Neighbors saw ‘half-dressed’ woman landscaping at accused sex cult leader’s home
The New Jersey property where accused Sarah Lawrence College cult leader Lawrence Ray was arrested has become a compound with several mysterious new buildings and a scantily clad woman doing landscaping work at all hours since Ray moved in, neighbors said Wednesday.
Ray is accused of using psychological threats and coercion to enslave his daughter’s former college roommates — including forcing one into sex work and others to do landscaping, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday.
Neighbors of the Piscataway home where Ray lived with a pal and at least two young women say the constant construction and saucily dressed workforce raised red flags.
“One girl used to work outside half-dressed,” said a neighbor, who would only identify himself as Mike, noting that the woman wore “short shorts hiked up and a half shirt” and was seen “gardening” and “grading soil” several times a week.
“They would tear it up, fix it, then tear it up again,” Mike said of the yard. “Lots of people complained to the town about it. None of the neighbors know what the hell they’re doing.”
And the weird work wasn’t limited to daylight hours, according to neighbor Quinn Bolivar, who said he suspected something shady was happening.
“They’re out working in the yard to 3, 4 o’clock in the morning,” he said, adding that “They’ve plowed” the yard “and redone it like 12 times.”
“The projects they do around the house are very odd,” he said.
Ray, an ex-convict and father of a former Sarah Lawrence College student, was arrested by a joint NYPD-FBI task force Tuesday at the home for allegedly preying on students at the elite Bronxville school and extorting some $500,000 from them over the last decade.
At least one former college roommate of his daughter was at the home when he was arrested, sources previously told The Post.
Federal prosecutors said in a bombshell indictment that Ray subjected his victims “to sexual and psychological manipulation and physical abuse.”
According to the indictment, in 2013, Ray and some of the victims traveled to Pinehurst, North Carolina, for the purpose of “making physical improvements on private property” owned by a family member of Ray’s.
While living there over the course of several months, Ray forced three of the victims to “perform manual labor” on the property, including the installation of an irrigation system, prosecutors say.
Ray’s New Jersey neighbors say there has been lots of construction activity in the backyard of the Holly Lane home behind an 8-foot-high wooden fence.
Bolivar called the home “an abnormal house” and the people who live there “strange.”
Ray has lived at the home — owned by Scott Muller, according to records — for more than a year, the homeowner said, but neighbors say he has lived there for five years.
The homeowner, who would only identify himself to The Post as Scott, called Ray a “friend,” and denied that any illegal activity went on at his home.
“I heard about [the allegations], but I mean that kind of thing don’t happen here,” Scott said. “I mean what happened in the past, I don’t know, you know? That kind of thing doesn’t happen, you know, under my roof anyway.”
Scott, who said he used to work at a club that Ray ran about 20 years ago, called Ray “a nice guy” and “a good friend to me.”
Ray’s next-door neighbor, Bill Dubrow, said Ray lived at the home with Scott and two women a former Sarah Lawrence student named Isabella and Felicia, who he said was a doctor.
He identified the woman who did yard work as Isabella, calling her “a work horse.”
Both women were named as some of Ray’s victims in a in an April New York Magazine expose on his alleged crimes.
They were both in court Wednesday at Ray’s arraignment in Manhattan federal court, sitting next to a cadre of about 10 young people calling themselves Ray’s “students.”
Ray — who was the best man at the wedding of former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik — allegedly embarked on his sick scheme in 2010, when he moved into an on-campus pad in Yonkers where his then-sophomore daughter lived with seven female and male roommates.
Ray began “therapy” sessions with some of the roommates and “presented himself as a father figure” to vulnerable students, prosecutors said.
In the summer of 2011, several of the roommates lived with Ray in a one-bedroom Upper East Side apartment, according to the feds.
The alleged predator “lectured the victims on his personal philosophy and conducted his ‘therapy’ session with the victims, during which he learned intimate details about their private lives, vulnerabilities, and mental health struggles under the pretense of helping them,” prosecutors said.
The feds say that Ray “alienated” the victims from their parents and convinced them that they were “broken.”
He solicited false confessions from his victims and made them make payments “they did not actually owe and could not possibly afford,” US Attorney Geoffrey Berman had told reporters.
Ray was awaiting arraignment in Manhattan federal court Wednesday.
Photo Credit: Robert Miller
Liquor pours out of water faucets at apartment complex in India
(CNN) — Beer is quite literally on tap for residents of an apartment complex in the south Indian state of Kerala, after alcohol seeped into a well and mixed with the water supply for the surrounding area.
People living in Solomon’s Avenue Apartments were stunned to notice a dark color to their tap water on Monday morning, and raised the issue.
“When we switched on the water motor, brown water flowed from our taps,” Joshy Maliakkal, who has been a resident of Solomon’s Avenue Apartments, in the Chalakudy municipality, for 47 years, told CNN.
“When we went to check the tank, we saw there was an oil-like film floating on the surface and a stench was emanating from it.”
Maliakkal said that workers had been digging a hole and disposing of alcohol from the nearby Rachna Bar and Hotel the previous day. A total of 6,000 liters (1,585 gallons) of liquor was stored there, according to a Kerala official.
“The liquor had expired and was kept there since 2014 so we dug a trench on the premises to dispose of the liquor. Unfortunately, it seeped into the nearby well and polluted the water stream of the nearby apartment complex,” a local official told CNN.
As a result, beer, brandy and rum has been pouring into the apartment complex’s kitchen sinks.
The 18 families who live in the apartment complex have filed a complaint with the local municipality, Maliakkal said. “So far they have provided us with 5,000 liters (1,320 gallons) of water but that is not enough for these many people” he added.
“They should not have allotted land for a bar so close to a residential area,” Maliakkal said. “The lack of water makes things quite difficult.”
Kerala became a dry state in 2014 when the sale of alcohol was prohibited, but those restrictions were relaxed in 2017.
Photo Credit: easterneye.biz
Boston Market is selling baby back rib bouquets for Valentine’s Day
(Meredith) – If you want to give your Valentine something sweet and saucy this Friday, why not surprise them with a bouquet…of ribs?
Yes, that’s a thing now. Boston Market is selling “Bae-by Back Rib” bouquets at participating locations nationwide on Feb. 14, while supplies last. The bouquets cost $29.99 each.
Boston Market recently added ribs to its menu, and decided to spice things up for Valentine’s Day.
“We just launched baby back ribs a few weeks ago and our guests are loving them!” said Chef Tony Fialho, director of culinary innovation at Boston Market.
“On their own, our baby back ribs are sure to delight barbecue enthusiasts everywhere, but when packaged in a delectable bouquet, they’re the picture perfect Valentine’s Day gift to help anyone delight – and feed – that special someone.”
For more information on this offer, visit www.bostonmarket.com
Photo Credit: boston market
Florida Teen Dies After 8-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots Him in Eye With BB Gun
A teenager who was accidentally shot in the eye with a BB gun by an 8-year-old has died from his injuries, Tampa police said.
Family friends identified the teen as 17-year-old Ivan Johnson, CNN affiliate Bay News 9 reported.
Johnson was riding in the front passenger seat of an adult male friend’s car on February 1 with the driver’s 8-year-old son and 10-year-old stepson riding in the back, police said. The driver got out of the car to use an ATM.
The 8-year-old accidentally discharged a loaded Daisy 800 BB/pellet rifle while attempting to move it and shot Johnson in the left eye, according to the police.
The teen was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and died from his injuries on February 4, police said.
“Never as a grandmother did I expect to bury a grandchild,” Norine Wafford, the teen’s grandmother, told Bay News 9. “Let alone one of my children, but this is my grandbaby.”
A GoFundMe page has been setup for the victim’s family to help pay for funeral arrangements.
“Ivan was a young man who enjoyed life to the fullest and with the vigorous tenacity of love,” Timothy Howard, the organizer, wrote on the GoFundMe page. “He was an active member in his congregation of 15 years and offered his musical talents playing the organ for 9 years. Playing the role of many faces, Ivan took pleasure in dedicating his time to being the big brother, the best friend, the inspiration and the smile to all.”
The incident remains under investigation by the Tampa Police Department.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Fired Florida outlet mall worker kills manager, had list of employees to target, police say
A man who had been fired from his job at Orlando International Premium Outlets killed a manager in the Under Armour store and is still on the run, police say.
According to WFTV in Orlando , the shooting happened just after 8 p.m. Monday night inside the Under Armour store.
Between ten and 20 shoppers were in the store at the time, and a female manager, later identified as 37-year-old Eunice Vazquez, was found dead at the scene.
Police say the suspect is Daniel Everett, 46, and that he was fired earlier Monday. According to WFTV he had worked at the location for about three years and was a manager.
They believe he could be driving a 2012 Kia Sorento with Florida tag IH21AC. He is described as 6’7″ with a short or bald cut.
WFTV reports that Everett also created a list of other employees to potentially target. Officials say those employees may have made complaints toward Everett in the past. All of the people on the list are accounted for and safe, police say.
The search is on for Everett and he is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, please call Orlando Police.
This article was written by WFTS Staff.
Photo Credit: twitter
Macaulay Culkin Wants to Set the Record Straight About His Relationship With Michael Jackson
If you saw HBO’s Leaving Neverland, the explosive documentary exploring allegations that Michael Jackson sexually abused children, you may have been surprised when Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin didn’t make an appearance. As a child, Culkin starred in the music video for Jackson’s “Black and White,” after which he and Jackson became lifelong friends. Throughout the years, as allegations of Jackson’s behavior have exploded into the mainstream, Culkin has continuously denied that he ever had any sexual contact with Jackson.
In Esquire’s March 2020 cover story, Culkin discusses at length his friendship with Jackson, going into detail about their relationship and what did and did not happen.
“Look,” Culkin said. “I’m gonna begin with the line—it’s not a line, it’s the truth: He never did anything to me. I never saw him do anything. And especially at this flash point in time, I’d have no reason to hold anything back. The guy has passed on. If anything—I’m not gonna say it would be stylish or anything like that, but right now is a good time to speak up. And if I had something to speak up about, I would totally do it. But no, I never saw anything; he never did anything.”
Culkin spoke about the special bond he and Jackson shared by virtue of their unique childhoods—or lack thereof. Both raised by fathers pushing them toward fame at a young age, Culkin and Jackson were kindred spirits, despite their 22-year age difference. The last time they encountered one another was in a men’s room at the Santa Barbara County Superior Courthouse in 2005, where Culkin testified as a character witness in People v. Michael Jackson, wherein Jackson was charged with intoxicating and molesting a 13-year-old boy who had cancer. Jackson was later acquitted.
“We better not talk,” Jackson said, according to Culkin. “I don’t want to influence your testimony.”
The two embraced before returning to court. It was the last time Culkin would see Jackson before he passed away in 2009.
Though Jackson has been dead for over a decade, Leaving Neverland has introduced new aftershocks into Culkin’s life. He spoke about a memorable celebrity encounter that occurred not long after the documentary’s release.
“Here’s a good Michael Jackson story that doesn’t involve Michael Jackson at all,” Culkin said. “I ran into James Franco on a plane. I’d bumped into him two or three times over the years. I give him a little nod as we’re putting our bags overhead. Hey, how you doing? Good, how ya doing? And it was right after the Leaving Neverland documentary came out, and he goes, ‘So, that documentary!’ And that was all he said. I was like, ‘Uh-huh.’ Silence. So then he goes, ‘So what do you think?’ And I turned to him and I go, ‘Do you wanna talk about your dead friend?’ And he sheepishly went, ‘No, I don’t.’ So I said, ‘Cool, man, it was nice to see you.’ ”
Culkin is godfather to Jackson’s daughter Paris, to whom he remains close. He has shared with her his habit of stealing spoons from restaurants, bars, and cafes as a bit of “harmless” fun. The two give one another spoons as gifts, and they have matching spoon tattoos on their forearms.
When Paris entered public life, Culkin had just one piece of advice, given by virtue of the spoons: “Don’t forget to be silly, don’t forget to take something away from this whole experience, and don’t forget to stick something up your sleeve.”
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/macaulay-culkin-wants-set-record-130100042.html
Photo Credit: Robbie Fimmano/currently.att.yahoo.com
California may stop school fitness tests over fears they lead to bullying and body-shaming
(CNN) — Push-ups, curl-ups and the dreaded one-mile run are a staple of childhood in US schools. But California may put a stop to the tests.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed suspending the physical fitness tests at the state’s schools over concerns that they promote bullying and body discrimination.
Under current state requirements, students in grades five, seven and nine are required to take a physical fitness test, which includes the one-mile run, curl-ups, push-ups and a measure of body mass index.
While the administration argues the physical assessments can cause students of different body shapes to be body-shamed or bullied, the BMI screening is particularly sensitive because it asks students to select whether they are female or male.
A number of school districts have complained to the state that this is discriminatory against students who identify as non-binary, according to H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the Finance Department.
If the proposal, which was included in Newsom’s budget bill for next year, passes, physical fitness testing would be suspended for three years.
“Dispelling myths, breaking down stereotypes, and improving school climate is one way California is working to keep all students safe and healthy, consistent with the Governor’s commitment to a California that respects all students,” Palmer said in an email.
During the proposed three-year suspension, the Department of Education would consult with experts on fitness, physical education, gender identity and students with disabilities to determine whether the test needs to be modified or a new assessment should be developed.
The proposal comes as California’s annual reports of the fitness test since the 2014-2015 school year show a decline in the percentage of students scoring healthy. The share of students meeting the healthy fitness zone for all six fitness standards (aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extension strength and upper body strength) decreased by 3.3 percentage points for fifth graders, 4.3 points for seventh graders and 4.6 points for ninth graders.
But Palmer says Newsom’s proposal will not affect students’ physical fitness.
“The pause in administering tests won’t affect the amount or level of (physical education) that kids receive from their school,” Palmer said, adding that PE classes would still be a graduation requirement.
Gender identity advocates praise the move
Advocates for gender identity are praising Newsom’s proposal as a step forward.
“There is an objective in measuring a student’s fitness. The problem is when it’s defined by gender,” Joel Baum, senior director for professional development at Gender Spectrum, told CNN.
The current fitness test sets different criteria for boys and girls. For example, a 12-year-old girl is considered healthy if she can do more than four modified pull-ups. But a boy of the same age is considered healthy if he can do more than seven pull-ups, according to FITNESSGRAM.
This difference in standards can put transgender and non-binary students in a tough spot, possibly even in danger, Baum said.Build a dynamic banking and financial enterprise.Transform operations, operating models and enterprise architecture to become more agile and efficient, allowing you get to market faster.Ad By IBMSee More
“If I’m a transgender boy and nobody knows, and then I don’t meet the standards of a boy physically, I’m put in a difficult situation. Either I don’t meet the standards and take the according grade or I compromise my own privacy and tell my teacher I was actually born as a girl,” Baum said, adding that this can lead to bullying of the transgender student.
When a student who identifies as non-binary is pushed to select male or female on the BMI assessment, Baum says, that forces them to claim an identity that’s not their own.
“It’s simply important that kids feel seen by the school that they go to,” Baum said. “By recognizing non-binary people and using the right pronouns, that’s a huge acknowledgment of someone’s reality and experience, and it’s affirming.”
BMI isn’t even an accurate measure of fitness, some say
BMI is commonly used in the US to measure obesity. You divide your weight (in pounds) by your height (in inches) squared, and multiply that number by 703. If the resulting number is 30 or higher, a person is considered obese. But in recent years, BMI has come under scrutiny because it doesn’t distinguish between fat and muscle, which can be an issue for athletic people.
Even former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would be considered obese when he won the top bodybuilding title of Mr. Olympia in 1974, Schwarzenegger’s spokesman told the Associated Press.
“Whether the state uses fitness tests or not, Governor Schwarzenegger believes that the most important thing is that our students have access to daily physical education classes to promote a healthy and fit lifestyle,” Schwarzenegger’s the spokesman said.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Texas teen growing out hair for sick sister withdraws from school when told to get haircut
When 16-year-old Newt Johnson found out his little sister was sick, he was ready to do anything for her.
That included growing out his hair until it was long enough to make a wig, in case she needed it. But because of his school’s policies, that also meant withdrawing from his high school.
His sister and best friend, Maggie Johnson, was recently diagnosed with Wegener’s disease. The rare auto immune disease affects her kidneys, leaving her with severe nausea and headaches that forced her to leave school in October.
The fiery 11-year-old known for her beautiful, long red locks was starting to lose her hair after she began chemotherapy and dialysis treatments.
“Some spots of my hair has came out, just like started falling out,” Maggie told CNN affiliates WOAI/KABB.
“[Newt’s] growing out his hair in case I need a wig.”
But her brother’s sweet gesture meant he had to make one serious decision: either cut his hair or withdraw from his Texas school.
According to the Poth Independent School District (ISD) handbook, which was obtained by CNN, male students are not permitted to have hair extending “beyond the ear opening on the sides nor beyond the top of a dress shirt collar in the back.”
“It really stressed me out because I already worried about my sister,” Johnson said. “It made me feel good that I could do something for her.”
Instead of cutting his hair and following the rules. Johnson decided to withdraw from Poth High School and home school while continuing to grow his mane. It needs to reach eight to 14 inches before he can donate his hair to his sister through the nonprofit Locks of Love.
District officials confirmed that Johnson is no longer a student at the high school.
“Listen to your kids, if they really believe in something, even if it does go against the rules, sometimes you just have to dig deep [to] see if it’s really worth it or not,” said Johnson’s father, Alan Johnson. “It’s worth it.”
Rules are rules
Johnson was asked by his high school to cut his hair before the beginning of winter break in December. The school gave him until Tuesday, January 21, before the code of conduct consequences would be implemented, according to Poth ISD Superintendent Paula Renken.
But when he returned to school, he hadn’t gotten a haircut.
Johnson’s mother, Jamie Mathis-Johnson, was called into the school to pick up Johnson to get a haircut that Tuesday, Renken said. After meeting with the principal, the school also offered Johnson’s parents a meeting to formally discuss their feelings with the school district’s officials.
“The parent declined the offer from the Poth High School principal, Mr. [Todd] Deaver to set up a meeting with the superintendent to discuss her dissatisfaction with the dress code,” Renken told CNN.
The district holds an annual review of the student handbook before the school year starts, giving the public an opportunity to provide recommended changes to district guidelines, including student dress code.
If Johnson had returned to school, he would have been assigned in school suspension or after school detention, according to Renken. Johnson, she said, “would not have been denied his education.”
“I don’t understand why he has to get in trouble for doing this for me,” Maggie said.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances, PISD raised over $3,000 for the Johnson family to help with hospital expenses, along with collecting hundreds of cards from fellow students and staff.
“It was never about not supporting a sick child,” Renken said.
“Principal Deaver performed his duties as he is expected to under the policies and procedures in place. He and his staff, along with the other two campuses in Poth ISD, enforce the board directed rules and guidelines fairly and consistently.”
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
First grade teacher tried to buy an ‘eight ball’ of meth while at Florida school
A Florida teacher is facing felony drug charges after police say she tried to buy methamphetamine while teaching.
Valerie Lee Prince, a first grade teacher at Jacksonville Heights Elementary School in Jacksonville, was in contact with an undercover officer with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, according to a news release.
An audio recording that CCSO made and provided to the media revealed a woman talking to an officer about buying an $85 “eight ball” –an eighth of an ounce — of methamphetamine.
The woman, who the CCSO identified as Prince, is heard telling the undercover officer he can come to the school before kids arrive at 8:30 a.m. or during her lunch break at 11 a.m.
“It was a pretty nonchalant request and the indication was it was no big deal to the suspect,” Clay County Sgt. Vincent Hall said.
The teacher intended to leave the classroom of first graders to buy the narcotics, use some and save the rest for her boyfriend, said Clay County Lt. Domenic Paniccia with the CCSO during a press conference Friday.
The CCSO actually made the arrest after school, Hall said. Prince was charged with possession of methamphetamine.
“In a case like this, for a teacher to be willing to leave the classroom, leave those children and to have the intent to go consume any degree of narcotics and then to return to the classroom setting where she has care of children is unacceptable,” Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels said.
Prince also admitted she used methamphetamine 10 times within the last five to six months, the news release said.
CNN has reached out to Duval County Public School Board for comment, but has not heard back. It was not clear as of Saturday whether Prince has retained an attorney.
Prince is being held at the Clay County Jail. She is scheduled to be arraigned on March 10, court records show.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
Doctor shot after fight over stuffed animal at Dallas Dave & Buster’s
DALLAS (KTVT) – An argument over a stuffed animal at a Dallas Dave & Buster’s led to a shooting that injured a local doctor.
Police said two groups of people were involved in a verbal altercation inside the restaurant located in the 9400 block of North Central Expressway when one of the suspects open fired — striking the victim.
The victim — later identified as Dr. Carlos Chapa — was transported to a local hospital with a non-life threatening injury and is expected to recover.
Witness Emiliano Chapa found his brother on the floor of the restaurant after gunshots rang out.
“I picked him up and dragged him all the way through the whole building, around the corner and everything… ripped his pants, took off my belt, wrapped it around his thigh because I saw he was hit in the leg,” he recalled.
Chapa said he wrapped his brother’s leg, made sure it was OK and elevated it when one of the people involved in the incident came up to him.
“I tell him, “Right now it’s not the time, you need to speed up that tongue because… you’re apologizing, are you the one?’ He was like, ‘No, they were aiming at me,’ and then he said that it was all over a stupid animal… Stuffed animal, toys,” he said. “So, I tell him ‘You’re telling me over some toys, my brother got shot?”
When Belinda Young heard gunfire, she immediately started trying to find her son and his pee wee football team.
“All of the families got together and counted kids, getting them in a section in the back,” she said.
Another visitor Kirk Wilson grabbed his daughter — who was celebrating her 10th birthday — and put her in a utility closet.
I was telling her everything is OK, everything is fine,” Wilson recalled.
Dr. Chapa is the founder and medical director of Acupuncture & Integrative Medical Center and the board director & president for the National Acupuncture Association. He is also a U.S. Navy Veteran.
Police arrested Aurikel Silverio, 24, for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection to the shooting.
via: http://fox2now.com/2020/02/10/doctor-shot-after-fight-over-stuffed-animal-at-dallas-dave-busters/
Photo Credit: Dallas Police Department