Pregnant woman forced to deliver baby after being set on fire by boyfriend
A Maryland woman who was seven months pregnant was forced to deliver her baby after she was set on fire by her boyfriend, according to reports.
Andrea Grinage, 31, was critically burned Friday when she was doused with gasoline on Friday in the bathtub of her apartment in Capitol Heights, outside Washington, Fox 5 DC reported. She was taken to the hospital where she delivered a baby girl. Both were in critical condition.
Despite suffering burns over a large part of her body, Grinage told police what happened and who was responsible. She also warned her mother that the boyfriend was on his way to her apartment to harm her, the station reported. He was arrested before he got there.
“She was very brave,” Prince George’s County police spokesperson Jennifer Donelan said, according to the station. “We want her family to know how brave she was, suffering as badly as she was, critically burned, worried about her unborn child, dealing with those injuries and was able to share that information with us so that we could get moving with our investigation and locate this person.”
Police haven’t identified the boyfriend.
Grinage was still on fire as she banged on neighbor’s doors, according to the station.
Neighbors told WRC-TV they heard Grinage and her boyfriend arguing Thursday night.
Grinage’s father told the station the baby was born seven weeks premature and was doing okay.
“She’s hanging in there,” Arthur Grinage said. “She’s doing fine. She’s beautiful.”
Police question Robbins officer after baby found abandoned near dumpster in Matteson
A Robbins police officer is being questioned after a baby was found abandoned in Matteson Thursday night, police said.
The boy is 6 to 9 months old and police did not say what the officer’s relationship with the boy is. He was found buckled into a car seat by a woman who says she was out walking and heard the child’s cries near a dumpster behind some apartments in the 3700-block of 214th Street not far from the Old Plank Trail walking path at about 10 p.m., police said.
Authorities said the child was treated for a slight fever and remains in the custody of the Department of Child Family Services. Police said Friday afternoon they believe they have identified the child and multiple family members. Authorities haven’t said how they were able to identify the child and multiple family members. Sources close to the investigation said the baby’s mother had dropped off the child to his father and had no idea what had happened.
“You never know what people’s situation is, so it’s just heartbreaking to hear something like that,” said neighborhood resident Isaiah Mitchell.
From the start, police said it was obvious the baby had been well cared for. He appeared to be in good health, but had a soiled diaper and wet socks. The baby also had a blanket, toys and baby food along with diapers and wipes.
Police asked for the public’s help in finding the child’s parents after a canvass of the neighborhood yielded no leads. As authorities search for more answers, most are just glad the baby is ok.
“I think it would take some extreme problems and sense of desperation for someone to leave a baby there like that so I’ll just have to keep them in my thoughts,” said neighborhood resident Seth Whitson.
Anyone with information is asked to call Matteson police at (708)748-5931.
Woman charged after pipe bomb found in her car in NW Indiana
A woman was charged Saturday after police said a pipe bomb was found in her car in northwest Indiana.
The Porter County Sheriff’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team was called about 11:30 a.m. to the area near Woodruft Drive and Division Road near Center Township for reports of a possible pipe bomb in a vehicle, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
Katrina Franzen, 32, of Valparaiso, was charged with a felony count of possession of a destructive device after police found a pipe bomb on the passenger side floor of her black 2011 Hyundai, the sheriff’s office said.
Franzen said the pipe bomb was her ex-boyfriend’s, and she had been traveling with it in her car for two weeks. Franzen said she planned to take it to a friend’s house to “make it safe,” police said.
Division Road was reopened Saturday afternoon after being closed from County Road 250 W to County Road 325 W when “the device” was rendered safe, the sheriff’s office said.
A few nearby homes were evacuated, and other residents in the area were advised to stay inside their homes while the disposal team worked.
“The incident is still under investigation, however there is no reason to believe this subject had any intention of driving to a crowded area or specific location to cause harm with the item,” the sheriff’s office said.
“At this time there is not reason to believe there are additional devices or that there is any further threat to the public,” the sheriff’s office added.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire – Copyright Chicago Sun-Times 2017.)
WLS-TV contributed to this report.
via: http://abc7chicago.com/police-woman-charged-after-pipe-bomb-found-in-her-car/2397290/
South Carolina Father Commits Suicide After His 2-Year-Old Finds Loaded Gun, Fatally Shoots Himself
After a South Carolina toddler accidentally fatally shot himself, the boy’s father committed suicide when police responded Wednesday morning, according to police in Columbia.
Both died of a single gunshot wound to the head, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts.
Investigators said the boy’s mother called police after her son, 2-year-old Kyree Myers, found the loaded weapon inside a Columbia home and fired it.
When officers arrived around 11 a.m., the boy’s father, 38-year-old Keon Myers, was holding a gun and threatening to hurt himself, according to Columbia Police Department Chief Skip Holbrook.
Police tried to get Myers to put the gun down, but he refused. After several commands to drop the weapon, Myers shot himself, police said.
EMS workers took both father and son to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead.
“Our hearts are heavy at the tremendous loss of life,” Holbrook said in a statement. “We have victim advocates assigned to the case to assist the family during this difficult time. This experience has also been emotionally trying for responding officers. They will participate in a debriefing to discuss the incident and receive further support as needed.”
Police are still trying to determine if the father and son fired the same gun. Investigators are also working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to figure out where the weapon came from and how it ended up in the house.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/09/07/father-commits-suicide-after-2-year-old-finds-loaded-gun-shoots-himself/
San Bernardino Man Accused of Raping Mentally Disabled 17-Year-Old
A 32-year-old man was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a mentally disabled teen from Loma Linda, officials said.
Steven Haley of San Bernardino was identified as a suspect in the crime on July 8 after deputies responded to the girl’s home to collect a rape report around 5:30 p.m., according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies did not say when or where the sexual assault occurred but did say they believed Haley fled the girl’s residence before their arrival.
A sheriff’s detective issued a warrant for his arrest, but Haley refused to turn himself in, officials said.
It was unclear why deputies did not apprehend him before Friday. Officials did not say where or how he was arrested.
Haley was being held on suspicion of rape as well as other charges, according to the sheriff’s department, though they did not disclose what the additional charges consist of.
The incident remains under investigation. No further details were immediately available.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/09/08/san-bernardino-man-accused-of-raping-mentally-disabled-17-year-old/
Body of pregnant teen found in suitcase on side of road
The body of a pregnant teen from the Dominican Republic was discovered in a suitcase on the side of the road.
Police have confirmed that the remains found Friday were of 16-year-old Emely Peguero, who was five months pregnant, according to People.
Further examination revealed that Peguero had suffered a blunt blow to the head and her uterus was punctured, according to the Dominican Republic Attorney General’s Office. The mutilation to her uterus indicated she had an abortion, which is illegal in the country.
Her boyfriend Marlon Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was arrested after he allegedly confessed to dumping her body in a landfill. He told authorities that he panicked when she died from an abortion.
Authorities searched the landfill and did not find her body.
His mom Marlyn Martinez has also been detained in connection to her death. Before the body was found, she allegedly offered information to police on Peguero’s whereabouts and was arrested.
Authorities took into custody a third person whose identity has not been released.
The Martinez family has reportedly received threats since the arrests.
“While I agree that this is a horrendous tragedy, and my heart breaks for Emely and her family, it also breaks for Marlon, Marlyn and their family,” Criminal Justice Reform Advocate Leyla Martinez told People. “It hurts to see how people are calling for them to be stoned or lynched.”
A GoFundMe page was created to raise money for Peguero’s funeral.
via: http://nypost.com/2017/09/07/body-of-pregnant-teen-found-in-suitcase-on-side-of-road/
Minnesota Girl Kidnapped, Swims Across Lake to Escape After 29 Days of Abuse
She is “an unbelievable young woman.” That’s what a police chief had to say after a 15-year-old girl escaped from captors who allegedly assaulted her over the course of a month.
The teen reportedly left her home in Alexandria, Minn., on Aug. 8 with a family acquaintance who said he needed her help, reports the Echo Press.
When she arrived at Thomas Barker’s home in Carlos, however, she encountered a “nightmare,” says Alexandria Police Chief Rick Wyffels. Barker, 32—soon joined by his roommate and later a friend—restrained the teen with zip ties.
At no point over the next 28 days was she left alone as she was physically and sexually assaulted and moved to a cornfield and then a home on a lake in Grant County, Wyffels says.
But on the 29th day, the 15-year-old saw an opportunity to escape. When her captors left to get lunch on Tuesday, she escaped and “bravely ran door to door” without finding help, Wyffels says.
Finally, she swam across the 150-acre lake to a property and encountered its owner, who’d just returned from work because he’d forgotten something. “It was like somebody shined a big beam of light on me,” the man tells WCCO.
“I was in the right place at the right time.” Just as police arrived, the teen—later treated for minor injuries, per NBC News—spotted a car belonging to one of her captors whom police quickly apprehended, the property owner adds.
All three alleged captors are now in custody. Barker; Joshua Holby, 31; and Steven Powers, 20, are each held on probable cause for false imprisonment, kidnapping, and assault.
Wyffels says authorities are still trying to determine a motive.
Billings woman may have infected hospital employee with HIV through bite
BILLINGS – A Billings woman who is HIV positive is facing a felony charge for allegedly biting a hospital security guard, which is a known way to transmit the disease.
Christine Bigman, 48, was charged on Tuesday in Yellowstone County Justice Court with one count of criminal endangerment.
According to court documents, Bigman was a patient at St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings on Saturday when she was involved in a disturbance.
Billings police were called to the hospital for a report of a combative patient who was kicking and hitting hospital personnel.
An officer and the security guard controlled Bigman by holding down her arms and legs, according to court documents.
Bigman then reached up and by the security guard’s forearm. The bite broke through the skin, causing the victim to bleed.
Records show that Bigman is HIV positive, according to court documents.
Mayo Schreiber, the deputy director for the Center for HIV Law and Policy, said that the likelihood of the disease being transmitted through the bite is low.
“In more than 35 years of studies there are no known reports of a security guard, law enforcement or corrections officer anywhere in the world becoming infected with HIV when bitten in the performance of their duties,” said Schreiber.
Charging documents did not state whether the guard is now infected, but prosecutors noted that the disease is transmittable through a bite.
Bigman is being held at the Yellowstone County jail without bond.
Texas math teacher, 52, accused of ‘sex in public park’ with her teen boy student
A San Antonio high school math teacher was arrested Thursday on suspicion she had sexual relations for more than a year with her 17-year-old student — including once at a public park.
Alberta Padilla, 52, an educator at Claudia Taylor “Lady Bird” Johnson High School in the North East Independent School District is accused of a relationship that allegedly began in June 2016 and lasted until Aug. 20, 2017, according to WCVB.
Padilla allegedly admitted to having the relationship with the teenager after she let him stay at her home and gave him clothing and food, saying she and the student developed feelings for one another over time.
The educator reportedly confessed to police that she and the student had sexual relations about 15 to 20 times over the year — including at a town’s public park.
Authorities reportedly discovered the relationship after Padilla’s daughters taped a conversation they had with the teenager who cautioned them not to go to the police and tell them of the relationship. The student also reportedly told the girls that he loved their mother.
Police said the student confessed he and Padilla had sexual relations.
Padilla has been booked into the Bexar County Jail and was being held on a $20,000 bond, according to KTSA.
Aubrey Chancellor, a spokesperson for the school district, said they were determining whether to terminate Padilla, who has been placed on leave, according to Fox San Antonio.
Officer shoots Ohio newspaper photographer after confusing his tripod and camera for a gun
A newspaper photographer from Ohio was shot Monday night by a sheriff’s deputy who apparently mistook his camera and tripod for a gun, and fired without a warning, the newspaper reported.
Andy Grimm, a photographer for the New Carlisle News, left the office at about 10 p.m. to take pictures of lightning when he came across a traffic stop and decided to take photos, according to Dale Grimm, the photographer’s father and the paper’s publisher.
“He said he got out, parked under a light in plain view of the deputy, with a press pass around his neck,” Dale Grimm told The Washington Post. “He was setting up his camera, and he heard pops.”
Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Jake Shaw did not give any warnings before he fired, striking Andy Grimm on the side, according to the paper.
Dale Grimm said his son called him from an ambulance on the way to the hospital. He is expected to recover.
Clark County Sheriff Deborah Burchett has not responded to an email requesting comment. Her office is referring all questions to the state attorney general’s Bureau of Criminal Division, which is investigating the shooting.
State investigators were tight-lipped Tuesday about the shooting.
“We’re still investigating to determine what exactly occurred,” said Jill Del Greco, a spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office.
Shaw has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to a Tuesday-afternoon news release from the sheriff’s office.
“Our hearts and prayers are with Mr. Grimm as he recovers and with Deputy Jake Shaw and we ask the community to keep both of them in your hearts and prayers as well,” the release said.
Andy Grimm, who knows Shaw, said he does not want the officer to be fired, the paper reported.
“I know Jake,” he said. “I like Jake.”
Asked if he thinks the sheriff’s deputy or the department should be held accountable for the shooting, Dale Grimm said he’d rather not say anything.
“We know the deputy. This is a small town of 5,000 people … We know the deputies. We work with them on a daily basis. We have an excellent relationship with them,” he said.
Dale Grimm and his son run the family-owned newspaper, located in New Carlisle, a town just outside of Dayton, Ohio. The family contracts with reporters, editors and stringers.
The newspaper echoed the same sentiments of sympathy toward the officer and posted a message on its Facebook page asking its readers and followers to refrain from making harsh comments about Shaw.
“On behalf of our entire family, we thank you for all of the kind messages. One other thing. Please don’t mean mouth the deputy. Andy said he doesn’t want Jake to lose his job over this,” the paper wrote.
Dale Grimm said he saw Burchett, the sheriff, shortly after his son was shot.
“She held my hand. She said, ‘You know I love Andy,’” he said.
He said the sheriff’s office has not said much to him about what prompted the shooting, but he’s assuming that the officer thought the camera was a weapon.
“He probably didn’t know what it was,” he said. “I don’t want to second guess the deputy because they have to make split-second decisions. Sometimes they’re right, sometimes they’re wrong.”
Andy Grimm is a known photographer in the community and has been working at the paper for years, his father said.
“He really took to photography. He watched hundreds of tutorials on YouTube,” Dale Grimm said. “He’s a whiz with his camera, a whiz with Photoshop. He also lays out the newspaper.”
Dale Grimm said his son had finished laying out the paper before he was shot. Otherwise, the print edition would not have been published.