Former MO officer indicted after camera captures him kicking surrendering suspect
BRECKENRIDGE HILLS, Mo. (KMOV.com) – A former Woodson Terrace police officer who was caught on camera kicking a suspect in the head was indicted Thursday for his actions.
Dash cam video showed Officer David Maas kicking a suspect after he surrendered. The incident happened near the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Ogden in north St. Louis County in April of 2019.
The indictment asserts the suspect “was compliant and not posing a physical threat to anyone.”
News 4 learned the officer resigned days before an internal affairs review of the incident but was then hired by Breckenridge Hills police.Data is the lifeblood of AI, but complexity slows progress.Does your platform make your data ready for AI?Ad By IBMSee More
Breckenridge Hills Police Chief John Griffin would not confirm if he saw the video prior to hiring Maas, but said his hiring was approved by the city council. Griffin added at the time that Maas’ record was clean, giving him no reason not to hire him.
In Friday’s indictment announcement, Special Agent in Charge Richard Quinn said they took Maas’ actions as a betray of his responsibility to the public.
“Law enforcement officers take an oath to serve and protect the public,” he said in the release. “When an officer betrays that oath, and instead uses his or her position to violate a person’s constitutional rights, that officer must be held accountable. Our community, and our profession, deserve no less.”
Maas faces a charge of Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both if he is convicted.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Couple cancels European vacation due to coronavirus, runs into snags trying to get money back
ST. CHARLES, Mo. (KMOV.com) – A St. Charles couple canceled their upcoming trip to Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak and say they hit a snag in getting their money back.
Alan and Linda Rosen have spent the past year and a half planning a big trip through Italy that included a cruise.
“He (Alan) was stationed there (in the military) and always wanted to see it because he loved it,” said Linda.
The Rosens were set to sail on a Carnival cruise from Barcelona in May but when the coronavirus outbreak came to Europe, they decided to cancel their trip, expecting refunds.
They said getting a refund from Carnival and their hotel was not a problem, but they had trouble with Delta Airlines. The couple says the airline allowed them to cancel but gave them one year from when they bought their tickets, July 20, 2019, to use a credit.It’s time to automate decisions, processes, and experiences.It’s time to put AI to work.Ad By IBMSee More
They also said they were told their traveler’s insurance, which was bought through Allianz, did not cover a cancellation due to an epidemic.
Delta’s policy concerning the coronavirus outbreak says they will wave change fees for all flights booked between March 1 – March 31 and international flights previously booked, but scheduled to fly in March.
Delta says the Rosens will be getting a refund and they sent News 4 the following statement:
We encourage customers to be as detailed and transparent as possible when sharing information regarding their travel plans. Our agents are trained to use situational flexibility to help reach a positive resolution.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Woman dead, teen shot, toddlers injured after getting caught in Saint Louis MO rolling gun battle
NORTH ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – A woman was killed, a teenager was shot and three other children were injured after getting caught in a rolling gun battle in north St. Louis City Thursday afternoon.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said the people in two cars were shooting at each other near the intersection of Grand and Kossuth in the Fairgrounds neighborhood just after 3:30 p.m.
A woman, two teens and two toddlers were in a car driving in the area when they got caught in the gun battle. Police said the woman, who was driving, was shot. She was ejected from the vehicle and later died. One of the teenagers was also shot and is in serious condition. The second teenager suffered a broken arm. The two toddlers suffered minor injuries but not from gunfire.
Police said a total of six cars were damaged either by gunfire or from the crash.
The suspects left the area on foot and investigators are looking for nearby surveillance footage.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
10-year-old boy fires shotgun at police during 2-hour standoff in San Diego
A 10-year-old boy fired two shotgun rounds at police in San Diego during a two-hour standoff before turning himself in, authorities said. No one was hurt.
The boy will be evaluated by mental health professionals, San Diego Police Officer Billy Hernandez said.
The boy’s mother called police shortly after 9 a.m. and said he had a knife and was slashing furniture, Hernandez said. The youth went outside with the knife and locked himself into a backyard shed, where there was a shotgun and several rounds inside.
As officers tried to talk to him, the boy fired one shot, Hernandez said. While SWAT officers and crisis negotiators were en route to the home, he fired another round, police said.
Hernandez said the boy walked out of the shed and into the home as the SWAT officers set up. He then came out the front door with his hands up and was taken into custody.
Police evacuated several homes in the neighborhood and put a nearby school on lockdown, Hernandez said.
He said he wasn’t aware of previous police responses to the boy’s home.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
NJ woman allegedly used tape dispenser, shower rod to beat her roommate to death
MANCHESTER, N.J. — A woman allegedly fatally beat her male roommate with a tape dispenser, a shower rod and other household items during a dispute inside their southern New Jersey home last month.
Ocean County prosecutors said 56-year-old Mary Carbone was charged Wednesday with murder and four weapons offenses. It’s not known if she’s retained an attorney.
The charges stem from the death of Frank Stochel, who was found Feb. 24 lying on the floor of his Manchester home.
His death was ruled a homicide, but authorities haven’t disclosed a cause of death. Prosecutors said the investigation determined that Carbone used several household items to commit the murder.
Photo Credit: pix11.com/Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office
Two 10-year-old boys handcuffed and booked after playing with toy gun outside
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KXRM) – A Colorado family wants to share their story with others after their 10-year-old son was arrested and charged with felony menacing in July of 2019.
“They came back over, told me my rights, and told me what was going to happen. They put handcuffs on me, and I got into the car,” 10-year-old Gavin Carpenter said.
Gavin said he and a friend were playing outside with toys near N. Powers Blvd and Constitution Ave. in Fort Carson. He said they were playing a version of the video game Fortnite.
“The toy bow was an orange Nerf bow. It didn’t work. Nothing could shoot out of it. Nothing would come out of it. The weapon, well, toy I had, had an orange tip. It was also broken and couldn’t shoot anything out of it,” Gavin said.
Gavin said they pretended to shoot at about 5 to 10 cars until one man stopped. He said he and his friend ran to his friend’s grandparents’ house.
“He slammed his brakes and started reversing as fast as he could,” Gavin said. “He came up and started getting very heated and was very mad. I was at the time, very scared.”
The man called the police. According to the Carpenter family, El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and arrested both Gavin and his friend. He was handcuffed and taken to the Colorado Springs Police Department for mugshots and fingerprinting.
“I told them I had no intention to have scared them or have any threat to their life,” Gavin said.
Gavin’s parents, Chris and Stephanie, followed the cars to the police station. They said that night Gavin wasn’t released until 10:30 p.m.
They immediately hired an attorney to help get the charge expunged from Gavin’s record. When they arrived for his court date, however, they recalled being taken to a separate room instead of seeing a judge.
“It was just a hard no, that the district attorney wasn’t going to throw this out,” Gavin’s father, Chris said. “That is when we moved into the diversion program.”
The diversion program required Gavin to do community service, submit an essay, and do other tasks. After 216 days of fighting it, the felony was finally expunged.
“So if you run his name, nothing will show up, but he did have a class five felony on there for at least half a year,” Chris said.
Both mom and dad agreed this was a learning lesson not only for Gavin but for them as well.
“The kids don’t understand the way the world thinks right now,” Gavin’s mom Stephanie said. “So, they don’t know what we know … they are kids.”
Gavin’s dad has decided since this was all a bit traumatic on Gavin, he is planning some ideas where both of the boys arrested can do some events with police and deputies to help overcome their fears.
“Were trying to establish … a few events to help build trust in law enforcement because it was shattered. We want them to not be scared and show that law enforcement is their friends, and they need to show them the proper respect,” Chris said.
EPSO released this statement when we asked about the arrest:
“If anyone is dissatisfied with the actions of any employee of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, they have administrative avenues available to them. We encourage citizens to take advantage of those avenues.“
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Binge-watching burglar breaks into Oregon home, watches Netflix before stealing various items
BEAVERTON, Ore. (KPTV/Meredith) – A binge-watching burglar is on the loose after breaking into an Oregon home, watching Netflix and getting away with various items.
It happened Wednesday evening. William and Emily Bellew said they were in bed, as were their children, at around 11 p.m. when someone got into the house.
They said the house was locked up, except for a board that usually keeps the sliding glass door closed. That’s how the suspect got inside.
The Bellews checked their surveillance system to find out more. It turns out the suspect made himself at home, but he also realized there was a camera, so he first covered his face and then disabled the camera.Gesa’s Uni, AI-Powered Digital AssistantLearn how Gesa Credit Union is leveraging interface digital assistants to provide 24×7 support to its members.Ad By InterfaceSee More
The Bellews later discovered that the thief not only stole from them, but he even spent several hours watching episodes of the Netflix show “Frontier” in their living room.
“It’s kind of devastating, I guess you could say. This is your home. This is your sanctuary,” said William Bellew.
The couple said the suspect got away with food, electronics, medication and a new saw. He also rifled through both of their cars.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
NBA players advised not to high-five fans as coronavirus spreads
(CNN) — NBA fans might be getting fist bumps over high-fives from players as coronavirus spreads in the United States.
The National Basketball Association advised its players to restrict physical contact with fans as a precaution to limit potential exposure to coronavirus, according to a league memo obtained by CNN.
There are currently 102 cases of the novel coronavirus nationwide, according to federal and state health officials. The best ways to avoid transmission include avoiding sick people, covering coughs and sneezes and washing hands.
The memo suggests that players “fist bump” fans in lieu of a “high-five” and avoid items handed to them by fans for autographs like pens, markers, balls or jerseys.
“The health and safety of NBA players, coaches, staff, and fans is paramount. Working with infectious disease experts, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are providing the following information for players related to the coronavirus outbreak,” the memo says.
The memo outlines general information about coronavirus, its symptoms and other precautions players should take to limit risk, such as cleaning frequently touched surfaces, updating vaccinations and avoiding touching one’s eyes, nose and mouth.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
91-year-old woman loses $250,000 in Publishers Clearing House scam
BEL NOR, Mo. (KMOV.com) – Bel-Nor resident Barb Fish said her 91-year-old mother-in-law was swindled out of a huge chunk her of life savings when she fell victim to a scam.
Fish said it all started with a phone call. Her mother-in-law thought she won $4 million.
“He got her to trust him, she told him her life story,” Fish said.
Fish said her mother-in-law thought she was paying taxes to claim her prize. From November through February, she wrote check after check. Fish said her mother-in-law sent the scammers nearly $250,000 to claim the prize she thought she won.
“Devastated, she is now that she knows isn’t for real, she is devastated,” said Fish.
In some cases, Fish said her mother-in-law withdrew cash and mailed it off and wishes the bank would have stopped her.Try the Name Your Price® ToolTell us what you want to pay and we’ll find options to fit your budget.Ad By ProgressiveSee More
Publishers Clearing House recognizes the problem of scams and even mentions them on their website. They warn customers not to send any money to pre-pay taxes and they will only notify winners of a prize via mail or in person, never on the phone.
Fish said when she and her husband figured out what was going on, they had the calls forwarded to their cell phone. Fish said her husband told the scammer to stop and the conversation got personal.
“[My husband said] ‘You have done enough damage stop calling.’ [The scammer] said, ‘Go sit by your daughter’s grave and cry about it.’ So he knew we had lost a daughter,” said Fish.
Fish said it is important for everyone to watch elderly family members’ finances closely, even if its too late for them.
Fish also said she called the FBI. The money and checks were mailed to multiple addresses all over the country. Many of the calls originated from an 876 area code, which is Jamaica.
Experts told News 4 not to answer a call from an 876 area code if you don’t recognize the number.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
4-year-old boy dies after father beats him with guitar
CLARKDALE, Ariz. (KTVK) — Police in Arizona said a 4-year-old boy died after his father beat him with a guitar.
An officer who responded to the scene fatally shot the father during a struggle.
The incident happened at a home in Clarkdale around 3 p.m. Thursday. Police were called to the scene after reports of a domestic disturbance.
Authorities said 33-year-old Joshua Hernandez Lord struck his 4-year-old son multiple times in the head with a guitar, causing numerous skull fractures. Lord also struck his 51-year-old mother in the head, fracturing her skull.
Officers tried to deescalate the situation and deployed a Taser on Lord, but it was ineffective. As police repeatedly tried to calm him down, Lord allegedly grabbed a knife and used it to threaten the officers. Police said he then charged at one of them.
An officer then shot Lord, who died at the scene. His 4-year-old son was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead Friday.
The condition of the suspect’s mother was not released.
Photo Credit: myfox8.com