Saturday, August 29, 2009

19-year-old man arrested in an undercover sting for him selling dozens of snakes without a license

Florida wildlife officials seized a dozen pythons and arrested a 19-year-old man in an undercover sting after getting a tip that the snakes were being sold on Craigslist without a proper license.

Investigators from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission met Bradley Scott Dean at a gas station in New Port Richey, Fla., on Wednesday night under the guise of wanting to buy several Burmese pythons from him, MyFOXTampaBay reported.

"There was an offer, and acceptance. We arranged for a meet," Lt. Steve DeLacure told the station. "I went in an undercover capacity and met with the defendant on Wednesday evening."

DeLacure said he was acting on a tip that the snakes were being offered for sale on Craigslist, but Dean didn't have the required license to own or sell the reptiles. Investigators arrested Dean at the gas station and say they found eight snakes at his home. A total of 12 pythons were seized, according to police.

"It's not like I kept them unresponsibly [sic]," Dean told MyFOXTampaBay. "I kept them all in locked cages and in a locked room. It's not like they would have got out like that incident with the 2-year-old."

Last month, a Burmese python being kept as a pet escaped from its aquarium and strangled a 2-year-old girl in Florida as she slept in her crib.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Woman kidnapped as child resurfaces 18 years later with 2 childern

An 11-year-old California girl snatched from the street in front of her house in 1991 had two children with the man accused of taking her and was forced along with the children to live in backyard sheds, police said Thursday.
Phillip Garrido is a registered sex offender, listed as having been convicted of forcible rape.

Phillip Garrido is a registered sex offender, listed as having been convicted of forcible rape.


"From what they have both said, he fathered both of those children with Jaycee [Dugard]," El Dorado County Undersheriff Fred Kollar told reporters.

The girls, now 11 and 15, had been living with their mother, now 29, in a series of sheds behind Garrido's house in Antioch, California, until they were discovered on Wednesday, Kollar said.

"None of the children had ever gone to school, they had never been to a doctor, they were kept in complete isolation in this compound, if you will, at the rear of the house," he said. "They were born there."

In a rambling telephone interview from jail, Garrido told CNN affiliate KCRA of Sacramento he was relieved at being caught.

"I feel much better now," he said. "This is a process that needed to take place."

Kollar said Garrido's wife, Nancy, was with her husband when Dugard was abducted from the street in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe. Dugard was already a registered sex offender at the time. Video Watch police talk about why they arrested Garrido »

* KCRA: Garrido says he's turned his life around
* Shed hidden in accused abductors' backyard
* Elizabeth Smart, father discuss case

"There was nothing then nor is there anything now to indicate that this was anything other than a stranger abduction of an 11-year-old," Kollar said.

The investigation went years without apparent progress until Tuesday, when Garrido showed up on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley with his two daughters and attempted to get permission to hand out literature and speak, Kollar said. He did not know the subject of either the literature or the planned talk.

Police officers "thought the interaction between the older male and the two young females was rather suspicious," so she confronted them and performed a background check on him, Kollar said.

That check revealed that Garrido was on federal parole for a 1971 conviction for rape and kidnapping, for which he had served time in the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas.

A school spokesman identified the officers as Allison Jacobs and Lisa Campbell, and said the two became suspicious of "subtle behavior" Garrido exhibited.

They passed on the information to Garrido's parole officer, who requested that the 58-year-old man appear Wednesday at the parole office.

Garrido did just that, accompanied by his wife, Nancy, "and a female named Allissa," Kollar said.

The presence of "Allissa" and the two children surprised the parole officer, who had never seen them during visits to Garrido's house, Kollar said.

"Ultimately, Allissa was identified as Dugard," Kollar said.

DNA confirmation is being sought to confirm her identity, but Dugard revealed information during an interview that only she could have known, Kollar said.

"The two minor children turned out to be children of Jaycee and the male suspect, Garrido," he said.

Scott Kernan, undersecretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told reporters that Garrido admitted to having abducted Dugard.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office online records showed that Phillip and Nancy Garrido were in the county jail, held on suspicion of offenses including conspiracy to commit a crime and kidnapping with the intent to commit robbery and rape.

Dugard had been living behind Garrido's home since she was kidnapped, Kollar said.

But her presence there apparently went unnoticed by others in the residential neighborhood, where homes on one-fourth to one-half-acre lots typically sell for less than $200,000, said Kathy Russo, whose father has lived two houses away from the Garridos for 33 years.

"My dad said he never saw a young woman," said Russo, who added that her father, 94-year-old Dante Confetti, considered Garrido to be a "kind of strange, reclusive, kind of an angry kind of guy."

She said the one-story house's backyard was obscured by trees and ringed by a wooden fence.

Her family's last contact with Garrido was last fall, she said. "He was burning something in the backyard and my home health aide called the fire department," Russo said.

"He was really pissed off," she said. "Came over to the house and started yelling."

Garrido told KCRA that he left documents three days ago with the FBI in San Francisco, California, that would shed light on the case. "They're going to be a part of the trial," he said.

A call from CNN to the FBI's San Francisco bureau was not immediately returned.

Garrido said he could not go into detail about why he chose to abduct Dugard. "I haven't talked to a lawyer yet, so I can't do that," he said.

But Garrido said he had "completely turned my life around" in the past several years. "You're going to find the most powerful story coming from the witness, from the victim," he said. "If you take this a step at a time, you're going to fall over backward and in the end you're going to find the most powerful, heartwarming story."

He added, "Wait 'til you hear the story of what took place at this house. You're going to be absolutely impressed. It's a disgusting thing that took place with me in the beginning, but I turned my life completely around."

Describing the two daughters, he said, "Those two girls slept in my arms every single night from birth; I never kissed them."

But in a later comment, he said that, from the time the youngest was born, "everything turned around."

Asked about the fact that they had not seen doctors, he said, "We just didn't have the finances and so forth."

Kollar said a search of Garrido's property "revealed a hidden backyard within a backyard," he said. It included several sheds no higher than 6 feet tall, two tents and several outbuildings "where Jaycee and the girls spent most of their lives."

The "secondary" backyard was inside the first and was "screened from view." One of the sheds was soundproof, he said.

"The way the backyard is set up you could walk through the backyard, walk through the house and never know that there was another set of living circumstances in that backyard."

At the end of the backyard is a 6-foot fence lined with shrubs, tall trees, garbage bags and a tarp, all of which obscured views of what was there, he said.

Extension cords provided electricity to the sheds and tents, and an outhouse and rudimentary shower "as if you were camping" were there, too, he said.

Dugard "was in good health, but living in a backyard for the past 18 years does take its toll," Kollar said. He described her as "relatively cooperative, relatively forthcoming" in discussions with detectives. He said Dugard was "in relatively good condition," neither obviously abused nor malnourished. He added, "There are no known attempts by her to outreach to anybody."

The mother and her two daughters were staying at a motel in the area, he said. "Family reunification has begun and will be a long and ongoing process," he said, presumably referring to Dugard's parents.

Earlier Thursday, Carl Probyn, Dugard's stepfather, told CNN that an FBI agent had called his wife, Terry, on Wednesday afternoon to tell her that Dugard had been found.

"Jaycee remembers everything," he said. "They talked back and forth and she had the right answers to all my wife's questions."

He said, "I'm feeling great! ... It's like winning the Lotto."

He witnessed the abduction of the blond, blue-eyed girl, who was wearing a pink windbreaker and pink stretch pants as she walked to her bus stop on June 10, 1991. Video Watch the stepfather describe finding out Jaycee is alive »

At the time, "It was reported that a vehicle occupied by two individuals drove up to Jaycee Dugard and abducted her in view of her stepfather," the El Dorado County Sheriff's office said Thursday.

Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said the reappearance of Dugard is "absolutely huge."
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"One of the things that we preach to searching families all the time ... is that even in these long-term cases there's hope," he said.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Grandmother chases news Crew With Hoe

A WESH 2 News crew came under attack on Monday while investigating a story about two teenagers who were reportedly working at a strip club in Brevard County.The Playmates Nightclub in Cocoa remains under investigation for allegedly having a 15-year-old and 17-year-old working there in skimpy attire.The reporter and photographer were looking for one of the teenagers but encountered a furious grandmother instead.A videotape recorded during the incident showed the grandmother charging the photographer with a garden hoe. One swing landed squarely on the camera.Nobody was hurt in the attack. Police reviewed the videotape.The investigation into the situation at the strip club in continuing.

So the police actually review the tape to see if she did something wrong, well after she told them to get... I think how she handled it was nice from that point. I can not help but think that there was someone there earlier to get her all fired up to come out with that hoe! Unfortunately news people seem to have this thought in their head that they are doing nothing wrong! Maybe this will make them see the light?

Mother has been charged with her daughters death after pet python killed her


OXFORD, Fla. — Authorities say the mother of a Florida girl suffocated by a pet python last month has been charged in the child's death.

The Sumter County Sheriff's Office says 19-year-old Jaren Ashley Hare and her boyfriend, 32-year-old Charles Jason Darnell, were each charged Monday with manslaughter, third-degree murder and child abuse.

Two-year-old Shaianna Hare died July 1. Authorities say Darnell found the 8-foot python wrapped around her that morning.

Click to hear the 911 call.

Click here for photos.

He stabbed it several times and it eventually released her. A medical examiner determined the girl died from asphyxiation.

Hare and Darnell were each being held on $35,000 bond. Court documents that would list attorneys for them have not yet been processed.

VH1 cancels reality shows with dead murder suspect

LOS ANGELES – VH1 will not air the reality shows with a contestant who was found dead Sunday of an apparent suicide at a Canadian motel. Both shows featured Ryan Jenkins, the contestant sought in the killing of his model ex-wife.

A network spokesman said Monday that both "Megan Wants a Millionaire" and "I Love Money 3" have been canceled.

Jenkins had been one of 17 wealthy bachelors vying for the love of former "Rock of Love" contestant Megan Hauserman on "Megan Wants a Millionaire," which the network pulled off the air after three episodes.

Jenkins was also a participant on the not-yet-aired "I Love Money 3," a series featuring contestants from various VH1 reality shows competing for cash.


Monday, August 24, 2009

Megan Millionaire Reality TV Star Found Dead



Reality show contestant was wanted for murder in the gruesome death and mutilation of his ex-wife. She was found dead Sunday of an apparent suicide after hanging himself in a secluded Canadian motel, authorities said.

Sgt. Duncan Pound of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police border integrity unit says police responded to a call about a dead person in Hope, east of Vancouver, and then called investigators who were part of the massive manhunt for Jenkins.

The real estate developer and investor was wanted in California on first-degree murder charges after the mutilated body of his ex-wife Jasmine Fiore was found in a trash bin in Buena Park, about 20 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

Jenkins had apparently hanged himself, said Farrah Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office in California, which is contact with Canadian police.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are "now able to confirm that a deceased person that was found in a motel in Hope, British Columbia is, in fact, Ryan Jenkins," Pound said.

"At this present time the investigation into the circumstances of his death is continuing, but preliminary evidence suggests that he took his own life. Any further details will not be released at this time as this investigation remains in its infancy."

Pound said police don't yet know how long Jenkins was at the motel before his body was discovered. Jenkins was identified through fingerprints, he said.

Jenkins' body was found in The Thunderbird Motel on an isolated road on the outskirts of Hope, B.C. at the entrance to the western province's mountainous interior. His body was found in a room at the out-of-the-way motel.

The Thunderbird was surrounded by police with a coroner's van, said Marc Lojeski who works at the nearby Lucky Strike Motel.

Jenkins, 32, disappeared last week but his boat was found Wednesday at a marina not far from the U.S.-Canada border south of Vancouver.

Fiore's teeth had been pulled out and her fingers cut off, apparently to impede her identification. Investigators used the serial numbers on her breast implants to identify her, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

After the U.S. Justice Department issued an extradition request, Canada issued a nation-wide warrant for Jenkins' arrest. Canadian authorities initially launched a massive border search using helicopters, ground police and dogs.

Jenkins and Fiore met in Las Vegas in March and they married a few weeks later. The couple separated shortly afterward, but had reportedly recently reconciled.

California authorities said police in Buena Park where Fiore was found would continue their investigation to make sure no one else was involved in the killing, but did not expect to find anything.

"We continue to believe that Mr. Jenkins was solely responsible," said Emami, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

A cell phone message left with Fiore's mother, Lisa Lepore of Maui, California, was not immediately returned.

Friends said Fiore was a model who worked mainly in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, doing gigs such as being bodypainted at parties. She also was an aspiring actress and had a bit part in a small 2008 horror science-fiction movie, "The Abandoned," according to the Internet Movie Database.

Jenkins was recently a contestant on VH1 reality show "Megan Wants a Millionaire," in which wealthy young men tried to win over a materialistic blonde. The network canceled the show Friday.

The former swimsuit model and Jenkins were briefly married after a quickie Las Vegas wedding this year, and had been fighting in recent months. Prosecutors said the two checked into a San Diego hotel Aug. 13, and Jenkins checked out the next morning. Fiore was not seen alive again.

Jenkis also was a participant in an as-yet-unaired competitive reality series, "I Love Money 3." A VH1 spokesman said no decision has been made on whether or not to run the show.

On the show, Jenkins was identified as an investment banker who had a couple million dollars.

A resume posted on the professional networking site LinkedIn.com says Jenkins graduated from Mount Royal College in Calgary in 1999, has a license to fly commercial airplanes and worked in investment sales and as president of a boutique development company focused on cutting-edge green technologies.

After taping for the VH1 series finished in early March, Jenkins met 28-year-old Fiore in Las Vegas casino and the two got married on March 18, said Fiore's mother, Lisa Lepore.

But in May, "they had a big blowout," and fought because he was jealous of her ex-boyfriends, Lepore said. "She had the marriage annulled."

Jenkins, variously described as an architect, real estate developer and investment banker from Calgary, appeared in at least three episodes of the series "Megan Wants a Millionaire," about a woman seeking to land a wealthy bachelor by putting suitors through their paces, such as designing a marketing campaign for her pet Chihuahua.

Court records showed Jenkins was charged in June in Nevada with a misdemeanor count of "battery constituting domestic violence" for allegedly hitting Fiore in the arm and was set to be tried in December.

Prosecutors said the two checked into a San Diego hotel Aug. 13, and Jenkins checked out the next morning. Fiore was not seen alive again.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

'Megan Wants a Millionaire' Taken Off VH1

MYFOX NATIONAL) - The production company that cast Ryan Alexander Jenkins in its reality dating show is saying they did not properly check into his background, and should not have cast him. The show, "Megan Wants a Millionaire," has been taken off the air.

TMZ.com reported that 51 Minds, the company that produces "Megan Wants a Millionaire," admitted that they did not do a thorough background check on 32-year-old Jenkins and did not know about a charge against him. In June Jenkins was charged in Clark County, Nev., with a misdemeanor count of "battery constituting domestic violence" for hitting his wife in the arm; a trial date has been set for December.

A representative from the company told TMZ, "Obviously, if the company had been given a full picture of his background, he would never have been allowed on the show."

Meanwhile VH1, the cable station that aired the dating show, wanted to make clear that they were not involved in the production of the show. VHI told The Washington Post that "Ryan Jenkins was a contestant on "Megan Wants a Millionaire" -- an outside production, produced and owned by 51 Minds, that is licensed to VH1."

And VH1 said the airing of the show has been pulled, "This show completed production at the end of March. Given the unfortunate circumstances, VH1 has postponed any future airings. This is a tragic situation and our thoughts go out to the victim's family."

On Thursday Jenkins was charged with murder in the death of 28-year-old Jasmine Fiore and is now the target of an international manhunt. Police believe that Jenkins, whose hometown is Calgary, slipped into British Columbia, Canada. TMZ noted that he also has ties to Honduras .

The body of Fiore, a former model, was found mutilated and stuffed into a suitcase in a Buena Park, Calif., trash bin on Saturday.

Man fires shotgun at a stray cat, hits two people

INDON -- Lindon police arrested a man for firing a sawed-off shotgun in his own backyard. When the man missed his original target, the stray pellets hit two people.

A driving instructor and a student were filling up at a gas station when they were hit. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.

When police investigated, they tracked the stray pellets back to 52-year-old Kay Fotheringham. Police say Fotheringham told them he was actually aiming for a stray cat that was chasing birds in his yard. The cat escaped, apparently unharmed, but the stray pellets hit a nearby trailer, then the driving instructor, his student and the car, all several yards away.

Police say Fotheringham had been heavily drinking.

Chief Cody Cullimore, with the Lindon Police Department, said, "Alcohol and firearms never go together. This situation, luckily, wasn't tragic, but could have been a very serious problem."

Police say at first Fotheringham denied firing the gun but later admitted to it. He was booked into the Utah County jail for reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and discharging a firearm in the city. Fotheringham has since been released from jail. Police say he has no prior history.

Police say the sawed-off shotgun Fotheringham used wasn't legal; that'll mean a federal felony charge.

Teacher allegedly paid student after sex

A former Helper Junior High School teacher charged with having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old male student paid her victim between $1,400 and $1,500 after the encounters, court documents allege.

New details about the relationship between Melissa Ann Andreini and her alleged victim emerged from a probable cause statement recently filed in 7th District Court.

According to the statement, the victim's mother confronted Andreini at Andreini's home in Helper on July 3 after finding out the teacher was supposedly having sex with her son. Andreini admitted to the boy's mother that she had sex with the teenager on several occasions at her home, according to the statement.

A Utah Division of Child and Family Services worker along with police interviewed the boy about his relationship with Andreini, which he said started during the 2008-09 school year, according to the statement.

The boy told police Andreini used to bring him and his friends coffee two to three times a week before school started. The boys went to Andreini's classroom to get the drinks, according to the statement. The victim reported to police that Andreini paid him money after three separate sexual episodes at her home in June.

Court documents do not specify if the money exchanged was for sex or to keep the boy quiet about the encounters. The victim's mother told police Andreini admitted to paying the boy between $1,400 and $1,500 when the mother confronted


Andreini on July 3, according to the statement.

Andreini, 28, was charged Monday in 7th Distirct Court with three counts of third-degree felony unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Sept.28 before Judge Douglas Thomas in Price. If convicted, Andreini faces up to five years in prison on each count.

Last week, Helper police announced Andreini was under investigation for sexual activity with a boy who recently completed ninth grade at Helper Junior High School.

Another teacher at Helper Junior High School is also accused of sexual misconduct with a student in a case unrelated to Andreini's, police said. Charges against that teacher are still being screened, said Carbon County Attorney Gene Strate. He said it's possible the other teacher will not be charged.

Robert Cox, special programs director for the Carbon County School District, told The Salt Lake Tribune earlier this week that Andreini was hired as a special education teacher in the fall of 2006.

The school district received word of the allegations against Andreini and the other teacher in late July from Helper police and Carbon County sheriff's deputies, Cox said.

Cox said Andreini submitted a letter of resignation to the district on Aug. 3. The other teacher has been placed on administrative leave.

Cox said the district is using the case as an opportunity to reinforce the district's rules about professional practices. He said Andreini's alleged victim was a student at the school, but not one of her special education students.

"We take very seriously the safety of our students," Cox said. "We want our students to feel safe and feel comfortable in school. We regret that this would happen in our district or in any other district."

Andreini was booked into the Carbon County jail earlier this week, but was released after posting $10,000 bail. She did not return a phone call from The Tribune seeking comment Friday afternoon.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Nelly and Ashanti Call It Quits


After a long, quiet relationship together, have Nelly and singer Ashanti broken up?

That's the word, according to the New York Daily News, who says 'Shanti was ready to serious, while Nelly ... well, not so much.

IT'S OVER BETWEEN NELLY AND ASHANTI. An insider claims the two split because Ashanti was ready to settle down, while her beau wanted to sow his wild oats. Sure enough, the "Hot in Herre" rapper has been squiring video vixen Jessica Rabbit around Las Vegas and Miami.

A rep for both declined to comment.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

No legitimate excuse, pay your child support


A Child Support Judge Sued for Not Supporting His Kids. I would like to believe this judges has a legitimate excuse for not paying his child support, unfortunately there is, no excuse that is considered a good excuse when you don't pay child support. There are some people who believe, because they have reached a certain status in life and that they are exempt from some day to day task in life. Although when it is your job to keep people inline who do not follow the rules, What makes you think that you should get it any easier?

Have you ever heard the speechs that the nice judges gives you when you have not paid your child support? Have you felt the judicial power of a judge who is going to teach you a lesson because you did not pay? Have you ever heard the doors of a jail slam shut simply because you were behind on your child support? O, I am so sorry, so very very sorry. As a judge or father who is behind on his support, you have not had to suffer any of the pain and grief that you exhibit daily on the unsuspecting!

I know that the good ole boy system will come into play and you will get off with a slap on the wrist, with "you know better". I am just sad that while you have been imposing sentences and being a hard ass that you never really looked at it from a mans point of view! I just hope now, that your eyes have been opened wide and you see the truth, that you exhibit something called compassion! For my friend the swift hand of justice as no mercy. Remember god protects monkeys and fools, if you don't fall into that category you are out of luck!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Poll: 53% Support Women in Combat Roles


CBS) Women in the U.S. military currently are prohibited from joining combat units and only a slim majority of Americans support their participation in ground fighting, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll.

Just 53 percent support women in combat roles, while an overwhelming majority of Americans (83 percent) are in favor of women serving as support for ground troops in such capacities as military police, medics and Humvee drivers.

Views on Women in the Military

Both men (53 percent) and women (53 percent) favor an expanded role for women in the military, but just 44 percent of women age 45 and older support it, compared to 62 percent of younger women.

Most Democrats, independents, liberals and moderates favor military women being directly involved in ground fighting. Republicans and conservatives oppose the idea.

Age matters as well. Just 37 percent of Americans age 65 and older support the idea of women joining combat units - the lowest of any age group.

Also, 60 percent of those living in the northeast favor women being directly involved in combat - the highest of any geographical region.



This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1050 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone July 24-28, 2009. Phone numbers were dialed from random digit dial samples of both standard land-line and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.


I have mixed feelings on the issue of woman in a combat role, as much as a woman can pull the trigger of a gun as quickly and as accurate as a man, can she fight a man in hand to hand combat and win? Not that hand to hand combat happens often, but it does exist. So like most men they would surely step in to help...Is that the way it should be? What if he dies trying to save her. Nothing in life is guaranteed and it could be a fluke that a woman could pull 10 men out of a burning building or kill 10 men with her bare hands. Although lets keep it real as long as men have more physical stature the ability to dominate women is always going to exist. Women can go as far as they want, but lets keep it real. I think that I would rather have a group of men rangers coming to rescue me than a group of woman rangers.

Michael Vick for got who he was


Michael Vick was one of the most electrifying players in American football. As quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons, he was the highest paid player in the league, and he pulled in tens of millions of dollars in endorsements.

But it all came to an abrupt end two years ago when police raided a farm Vick owned in Virginia and uncovered an illegal dog fighting operation. He eventually pled guilty to bankrolling the enterprise and participating in every aspect of it, including killing dogs that refused to fight. He was sentenced to two years in prison, and eventually declared bankruptcy.

Last month he was released and conditionally reinstated into the NFL.

Friday, at a press conference in Philadelphia, it was announced he'd be playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, after signing a two-year contract, with the possibility of earning nearly $7 million.

In his first interview since going to prison, Michael Vick explains what he did, why he did it, and how he says he has changed.



"The first day I walked into prison, and he slammed that door, I knew the magnitude of the decision that I made, and the poor judgment, and what I allowed to happen to the animals. And, you know, it's no way of explaining the hurt and the guilt that I felt. And that was the reason I cried so many nights. And that put it all into perspective," Vick told CBS Sports anchor James Brown.

Asked what he cried about, Vick said, "What I did, you know, being away from my family, letting so many people down. I let myself down, not being out on the football field, being in a prison bed, in a prison bunk, writing letters home, you know. That wasn't my life. That wasn't the way that things was supposed to be. And all because the so-called culture that I thought was right, that I thought it was cool. and I thought it was fun, and it was exciting at the time. It all led to me laying in a prison bunk by myself with no one to talk to but myself."

"Who do you blame for all of this?" Brown asked.

"I blame me," Vick replied.

I suppose nothing is more heart wrenching than to see a individual who has taken his life to another level and he is still hanging with people who are not where he is. Michael Vick sure you can blame you, but at some point in time when were you going to smell the coffee? Now you have jail time and a conviction, but at least you say you can see the light! unfortunately its never to late to make a change. I only hope that you surround your self with a group of people who can help push you to another level. Football is going to end sooner than you think and without any plans for the future, you will see the people you saw going up, except now you will see them when you are going down!

Memphis Teen Dies After Being Arrested

( Memphis 08/16/2009) Two Memphis teens are arrested while driving through Middle Tennessee, but only one lives to tell what happened the night they were jailed. Andron Reed died after being booked on charges of DUI and evading arrest at the Rutherford County Detention Center. Reed's brother, Octavius, was separated from his brother at the center but says he could hear his brother's cries for help.

There are many questions surrounding the death of 18-year-old Andron Reed. His family and friends are still trying to come to terms with how the Overton High school graduate ended up dying while in police custody.

"He was a good guy. There aren't too many good guys out here. He had a good heart. He died too early," said Andron's friend Corey Coleman.

Reed was driving through Murfreesboro with his older brother when the Highway Patrol says they tried to stop him for speeding. They say a chase started and ended with Reed hitting another car. He was arrested on DUI and evading arrest charges and brought to the Rutherford County Jail for booking where police say he was combative and had to be restrained. Hours later a nurse found him unresponsive in his cell. He died at the hospital.

"He didn't deserve to die. I don't care what he did. He didn't deserve to die, being in jail 12 hours and now he dead," said Coleman

Andron's family says he was beaten while in custody. His older brother, who was in another jail cell, says he heard Andron screaming before he died. Friends say the teen had never been in any trouble, was looking forward to going to college in the fall and encouraged others to do the same.

"There were times I wanted to give up but he told me to stay strong. Go to school just like him. He graduated. He can't even see me graduate now," said Sherman Carter.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is now looking into the case. Meanwhile, Andron's family and friends say his life ended just as it was beginning.

"We don't know what Dron would have became but we know he had a lot of potential and he had a good head on his shoulders," said Coleman.

"I want to see justice prevail, that's all I want," said Carter.

Reed's family says they plan on getting an attorney. The TBI is waiting on autopsy results. When their investigation is complete, they will turn it over to the district attorney who will decide if charges will be made.

Missing Boy Found With Sex Offender

(Memphis 08/15/2001) - A 14-year-old boy is found safe after he disappears with a known sex offender. The disappearance set off an Amber Alert this morning. The boy and the suspect were found Saturday afternoon walking in Bartlett. News Channel 3 was the only station there when his family got the good news.

"There are no words to express how I feel right now. It's been one heck of a week. One heck of a morning. It's been one heck of a week but hopefully it's going to come to a good end and not a sad end," said Barbara Hartjen, the teen's grandmother.

The 14-year-old disappeared sometime after 10 o'clock Friday night. Memphis police issued a West Tennessee Amber Alert with a full description of the brown-haired, blue-eyed teen. He was with 37-year-old Mark Tyre, a registered sex offender in Tennessee, when they found him.

Both Tyre and the boy live in the Kingsbury area. They were found walking together in Bartlett around 11 o'clock Saturday morning. Two Bartlett police officers recognized them from the Amber Alert that was issued.

"I feel very very relieved that my son is coming home. Thank ya'll for helping us and thank God he is coming home," said Gloria James, the teen's mother.

The family says Tyre had befriended the 14-year-old. They suspected something was wrong with the teen's new adult friend. So, they looked him up on the internet and found Tyre was a registered sex offender classified as violent. They took the information to Memphis police this past Monday but Tyre remained free until this incident. The family hopes now he is finally going back to jail.

Hartjen said, "That was a relief to me to know the man is going to be off the streets. He does not need to be on the streets of Memphis. Any child can be attacked by this man."

Mark Tyre was transported to the Memphis police department sex crimes for questioning. Officers told the boy's family Tyre is expected to be charged. No word yet on what those charges will be.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Video Released of 72 year old Grandmother Being Tased


What is this beat up on old women month? I would like to believe that she did something to deserve

80 Year Old Black Woman slammed to the ground



This is to much, to slam this old lady with a walking cane goes beyond belief. Grant you she is wrong for walking around with a knife talking about cutting someone. What is in this cops head that he had to be so ruff with the slam that he would do it so malicious? There is such a thing as reasonable force but when does it go over the edge?

NFL Star Donte Stallworth Suspended Without Pay After DUI Manslaughter Plea

NEW YORK — Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth was suspended without pay for this season Thursday after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter in June. He cannot participate in any team activities until he is reinstated after the Super Bowl.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Stallworth placed a "stain" on the reputation of the league and all its players.

Stallworth, who played for Tennessee in college, struck and killed a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol March 14 in Miami. He pleaded guilty to the second-degree felony June 16 and was suspended indefinitely by Goodell two days later.

Stallworth was given a 30-day jail sentence and reached an undisclosed financial settlement with the family of Mario Reyes, a 59-year-old construction worker who was leaving his job as a crane operator.

In a letter to Stallworth released by the NFL, Goodell wrote that he didn't take into account the sentence in determining the 28-year-old player violated the league's substances of abuse and personal conduct policies.

"Your conduct endangered yourself and others, leading to the death of an innocent man," Goodell wrote. "The NFL and NFL players must live with the stain that you have placed on their reputations."

Police said Stallworth had spent the night drinking at a Miami Beach club and had a blood-alcohol level of .126, above Florida's .08 legal limit.

I feel sad that Donte is going to get off cheap considering that the homicide was created by him. Why is it with a little money, the worse that you get is a slap on the wrist. The ideal of sentencing him before he goes to court is unfair in one sense. I think that the one thing that should have happened is after he was sentenced then suspend him from the league. Goodell Created an arbitrary action by getting involved in something that does not concern him. In my mind itd grounds for a law suit...

Teaneck mom sells apple cakes to avoid foreclosure

TEANECK, New Jersey (CNN) -- Actress Angela Logan has played many roles off-stage to earn a living. She's worked as a teacher, model and hairdresser and is studying to be a nurse.

Angela Logan samples a bite of her Mortgage Apple Cake as Bake Me A Wish! founder Josh Kaye looks on.

Angela Logan samples a bite of her Mortgage Apple Cake as Bake Me A Wish! founder Josh Kaye looks on.

But when she fell into foreclosure on her Teaneck, New Jersey, home, Logan turned to baking an apple cake her family had always loved.

"It was a flash of desperation," Logan said. "I thought, 'Wow. We could sell these cakes, they're so good.' "


Logan named her delicacy Mortgage Apple Cake and resolved to sell 100 in 10 days at $40 each to meet a mortgage payment, pay off bills and qualify for a federal program that could lower her monthly payments.

She advertised the cake to everyone she knew, including her classmates.

"The hardest part was saying, 'Can you buy my cakes, this is my problem,' because admitting to your friends that you're in foreclosure, and that you need their help, that's a hard thing to say," Logan said.

Two years ago, a contractor promised to renovate Logan's brick-and-stucco home. But instead, Logan says he took the money and did only a portion of the work -- leaving the entire second floor bare to the beams and plastic wrap still covering much of the exterior.

Logan's financial squeeze tightened when one of the actress' talent agencies shut down without paying her for commercial work.

The 55-year-old divorced mother of three fell far behind on her mortgage and other debt payments, leading her to seek help from Consumer Credit Counseling of New Jersey. Counselor Pamela Glass brainstormed with Logan to envision potential extra sources of income.

"We put our heads together to make extra money," Glass said. "I said, 'Take a look at what you can do.' She said, 'I bake once in a while'. I said, 'Well, maybe you can do some baking.' "

When Logan asked, neighbors, fellow church congregants and classmates responded. Soon she was baking night and day, two cakes at a time. Al Hamdi, general manager of the Hilton in nearby Hasbrouck Heights, heard of Logan's plan and offered the hotel's four giant ovens, letting her accelerate production.

"She was going to do something out of the box to save her home and her family. That was the inspiring part for us," Hamdi said.

Logan figures she's baked about 200 cakes -- double her goal. And since qualifying for the federal Make Home Affordable program, her monthly mortgage payment is dropping by nearly 20 percent

Other Americans in a financial bind can also find creative answers to their cash crunch, Logan said.

"Find your talent. Find something you can do that will help," she said.

Many hobbies have the potential to generate extra cash: teaching a skill like playing an instrument or speaking a foreign language; home repairs for those who are handy; even dog-walking or pet-sitting for animal lovers.

Haskell Educator Starts 59th Year Of Teaching

HASKELL, OK -- 59 years at one job is inspiring, but 59 years teaching math and science to middle school students is impressive.


That's the case for Sylvester Franklin, whose career started shortly after World War II came to an end. The only place he has ever taught is in Haskell, in Muskogee County.

A bustling hallway marks the start of a new school year in Haskell.

"Well I'm so glad you all are here this morning," said Sylvester Franklin.

"Make sure you're ready for class, that's the main thing."

Franklin is starting his 59th year as a school teacher in Haskell. This year it's math to sixth graders.

"Mainly I stayed here all those years because I didn't have any particular reason to leave," said Franklin.

Now 84-years-old, Mr. Franklin started teaching shortly after fighting in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II.

He spent 16 years at Haskell's all-black school before desegregation.

Since 1967, he has taught thousands of Haskell students the ins and outs of math and science.

These days Mr. Franklin only teaches a few hours a day, but it's time he loves and time he hopes to never give up.

"As long as I feel good, I have nothing else that I aspire to do except to be with young people and teach," said Franklin.

Mr. Franklin also teaches the GED classes, helping adults get their high school diploma.

If nearly six decades on the job isn't impressive, Mr. Franklin has only missed two days of classes in that entire time.

Absolutely incredible, that one man can continue doing the same job for that many years. I have not been able to work consistently at a job over 3 years. The one thing that stands out about this man is he loved what he was doing and I believe that if you choose a job for what you love doing instead of what you want to get out of the job no stretch of time is impossible for you to continue working at one place.

Friday, August 7, 2009

The Price of success


The ultimate prize of success comes in many sizes shapes and colors. After some thought and deep discussion, I realized that my use of words maybe misleading, so first let me define sizes shapes and colors the way I see it.

The size of success is not necessarily a dollar and cents value, but it what a person has set as his ultimate goal.

The shapes of success is quite unique in a sense, for some it is becoming a doctor or lawyer, to others its becoming a actor or sports superstar. Then again it may be a man or woman who wants to have a family.

Color can be defined in success, simply in how you see or whom you see. My ideal of a successful person is a well rounded individual.

What one person has defined as his success may not even scratch the surface of another. Sometimes the toll of what you have to pay the Piper in terms of gaining that glory, in the long run breaks you down. For all that you dedicated for the ultimate achievement is it really worth the pain that your Family and friends should have to suffer for you efforts.

The ramification of a blinded effort to reach the pinnacle point of achievement sometimes come to one sad conclusion, loneliness!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

The woman that made a difference


I suppose that living a life in isolation will let you miss out on somethings in life. I was never a child that was showered with affection. So how would I know I was lacking on something that I never received? My life was changed by woman who shared themselves with me. Let me be clear when I say this, it had nothing to do with sex! Ever woman has a special quality that caters to one mans needs. So after hundreds of woman that have been in and out of my life only a distinct few can I remember their names. Few have had the ability to make an impact, but the woman that did etched their names in my heart. For all their passion and emotion that they gave to me, few even know the level of the depth that I cared for them. You see I am not a man that says how much I appreciate, but a man that shows it. So many times they expected me to say or do things a certain way, but how could I know that special way when I only knew my way. This is a tribute to the woman that made a difference in my life Sharon, Negale, Angela, Wendy, TsiTsi and Sandy.

Sharon was my first and she open the door to a flood gate of mixed emotions. I never knew what love was until she opened my eyes. I never knew what pain was until she broke my heart. Sharon was the very first girl to get all of my emotions and it has been something that I have not been able to do sense. Her young innocence jaded me and made me a made me a very callus man who was not willing to share his feelings again.

Negale was simply a fascination that needed to be satisfied. Although she did not stay long her impression has remained with me in every sense! Negale gave me unconditional affection that touched me deep in my soul. When I wanted to be stand-off-sh she refused to let me exhibit that behavior. She was the first woman that held me close to her heart, something that I never received even from my mother. I never knew how important a simple embrace could feel.

Angela was a the first woman that looked at me for me and was willing to take me as I was. She could see that I was a diamond in the ruff. She gave me hope, motivation and support. She understood that with me she had to give a little to get a lot.

Wendy was all that I could ever ask for in a woman she had beauty, ability to communicate and incredible skills. She did something to me that pushed me over the edge, she opened my eyes to the concept of a relationship. She gave me empathy, sympathy and a truck load of compassion. She unlocked something in me that was hidden deep in my vault.

Tsitsi had the most profound effect on my life. You see, she gave me an opportunity to find my direction. Tsitsi Was the person that asked "what do you want from your life". She was the person who made me smell that, coffee. I embarked on a mission and not only went to school but I graduated with a degree. I found myself evolving from one level to the next! She showered me with love an affection and because of her I have embraced my transformation and evolved to different level of success.

Sandy where do I begin, first off she is a woman that not only has compassion understanding and wisdom, she has me. Sandy level of communication has pushed me to new levels. I find myself going to my attic and finding vaults of pain that I had hidden away; That I am now opening and understanding myself even more. She has given me a depth and a increase wealth of knowledge that I am thankful for.

So this is and my tribute to some of the most incredible woman in my world because they found a way to touch the untouchable, ME!