Tennessee man kidnapped for allegedly not paying his rent, then has his Church’s Chicken dinner stolen
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man was arrested after he allegedly kidnapped and threatened to shoot his former roommate over a disagreement before stealing his Church’s chicken.
The victim told police he was walking down Goodwyn Street after having just stopped at Church’s Chicken Monday when he was suddenly stopped by two men, one of whom was armed with a gun. They took his cellphone and then told him he would have to wait there with them until Courtney Peterson arrived. If he tried to leave, he would be shot.
After a brief argument once Peterson arrived, the victim was taken to a home on Huntcliff where he said he was held for two hours. That’s when the suspects allegedly took his debit card and his Church’s chicken.
Police didn’t say how the victim escaped. However, they did reveal that the whole thing was the result of Peterson believing the victim owed him $300 for rent and stole some of his things.
Peterson was charged with kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, theft of property and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
GA mayor says city “isn’t ready” for a black employee, councilman agrees, saying as a Christian he’s against mixing races
HOSCHTON, Ga. (AP) — The mayor and a council member in a mostly white north Georgia city are facing calls to resign over racially charged comments.
At issue is how Mayor Theresa Kenerly treated a black candidate for the city administrator job in Hoschton.
In documents released by the city, Councilwoman Hope Weeks wrote that the mayor told her Keith Henry was a good candidate “but he was black and we don’t have a big black population and she just didn’t think Hoschton was ready for that.”
Kenerly said she doesn’t recall saying that.
According to census data, Hoschton is 84.6 percent white and the black population makes up 3.5 percent of the city. At last count, the city had 1,782 residents.
At a tense city council meeting Monday, Councilwoman Susan Powers called for resignations of the mayor and her fellow Councilman Jim Cleveland.
Cleveland earlier told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he abhors interracial marriage because he’s a Christian.
Photo Credit: kmov.com/City of Hoschton webtsite
Man arrested after walking out of Costco with 24 bottles of Hennessy
(Meredith) – Police said a man packed his shopping cart with 24 bottles of Hennessy and casually walked out of Costco with the liquor.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, allegedly stole the alcohol and a home security system from the store in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, on Friday.
Surveillance video showed the man bypass the checkout lane and leave the store with a cart full of merchandise, worth more than $1,500, WISN reported. Upon exiting the store, he was confronted by a Costco employee — but the suspect kept walking.
He then drove away in a 2018 Dodge Caravan with Minnesota plates, according to police.
Officers nabbed the suspect after asking for the public’s help in identifying him. Police have not yet said what charges he may be facing.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Father charged after leaving son in hot SUV for nearly six hours
A 4-year-old Minnesota boy died after his father left him inside a hot SUV for nearly six hours while he worked, authorities said.
Kristopher Alexander Taylor, 26, of Apple Valley, was charged Monday with second-degree manslaughter in the death of his son, who was found “stiff” to the touch when Taylor returned to his SUV on Saturday after working at the Minnesota Monthly 8th Annual Grillfest at CHS Field in St. Paul, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Star Tribune.
Taylor parked the vehicle in a spot “entirely exposed” to sunlight and told police he cracked just one of its windows roughly one-quarter to one-half inch for the boy. Taylor said he gave his son a handheld video game to pass the time and last checked on him at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday before returning nearly six hours later at 5:15 p.m., the complaint reads.
The boy — identified by a family friend as Riley Taylor — was left in Taylor’s care at about 2:30 a.m. Friday while his mother went to work. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital after Taylor returned to the SUV and found him unresponsive, the Star Tribune reports.
Temperatures during the nearly six-hour span ranged from 64 to 70 degrees, with partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies, according to National Weather Service data. But reps from a national nonprofit advocacy group told the newspaper that children have died from heatstroke inside cars while temperatures dipped below 60 degrees outside.
“A vehicle acts like a greenhouse, heating up to deadly temperatures within minutes, even on a mild day,” KidsandCars.org told the Star Tribune in a statement. “Contrary to popular belief, cracking the windows does nothing to decrease the maximum temperature reached inside a vehicle. Additionally, a child’s body temperature rises 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s.”
A preliminary ruling from the medical examiner reported that Riley died of hyperthermia. A total of 52 children died inside cars due to excessive heat last year, making 2018 the deadliest year on record for such deaths. On average, 38 children die in hot cars annually — or one every nine days, according to the group, which has tracked data for more than 20 years.
Taylor, who was arrested at the hospital, told police he couldn’t find anyone to watch his son while he worked and didn’t think it was too hot to leave his son behind, citing prior instances, KSTP reports.
“Taylor said he had done it once in the past about a year ago and nothing bad happened to the boy on that occasion, but he admitted he had left the window entirely down that time,” the complaint reads.
Jan Null, a meteorologist at San Jose State University, said Riley is the fifth person nationwide to die inside a hot car this year. The interior of a vehicle in direct sunlight could exceed temperatures of 130 degrees if the outside temp is roughly 71 degrees, Null told the station.
Taylor, who has been released from custody after posting $25,000 bail, is scheduled to return to court on Friday.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/07/father-charged-after-leaving-son-in-hot-suv-for-nearly-six-hours/
Photo Credit: Facebook; St. Paul Police Department
Nurse allegedly took nude photos of elderly patients
A Pennsylvania nurse took “explicit and private” photographs of at least 17 elderly nursing home patients — and sent the images to her boyfriend, police said.
Ashley Ann Smith, 30, of Dravosburg, is facing 30 counts — including invasion of privacy and abuse of care — in connection with photographs she took while working as a licensed practical nurse at Kane McKeesport Community Living Center, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Smith then sent roughly 20 of the “explicit and private” images, some of which showed vulnerable patients in “need of immediate care and private situations,” to the father of her child, who previously worked at the facility. Ron Whittaker, 36, reported Smith to hospital administration April 5 and staffers there immediately contacted police.
Whittaker — who lived with Smith until they separated in November, according to court records — has not been criminally charged in connection with the photos. He was arrested in October for allegedly assaulting Smith and that case is still pending, court records show.
Allegheny County police also found two pornographic photos of a 2-year-old girl on Smith’s cellphone, according to the complaint. Smith, who earned roughly $38,000 and had been an employee since 2015, was fired by the assisted living facility after the images were found, the Post-Gazette reports.
“The images are explicit and private, and some have the sole purpose to humiliate the patients,” according to the complaint, which notes that a video on Smith’s cellphone also depicted a nude patient undergoing a medical procedure.
Some patients and their relatives were notified of the offending images, including one woman whose dementia-stricken, 90-year-old father was one of Smith’s victims during a 15-month span between May 2017 and August 2018, police said.
“I think it’s pretty heinous,” Lori Rushe told the newspaper. “That is total elder abuse.”
She continued: “You’re taking advantage of people who don’t know their name, where they’re at or anything. That is so disturbing.”
Smith’s attorney, Frank Walker, told the Post-Gazette that Smith surrendered to authorities Friday. He declined to comment on the allegations.
“Right now, the Constitution affords her the presumption of innocence, and she stands firmly on that,” Walker said.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/07/nurse-allegedly-took-nude-photos-of-elderly-patients/
Photo Credit: nypost.com/Allegheny County Police Department
Pervert said he bought child sex doll to replace dead son
A pervert has been charged with “child porn” offenses after he bought a kid-sized sex doll to ‘replace’ his dead son.
Kenneth Harrisson, 54, from Canada, ordered the doll from a Japanese website that advertised childlike and adult sex dolls.
The complicated case has been working its way through court for years, with lawyers arguing over the definition of “child pornography” in instances where a real child isn’t involved.
Instances where real children appear in video or photos, the crime is usually classed as possession, manufacture or distribution of ‘child abuse images’.
But in Harrison’s case the definition has proven more complex, and has resulted in single charges of “child pornography” and mailing obscene matter, and two charges under the federal Customs Act of smuggling and possession of prohibited goods, CTV News reported.
The 54-year-old testified on Monday saying that he didn’t plan on having sex with the doll.
Instead, he claimed to be lonely, adding that he only ordered the doll for companionship to replace his son who died aged just six months old 20-years ago.
During his court appearance, Harrisson fainted and was taken away by an ambulance, according to local media reports.
Defending himself, Harrisson said after Googling “sex doll”, he chose that particular model because it had a “male-like” face that resembled his son.
He said the doll’s face was what appealed to him and the fact it was kneeling in a sexual position did not factor into his decision.
Harrisson went on to say Googling “male sex doll” didn’t come to his mind, which is why he ended up with a child model.
Crown attorney Bill Howse said Harrisson’s explanation that he ordered a female sex doll as a male companion to replace his son “doesn’t make any sense” and asked him to explain further.
“I did not order a sex doll of a childlike nature. The purpose I intended it for was to replace my deceased son, period,” Harrisson said.
Forensic psychologist Peter Collins testified at an earlier trial date that the doll is the size of an infant without sexually mature characteristics.
Collins added that the doll meets the Canadian definition of “child pornography”.
The case will return to court for closing submissions on Tuesday.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/07/pervert-said-he-bought-child-sex-doll-to-replace-dead-son-cops/
Photo Credit: nypost.com/Ntv.ca
Texas bartender arrested for serving shooter before deadly rampage
PLANO, Texas — Authorities in suburban Dallas have arrested a bartender who served drinks to a man who later went to his estranged wife’s home and fatally shot her and seven others as they gathered to watch the Dallas Cowboys play.
Lindsey Glass was arrested last week and charged with a misdemeanor violation of “sale to certain persons.”
The law prohibits the sale of alcohol to a “habitual drunkard or an intoxicated or insane person.”
Authorities say 32-year-old Spencer Hight in September 2017 already showed signs of intoxication at the Plano bar before leaving for the home of Meredith Hight and opening fire.
Spencer Hight was shot and killed by responding officers.
Glass had tried to persuade Hight not to drive and her attorney, Scott Palmer, said her arrest “is not in the interest of justice.”
via: https://pix11.com/2019/05/07/texas-bartender-arrested-for-serving-shooter-before-deadly-rampage/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
There’s a push for classes on the Bible in public schools
Legislators across the country have reignited the fight for, and debate over so-called “Bible literacy classes” — elective courses in public schools about Scriptures’ impact.
Alabama, Florida, Missouri, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia are among the states that have seen Bible literacy bills so far in 2019. Several of those efforts have fallen along the wayside.
While advocates for such classes believe students ought to be able to learn about the Bible’s influence on world history, culture and language, opponents tout separation of church and state and their concerns that teachers might possibly stray into proselytizing.
Missouri’s House Bill 267, nearly identical to other states’ drafted legislation, allows and encourages public high schools to adopt elective classes focusing on the history, writing style and influence of “the Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament.”
Doug Jacobson has a unique perspective on the matter: He’s pastor of Eureka Baptist Church in Richland, Missouri, and elementary superintendent at the small public Swedeborg R-3 School District.
Jacobson — who has officiated at weddings of former students and is asked to pray for the families of students — agrees with those who say a comparative religion class could be a less controversial route for educators, rather than emphasizing the Bible.
“Why not open it up to world religions and all different faiths, then you’re not trying to proselytize anyone into any particular religion or denomination,” he said.
The pastor-superintendent said that many of the Bible’s core moral teachings are already ingrained in the way that we teach children.
But backers of bills that promote a “Judeo-Christian framework” for classes were buoyed earlier this year by a January tweet by President Donald Trump, “Numerous states introducing Bible Literacy classes, giving students the option of studying the Bible. Starting to make a turn back? Great!”
Florida and the King James version of the Bible
Several of the Bible literacy bills have already been struck down or are no longer being considered in current sessions.
Legislation filed in Florida — which recently died in committee — is typical of the debate over the Bible and public classrooms.
“One thing that the Bible does teach is wisdom,” Rep. Mike Hill, co-sponsor of Florida’s House Bill 195, told CNN last month. “I don’t think anyone could deny that we so desperately need wisdom in our public schools right now.”
Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a fellow Republican co-sponsor of the state’s Bible literacy bill, told CNN that classes would focus on the Bible as a work of literature, specifically the King James Bible, an English translation used in Protestant churches.
“The King James Bible is considered one of the two or three greatest works of literature in Western civilization. This is a class that recognizes that and focuses on the language of the book,” Sabatini said.
Mark Chancey, an expert on the political, academic and constitution issues raised by Bible courses in public schools, says selecting a specific translation of the Bible can lead to unconstitutional territory. The professor cited the Philadelphia nativist riots of 1844 that broke out partially over the use of the King James version in public schools and what some called anti-Catholic rhetoric.
“If a course says, ‘We’re going to use the King James,’ then they’re basically — knowingly or not — promoting Protestantism,” Chancey said during an interview with CNN. He said that there is nothing wrong with examining this translation, but the most constitutional approach would include multiple translations.
Linda K. Wertheimer, author of “Faith Ed: Teaching about Religion in an Age of Intolerance,” said while Bible literacy classes could be beneficial, they generally don’t aim to educate students for the sake of critical thinking.
“The question is, are they really creating these courses to improve both biblical literacy and religious literacy?” she told CNN. “Or are these particular courses that are being started right now part of the effort from the religious right or evangelical Christians to push Christianity back into the schools?”
Project Blitz and the backlash
The movement behind Bible literacy classes has ebbed and flowed throughout the past 20 years, but is the most emboldened during the years under a Republican leadership in the White House.
The Republican Party put the Bible literacy push into writing in its official 2016 platform: “A good understanding of the Bible being indispensable for the development of an educated citizenry, we encourage state legislatures to offer the Bible in a literature curriculum as an elective in America’s high schools.”
A key supporter of such classes is the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation and additional evangelical conservative groups, who together created Project Blitz. This aims “to protect the free exercise of traditional Judeo-Christian religious values and beliefs in the public square, and to reclaim and properly define the narrative which supports such beliefs.”
Americans United for Separation of Church and State has been fighting Project Blitz for more than a year, arguing that “church-state separation as the only way to ensure freedom of religion.”
The group sent a letter to Florida legislators in response to the pending legislation, warning of the potential for proselytizing and putting pressure on pupils to take classes “designed to promote a particular religion.”
CNN reached out several times to the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation for comment but received no reply.
Are classes a Trojan horse for a bigger agenda?
Schools districts that currently or may one day offer Bible literacy classes are walking a potential tightrope.
Who would be qualified to teach such an elective course?
The Missouri bill would have instruction in a social studies setting and establish guidelines “in maintaining and accommodating the diverse religious views, traditions and perspectives and students in the school.” A student would be able to use his or her own translation of the text.
Chancey, a professor at Southern Methodist University, said that regardless of a teacher’s intent, missteps happen — which can land them in legal trouble.
He first began examining classroom curriculum for dozens of Bible classes across Texas during the 2005-06 school year, then even more in 2011-12.
Chancey said that his studies found most of the classes were problematic. Throughout his report, Chancey laid out examples of proselytization of students, teaching elements of the Bible as fact, use of pseudoscience, among other things that some teachers were practicing. Two Texas school districts dropped the classes several years ago.
Opponents see such school offerings as a Trojan horse to bring far-right Christian views into schools.
Heather Weaver, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, says it’s rare that these classes hold legal muster.
“Although they are often dressed up in neutral terms and they say these courses are not allowed to promote religion, these schools know that when it comes to implementing these courses, students are subjected to religious proselytizing and minority students are subjected to feeling excluded when these courses are offered,” she said.
State Rep. Aaron McWilliams co-sponsored North Dakota’s Bible literacy bill, which failed to advance to a final vote earlier this year.
It would have allowed students to replace any half-unit of their three required social studies credits with Bible studies. The North Dakota division of the ACLU called the bill “blatantly unconstitutional” and said school districts would likely be subject to litigation.
McWilliams told CNN he introduced the bill for his “mainly Judeo-Christian” constituency. “You can like or hate Christianity, but it’s very hard to expel the influence that it’s had on world history,” McWilliams said.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/05/07/theres-a-push-for-classes-on-the-bible-in-public-schools/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Lyft driver sexually assaulted passenger during multiple stops in Chicago
CHICAGO — A Lyft driver is accused of sexually assaulting a passenger at two separate stops in the Chicago suburbs on the same trip last week, according to WGN.
Alexander Sowa is charged with kidnapping and criminal sexual assault.
Police allege the 34-year-old picked up a woman who requested a ride using the Lyft app about 6:45 a.m. Thursday. She wanted to go from suburban Elk Grove to Des Plaines.
Sowa drove the passenger, who had been drinking, to a parking lot near Busse Road and Oakton Avenue in Elk Grove, where he sexually assaulted her, police said.
Sowa then drove around before taking the woman to a parking garage in the first block of South Emerson Street in Mount Prospect, where he sexually assaulted her again, according to authorities. Police said the woman was able to escape and find someone to call 911.
Lyft released the following statement: “Safety is our top priority. The behavior described is deeply disturbing and absolutely unacceptable. Immediately upon becoming aware of the allegations we permanently banned the driver from the Lyft community and reached out to the passenger to express our support. We have been in touch with law enforcement to offer our assistance with their investigation.”
Detectives from Mount Prospect and Elk Grove investigated the case.
Sowa was arrested Thursday. Bond was set at $10,000 at a weekend hearing. He will next appear in court Tuesday.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Utah teens in polygamous group travel to Colorado to marry their cousins
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A woman who says she was pushed to marry her cousin when she was a teenager is now trying to raise awareness about the marriage laws in Colorado.
Shanell DeRieux was born and raised in a polygamist group.
“I got married to a cousin at 18 years old,” DeRieux told KDVR.
On July 3, 2008, DeRieux and two of her younger half-sisters drove to Grand Junction with their cousins and parents to become legally married.
“Out of me and my sisters, I was the only one who was 18. The other two were 16,” DeRieux said. The grooms were 22.
They all belonged to the Davis County Cooperative Society also known as the Kingston Group. They left their homes in the Salt Lake area and crossed the border into Colorado to marry their cousins at the Mesa County Courthouse.
“We took a trip in a 15-passenger van. We took a trip to get married,” DeRieux said.
It’s illegal to marry a cousin in Utah unless one is over the age of child bearing years or 55 years of age. Colorado is one of 19 states where it is legal to marry one’s first cousin.
“We walked into the courthouse, filled out the paperwork and basically walked out with our marriage licenses,” said DeRieux, who said she is a former member of the sect.
Colorado does not require an official ceremony to marry.
DeRieux’s father, John Kingston, signed as a witness to the weddings. Three of his wives, mothers to the newlyweds, also made the trip. The parents of the 16-year-olds filled out papers for the marriage licenses.
“I didn’t choose to get married, I was pushed,” DeRieux told KDVR last month.
DeRieux now stars with two of her sisters in “Escaping Polygamy” on Lifetime network. She left her cousin who became her husband and has since happily re-married.
“I personally don’t think first cousins should be married,” DeRieux said.
The former Davis County Cooperative Society member is speaking out to raise awareness.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t even tell you how many of my cousins have married cousins,” DeRieux said.
She said her wedding day marked the beginning of an abusive relationship.
“The reason they pursue a license is to make it harder, specifically, to leave.” DeRieux said.
The former polygamist told KDVR the Kingston Group uses marriage to control women in the society. DeRieux explained that men can go outside the group to marry, but women cannot.
KDVR wanted to know how often Utah teens travel to Mesa County to marry, so the station reviewed hundreds of marriage licenses and consulted with The Salt Lake Tribune.
Actual statistics of cousin marriages are not available since the state does not track marriages between cousins nor release marriage documents.
Marriage applications only ask if couples are related and there are no consequences for lying since marrying your first cousin is legal in Colorado.
Salt Lake Tribune reporter Nate Carlisle has covered polygamy for five years and has researched teen marriage between Utah couples in Colorado.
“When you go through the marriage records enough, you see some common last names,” Carlisle said.
KDVR found seven marriage licenses between April 2018 and thus far this year between couples from the Salt Lake area.
Colorado marriage license between Utah cousins
Carlisle also identified several cousin marriages taking place in Colorado over the last 20 years.
“I was a little surprised not just cousin marriage is still legal in Colorado, but that it has created a small industry of people traveling to Colorado,” Carlisle said.
Carlisle told us even though he’s uncovered several cousin marriages, he found nothing illegal.
“At least a half-dozen times a year, there are kids traveling to Grand Junction, Colorado to marry their cousins,” Carlisle said.
Colorado is the closest state to Utah that allows cousin marriages.
KDVRT tried reaching out to the Kingston Group without success.
The sect’s spokesman Kent Johnson had previously told The Salt Lake Tribune, “The DCCS reaffirms that each individual has their free agency to choose whom and when they will marry. They should refrain from this decision until they can be well-informed to make a mature and thoughtful decision before entering into marriage.”
Long-time Mesa County Clerk and current treasurer Sheila Reiner said they uphold the state statue.
“We are following the law. It doesn’t mean we are condoning anything,” Reiner said.
Reiner also doesn’t think government can tell people who they can and cannot love.
“I think we live in a free country,” Reiner said,
Colorado lawmakers did not debate cousin marriages, but they did recently approve changes to teen marriage laws. Gov. Jared Polis is expected to sign legislation banning marriage under the age of 15. The bill also requires a judge’s approval for marriage of 16- and 17-year-old teenagers.
Utah lawmakers raised the state’s minimum marriage age to 16 in March.
“Escaping Polygamy” follows its stars, DeRieux, Andrea Brewer and Jessica Christensen, as they help rescue members of fundamentalist Mormon sects in Utah and elsewhere.
Photo Credit: pix11.com