Man caught texting on plane about molesting kids gets 15 years in prison
A Washington man whose sick texts about molesting children were spotted by a fellow airline passenger was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Michael Kellar, 58, was texting his girlfriend Gail Lynn Burnworth, 52, while on a flight to San Jose in 2017 when a hawk-eyed passenger saw the disturbing messages on his cellphone, according to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office in Washington’s Western District.
The concerned traveler told authorities that a man sitting in front of her was texting about the abuse with a large font on a large smartphone.
“I commend the airline passenger who spoke up about the disturbing texts she witnessed on her flight,” US Attorney Brian T. Moran said in a statement. “We all have had that moment when we question: ‘Do I get involved.’”
In the text exchange, Kellar and Burnworth talked about using Benadryl to drug and rape two of the three children, aged 5 and 7 at the time, who lived with Burnworth.
The observant flier snapped a photo of Kellar’s phone and reported it to flight attendants, who alerted cops in San Diego — where Kellar was questioned and arrested.
“This case for me … has been the most disturbing case that I have had,” US District Judge Ronald B. Leighton said.
Kellar pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to produce child pornography and access with intent to view child pornography, the release said.
He will be on lifetime supervised release after being freed from prison and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Photo Credit: AP
Selena to Be Honored With Nearly 12-Hour Concert in San Antonio, 25 Years After Her Death
Twenty-five years after her death, Tejano music superstar Selena will be honored with a massive tribute concert in San Antonio on May 9, according to KTLA sister station KXAN in San Antonio.
The concert will be held at the Alamodome and feature a lineup of prominent Latin artists, according to NBC News. The event will showcase the legacy and influence Selena — who was killed by her fan club president when she was 23 years old — continues to have on the Latinx population and artists.
Scheduled performers and participants include music superstar Pitbull, A.B. Quintanilla III Y Los Kumbia All Starz, former Fifth Harmony member and singer Ally Brooke and Ruben Ramos.
“Over the past 25 years, her influence and relevance has only grown through the generations,” Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister and CEO and president of Q Productions, said in a news release.
At the time of her death, Selena was already widely considered “The Queen of Tejano Music” and the “Mexican Madonna” among the Latin community and she was preparing a major crossover album, “Dreaming of You,” which was released four months after her death.
News of the murder at a Corpus Christi Days Inn motel sparked global media coverage and introduced her and her music to English-speaking audiences.
The New York Times compared her status to that of other stars who died relatively young, like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.
Her death had a major impact among the Latin community and within Texas, where then-Governor and future President George W. Bush called her “the essence of south Texas culture.” He also declared April 16 as “Selena Day” in Texas.
Her death gained further attention when, in 1996, then-relatively unknown actress but future film and music superstar Jennifer Lopez won the role to play Selena in the 1997 film. The movie earned over $35 million at the box office and is widely credited with making Lopez a star.
“The impact that it had on my life, my career, it was a great thing for her to be my mentor,” Lopez told NBC’s TODAY Show in 2015. “It was an important part of my life. It still is.”
Selena has also had an impact on other big-name artists including Beyoncé, Drake, and Selena Gomez, who is named after her.
Gomez, a Texas native, said her parents were big fans and named her after the singer when she was born in 1992.
“My dad and mom were huge fans,” Gomez told Sacramento’s NOW 100.5 in 2016. “My name was going to be Priscilla, but my cousin actually took the name when she was born six months before me. They actually loved [Selena’s] music, so they just named me after her.”
Beyoncé told MTV Tres in an interview that she once met the Tejano superstar.
“I did actually meet Selena in the Galleria Mall in Houston, but I didn’t say much to her because I wasn’t a celebrity. I just saw her and said hello and kept it moving. Definitely growing up in Texas, I heard her on the radio. I think listening to her album — even though I didn’t know exactly what she was saying — it helped me in the studio with my pronunciation. I think she is a legend. I admire her. She was so talented.”
Selena was a Grammy-award winner, had seven No. 1 hits and 14 more in the Top 10 Latin songs charts.
In November 2017, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The singer’s hometown of Corpus Christi has a popular museum featuring clothing worn by Selena, in addition to other merchandise and rarities.
Most recently, Netflix announced it was in production for “Selena: The Series,” which will reportedly follow her rise to fame all the way up until her death.
The series is set to debut this year with a season of six one-hour episodes.
The nearly 12-hour tribute concert will be held from noon to 11:45 p.m. and tickets range from $40 to $200. For more information and tickets, click here.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
George Zimmerman Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Warren, Buttigieg
George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Trayvon Martin in 2012, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Democratic presidential candidates Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren, alleging that they slandered him as a racist in order to “garner votes in the black community.”
The lawsuit, filed in the 10th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, accuses Warren and Buttigieg of defaming Zimmerman with “malice or at a minimum a reckless disregard for the truth” by suggesting he is a racist and white supremacist. Zimmerman seeks a damages award of $265 million.
The two candidates issued separate statements on Twitter on February 5, which would have been Martin’s 25th birthday, expressing regret over his death and calling for an end to racism.
“My heart goes out to [Martin’s mother] and Trayvon’s family and friends. He should still be with us today,” Warren wrote. “We need to end gun violence and racism. And we need to build a world where all of our children-especially young Black boys-can grow up safe and free.”
Buttigieg tweeted, “Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today. How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?”
Zimmerman, at the time a coordinator for his neighborhood watch, shot and killed 17-year-old Martin on February 26, 2012 in Florida during a physical altercation. His initial release triggered national protests and backlash, and he was eventually charged with second degree murder and manslaughter. He was acquitted of both charges by a jury.
Zimmerman’s lawsuit also takes issue with both Warren and Buttigieg’s use of the term “gun violence,” saying the phrase refers more often to “reckless and indiscriminate use of illegally owned firearms” to kill innocent people, as well as Buttigieg’s implication that Zimmerman experienced “fear” arising from his prejudice.
“The only ‘fear’ Zimmerman experienced, as established in the 2013 trial and well-covered in the media, was in the context of Zimmerman believing he might go unconscious and die from the repeated beating of his head against the sidewalk pavement or by choking to death from the blood going down his throat due to his broken nose during the beating by Martin,” the lawsuit states.
Warren and Buttigieg have struggled to garner support in the black community. Both are polling at under 10 percent among African-Americans, well below their 2020 rivals.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/xandr/george-zimmerman-files-defamation-lawsuit-174918962.html
Photo Credit: currently.att.yahoo.com
Woman says NC rehab center left elderly father outside in rain for hours
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A woman in North Carolina says a rehabilitation center left her elderly father, who has trouble walking and talking, out in the rain for hours, WSOC reports.
Willie Williams, 78, had been at Charlotte Health and Rehabilitation Center for a month, but on Thursday, his daughter Maxine Rozzelle got a call saying there was an issue with his insurance and he had to leave.
“She had told me that there would be someone to pick him up in 25 minutes,” Rozzelle said. “I say, ‘I cannot get there in 25 minutes’, so I said ‘you have to give me more time than that’. So she was like, ‘I’ll see what I can do.’”
Rozzelle says the facility then got a transportation service to bring him home. When she arrived at his house hours later, she found her father outside in the rain with no way to get inside.
“He was upset. He was screaming,” Rozzelle said.
Rozzelle says her father did not have shoes or socks on. Luckily, a neighbor came over to give him a jacket and a blanket.
Rozzelle tried to call the facility and the transportation service but has not gotten a response. In a statement, the rehab facility said in part:
“When an insurance company denies further nursing facility benefits and transportation home needs to be arranged, we contact the transportation company authorized by the insurer and arrange a safe transport. We ensure that patients are safe, stable and all needs provided for when they leave our facility.”
Rozzelle says her father was neither stable nor safe. The transportation company that moved Williams did not respond to a request for comment.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Milwaukee father accused of setting children’s mother on fire complained she ‘wouldn’t pay her taxes’
MILWAUKEE (WITI) – A Milwaukee man set the mother of his children on fire on Valentine’s Day “because she wouldn’t pay her taxes and was buying other stuff,” prosecutors said.
After setting Savannah Bailey ablaze, causing life-threatening injuries, a criminal complaint says Javaunte Jefferson drove away — leaving Bailey and the children outside in -1 degree weather.
Jefferson, 28, faces six felonies:
- Attempted first-degree intentional homicide, domestic abuse assessments
- First-degree reckless injury, domestic abuse assessments
- Arson of building
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety — three counts
According to the complaint, police responded to an apartment building near 8th Street and Messmer Street around 3:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, where they found Bailey with life-threatening burns covering 60% of her body — most of them third-degree burns. She told investigators she was sleeping in her bed when Jefferson “just got to pouring gasoline on me.” She said she tried to use snow to extinguish the fire as Jefferson drove off, leaving Bailey and their kids outside.
A neighbor told investigators Bailey banged on her door and she then saw that Bailey was on fire as Bailey started to roll around on the ground. The neighbor called 911 and wrapped Bailey’s children in her coat, as they were outside with no shoes or clothes on, the complaint said.
Another neighbor said around 3:15 a.m. she heard a woman screaming, and saw Jefferson putting a bag into a vehicle as he left the scene. She then saw Bailey running and rolling in the snow. She also called 911.
The fire at the apartment building was extinguished, and investigators determined it originated on a mattress in the first-floor unit’s bedroom.
Investigators spoke with Bailey’s sister, who said they were texting around 1 a.m. about an argument Bailey was having with Jefferson about work and buying things for a friend of Bailey’s, prosecutors said.
Jefferson’s 8-year-old brother told police after the fire that he had overheard a conversation between his older brother and Jefferson’s mother, according to the complaint. The boy recalled Jefferson’s mother saying, “Don’t lie to me, Javaunte,” and Jefferson replying that he “killed (Bailey) because she wouldn’t pay her taxes, and was buying other stuff.”
Authorities didn’t specify the nature of the relationship between Jefferson and Bailey.
Jefferson made his initial appearance in court on Tuesday. Cash bond was set at $500,000. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Feb. 27.
A GoFundMe account has been set up in Bailey’s honor.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
11 children shot in yet another violent Chicago weekend
Chicago’s weekend began with a girl reportedly shooting her 11-year-old brother, who had to be rushed to the hospital. By the time Monday morning rolled around, 25 people had been shot, 11 of them minors, police said.
Three died in the weekend violence, all of them adults, according to police.
The shootings occurred between Friday at 6 p.m. local time and 6 a.m. Monday morning, according to CNN’s review of the Chicago Police Department’s major incident reports.
They come nine months into the administration of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has labeled the city’s gun violence a priority, and just a few months before the arrival of summer, often a bloody season in the Windy City.
Here are the details on the children who were shot, according to police:
Friday
- Around 8 p.m., a 7-year-old was handling a firearm at a home on the city’s West Side when the weapon discharged, striking an 11-year-old boy. The two were siblings, CNN affiliate WLS TV reported. The shooting appears accidental, police said. The boy was hospitalized in serious condition.
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Saturday
- Shortly after midnight, a juvenile was playing with a gun in his South Side home when he accidentally shot two relatives. A boy, 8, suffered a gunshot wound to his shoulder, while another bullet grazed the arm of a 12-year-old girl. Both were reported to be in fair condition, police said. The shooting is under investigation.
- A 15-year-old boy was handling a firearm at a location between Little Village and Marshall Square when the weapon went off, hitting a 14-year-old girl in the cheek. She was transported to Cook County Health in fair condition, and the boy was taken into custody.
- A 15-year-old girl was shot in the leg and foot and is in good condition at University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital.
- A 14-year-old girl was shot in the leg and is in good condition at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.
- Another 14-year-old girl suffered gunshot wounds to her back, shoulder, leg and lower backside and is in critical condition at Comer Children’s.
- Just before 5 p.m., a 16-year-old was walking near Palmer Park on the city’s South Side when someone in a passing light-colored vehicle opened fire. The teen was shot in the left thigh and was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in good condition.
Sunday
- Around 2:30 p.m., a 17-year-old was traveling in a vehicle just south of Midway International Airport when another vehicle pulled alongside and someone inside opened fire, hitting the teen in the face. The victim took himself to Christ Hospital in fair condition. Detectives are investigating the incident.
- In another apparent drive-by, in an unspecified part of the city, a 16-year-old boy was walking when someone shot at him from a passing black sedan, hitting him in the leg. He was transported to Stroger in fair condition. No one is in custody, and the incident is under investigation.
Monday
- A 17-year-old was walking with a 19-year-old friend when three men approached in a tan SUV and asked if they wanted to buy any drugs. When they declined, someone in side the SUV shot at them, hitting the 17-year-old in the foot. She was transported to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in good condition. The shooter is not in custody, and detectives are investigating the case.
CNN’s Eliott C. McLaughlin, Shawn Nottingham and Ray Sanchez contributed to this story.
Photo Credit: WLS
A man was awarded over $150K after he was denied a license plate that read ‘IM GOD’
A judge has ordered the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to pay more than $150,000 for the attorneys’ fees of a man who was denied of his request for a license plate that read “IM GOD.”
Hart, who says he is an atheist, told CNN affiliate WXIX that he drove around Ohio with “IM GOD” on his plate for more than a decade.
So when he moved to Kenton County, Kentucky, in 2016, he put in a request to keep the same license plate.
But instead, transportation officials sent him a letter denying his request, saying his request was “not in good taste and would create the potential of distraction to other drivers and possibly confrontations,” according to court documents.
In response, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the ACLU of Kentucky filed a lawsuit on behalf of Hart in November 2016, alleging a violation of his First Amendment rights.
Last November, the court ruled in Hart’s favor, stating, “To allow such plates as ‘IM4GOD’ and ‘LUVGOD’ but reject ‘IM GOD’ belies viewpoint neutrality. Regardless, the court concludes that in this case, (the statute governing such license plates) is an unreasonable and therefore impermissible restriction on Mr. Hart’s First Amendment rights.”
Following the court’s ruling, Hart was allowed to obtain his custom license plate, according to CNN affiliate WAVE.
Then last week, US District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove ordered the Transportation Cabinet to pay Hart $150,715.50 in attorneys’ fees, as well as $491.24 in litigation costs.
CNN reached out to the Cabinet for further comment.
“I’m thankful to finally have the same opportunity to select a personal message for my license plate just as any other driver,” Hart said in a statement in November. “There is nothing inappropriate about my view that religious beliefs are subject to individual interpretation.”
Photo Credit: ACLU Kentucky
Man froze to death inside his unheated home after living with no power for months
(WNEM) — A family is struggling to come to the terms with the loss of their loved one after he died of hypothermia inside his Michigan home.
According to family, Arnoul Jaros’s body was found at a home in Tittabawassee Township on Saturday, Feb. 15.
“He had froze to death,” said Karin Jaros, Arnoul’s sister-in-law.
Tittabawassee Township Police confirmed Arnoul died of hypothermia, as the temperature inside the home was 25 degrees.
Karin said it’s hard to think about how he died.
“Losing someone but actually mourning the torture they went through prior to death is unspeakable,” Karin said.
Karin said the last time they saw Arnoul was in November.
She said when the family went to check on him recently, they didn’t get an answer and almost left.
“He didn’t answer the door, which is not unusual. They didn’t see any tracks in the driveway. They were preparing to leave and back out and they checked the mail and it was stuffed full,” Karin said.
The family called 911 and when they gained access inside the home, they found Arnoul’s body.
“Everything was frozen in the house. There were mugs of beverages that were frozen solid,” Karin said.
Police also said Arnoul was emaciated, but said that wasn’t the cause of death.
The family learned Consumers Energy had shut off the gas and electricity last year.
Consumers Energy confirmed the company had cut off natural gas to the home in May 2019 and the electricity was shut off in July 2019 because the bills were not getting paid.
The balance was later paid in July. However, Consumers Energy said it did not receive a request to restore the utilities, nor did it receive a payment for the restoration fee.
Consumers Energy said instructions to restore service appear on all customer shut-off notices.
“We are currently working with local law enforcement officials to understand more about the situation and are reviewing this person’s account records,” the company wrote in a statement. “Our thoughts and sympathies go out to this person’s friends and loved ones.”
Karin said the family had no idea Arnoul was living like that. She said he did not let on about his situation.
“We have no idea why Arnoul kept this from us. If he was embarrassed, if he thought he could handle it, if he thought he could fix it,” Karin said.
Police said there were no signs of foul play.
However, police said the report will be turned over to the Saginaw County Prosecutor’s Office for review to determine if any further investigation is needed.
Karin said she’ll never know why he didn’t take the steps to restore his utilities. She said there should be safeguards in place to prevent something similar from happening to someone else.
“I do think it’s very dangerous to turn off someone’s power without a safety net. He lived in Falcon View Estates which is a senior 55 and older community. There’s people in that age group, especially that have dementia, may forget to pay their bills. Have a safety net where someone is informed,” Karin said.
If you or a loved one is having trouble paying energy bills, you’re asked to call 211, which helps provide various amount of resources.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Mariah Carey Gets $5 Million Dollar Settlement From Ex-Billionaire Fiance “For Wasting Her Time”
Mariah Carey & ex-billionaire fiance’ James Packer have reached a settlement agreement after the Grammy winner argued that she uprooted her life to move to L.A from NYC to be with the wealthy businessman. She also recalled an incident where James allegedly did something not so nice to one of her assistants during their vacation in Greece. Causing Mariah to have to cancel some dates on her South American tour and lose out on some major coins.
According to reports, the two have reached an agreement and Mariah was paid somewhere between $5 to $10 million dollars for the inconvenience.
This was allegedly paid back in October and we wonder if this major lick has anything to do with her currently canceling shows left and right on her Christmas tour. I mean can you fault her? $5 million does make it look like Christmas came early. I’d want to be home on my couch too.
Photo Credit: etonline.com
Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy due to sex-abuse lawsuits
(AP) — Barraged by hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in hopes of working out a potentially mammoth victim compensation plan that will allow the hallowed, 110-year-old organization to carry on.
The Chapter 11 filing in federal bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Delaware, sets in motion what could be one of the biggest, most complex bankruptcies ever seen. Scores of lawyers are seeking settlements on behalf of several thousand men who say they were molested as scouts by scoutmasters or other leaders decades ago but are only now eligible to sue because of recent changes in their states’ statute-of-limitations laws.
By going to bankruptcy court, the Scouts can put those lawsuits on hold for now. But ultimately they could be forced to sell off some of their vast property holdings, including campgrounds and hiking trails, to raise money for a compensation trust fund that could surpass a billion dollars.
The bankruptcy petition listed the Boy Scouts’ assets as between $1 billion and $10 billion, and its liabilities at $500 million to $1 billion.
“Scouting programs will continue throughout this process and for many years to come,” the Boy Scouts said in a statement. ”Local councils are not filing for bankruptcy because they are legally separate and distinct organizations.”
The Boy Scouts are just the latest major American institution to face a heavy price over sexual abuse. Roman Catholic dioceses across the country and schools such as Penn State and Michigan State have paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years.
The bankruptcy represents a painful turn for an organization that has been a pillar of American civic life for generations and a training ground for future leaders. Achieving the rank of Eagle Scout has long been a proud accomplishment that politicians, business leaders, astronauts and others put on their resumes and in their official biographies.
The Boy Scouts’ finances have been strained in recent years by declining membership and sex-abuse settlements.
The number of youths taking part in scouting has dropped below 2 million, down from more than 4 million in peak years of the 1970s. The organization has tried to counter the decline by admitting girls, but its membership rolls took a big hit Jan. 1 when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — for decades a major sponsor of Boy Scout units — cut ties and withdrew more than 400,000 scouts in favor of programs of its own.
The financial outlook had worsened last year after New York, Arizona, New Jersey and California passed laws making it easier for victims of long-ago abuse to file claims. Teams of lawyers across the U.S. have been signing up clients by the hundreds to sue the Boy Scouts.
Most of the newly surfacing cases date to the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s; the organization says there were only five known abuse victims in 2018. The Boy Scouts credit the change to an array of prevention policies adopted since the mid-1980s, including mandatory criminal background checks and abuse-prevention training for all staff and volunteers, and a rule that two or more adult leaders be present during all activities.
In many ways, the crisis parallels the one facing the Catholic Church in the U.S. Both institutions boast of major progress over recent decades in combating abuse. whether by priests or scout leaders, but both face many lawsuits alleging negligence and cover-ups, mostly decades ago.
“We are outraged that there have been times when individuals took advantage of our programs to harm innocent children,” said Roger Mosby, the BSA’s president and CEO. “While we know nothing can undo the tragic abuse that victims suffered, we believe the Chapter 11 process, with the proposed trust structure, will provide equitable compensation to all victims while maintaining the BSA’s important mission.”
The BSA said it is encouraging all victims to come forward to file a claim in the case. A deadline for filing claims has not yet been set by the bankruptcy court, but the BSA said that would likely happen later this year.
Among other matters to be addressed in bankruptcy court: the fate of the Boy Scouts’ assets; the extent to which the organization’s insurance will help cover compensation; and whether assets of the Scouts’ 261 local councils will be added to the fund.
“There are a lot of very angry, resentful men out there who will not allow the Boy Scouts to get away without saying what all their assets are,” said lawyer Paul Mones, who represents numerous clients suing the BSA. “They want no stone unturned.”
Amid the crush of lawsuits, the Scouts recently mortgaged the major properties owned by the national leadership, including the headquarters in Irving, Texas, and the 140,000-acre Philmont Ranch in New Mexico, to help secure a line of credit.
Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts have kept confidential files since the 1920s listing staff and volunteers implicated in sexual abuse, for the avowed purpose of keeping predators away from youth. According to a court deposition, the files as of January listed 7,819 suspected abusers and 12,254 victims.
Until last spring, the organization had insisted it never knowingly allowed a predator to work with youths. But in May, The Associated Press reported that attorneys for abuse victims had identified multiple cases in which known predators were allowed to return to leadership posts. The next day, Boy Scouts chief executive Mike Surbaugh wrote to a congressional committee, acknowledging the group’s previous claim was untrue.
James Kretschmer of Houston, among the many men suing for alleged abuse, says he was molested by a Scout leader over several months in the mid-1970s in the Spokane, Washington, area. Regarding the bankruptcy, he said, “It is a shame because at its core and what it was supposed to be, the Boy Scouts is a beautiful organization.”
“But you know, anything can be corrupted,” he added. “And if they’re not going to protect the people that they’ve entrusted with the children, then shut it down and move on.”
Ahead of the Chapter 11 filing, lawyers said that because of the organization’s 50-state presence, as well as its ties to churches and civic groups that sponsor scout troops, a bankruptcy by the Boy Scouts would be unprecedented in its complexity. It would be national in scope, unlike the various Catholic Church bankruptcy cases, which have unfolded diocese by diocese.
“A Boy Scout bankruptcy would be bigger in scale than any other child abuse bankruptcy we’ve ever seen,” said Seattle-based attorney Mike Pfau, whose firm is representing scores of men nationwide alleging they were abused as Boy Scouts.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez