Man accused of abducting teen, beating her until miscarriage
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — A 20-year-old West Virginia man is accused of abducting a teenager, holding her hostage for about a year, impregnating her and beating her so severely that she miscarried.
News outlets report Brian Merchant-Jones is in custody on charges including murder and kidnapping. Court records say the juvenile girl had been a runaway since March 2018 and told authorities last week that she had been with Jones the entire time. She said Jones assaulted her almost daily and limited her contact with the outside world.
She said he impregnated her and later beat her so severely that she miscarried. She told police where she buried the fetus, and authorities found the remains. She said she was also beaten just before her interview with authorities.
It’s unclear if Merchant-Jones has a lawyer.
Argument over groceries in Schnucks grocery checkout line leads to gunfire in South City
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — An argument over the amount of items inside a woman’s shopping cart at Schnucks led to shots being fired in South City.
According to police, Tationna Thompson, 20, was in the checkout line at the Schnucks on South Grand when a woman made a comment about how many items she had in her cart on March 17.
The comment erupted into an argument inside the grocery store.
Thompson then followed the shopper outside in the parking lot where she allegedly pulled out a gun and continued yelling at her.
No shots were fired in the parking lot and both woman left, police said.
Moments later, Thompson reportedly pulled up in a Chevrolet SUV next to the shopper near South Grand and Chippewa. Officials said she leaned her head and body out of the SUV and fired two shots at the shopper.
No one was injured during the shooting.
Rebecca Geremew works nearby at Rise Together Resale Shop at the intersection of South Grand and Chippewa. She and her family were there that morning for bible study, leaving just an hour or so before the shooting.
“It’s a little scary to know that kind of thing happened here,” said Geremew. “That seems ridiculous to me that they would do that do that over groceries, but people get very mad sometimes. I don’t get it.”
Thompson was charged with one count of assault, one count of unlawful use of weapon, and one count of armed criminal action.
The investigation is ongoing.
Chicago to sue Smollett after he refuses to pay
he City of Chicago says Jussie Smollett has refused to pay more than $130,000 to reimburse costs of investigating what authorities say was a staged racist, anti-gay attack.
The city’s law department also says in a statement Thursday that it would be drafting a lawsuit in response and would sue the “Empire” actor in Cook County Civil Court. The city “will file the suit in the near future.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s law chief sent Smollett a March 28 letter demanding the “Empire” actor pay $130,106 —plus 15 cents— within seven days.
A suit could lead to a drawn out battle in civil court that could end in a trial focused on the question of whether Smollett did or didn’t orchestrate the Jan. 29 attack.
Smollett, who is black and gay, maintains he has told the truth since reporting to police that two masked men assaulted him, shouting slurs and wrapping a rope around his neck.
A group of suburban Chicago police chiefs are calling on Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to resign in the wake of her office’s decision to drop charges against Jussie Smollett that accused him of staging a racist, anti-gay attack.
Some 30 police chiefs attended a joint news conference Thursday with the Chicago police union president, Kevin Graham, to support that call.
Steven Stelter, of the West Suburban Chiefs of Police Association, told reporters it wasn’t only about her handling of Smollett’s case. He also pointed to broader Foxx policies to not prosecute many lower-level felonies. He said residents needed to know Foxx “is letting them down.”
Asked why there were no African-American police chiefs at the event, Graham said only that all county police chiefs had been invited. The county includes Chicago and more than 130 other communities.
Foxx’s office told WLS-TV earlier that the chiefs’ criticism was “an excuse to justify” resistance to reform.
Suburban Chicago police associations have added their criticism to how the Cook County state’s attorney handled charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett that accused him of staging a racist, anti-gay attack.
Chicago’s WLS-TV reports three groups representing police chiefs voted to express “no confidence” in Kim Foxx. Several police chiefs were set to attend a joint news conference with Chicago police union leaders later Thursday.
Foxx recused herself before Smollett was charged. But she defended a decision by her office last week to drop all 16 felony counts against Smollett, saying money was better spent on more serious crimes.
WLS cited a letter from the North Suburban Chiefs of Police saying Foxx displayed a tendency to not pursue prosecutions of lower-level felonies.
Foxx’s office told WLS the criticism was “an excuse to justify” wider resistance to “prioritizing resources to increase public safety and reduce harm.”
A deadline is looming for Jussie Smollett to pay more than $130,000 to Chicago for investigative costs into what city authorities say was a staged racist, anti-gay attack or risk getting slapped with a civil lawsuit.
Thursday is seven days since Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s law chief sent the “Empire” actor a letter demanding the payment. The March 28 letter said he must pay within seven days but didn’t specify a response if he didn’t.
Nonpayment will likely prompt the city to sue Smollett, prompting a civil trial where standards for proving he staged the incident will be lower than in criminal court.
Chicago sent the letter after state prosecutors dropped criminal charges accusing Smollett of orchestrating the attack.
Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot could reverse any legal action after she’s sworn in May 20.
Girl’s feet infested with parasitic sand fleas after running through pigsty barefoot
A 10-year-old girl who had developed itchy, painful brown-colored papules on the bottom of her feet was actually suffering from a parasitic sand flea infestation. The girl, who had traveled to Brazil with her family two-weeks prior to visiting a health clinic, reported running through a pigsty with no shoes on.
Her case, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, included a 10-day history of pain and itchiness before she sought care. Doctors then removed the sand fleas from the bottom of her foot and diagnosed her with tungiasis.
Tungiasis is a cutaneous parasitosis caused by the female sand flea, which burrows into the skin, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Cases predominately involve the toes, sole, rim of the foot and heels, with itching and irritation a common complaint among patients. The girl, who was not named in the case report, had received vaccines for tetanus before infection. Illness related to the infection is not well-documented, according to WHO.
In the girl’s case, doctors treated her wounds after the fleas were removed, and her feet healed with no complications.
Article via FOXNews
Amazon Is Making a Rival to Apple’s AirPods as Its First Alexa Wearable
Amazon.com Inc. is trying a new way to take its Alexa digital assistant mobile: wireless earbuds that mirror Apple Inc.’s popular AirPods.
The Seattle-based e-commerce giant is readying earbuds with built-in Alexa access for as early as the second half of this year, according to people with knowledge of the plans. The headphones will look and act similar to AirPods, but people working on the product inside Amazon are striving for better audio quality, the people said. Like the AirPods, the Amazon earbuds are designed to sit inside users’ ears without clips around the ear.
The product is one of the most important projects at Amazon’s Lab126 hardware division, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private work. The company has also been working on a home robot for consumers with Alexa, code-named Vesta, Bloomberg reported last year.
The headphones will let people use their voice to order goods, access music, weather and other information on the go. The Amazon digital assistant will be summoned by saying “Alexa.” There will be physical gesture controls, such as tapping to pick up and end calls and switch between songs, the people said. Amazon declined to comment.
Apple charges $159 to $199 for AirPods. Amazon hardware typically undercuts the competition.
The initiative is a major move beyond the home for Amazon’s consumer hardware. The Fire smartphone flopped in 2015, but the company’s Echo smart speakers became a surprise hit that brought Alexa into millions of houses and apartments. A battery-powered Echo speaker was discontinued. And an Alexa plug-in for cars has limited availability. Amazon has also opened Alexa up to other headphone makers, such as Bose Corp.
The main check on Alexa’s growth remains Amazon’s lack of a smartphone and leading mobile operating system. Digital assistants from Apple and Google have huge ready-made user bases because the technology is embedded in hundreds of millions of iPhones, iPads, Watches and Android mobile devices.
The Amazon earbuds won’t have built-in cellular connectivity and will require pairing with a phone. This means working through Apple and Google, which Amazon already does with its Alexa apps. That’s a strategic headache for Amazon, which is using Alexa to grab an early lead in voice-based computing and to get its main e-commerce business in front of more people.
Amazon has faced some development delays, according to the people with knowledge of the plans. The company has been seeking suppliers and manufacturing partners in recent months, one of the people said. Amazon has launched a bevy of new devices around September the past couple of years.
The earbuds will come in a storage case that doubles as a charger. Users will be able to plug it in over a standard USB cable. The company has tested the headphones in black and gray colors, the people also said.
Earbuds are a fast-growing category of wearables: 12.5 million pairs were sold in the fourth quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. Apple’s AirPods had 60 percent of this market.
After early jokes when AirPods launched in 2016, the product has become a huge hit for Apple, helping to augment slower iPhone sales. The company is working on a third-generation, higher-end pair with noise-cancellation and water resistance, according to people familiar with the plans.
The AirPods are part of Apple’s accessories segment, which generated $17.4 billion in revenue or 7 percent of sales in the most-recent fiscal year. Samsung Electronics Co. recently unveiled Galaxy Buds, which work similarly to AirPods and Amazon’s planned device. Apple’s Beats business, Jabra Corp., and Sony Corp. are also players in the wireless earbuds market.
The concept hasn’t been as successful for everyone. Google launched Pixel Buds last year. They were criticized for having a flimsy charging case.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Got Matching Tattoos
Article via Cosmopolitan
- Chrissy Teigen and John Legend just got super-cute matching tattoos inspired by their kids, Luna and Miles.
- Chrissy jokingly wrote in her Instagram caption that they’re only talking to cool tattoo families now, which feels fair.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend were already the cutest couple in Hollywood, no question, but they just one-upped themselves by getting matching tattoos inspired by their kids (and each other, obvs).
Chrissy just posted the above picture, which shows both their inner arms, and Chrissy’s new tat says “John Luna Miles” in cursive writing while John’s says “Chrissy Luna Miles.” SO CUTE. AH.
In the caption, Chrissy joked that now that they have tattoos, they can only be associated with a particular kind of people. “Hey guys please don’t talk to us unless u have tattoos we are a cool tattoo family now and we only want to talk to other tattoo families (srry if this seems harsh).” Not harsh. Totally fair.
Also! Chrissy got a little heart tattooed on the inside of her pointer finger, and it’s also super cute.
She even called out the tattoo artist when she posted it, writing, “Thank you thank you @WinterStone [aka Daniel Winter]. You are not only incredibly talented but you are very kind and delightful and welcome over any time!!”
The artist even responded in the comments. “@ChrissyTeigen @JohnLegend had so much fun tattooing you both! What an amazing loving couple, mom, and dad you are! #TattooPeople #DelicatelySharp.”
FYI, Daniel has tons of celebrity clients who love his work, including Demi Lovato, Sophie Turner, Joe Jonas, Emma Roberts, and Mandy Moore. Not to mention he did that iconic “La Vie En Rose” tattoo that now stretches up Lady Gaga’s spine.
Pennsylvania Woman Accused of Trying to Eat 7 Bags of Heroin She Was Hiding From Police
A Pennsylvania woman is facing charges after allegedly attempting to eat seven bags of heroin she was hiding from police.
Tiffany Root, 29, of Ephrata, is facing seven counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, KTLA sister station WPMT reported.
On April 2 around 11:30 p.m., police stopped a vehicle in the 600 block of Columbia Ave at Coral St.
The driver, identified as Root, was found to be in possession of controlled substances, and was taken into custody.
A passenger in the vehicle, identified as Thomas Seymour, of Lancaster, was taken into custody on a bench warrant.
While in custody, police say they found that Root had concealed additional controlled substances on and in her person.
Due to the nature and location of some of the contraband, Root was transported to Lancaster General Hospital to have the items removed by medical staff.
While en route to the hospital, Root allegedly retrieved seven baggies of heroin that she had concealed in her person and attempted to destroy the evidence by chewing and eating it.
Staff at the hospital was able to convince her to spit out the heroin baggies that she had attempted to swallow.
Now, she is facing charges.
Substitute teacher who admitted sex with boys gets no jail time
A former substitute teacher in Louisiana who pleaded guilty to having sex with three boys will be spared jail time, thanks to a plea deal.
Heidi M. Verrett, 34, pleaded guilty on March 22 to three misdemeanor counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile after her 2016 arrest on charges of having sex with three 15- and 16-year-old boys at her home, the Houma Courier reported.
District Judge John Walker suspended Verrett’s six-month jail term following her guilty pleas, sentencing the former Terrebonne Parish substitute teacher and teacher’s aide to two years of unsupervised probation, along with $900 in fines.
The plea agreement also prohibits Verrett from teaching for two years, but prosecutors said she won’t be instructing students in Terrebonne Parish or other districts for the rest of her life.
“We have been assured she would never be able to teach in the school system again,” Terrebonne Parish Assistant District Attorney Dennis Elfert said. “From a legal standpoint, the maximum probationary period is two years, and that is the extent to which the probation can legally be bound.”
Regardless of those requirements, Elfert said prosecutors told relatives of the teen victims that Verrett would not be allowed to return to a classroom.
Verrett’s attorney, Teresa King, said her client was pleased with the outcome.
“She wanted to avoid the risk of jail time,” King told the newspaper. “If we had gone to trial, there’s always that risk. So I think the deal was worked out in everyone’s best interest.”
Police in Houma said Verrett also had “inappropriate” discussions with a 12-year-old boy on social media.
Verrett was charged with having sex with the teens during a two-month period in late 2016, according to court records cited by WDSU. As part of her plea deal, Verrett does not have to register as a sex offender, the station reported.
And although Verrett’s employment will not be restricted once her probation expires, Elfert said it’s very unlikely she’d be hired by another district.
“Anybody who might want to hire this woman in the future, especially when it involves kids, is going to see that on her record,” Elfert told the Houma Courier. “I would suggest there won’t be many school systems at all that would hire her.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/04/03/substitute-teacher-who-admitted-sex-with-boys-gets-no-jail-time/
Troubling video shows woman throwing child on mat in North Carolina day care
ASHEBORO, N.C. – Cellphone video captured a troubling situation inside of a North Carolina day care.
An employee was caught throwing a child onto a mat. That employee, Joy Branning, is now charged with misdemeanor child abuse.
A state investigator was at the Children’s Center of Asheboro all day Tuesday, according to WGHP.
The facility does have a five-star license according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
In the video sent to WGHP by an employee, crying can be heard in the background. The worker says a 4-year-old boy threw a tantrum and was being disruptive.
The video then shows Branning taking the child’s arm and pulling him into another area of the room. That’s when she’s seen picking him up and forcefully dropping him onto a mat.
It’s something Debbie Lockhart, the director of the Children’s Center, can’t believe.
“I have a state lady here with me today, working with me on making sure we can do everything we can to ensure the safety of our children,” she said. “We are devastated by this. Joy was immediately fired and I’ve known her 20 years.”
Parents were immediately notified about the March 20th incident.
“We had that child for four years since he was born,” Lockhart told WGHP. “We love him. I am so sorry that happened to him.”
Lockhart says there are protocols in place at the center to make sure teachers are trained and well equipped to handle any situation.
Breaks are even given to teachers in order to give them time to cool off in the midst of frustration.
“There are all the strategies you can put in place. But the bottom line is that the person has to follow it,” she said.
Lockhart feels they all failed that little boy.
“The other teacher should have intervened on the child’s behalf as soon as she saw when he was having his issues,” she said. “[He] was melting down and Joy was getting frustrated. She should have intervened on his behalf.”
The child’s mom told WGHP she did not feel comfortable speaking on camera because the incident is still under investigation. She said the video speaks for itself.
WGHP also tried speaking to Branning, but she did not answer her phone or the door at her Asheboro home.
63 year old Colorado preschool teacher accused of sexually assaulting 4-year-old
LEADVILLE, Colo. — A Colorado preschool teacher is facing multiple charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a student.
According to the Leadville Herald, Sally Glaser, 63, is charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, sexual assault on a child, unlawful sexual contact and child abuse.
The newspaper reported Glaser taught at the Center Early Childhood Programs in Leadville. The student involved in the case is 4 years old.
Glaser was arrested Monday. She appeared in court Tuesday, records show.
The Herald reported the victim’s mother wrote a letter to the court.
“This is a parent’s worst nightmare,” the letter stated. “We live in constant fear.”
Meanwhile, Glaser defended herself.
“I’ve never done anything to hurt this little girl,” she said, according to the Herald. “This just tears me up.”
Lake County School District superintendent Wendy Wyman sent an email to families Tuesday. She said the school district was notified by law enforcement on March 11 that an allegation had been made that a female teacher may have had improper contact with a student.
As soon as the district learned of the allegations, Glaser was placed on administrative leave, meaning she has not been permitted on school grounds since March 11.
The letter doesn’t specifically name Glaser, stating:
“Law enforcement investigated the allegation and we cooperated fully with them. We learned today that law enforcement has filed criminal charges against the employee, and a legal process will now begin. In the meantime, please be assured that the staff member will not be returning to the classroom of school district property.”
Wyman wrote that she knows the situation is upsetting for families.
“We know that the trust between parents and schools, and children and teachers, is sacred, and we do everything in our power each and every day to uphold this trust,” the superintendent wrote.
Wyman said the district will continue working with law enforcement, students, staff and families.
“Our primary concern is ensuring a safe environment for our children. We want to assure you that there is no higher priority at our school than the safety and well-being of our students,” the message states.
Glaser is no longer in custody after posting $25,000 bond. She is forbidden from contact with people under 18 years old. Her next court date is scheduled for April 18.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/04/03/colorado-preschool-teacher-accused-of-sexually-assaulting-4-year-old/