School janitor allegedly sent love letters to 7-year-old student
SHIRLEY, N.Y. — An elementary school janitor is accused of sending love letters to a 7-year-old student.
The 18-year-old janitor was arrested and faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child.
Police say the janitor, who is employed at John S. Hobart Elementary School in Shirley, engaged in a face-to-face conversation with a 7-year-old girl on Oct. 3.
He inquired about her access to the internet and electronic means of communication and gave the girl his number, telling her to contact him, according to police.
Further investigation revealed he had left notes of adoration in the student’s desk prior to the in-person conversation.
The man, whose identity was not released, was arrested at the school Friday morning.
Police are asking anyone who may have experienced a similar incident to call Seventh Precinct Crime Section at 631-852-8726.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/10/05/school-janitor-allegedly-sent-love-letters-to-7-year-old-student/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Remember Tide pods? Now we have Scotch pods
It’s not every day that a liquor company imitates a detergent manufacturer. But anyone who’s bought a Tide pod for the laundry will recognize the origins of the so-called Scotch pod, “glassless cocktails” for drinkers who can’t be bothered to pour.
“No ice. No stirrer. No glass. We’re redefining how whisky can be enjoyed … #noglassrequired,” The Glenlivet tweeted as part of its “Capsule Collection” roll-out, timed with London’s Cocktail Week.
People have been enjoying Scotch whisky for hundreds of years, usually in a glass and often on the rocks, of course.
Now, The Glenlivet boasts that it is changing the way the hard alcohol is consumed.
“A first of its kind for a spirit brand, the edible capsules are 23ml in size, fully biodegradable and provide the perfect flavour-explosion experience,” read the Scottish brand’s promotional materials. “Enjoying them is simple, the capsules are popped in the mouth for an instant burst of flavour, and the capsule is simply swallowed.”
Judging from Twitter posts, some whisky-lovers, however, aren’t so thrilled.
“Ummm, whisky cocktails are for sipping & savouring, not exploding in your mouth all in one go,” wrote Susie Mac.
“Jello shots. You reinvented jello shots,” tweeted Jodran Weissmann.
“Just put it in an IV bag. Let’s get to the inevitable conclusion,” writer Roxane Gay added.
The limited-production pods are being served as an amuse-bouche during London’s celebration of cocktail innovations, which run through October 13.
That limited availability ought to keep most people from confusing them with laundry detergent.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/remember-tide-pods-now-scotch-142330020.html
Photo Credit: Glenlivet / Glenlivet
Mom charged with trading her 2-year-old child for an old Plymouth
A North Carolina mother was charged with exchanging her 2-year-old child for an old Plymouth coupe, according to a report.
Alice Leann Todd, 45, allegedly carried out the unthinkable swap for a 1992 Plymouth Laser last year with a couple from North Carolina, who were also arrested, according to NBC News.
Authorities only learned of the ghastly exchange after alarms went off when Tina Marie Chavis, 47, brought the child to a hospital last July for an apparent allergic reaction.
Hospital staff saw bruises on the baby and tipped off police and child protective services, the report said.
Chavis initially claimed to police that she was the child’s biological mother. She then changed her tune, saying she was the adoptive mom, NBC reports.
But she lacked any documentation and was later arrested, along with Mendoza Romero, 53, when investigators pieced together the shocking story.
All three suspects were charged with unlawful sale, surrender or purchase of a minor. They are being held in jail on $50,000 bonds.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/10/03/mom-charged-with-trading-her-2-year-old-child-for-an-old-plymouth/
Photo Credit: autopaedia.com
12-year-old boy severely burned when friends set him ablaze for a ‘fire challenge’
A 12-year-old Michigan boy was severely burned when his friends set him ablaze as part of a so-called “fire challenge,” according to a report.
The victim’s mom, Tabatha Cleary of Dearborn Heights, said her son Jason was hospitalized for four days with second-degree burns to his chin, chest and stomach because his friends set him on fire Saturday after seeing the disturbing social media trend on YouTube, WDIV-TV reports.
“I just want everybody to know that these challenges, or whatever they’re watching on YouTube, is not worth risking your life,” Cleary told the station. “My son got [second-degree burns], and it could’ve been way worse.”
Cleary said her son at first willingly took part in the challenge — where participants set each other on fire using flammable liquids before being extinguished — but things soon took a scary turn when one of his friends continued to douse him with nail polish remover.
Cleary heard her son, who was at a nearby friend’s house in Dearborn Heights, screaming while still on fire outside the other family’s home.
“So we came running out, and that’s when his friend, Bryce, was riding him on the bike with no shirt on,” Cleary continued. “And I immediately started to freak out. I’m like, ‘Take him to the hospital! Take him to the hospital!’ ”
One of the boy’s friends swatted out the flames when they tried the challenge the first time — but that didn’t happen during a second try, the injured child said.
“They kept spraying it on me,” Jason Cleary said of the nail polish remover. “Once my dad finally opened the door and said, ‘Let’s go to the hospital,’ I was in the backseat, still in much, much pain.”
A police investigation into the incident is ongoing, and child welfare workers have since visited the family’s home, WDIV said.
A message left for Dearborn Heights police was not immediately returned Friday.
Cleary, who posted a photo of her son recovering in a hospital bed Thursday, could not be reached for comment.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Vacaville Woman Posed as Teacher, Tried to Kidnap 4-Year-Old Boy Outside Elementary School
A woman was arrested after allegedly posing as a teacher and attempting to kidnap a 4-year-old boy outside an elementary school in Vacaville on Thursday, police said.
Dispatchers first received reports of a woman displaying “erratic and concerning behavior” near Cooper Elementary School around 8 a.m., according to the Vacaville Police Department.
She was apparently photographing vehicles and individuals, and even tried to open the car door of a parent who was dropping off a child at the campus, police said in a statement.
A short time later, 56-year-old Aileen Caringal is accused of approaching a 4-year-old boy while his stepfather was dropping off an older sibling at the school, according to police.
She allegedly asked the boy if he was ready to go to school, then grabbed his hand and started leading him away from campus.
The stepfather saw this and questioned her. Caringal told him she was a teacher and that the boy — who she called “Brian” — was in his class, according to the police statement.
The parent became alarmed, as that was not the boy’s name, nor was he was a student at the school. It also turned out that Caringal does not teach there, police said.
Caringal allegedly tried to get away with the boy, but only made it some 15 feet before the parent intervened and freed him from her grasp, the statement read.
She followed the pair, insisting she was his teacher and threatening to call the police chief if she wasn’t allowed to take him, authorities said.
Another adult assisted by bringing the children to the school’s office while the stepfather waited for police.
Caringal then ran to her home nearby, where officers took her into custody.
She was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and trespassing on a school campus while interfering with children, according to the statement.
Caringal is being held on $250,000 bail, inmate records showed.
Photo Credit: Vacaville Police
Florida mother tells children to take off seat belts before purposefully crashing van
FLORIDA — A Florida woman is facing attempted murder charges after police say she told her four children to unbuckle their seat belts and then purposefully drove a minivan into a tree yesterday.
Calicia Williams and the children, who are between 7 and 13 years old, were all injured in the crash, Ocala police said in a release.
Williams was speeding and told the children to take off their seat belts and stretch out their hands before the crash, according to the release.
“The devil can’t hurt you, he only hurts bad people,” Williams said just before the crash, according to the police report, which cited a witness whose name was redacted. “You have the light of Jesus in you and only Jesus can cure us,” according to the police report.
Williams was standing outside of the van when police arrived. She told an officer that her husband had put a hex on her and caused her to crash, and she “kept rambling on about spells and voodoo,” according to the police report.
Williams also told police that she had “marijuana in her system,” the report said.
“(D)ue to tire and furrow marks in the median it appeared the Pontiac was steering directly toward the tree that was struck,” the investigator at the site reported, according to the release.
Williams and the four children were transported to local hospitals. The children are in stable condition, a police spokesperson told CNN.
The children’s injuries were not life-threatening, CNN affiliate WKMG reported, citing Ocala police spokeswoman Corie Byrd.
Williams was arrested and charged with four counts of attempted murder. She will be taken into custody when she is released from the hospital.
CNN wasn’t able to determine if Williams has an attorney.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
A man who traveled from Norway to Florida to surprise his father-in-law accidentally shot dead by him instead
A man who traveled from Norway to Florida to surprise his father-in-law for his birthday was mistakenly killed by him after he leapt out of the bushes and startled him.
Christopher Bergan, 37, arrived at the home of Richard Dennis, 61, on Tuesday evening and began banging on his front door.
Dennis, unsure who was outside, ran the person off, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said in a press conference. But, just a few hours later at 11:30 p.m., the banging started again — this time at the back door, Johnson said.
Dennis turned on the back door light and stepped out.
That’s when 37-year-old son-in-law Bergan, fresh off a flight from his native Norway, jumped out of the shadows, scaring Dennis. He fired a shot, striking Bergan in the heart and killing him instantly, Johnson said.
“Investigation has revealed that this was totally accidental,” Johnson said. “It was a really sad occurrence.”
No charges are warranted in this case, Johnson said.
“Anybody who’s religious out there, you need to pray for this family, because I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” he said.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
A Florida woman made two dozen pipe bombs, intended to hurt people
A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly making two dozen pipe bombs with the intent of using them to hurt people, the Hillsborough County Sheriff said Friday.
Michelle Kolts, 27, faces 24 counts of making a destructive device with intent to harm, Sheriff Chad Chronister told reporters in a news conference.
It was Kolts’ parents who notified deputies Thursday evening after they discovered “what appeared to be a significant amount of pipe bombs, other bomb-making materials and numerous weapons” in her bedroom, Chronister said.
A bomb squad responded and rendered the home safe, the sheriff said. Investigators also found smokeless pistol powder, 23 knives, nunchuks and “dozens of books and DVDs about murder, mass killing, domestic terrorism and bomb making,” Chronister said.
Kolts had allegedly displayed an “infatuation” with mass killings like the Columbine shooting and the Oklahoma City bombing in the past, he said.
The sheriff commended Kolts’ parents for calling authorities.
“Her parents did exactly what we ask people to do: If you see something suspicious, please say something,” Chronister said.
It was not immediately clear if Kolts was represented by an attorney.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Florida man oversleeps for jury duty, sentenced to 10 days in jail
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Deandre Somerville, 21, learned the hard way, why you can’t miss jury duty.
“After going through that, my life will never be the same again,” he said.
In August, he was sworn in as a juror on a civil case. He understood he was to return the next day for the continuation of the trial, but he overslept.
“I woke up and I was like, ‘Oh shoot, it’s past the time,’” said Somerville.
Mistake number two: he didn’t call the jury office to let them know what was going on. Days later, he was served with a subpoena to go before the judge.
“I talked to my grandad for a while and he said the best thing you can always do is honesty, so I went for the hearing,” said Somerville.
Somerville lives with his grandparents and helps look after his grandfather by taking him to therapy.
“My grandma was saying, ‘I think you should dress up,’ and I said, ‘Nah, I’m going to wear my work clothes cause I felt like at least he can see that I’m doing something, cause a lot of times people get stereotyped ‘oh he’s just another black boy out here doing something he’s not supposed to be doing,’” said Somerville.
But the 21-year-old man could not imagine what was coming next. The judge asked him to explain why he did not show up to court when he was supposed to.
“I said, ‘Sir, honestly I overslept and I didn’t understand the seriousness of this.’ He asked me if I had a criminal record. I said, ‘Sir, I’ve never been arrested,’” added Somerville.
Court transcripts show Somerville apologized, but the judge sentenced him to 10 days in jail. Somerville said all he could think about was his grandfather.
“Like he depends on me, so it’s hard for him,” said Somerville.
Fifteenth Circuit Civil Judge John Kastrenakes’ order said Somerville’s failure to appear delayed the trial by 45 minutes. The court also tried to reach him and could not.
WPTV’s criminal analyst Michelle Suskauer said these cases are not common.
“This is going to show others you have to take this very seriously, but this 21-year-old with no prior record now has a misdemeanor conviction,” said Suskauer. “Could there have been other alternatives to be more instructive and less punitive? It’s possible.”
Somerville served 10 days in jail, is on probation for a year and has to complete 150 hours of community service as well as write a letter of apology. He said he wants to apologize to the parties from the civil case that were delayed because of him.
“It hurts, but it’s a lesson learned. It could have been worse. He could have given me 365 days in jail,” added Somerville.
The judge’s order found, based on Somerville’s explanation, there was no good reason to explain why he didn’t appear in court. We reached out to Judge Kastrenakis’ for more information. Judge Kastrenakis said he cannot comment because the case is still pending.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/10/04/floria-man-oversleeps-for-jury-duty-sentenced-to-10-days-in-jail/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
