Cleveland cop pleads guilty to urinating on 12-year-old girl at school bus stop
A Cleveland cop who urinated on a 12-year-old girl in a revolting attack at a school bus stop has pleaded guilty, according to reports.
Officer Solomon Nhiwatiwa, 34, copped to three felonies and one misdemeanor in the Aug. 16 attack at a bus stop in Euclid, where the off-duty cop initially asked the victim if she needed a ride, WEWS-TV reported.
The girl refused the offer, prompting Nhiwatiwa to drive off, only to return a minute later. He then exposed himself to the young girl before recording himself urinating on her, prosecutors said.
“There’s reports that come across my desk that just leave me shaking my head,” prosecutor Michael O’Malley told the station. “Certainly this is one that I will never forget because you just cannot believe anyone — let alone a law enforcement officer — could engage in this type of activity.”
As part of his plea on Monday, Nhiwatiwa agreed to give up his police officer certification and will have to register as a sex offender for the next 15 years. He faces up to 7½ years at his sentencing on Jan. 21, Cleveland.com reported.
Nhiwatiwa’s trial had been set to start Monday. Prosecutors dropped charges of assault, interfering with custody and public indecency as part of his guilty plea, the website reported.
“You wonder how this individual slid through the cracks,” O’Malley said in reference to Nhiwatiwa passing psychological testing to become a cop. “Hopefully we can improve the testing in law enforcement so that individuals like this never put on a badge again.”
Detectives are also still trying to access Nhiwatiwa’s cellphone, but have not been able to enter its security code to review the videos and photos it contains, prosecutors said.
Nhiwatiwa, a five-year department veteran, will remain on unpaid administrative suspension until he’s sentenced. He will likely later be fired after an internal review, Cleveland police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia told The Post.
Photo Credit: News 5 Cleveland
Cop admits to forcing homeless man to lick urinal to avoid arrest
A police officer in Hawaii admitted in court this week that he forced a homeless man to lick a urinal to avoid being arrested.
The Honolulu officer, John Rabago, pleaded guilty on Monday to depriving the homeless man of his civil rights for the sick order in the bathroom of a shopping mall on Jan. 28, 2018.
Rabago and another officer responded to a nuisance complaint at the rest room and found the man, identified as S.I. in court papers.
The 37-year-old homeless man told the cops he would do “anything” to avoid getting arrested.
“If you lick the urinal you won’t get arrested,” Rabago told the man.
Rabago and the other cop, Reginald Ramones, were arrested and charged with depriving him of his civil rights earlier this year.
Ramones, who resigned from the department after his arrest, pleaded guilty in September to a charge that he knew Rabago violated the homeless man’s civil rights, but didn’t inform anyone about it.
Rabago is on restrictive duty and is expected to be fired from the department. He faces up to 30 months in prison.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/12/17/cop-admits-to-forcing-homeless-man-to-lick-urinal-to-avoid-arrest/
Photo Credit: Hawaii News Now via AP
Missouri church leader tried to pay for sex on Grindr with Arby’s card
He tried to lure beefcakes with “the meats.”
A Missouri church leader allegedly tried to pay for sex on the gay hookup app Grindr — with an Arby’s card, according to a report.
Using the handle “DILF,” Barry Cole Poyner, 57, allegedly tried to bed hot college-age guys by offering to pay for gas, clothes and roast beef sandwiches, police told the Kirksville Daily Express.
The Church of Christ elder — who is also a professor at nearby Truman State University — was busted after a student reported him and a cop went undercover on the app, according to the paper.
Poyner allegedly sent the officer a message saying he “would love to have a sugar daddy relationship” —then offered to fill up his gas tank in exchange for sexual favors on Dec. 3, according to the paper. If the younger guy was willing, Poyner said, he “might throw in an Arby’s card LOL.”
Instead, Poyner was greeted by officers at the gas station, where he tried to flee, according to the paper.
When he was pulled over a few blocks away, he allegedly told police he “was not doing anything with a minor” and was only “trying to help” by offering gifts to men on the app.
He was charged with patronizing prostitution and faces up to six months behind bars.
Truman State has since suspended Poyner. It wasn’t immediately clear if he was still in his leadership role at the Church of Christ, which has made homophobic comments in the past.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/12/18/missouri-church-leader-tried-to-pay-for-sex-on-grindr-with-arbys-card/
Photo Credit: Truman State University
NJ man found guilty of killing new immigrant at ‘point blank range’ in Newark
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NEWARK, NJ — A 27-year-old man was found guilty of murdering a new immigrant in Newark, officials said Tuesday.
Victim Rasheed “O.J.” Olabode was out with friends running errands on April 26, 2018 and had to go to the bathroom, prosecutors said. There were no bathrooms nearby, so he jumped out of the car and urinated in the street. Poole, apparently angry at what he saw, got a gun from his home.
“The victim did not know the defendant but shot him at point blank range in cold blood as he begged for his life, all because the victim urinated on the defendant’s block; It’s hard to imagine a more senseless murder,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Jason Goldberg.
Olabode was shot in the chest. He was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Poole was found guilty of murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
He’s set to be sentenced on Jan. 31. Poole, who has four prior felony convictions, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Kidnapping of teenager in The Bronx was staged, law enforcement source says
The kidnapping of a 16-year-old girl in The Bronx on Monday night was staged, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.
The teenager, Karol Sanchez, knew at least one of the people involved in the kidnapping, the source added, but the source could not provide further details or a motive.
Karol was walking with her mother along Eagle Avenue near East 156th Street around 11:20 p.m. when the pair was approached by a beige four-door sedan, the New York Police Department said.
The car stopped, two men got out and they grabbed the teenager, police said. They dragged her inside the car and pushed her mother to the ground, the NYPD said.
The mother, 36, was left at the scene and was not injured.
Karol was found Tuesday after she walked to the address that she and her mother were initially going to Monday night, according to another law enforcement source. Police were called, picked her up and were questioning her Tuesday evening, that source said.
The NYPD’s 40th Precinct cheered Karol’s return when the news was announced Tuesday.
“WE HAVE A VICTORY TODAY !! Karol has been found !!! Thank you to all who have worked very hard to track down the people involved in this case !!!” the precinct said on Twitter.
Video taken by CNN affiliate WPIX showed Karol hugging family members as they are reunited Tuesday afternoon.
An Amber Alert sent to New York City residents at about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday was related to her kidnapping, New York State Police Trooper Patrick Quinlan told CNN.
“The child was taken under circumstances that lead us to believe she may be in imminent danger of bodily harm and/or death,” he said.
CNN’s Brynn Gingras contributed to this report.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/16-old-girl-kidnapped-while-164551127.html
Photo Credit: currently.att.yahoo.com
Fashion Nova used infested LA factories that reportedly underpaid workers
Underpaid workers in dingy Los Angeles factories have been used to churn out clothes for Fashion Nova, the trendy fast-fashion brand favored by celebrities like Cardi B, a new report said.
In a four-year period, Fashion Nova’s garments were found in 50 US Department of Labor probes of factories that pay less than the federal minimum wage or don’t pay overtime, according to a Monday exposé in The New York Times.
While Fashion Nova does not work with factories directly, its clothes have been made in sweatshops that paid sewers as little as $2.77 an hour and owed workers $3.8 million in back wages, the paper reported, citing federal documents and other sources.
Fashion Nova reportedly places bulk orders with companies that ship fabrics to contractors, whose workers make some of the clothes that appear on the brand’s website and models’ Instagram pages.
Mercedes Cortes told The Times she earned $270 a week on average making Fashion Nova clothes in a factory near the brand’s offices in Vernon, California. She was reportedly paid a few cents for each piece of a shirt she sewed at the factory, which she left in 2016.
“There were cockroaches. There were rats,” Cortes, 56, told the paper. “The conditions weren’t good.”
In response to The Times’ report, Fashion Nova said it has met with the Department of Labor about its commitment to making sure the workers tied to the brand are paid fairly.
“We fully support the Department of Labor’s efforts to ensure that these independent manufacturers comply with all laws and requirements,” the company said in a statement. “Any suggestion that Fashion Nova is responsible for underpaying anyone working on our brand is categorically false.”
Fashion Nova said its more than 700 vendors have signed agreements to pay their employees and subcontractors in line with the same California laws the company follows itself. Those who break the rules will be put on probation for six months and a second violation will lead Fashion Nova to suspend all agreements with that vendor, according to the company.
Celebrities and influencers such as Cardi B, Kylie Jenner and Blac Chyna have draped themselves in clothes from Fashion Nova, which makes low-price garments with a high-fashion aesthetic.
The brand has launched a collection with the “Bodak Yellow” rapper featuring pieces ranging from $7.99 to $99.99. The feds have not found clothes from the Bronx-born rapper’s line in factories that allegedly paid below the minimum, Fashion Nova told The Times.
Fashion Nova has also caught flak for knocking off famous looks such as Jennifer Lopez’s famous low-cut Versace gown from the 2000 Grammy Awards and a risqué Thierry Mugler dress Kim Kardashian wore in February.
Photo Credit: Fashion Nova
For the First Time, 5 Top Beauty Pageants Have Crowned Black Women as Winners at Same Time
For the first time, top beauty pageants — Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, Miss America, Miss Universe and now, Miss World — have crowned black women as their winners at the same time.
And that’s a big deal if you know pageant history.
Beauty pageants early in their histories, some dating back to the 1920s, barred women of color from participating. Even after organizations began changing their rules to accept women of all races, there was still a lingering frustration and opposition to join.
Only in the last 50 years have black women become more prevalent in these competitions. Janelle Commissiongwas the first black Miss Universe in 1977, Vanessa Williams was the first black Miss America in 1983, and Carole Anne-Marie Gist, the first black Miss USA contestant, was crowned in 1990. The following year Janel Bishop became the first black Miss Teen USA.
When Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica was crowned as Miss World on Saturday, she joined a historic group of black women, along with 2019 Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, 2019 Miss Teen USA Kaliegh Garris, 2019 Miss America Nia Franklin and 2019 Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi.
Here’s what you should know about these five women:
Miss World plans to be a doctor
Singh, 23, from Morant, Jamaica, graduated from Florida State University with degrees in psychology and women’s studies. She plans to enroll in medical school soon, according to the Miss World website.
“I will continue to be an advocate for women,” she said, after winning the Miss World Jamaica crown in September. “I believe women are the lifeblood of our community. So, I will continue to inspire and work with them, so they understand just how great their potential is.”
Miss Universe fights against gender-based violence
Tunzi hails from the town of Tsolo in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Along with English, the 26-year-old speaks Xhosa and has launched a social media campaign against gender-based violence.
In a recent Instagram post, she called on her fellow South Africans to write love letters pledging support for women in her country.
“It is my hope that these pledges will start, and continue a conversation around gender-based violence,” Tunzi wrote. “We have to start the narration where right-thinking people act as role models for those who think it’s okay to mistreat women.”
At the Miss Universe pageant, Tunzi spoke about how conventional beauty standards haven’t typically included skin and hair like hers, encouraging women to embrace themselves and love who they are.
“I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me — with my kind of skin and my kind of hair — was never considered to be beautiful,” she said in her last response before she was crowned. “I think it is time that that stops today. I want children to look at me and see my face and I want them to see their faces reflected in mine.”
Miss USA works on behalf of prisoners
Receiving three degrees from two universities, Kryst is a 28-year-old attorney with a mission to help reform America’s justice system.
Hailing from North Carolina, Kryst practices civil litigation for a law firm and has a passion for helping prisoners who may have been sentenced unjustly get reduced punishments, free of charge.
Kryst, who is licensed to practice in two states, earned both her law degree and MBA from Wake Forest University and completed her undergraduate work at the University of South Carolina.
In a video played during this week’s competition, Kryst told a story about how a judge at a legal competition suggested she wear a skirt instead of pants because judges prefer skirts.
“Glass ceilings can be broken wearing either a skirt or pants,” she said. “Don’t tell females to wear different clothes while you give the men substantive feedback on their legal arguments.”
Since then, she’s built a blog for women’s workwear fashion and volunteered for Dress for Success.
Miss Teen USA defies pageant beauty norms
When Garris took the Miss Teen USA stage Sunday, she did it with confidence as she wore her natural hair.
“I know what I look like with straight hair, with extensions, and with my curly hair, and I feel more confident and comfortable with my natural hair,” the 18-year-old from Connecticut told Refinery29.
When she began competing in pageants, Garris said she had to fight against beauty standards suggesting that straight hair was better than her natural curls.
There were people who told her how they thought she should style her hair, she said. But she ignored their criticism and went on to win the title of Miss Connecticut Teen USA with her natural hair and then Miss Teen USA.
Miss America says music helped her find herself
Franklin remembers what music did for her. Now she tries to inspire children in the same way.
An opera singer, Franklin discovered her identity through music, she explained during the Miss America competition in September.
“I grew up at a predominately Caucasian school, and there was only 5% minority, and I felt out of place so much because of the color of my skin,” the 23-year-old North Carolina native said. “But growing up, I found my love of arts, and through music that helped me to feel positive about myself and about who I was.”
Representing New York, Franklin showed her passion for music when she sang “Quando m’en vo’” from Puccini’s “La Bohème.” Wowing the judges, she was crowned the 2019 Miss America.
This past year, she has been an advocate for the arts. She works with Sing for Hope, a nonprofit focused on helping people, including children and artists, through the power of music.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Post-Theft Thank-You Note Left After Thief Steals Package Off Minnesota Resident’s Porch
A real-life Grinch took nastiness to a new level after snatching a gift from a doorstep and leaving a sarcastic thank-you note for the victim.
Hilary Smith ordered a Christmas gift for her boss and had it delivered to her snowy home in St. Paul, Minnesota. But she never saw the package.
“I looked down, and there was a piece of notebook paper folded neatly on the top step, where the package probably should have been,” Smith told CNN affiliate WCCO Friday.
The handwritten message was colder than a frigid Minnesota morning:
“So just a quick little thank you for leaving me the (opportunity) of stealing your package,” the thief wrote. “Very nice of you. Thank you.”
The porch pirate signed the note, “The new owner of your package.”
Smith said she’s bewildered by the bandit’s audacity.
“I do appreciate a nicely crafted thank-you note, but this is ridiculous,” she said.
St. Paul police Sgt. Mike Ernster told WCCO he’s never heard of post-theft thank-you notes before. But he said any other victims should call police.
“We want people to report crimes as they occur so we can keep track of them and hopefully solve them,” Ernster said.
Experts say there are several ways you can reduce your risk of getting looted by a porch pirate, such as:
— Shipping packages to your work address or to a trusted neighbor who will be home
— Using an Amazon Hub Locker for Amazon packages
— Asking FedEx or UPS to hold a package at one of their facilities until you can pick it up
Meanwhile, Smith is conducting her own sting operation in case the bandit comes back to her home. She’s leaving a decoy package on her doorstep as bait.
If a thief snatches it, he or she will discover the package is actually stuffed with “a little gift from my dog.”
Photo Credit: ktla.com
FX Presents A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite Christmas stories of all time! Even the remakes are good!! Here is a reimanging telling of Ebeneezer Scrooge. There’s cussing in this new vision. I hope it has to do with the context of the conflict. When you write cuss words just to write them in your screenplay it means you have writers block and need to slow down and step back. And tell a good story. That pulls in your audience wanting more. Anyway FX Presents A Christmas Carol airing December 19th!
Florida man overdosed on meth before alligators ate parts of his body
A Florida man overdosed on methamphetamine before his body was found partially eaten by alligators, according to an autopsy.
The autopsy report released Wednesday determined that 45-year-old Michael Ford II died from methamphetamine intoxication, news station WTSP said.
Body parts belonging to Ford were spotted in the mouth of an 11-foot alligator in June on the grounds of a mining company in Fort Meade, the outlet reported.
Ford’s corpse was discovered floating in a canal near the company’s property, though Ford was not an employee, officials said.
It was unclear at the time of his death whether Ford was the victim of a gator attack.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trapped and killed the alligator — and tests later determined that Ford’s hand and foot were inside the reptile, WTSP reported.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/12/12/florida-man-overdosed-on-meth-before-alligators-ate-parts-of-his-body/
Photo Credit: Shutterstock