Florida Woman Pulls Alligator Out of Pants During Traffic Stop; 41 Turtles Found in Vehicle
Florida wildlife officials are investigating on Monday after a woman pulled an alligator out of her pants during a traffic stop, authorities said.
The woman was a passenger in a pickup truck that was pulled over around 3:15 a.m. in Punta Gorda after allegedly blowing past a stop sign, according to television station WBBH in Fort Myers, Florida.
While talking to deputies, the 22-year-old driver explained that he and the passenger had been out trying to collect frogs and snakes in the area, the station reported, citing an incident report.
Deputies then asked to check on the wildlife they collected to ensure it was legal.
The two were found to have 41 three-stripe turtles in her car, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.
When pressed by law enforcement personnel whether she had “anything else,” the woman pulled out the small alligator from her pants, the Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page, posting a photo of the reptile.
The incident is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities did not identify the woman or the man; it was not immediately clear whether either or both would face any charges.
No additional information has been released.
Photo Credit: ktla.com/Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office /facebook
Calabasas Man Held on $3.6 Million Bail After Being Accused of Sexually Abusing 2 Stepdaughters Over 13-Year Period
A Calabasas man suspected of physically and sexually abusing his two stepdaughters over a period of 13 years has been arrested, authorities said Monday.
Micah Lanere Smith, 41, was arrested in Camarillo Sunday on suspicion of eight counts of lewd acts upon a child following a monthslong investigation, according to a news release from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. His bail has been set at $13.6 million
Smith’s arrest came more than two months after one of the stepdaughters contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and reported being abused, which sparked the inquiry.
Now an adult, the woman told investigators on February 15 that she had been molested by her stepfather between the ages of 9 and 18, the release stated.
L.A. County sheriff’s officials determined the allege abuse took place in Ventura County and sent a report on to the county Sheriff’s Office.
During the course of the investigation, the Thousand Oaks Police Department — which received the L.A. County report — learned that the woman’s sister had reported a similar incident back in 2014. Ultimately, she told detectives she did not want them to investigate, according to the release.
One of the stepdaughters lives in Lancaster, while the other resides in Oklahoma. Detectives conducted numerous interviews in both locations, where they determined the two had been physically and sexually abused over a span of 13 years.
Both stepdaughters were 9 when the alleged abuse began. Authorities did not disclose their current ages.
After his arrest, Smith was booked at the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility. His bail was increased to $3.6 million “due to the nature of the crime,” officials said in the release.
Smith is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.
Photo Credit: ktla.com/Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Florida couple has lost custody of their cancer-stricken 3-year-old son because they opted to treat him with marijuana-infused oil instead of chemotherapy
Noah McAdams’ parents skipped his chemo appointment last Monday after deciding to use natural remedies for his acute lymphoblastic leukemia, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
The parents, Joshua McAdams and Taylor Bland-Ball, claimed their son hadn’t responded well to chemotherapy after being diagnosed with cancer last month.
“He had vicious mood swings making him violent, making him very emotional,” his mother told news station KTRK. “He also started to lose his hair right away after the first treatment.”
So the parents pulled the plug on the chemo sessions — prompting authorities to issue an endangered child alert when the family didn’t show up for last week’s appointment.
The family was quickly tracked down in Kentucky, and the boy was returned to a Tampa-area hospital, officials said.
A Hillsborough County judge ruled Thursday that Noah will go home with his maternal grandparents as his parents wage a legal battle to seek alternative treatments.
The parents testified that they began giving their son CBD oils, fresh foods and clean alkaline water in a bid to help him, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
“This is not about whether we’re choosing alternative therapies, natural therapies,” Bland-Ball told KTRK. “This is about our rights as parents to seek other options.”
Authorities said an investigation was also launched to determine whether the couple will face child neglect charges.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/06/parents-lose-custody-of-son-after-stopping-chemo/
Photo Credit: nypost.com/facebook
Man freed from prison for rape after 30 years faces new rape charge
A Massachusetts man who spent roughly 30 years in prison for rape before being freed in 2016 is facing new charges in connection with a January sex assault, authorities said.
George Perrot, 51, was arraigned Monday in Salem Superior Court on charges of rape, assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and open and gross lewdness after police said he was found unconscious on top of a partially naked woman who was also unconscious.
Perrot allegedly raped the woman orally and charged at a police officer when the cop woke him up, Essex County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Carrie Kimball said.
The victim, who was revived after being given Narcan, said Perrot offered her drugs during the Jan. 4 encounter in Lawrence but did not remember anything after that. She was not dating Perrot and did not consent to sexual contact, Kimball said.
Perrot, who has been held without bail since his arrest, was later arraigned in Lawrence District Court. A judge on Monday ordered him to remain held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for June 10. He has pleaded not guilty, Kimball said.
Perrot, according to the Boston Globe, became a “symbol for criminal justice reform advocates” after his release in 2016 based on flawed testimony about microscopic hair evidence. He was convicted in 1987 and sentenced to life in prison for raping a 78-year-old woman in her Springfield home two years earlier when he was 17.
Perrot was then granted a new trial in 1990 after a court ruled that prosecutors improperly presented evidence during his trial, The Republican reported. Two years later, he was convicted a second time and was again sentenced to life in prison.
But he was later released on bail in 2016 after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that testimony during that second trial “exceeded the foundational science” of hair analysis, according to The Republican. The guilty verdict was overturned and a third trial was ordered, but prosecutors decided against it since the victim had died and other factors.
Perrot’s release at the time was lauded by criminal justice reform advocates, including those at The Innocence Project and the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism and Brandeis University, according to The Republican.
In the latest accusation against Perrot, officers suspect he gave the victim heroin and asked her to snort it. The woman knew Perrot, but was not romantically involved with him, the Globe reports.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, meanwhile, said in a statement that prosecutors still maintain that Perrot was guilty as originally charged in the 1985 rape.
“We have and do continue to maintain the position that George Perrot committed several heinous offenses of elderly female victims,” the statement read. “Regrettably, there is another victim who has now allegedly suffered at his hands three decades later.”
A message seeking comment from Perrot’s attorney, Tom Torrisi, was not immediately returned.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/06/man-freed-from-prison-after-30-years-faces-new-rape-charge/
Photo Credit: nypost.com/AP
Teen won’t survive after trying viral ‘choking game’: mom
A heartbroken mother in Indiana is preparing for the death of her teenage son after he was gravely injured while replicating a “choking game” that he saw on social media, she said Sunday.
Joann Jackson Bogard, of Evansville, said something went “horribly wrong” when her son, Mason, tried to temporarily asphyxiate himself late Wednesday after seeing the practice of self-strangulation or assisted strangulation online.
“The challenge is based on the idea that you choke yourself to the point of almost passing out and then stop,” Bogard wrote in a Facebook post Sunday. “It’s supposed to create a type of high. Unfortunately, it has taken the lives of many young people too early and it will take our precious Mason.”
Bogard thanked doctors at Deaconess Hospital for doing everything they could to save her son, who was critically injured. The family is now preparing to donate the teen’s organs, she said.
“While we are devastated that we will never experience so many things with Mason again, we are able to find some comfort in the fact that Mason will save the lives of others,” Bogard’s post continued. “He would have wanted it this way. He was an extremely generous young man.”
Bogard also warned other parents to monitor what their children view on social media, despite concerns that they may be a bit overprotective.
“Unfortunately, we will not have the opportunity to experience so many things with our child because of a stupid challenge on social media,” Bogard wrote.
Bogard could not be reached for comment Monday. In a subsequent post late Sunday, Bogard said Mason still had fluid in his lungs.
“Please pray that he continues to improve his lung function to give his recipient the best lungs possible,” the post read. “He has already surpassed expectations and is almost there. He is still showing us how strong he is!”
A message seeking comment from Evansville police was not immediately returned.
Eighty-two children between ages 6 and 19 died after playing the so-called choking game between 1995 and 2007, according to the Evansville Courier & Press, citing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report with the agency’s most recent statistics.
Seventy-one of the victims were male and the average age was just over 13, according to the 2008 report, which noted that serious neurological injury or death can result if strangulation is prolonged.
The earliest known death due to the stunt took place in 1995, with three or fewer deaths following in each year between 1995 and 2004. A total of 22 deaths were recorded in 2005, followed by 35 fatalities in 2006, according to the CDC report.
And among the 42 deaths in which sufficient details were reported, 92 percent of the victim’s parents said they didn’t know about the choking game until their child died, the report found.
“Hug your children, tell them you love them,” Bogard’s initial post concluded. “Enjoy every moment and let the little issues go.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/06/teen-wont-survive-after-trying-viral-choking-game-mom/
Photo Credit: nypost.com/facebook
8th grade football phenom recently featured in Sports Illustrated is shot to death in Venice
VENICE • Jaylon McKenzie, an eighth grader at Mason-Clark Middle School in East St. Louis who was featured in Sports Illustrated as one of six young athletes who would rule the future of sports, was shot to death at a party Saturday night, police said.
A 15-year-old girl was also critically wounded in the incident, police said.
At 14, Jaylon had drawn the attention of college football coaches and had told his family that his goal was ultimately to be taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Jaylon had made announcements on social media after getting his first verbal scholarship offer in December from the University of Missouri and about a week ago from the University of Illinois. He had just visited the University of Southern California during a trip with his club team.
His mother, Sukeena Gunner of Belleville, said witnesses to the shooting told her Jaylon was hit by a stray bullet after a fight broke out at a party.
“It’s so hard to fathom that someone took my baby from me because he dreamed so big,” Gunner said, fighting back tears. “I can just remember him coming into my room and telling my husband to call his name. ‘We have a 5-6 running back, Jayyyyy-lonnnn MacKenzieeee.’ And he would run into the room after his name was called.”
Illinois State Police said the shooting occurred in the 600 block of Third Street in Venice about 11:40 p.m. Several area police officers, including troopers from District 11, responded to a report of a disturbance and shots fired at a party. They found Jaylon and the other teen with serious wounds and tried to save their lives. Jaylon died shortly after arriving at a hospital, according to a news release. The girl was in critical condition at a hospital.
A harrowing Facebook Live video taken by a young woman at the scene showed that gunshots were still being fired even after police arrived and were tending to victims.
No arrests have been made. Anyone who witnessed the shooting was asked to call Illinois State Police Investigations Case Agent Scott Wobbe at 618-381-1467.
Gunner said her son had been to his school’s eighth grade dance earlier that night. She picked him up about 8 p.m.; he changed clothes and went back out with friends about 9. They ended up at another school’s post-prom party in Venice.
A little before midnight, she said, she heard one of Jaylon’s friends was trying to get in touch with her. She called her son’s phone and one of his friends answered “and told me he had been shot.”
The East St. Louis school district said crisis teams would be at school in coming days to counsel and support students.
In November, Jaylon was one of six teens featured in the Sports Illustrated feature “Six teens who will rule the future in sports.”
According to Sports Illustrated, Jaylon — who played running back, receiver and defensive back — drew national attention in August when he caught five passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns to help his youth football team to a victory at the NFL’s 8th Grade All-American Game in Canton, Ohio.
As a seventh grader, Jaylon rushed for 1,546 yards and 21 touchdowns for his team, the East St. Louis Jr. Flyers.
Jaylon was also a terrific basketball player, according to Al Lewis, who coached Jaylon for four years on his AAU team, the Southwest Illinois Jets.
“I remember talking with his father and saying he was going to have a decision to make between basketball and football because he was so great at both of them,” Lewis said. “He had speed and power, could finish at the rim over pretty much anybody, and he was one of the best defenders I have ever seen at his age level.”
Gunner said her son’s goal was to be drafted in the National Football League in the first round. “He wanted to attend a Division I university, no specific one, but he was excited about the offers coming in. A few coaches were in last week. LSU was watching him, Western Michigan were in town and got a chance to see him practice.”
Although he lived in Belleville, the family made the decision for him to transfer into East St. Louis this year, where Gunner works in the district. East St. Louis High School is in the family’s blood — Gunner and her husband, Otis Gunner, were standout athletes there. She played volleyball and he played football.
“He wanted to walk across the stage to accept his contract in the NFL,” his mother said. “He told me, ‘We’re going to make it, mama; we’re going to be good, mama.’ That was his dream. And I believe it would have come true if someone had not taken my baby away from me.”
Editor’s note: The link to the Sports Illustrated article has been updated.
Photo Credit: kmov.com/the family of Jaylon McKenzie
St. John woman charged in baby’s death after leaving children alone for five hours
ST. LOUIS COUNTY • A St. John woman left three young children alone for several hours and came home to find her 4-month-old son dead, prosecutors say.
Blessing Barlee, 21, was charged Friday with three felonies: endangering the welfare of a child resulting in the death of the child and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child creating a substantial risk.
St. John Police Capt. Bob Connell on Monday told the Post-Dispatch that the cause of death for 4-month-old Micah Lee Stringfellow hasn’t been determined. Investigators plan to meet with the medical examiner’s office in the coming days. Connell said there was no obvious sign of trauma to the infant.
Barlee left three children alone for five hours from last Wednesday night into Thursday morning, resulting in the death of Micah, charges say.
A tow truck driver is the one who called 911, Connell said. The tow truck driver had just dropped Barlee off at her home in the 3600 block of McKibbon Road early Thursday when Barlee ran back outside with the child in her arms, Connell said.
The baby was unresponsive and not breathing when police got to the home. A St. John police officer performed CPR on Micah, who was taken by ambulance to DePaul Hospital, but the child was pronounced dead.
Barlee’s 1-year-old child also was left in the home alone. The oldest child of the three left alone is a 4-year-old who is not Barlee’s biological child.
Connell said he doesn’t know where Barlee was for the five hours. “She’s changed her story several times,” he said.
Photo Credit: stltoday.com
Metro East St. Louis man unintentionally ran over and killed wife in driveway after night out, DUI charge says
ST. CLAIR COUNTY • A Metro East man unintentionally ran over and killed his wife as she lay in the driveway of their home after a night out, authorities say.
Jonathan E. Whitwell, 36, was charged Sunday with felony aggravated DUI resulting in death after allegedly running over his wife, Stephanie M. Whitwell.
The couple were dropped off at their home in the 5800 block of Concordia Church Road after going out Friday night, according to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office. The home is in a rural area southwest of Belleville.
The department believes Stephanie Whitwell lay down in the driveway while her husband went in the house.
Confused when he couldn’t find his wife, Whitwell was intoxicated but got in his 2004 GMC pickup to look for her, according to the sheriff’s office. When he backed out of the driveway he missed his wife, but when he returned, he drove over her, the department said.
Deputies were called to the scene just after midnight and found Stephanie Whitwell unconscious on the driveway with severe injuries. She was transported to Memorial Hospital in Belleville, where she died.
Jonathan Whitwell was taken into custody and was charged Sunday. Other charges, including reckless homicide, are possible, pending lab results and presentation to a grand jury, according to the sheriff’s office.
Jonathan Whitwell’s bond was set at $50,000. He was released Monday after posting bond.
Whitwell has no criminal record, according to the sheriff’s office.
Photo Credit: stltoday.com
‘LGBT’ sandwich causes controversy: ‘Using an entire community for publicity and profit’
Article via FOXNews
A U.K. retail chain is getting toasted roasted on social media over a controversial sandwich.
In celebration of Pride festivities in the U.K., Marks and Spencer recently began offering its “LGBT” sandwich — a guacamole-inclusive twist on a BLT — complete with packaging decorated with the colors of the rainbow flag.
But despite praise from some within the LGBTQI+ communities, the item raised more than a few eyebrows on Twitter, with some accusing the retailer of marginalizing the community and culture.
“Shame on the good folks over at @marksandspencer for turning our culture and identity into a sandwich,” one woman wrote. ”Making an absolute mockery of lgbtq people,” she added.
“I identify as #lesbian @marksandspencer[,] not a f—ing lettuce,” wrote another critic. “Why don’t you make an ethnic minority or disability sandwich while you’re at it!!”
Others, meanwhile, likened Marks and Spencer’s marketing move as “propaganda” or an attempt to profit off the LGBTQ community.
“Good Morning Britain” host Piers Morgan also called the idea “truly pathetic on Twitter,” writing, “Is there no cynical virtue-signalling depth struggling companies won’t now plunge to make a profit?”
A representative for Marks and Spencer did not comment on the response to its sandwiches, but the retailer has released a statement detailing the charitable contributions Marks and Spencer is making in honor of Pride.
“M&S has an amazing LGBTQ+ colleague network and with them we’ll be celebrating Pride 2019. For the second year running, we have created a sandwich as part of the celebrations and have received great feedback from both colleagues and customers,” a spokesperson confirmed in a statement obtained by Fox News.
“Alongside this, we’re also donating £10,000 to [The Albert Kennedy Trust,] the national LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness charity.”
A statement obtained by The Sun also confirmed the chain would be donating 1,000 Euro to BeLonG To Youth Services, a charity supporting LGBTQ youth in Ireland.
Despite the controversy, the sandwich has its supporters within the LGBTQ community.
“It’s a shame I can’t eat the M&S #LGBTSandwich but I’m really glad such a famous corporate company is on our side,” one wrote.
“Yes it’s just a sandwich, but it goes a long way to [normalizing] being LGBT doesn’t it? Seeing something that supports you on every shelf in a massive shop. no?” added another.
“They do loads for LGBT communities internally within their business and through external support including the funds this raises… easy to [criticize] brands for ‘rainbow washing’ but by god I’d have f—ing killed for my mum to have to see an LGBT sandwich when I was growing up,” another user added.
FBI honors country singer Dolly Parton
Article via WLOS
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Country singer Dolly Parton is adding another major honor to her already ‘bedazzled’ list of lifetime achievements. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has recognized Parton as a distinguished community leader.
The award honors Parton’s ‘Dollywood Foundation’, which donated a total of $9 Million dollars to victims of the Gatlinburg, Tennessee wildfires in 2016 through the “My People Fund.”
Parton couldn’t attend the award ceremony at the FBI headquarters in person. But the singer sent a video message thanking and praising the bureau.
“So many thanks again, and remember that [sings] I will always love you!”