flights on different time schedules throughout the world.

"He apologizes wholeheartedly and sincerely to all those individuals who were even the slightest bit inconvenienced," Singh said.

Sullivan said the hoax had left Emirates with a bill for 42,000 pounds ($66,340) for arranging ongoing flights and other measures, while some passengers were left with a fear of flying and said they would never set foot on an aircraft again.

(Reporting by Michael Holden)

Published: Thursday, May 21, 2009

Tape disguise can't foil detectives

NASHUA – Police saw through the tape that a city man put over his face before trying to rob his neighborhood bank, and arrested him early this morning, detectives report.

Steven Colantonio, 49, of 26 Scripture St., apt 3, is scheduled to be arraigned this morning on a felony robbery charge, punishable by up to 3 ½ to seven years in prison, police report.

Employees at St. Mary’s Bank, 14 Spruce St., called police at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to report that a man wearing tape on his face had demanded cash from a teller.
The man didn’t claim to have any weapon, and left before police were called.

The bank turned over video from security cameras, and a detective recognized Colantonio from prior arrests. Police arrested him early this morning.

Police didn't say what kind of tape Colantonio used, and no one could be reached for comment on the press release this morning.

- Andrew Wolfe

Link to photo of Steven Colantonio:

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090521/NEWSBLOG/905219872

Doctor uses household drill to save boy

The procedure took just over a minute

Updated: Wednesday, 20 May 2009, 9:23 AM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 20 May 2009, 9:22 AM EDT

Couple missing after $10m bank bungle 

Police are searching for a couple who have taken off with up to ten million dollars, after it was mistakenly transferred into their account.

An Asian couple understood to have fled New Zealand after a banking error involving millions of dollars, may be in China.

A Rotorua Review source today confirmed that a police liaison officer was sent to China to search for the couple after $10 million was deposited into their bank account. It is understood that the sum of money involved is $6m, with $4m having already been recovered.

When asked by the Review whether he could confirm the China link, Detective Sergeant David Harvey said: "I'm not prepared to offer any comment at this stage."

The couple, who ran Rotorua service station BP Barnetts, are understood to have applied to Westpac Bank for a $10,000 overdraft and mistakenly had $10 million paid into their account.

Westpac media relations manager Craig Dowling would not comment on the specifics of the case due the police investigation and court actions requiring confidentiality.

"I can say that Westpac is pursuing vigorous criminal and civil action to recover a sum of money stolen," he said, adding that the incident had prompted a review of how it had occurred.

Mr Dowling said that both civil and criminal actions were being pursued.

Police had asked international police liaison organisation Interpol to help find the couple.

BP Barnetts closed its doors earlier this month after its operator, Heights Service Limited, went into receivership.

The service station, at the intersection of Otonga, Old Taupo and Devon roads, was owned by Huan Di Zhang and Hui Gao. The pair was listed at a West Harbour, Auckland address.

Rotorua's The Daily Post newspaper reported that the company owed money to creditors.

The creditors report, being prepared by Corporate Finance Limited, is not due until 19 July. Corporate Finance Limited would not comment on the matter.

Officer-in-charge Detective Senior Sergeant David Harvey of Rotorua CIB was prepared only to say that an investigation had been launched into a substantial sum of money that had been "mistakenly advanced" from Westpac.

Police had received a complaint from Westpac relating to people living in Rotorua.

He refused to say how much money was involved.

Police were investigating because the Westpac bank considered what had happened was theft or fraud, through the use of a document to obtain a pecuniary advantage, Mr Harvey told Rotorua's Daily Post newspaper.

He confirmed some of the money mistakenly advanced had been withdrawn from the bank account but was not prepared to say how much money was involved.

He expected the investigation to "take some time".

Banking Ombudsman Liz Brown told The Daily Post that generally speaking it was a criminal offence for someone to spend money accidentally put into their bank account if they knew the money wasn't theirs.

In her 15 years as banking ombudsman she had been involved in 10 to 20 cases of this nature. They were legally referred to as "payment by mistake".

She was unable to recall how much money was involved in each case.

"There haven't been cases of millions of dollars but certainly ones where there have been several thousand dollars," she said.

Massey University banking lecturer Claire Matthews said the lucky recipients would probably not get away with it.

"They've taken funds that they're not entitled to, that are not theirs," she told Newstalk ZB.

"They've effectively, I guess, become thieves but it is only going to be a matter of time."

The business owners would be hard pressed to argue they honestly believed they were entitled to such a huge sum of money, she said.

Westpac said this morning court action had begun to recover the money but refused to comment further.

Raman Ramschod owns St Andrew's Superette in the same block of shops as Barnetts. He said he had regular dealings with them and had never had any problems.

"I had no problems with them - they seemed okay to me," he said. "He seemed a pleasant person and she was quite nice."

There was "definitely not" any indication that they or the store were in any difficulties, he said.

Rotorua Review and Stuff

"I always thought I looked silly wearing makeup," said Shenoa Vild, 27, of North Park. - BRUCE K. HUFF / Union-Tribune

Shenoa Vild hates to wear makeup. Face goop is simply not for her. She happens to think she has a naturally healthy, vibrant complexion. After meeting her, I have to agree.

But Vild, a waitress, says her former boss had an entirely different opinion.

He wanted Vild to wear makeup.

She wouldn't.

So, she says, she got canned.

Vild had worked at Trophy's in Mission Valley for five years without wearing makeup. Apparently, for all that time, it didn't matter.

But the restaurant was sold earlier this year, and she says the new management wanted the women to doll up. Vild says she got the ax in late April when she wouldn't.

Employers have the right to do this. A few years ago, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it is not discrimination for employers to make women wear makeup. (Who are these judges? Maybelline stockholders?)

But just because it's legal doesn't make it right.

Mark Oliver, the new owner, said he couldn't go into details as to what happened with Vild. Oliver did say she was the only employee who was unable to deal with the transition.

Trophy's, like the other restaurants in the small chain, was a sports bar. Oliver is making it more upscale.

“Shenoa could still be here if she wanted,” said Oliver, who used to be a part owner of George's at the Cove in La Jolla. “I had no problem with anybody else. If she would have made the same accommodations that the new ownership was asking, she'd still be here.”

If Vild were a terrible waitress who gave customers a hard time or got orders wrong or kept dropping plates, I'd say fire away. But a former co-worker and a former boss told me she was a good, popular waitress.

(Full disclosure: Vild provided the names and numbers.)

Vild's former boss, Nicole Alex, said Vild was aces. She even trained new workers.

Alex left the restaurant, too, but she holds no grudge. Oliver was fair about her leaving, she said.

I asked Alex if customers ever complained about Vild's appearance.

“No.”

Still, “she's facing a real uphill battle,” said Peter Zschiesche, executive director of the Employee Rights Center in San Diego. Employers have wide latitude on hiring and firing, particularly when it comes to at-will, or nonunion, employees.

One might fault Vild for refusing to budge on the issue, but I give her credit for not caving. It's not the same as, say, putting on a uniform. You're applying something to your skin. And if you overdo it – Tammy Faye, anyone? – you could face ridicule, not praise.

“I always thought I looked silly wearing makeup,” Vild, a 27-year-old North Park resident, told me. “And I don't think I need it.”

It's not as if Vild isn't interested in her appearance or is a complete rebel. When the new management instituted a dress code of nice jeans and pressed white shirts, Vild said she had no problems conforming.

The Trophy's waitresses used to wear gym shorts and blouses.

Word is the management didn't like Vild's beach-girl look. She bleaches her hair blond. Funny, since we, um, live in a beach town. And funny, since when I went in the restaurant recently to check out the place, I saw a surfboard bolted on the wall.

My bet: That surfboard is going to be following Vild out the door.

While I was at the restaurant, I decided to have lunch. Maybe my powers of observations are lame, but I couldn't tell if my waitress was wearing any makeup.

She was very pleasant and she didn't drop my club sandwich into my lap. That's about all I care about. She told me the place is undergoing remodeling. She's only been there a couple of weeks.

Look, I have no problem with the establishment going for a makeover and Oliver putting his own stamp on the joint. You buy a place of business, you run it as you see fit. It's your Benjamins.

But Vild makes good points about how makeup can be a pain and how it's not necessarily for her. It costs money and it takes time to put on. For the waiters, it's a different story. All they have to do is be clean-shaven.

Too bad the law doesn't support people like Vild.

Times are tough enough. If Vild did get the heave-ho for this, well, I'm not handing out any trophies.

P.S. Just days ago, Vild landed a job tending bar. No makeup required.

Staten Island man used gun to reclaim false teeth from business associate, cops say

Staten Island Advance

He paid for those false teeth, and he wanted them back.

Even if they were in somebody else's mouth.

So authorities say Staten Island resident Joseph Nativo, 47, pulled a revolver on his former business associate and took them.

Nativo, a contractor who lives on the 200 block of Shirley Avenue in Eltingville, is accused of slamming the revolver down on a desk at his business, Atec Contracting on 360 Targee St. in Stapleton on May 7, then demanding that 40-year-old Gennario Sibbio take the chompers out of his mouth and hand them over.

He also demanded Sibbio give up $1,200 in cash, two cell phones, a Bluetooth wireless device and his jacket.

Nativo tells it differently, though -- sure, he demanded the teeth back, since he paid for them in the first place, but he never pulled out a gun.

Police referred to Sibbio as Nativo's "former business partner," but Nativo characterizes him as an ex-worker who stole from the company.

"He's not my partner. He's my employee," Nativo said. "I fired him, let him go. I paid for his new teeth to be put in... I told him to leave the company. I asked for my teeth back."

Attempts to reach Sibbio were unsuccessful today.

Police arrested Nativo on Monday, charging him with a single count of first-degree robbery.

He was arraigned and released on $1,000 bail until his next court appearance July 1.

The other items, Nativo said, also belonged to him.

"He owes me over $27,000 from the company," Nativo said. "I took his phones. I took his car. Everything that I gave him, I took it."

Joseph Sorrentino, Nativo's lawyer, said the allegations against his client were Sibbio's way of retaliating for his firing.

"We believe, certainly, that the allegations of the complaint are at worst untrue, at best exaggerated."

Nativo said multiple witnesses can vouch that he never pulled out a gun.

"We yelled and we argued, don't get me wrong," Nativo said, "but in the end, those teeth belonged to me."

-- Reported by John Annese

KIERAN CROWLEY

Last updated: 11:34 am
May 19, 2009
Posted: 3:16 am
May 19, 2009

New York Post

NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y

A Long Island burglar who tried to live outside the law of gravity was nabbed early yesterday when he fell through a false ceiling and landed at cops' feet, police said.

Nassau police said Seamus Troy II, 19, of New Hyde Park, had stolen a car and broken into an eyewear store on Hillside Avenue in New Hyde Park at 6:45 am.

Responding officers were told by a witness the burglar was still inside.

The cops looked but could not immediately find Troy -- until he crashed through the ceiling and fell onto the floor right in front of them, a police spokesman said.

Troy was charged with various offenses, including burglary and car theft.

101 arrests - his 102nd is pending

By Jennifer Baker

Cincinnati Enquirer

May 18, 2009

'Extremely bored' juror gets an arrest warrant

Updated May 18. 2009 12:56PM

Cedar Rapids man eats pot hoping to avoid charges

USA Today

May 18, 2009 Last Updated