FBI looking for man who robbed a bank dressed as a mummy on Friday the 13th
HOUSTON, Texas — Authorities in Texas are on the search for a bank robber they have dubbed the “Mummy Marauder.”
The robbery took place on Friday the 13th at the First Convenience Bank in Harris County.
The FBI in Houston described the suspect as a black male in his early 20s standing about 5’11.”
The suspect wrapped white gauze around his face and arms, the FBI said. He also wore a wig and baseball cap.
No other information about the robbery was released.
The FBI released images on Tuesday of the “mummy” robber in hopes the public could help identify him. Crime Stoppers of Houston is also offering a reward for up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the “Mummy Marauder.”
via: https://pix11.com/2019/09/18/fbi-seeking-help-identifying-a-bank-robber-dressed-as-a-mummy/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Oklahoma 18-Year-Old Arrested After Buying AK-47 and Threatening Her Old High School
An 18-year-old Oklahomawoman was arrested for making terroristic threats against her former high school, according to a Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
The report says Alexis Wilson purchased a new AK-47 and took photos and videos of herself with the weapon.
Wilson allegedly showed a co-worker the videos and told her “that she was going to shoot 400 people for fun and that there were so many people at her old school that she would like to do it to,” according to an arrest report. Police said Wilson was making threats against McAlester High School in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, about 90 miles south of Tulsa.
Wilson’s bond was set Monday at $250,000, and she’s next due in court on September 27, court records show. Attorney Eric Grantham, who appeared in court on Wilson’s behalf, did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
After receiving reports of the threats, police went to Wilson’s home and recovered the AK-47, rounds of ammunition and a 12-gauge shotgun from her bedroom, according to the report.
When interviewed, Wilson told investigating officers that “she didn’t mean the statement to sound the way it did and that she was just trying to teach her coworker to not be afraid of firearms,” the report said.
The report says Wilson’s mother told investigators that her daughter had saved up to buy the weapon but that it wasn’t odd, “due to the fact that Alexis has always shot firearms and had hunted.”
The sheriff’s office said it contacted the school resource officer at McAlester Public Schools regarding the threat and was told that they had previous incidents with Wilson dating as far back as 2013. Wilson had been suspended from school for bringing a knife and later for having swastika symbols on some of her personal belongings while at school, the report said.
“I am saddened that we live in a world where every threat could be credible,” Randy Hughes, superintendent of McAlester Public Schools, said in a statement following the arrest. “I am grateful for the quick response from the Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Department and the McAlester Police Department in the way they handled this situation. Together they helped to (avert) a very potentially dangerous situation.”
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Bermuda judge slammed for saying he got ‘horny’ during murder trial
A now-retired judge in Bermuda has been slammed by the Court of Appeal in England for remarking that he was getting “horny” during a murder trial, according to reports.
Carlisle Greaves, who served as a junior Supreme Court judge, was presiding over the murder trial last fall for defendant Khyri Smith-Williams when he told the court: “All this sex is beginning to get me horny,” the Royal Gazette reported.
Greaves made the comment as a witness in the trial testified that he had shared some of the same women as Smith-Williams, according to the news outlet.
Ultimately, Smith-Williams was found guilty in the 2011 shooting death of Colford Ferguson and sentenced to 35 years in prison last October.
His lawyer, Jerome Lynch, had filed appeal with a higher court, claiming that the judge acted inappropriately during the trial, the Royal Gazette reported.
The Court of Appeal rejected the appeal, but appeal judge Maurice Kay took the opportunity to knock Greaves for his comments.
“In particular, his comment ‘all this sex is beginning to get me horny’ was inappropriate and inimical to the dignity of court proceedings,” Kay said, according to the site.
“Mr. Lynch was justified in criticizing it. However, I do not believe that it damaged the defense or had the potential to undermine the safety of the conviction,” said Kay.
In the appeal, Lynch also argued that the judge did little to stop a witness from using vulgar language in the courtroom.
The witness, Troy Harris, had told the court that Smith-Williams admitted to his involvement in the killing, but said that a man named Rasheed Muhammad actually pulled the trigger.
Harris repeatedly called Muhammad a “f—-t” and a “f—king p—y,” according to transcripts presented to the Court of Appeal.
“Anybody familiar with serious criminal trials, in this jurisdiction in recent years, knows [Greaves] has a very personal style, whereby he engages with witnesses, defendants, juries and advocates in an informal way, often using casual language and rich metaphors,” Kay wrote in his decision.
“In relation to Harris, it was important that the judge should facilitate his evidence, whatever it turned out to be,” Kay wrote. “If he took the view, and I suspect he did, that the best course was to let the witness have his say, subject to the rules of evidence, rather than seek to inhibit him, it seems to me that that was an exercise of judgment which was open to him.”
via: https://nypost.com/2019/09/17/bermuda-judge-slammed-for-saying-he-got-horny-during-murder-trial/
Photo Credit: facebook.com
3-year-old boy found sleeping on stranger’s porch, NY police in contact with grandparents
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The mystery surrounding a little boy found sleeping on a Buffalo porch continues to grow.
Buffalo Police updated the media late Tuesday morning, describing this as a, “very, very complicated case.” Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo says they are working closely with the boy’s grandparents who recently arrived from Florida.
The boy’s grandmother tells 7 Eyewitness News reporter Ali Touhey the boy’s name is Noelvin and that they intend to take custody of him. Meantime, we’re told, the toddler’s parents, 24-year-old Nicole Mersed and 31-year-old Migel Valentin, haven’t made contact with their family since Sunday. According to police, they will be issuing pictures of Noelvin’s parents and a family friend, anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact the department’s homicide unit at 716-851-4466.
During Tuesday’s news conference, investigators also issued an update regarding a burned-out car discovered on Tonawanda Street, roughly one mile from where the little boy was found. Police are now working to identify human remains found inside that vehicle. Investigators believe the fire burned extremely hot and eventually extinguished itself. The vehicle, police say, was so badly damaged by the fire they are having a hard time identifying its make and model. Investigators believe the vehicle fire started around 3:00 am on Monday and may have been visible from the elevated portion of Rte. 198 or from the Tonawanda-Niagara Street Corridor. Anyone who may have witnessed smoke, flames or anything unusual around that time is asked to contact the Buffalo Police Homicide Unit at 716-851-4466.
At this point, police are not linking the two incidents. However, the homeowner who discovered the boy around 7:30am Monday told 7 Eyewitness News the boy repeatedly referenced a vehicle on fire.
“I said ‘where’s your mommy, honey?’ He said ‘the car’s on fire.’ That’s all he kept saying,” Lois Ausburger said.
According to police, the boy was found around 8 a.m sleeping in a box meant for stray cats on a porch on Potomac Avenue.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
KFC is testing some kind of fried chicken and glazed doughnut sandwich
In case you missed it, America has been kind of obsessed with chicken sandwiches lately. But KFC’s iteration may be taking it a bit too far. Or maybe not.
KFC announced it will be testing a new combination of fried chicken and glazed doughnuts beginning September 16 — a move that is either genius or insane.
Customers have two options: a chicken and doughnut basket meal for $5.49, which includes chicken tenders or bone-chicken plus a doughnut; or a chicken sandwich for $5.99, featuring a fried chicken patty between two doughnut buns — the much more exciting option.
And if you just want the doughnut? You can add one to any meal for a dollar.
To be honest, the combination of salty and sweet is a little enticing. It’s basically like chicken and waffles, right? And that doughnut hamburger is already a staple at state fairs across the country.
Maybe KFC is onto something.
Or maybe they’re just trying to capitalize on some of the chicken sandwich craze. Who’s to say?
Either way, the new items will be available only for a limited time, though KFC didn’t say when that time would end. And they’re not nationally available just yet — only in Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia, and Pittsburgh.
Notably, though, they’re not in Kentucky. Hmmmm.
If weird fried chicken sandwich combinations are your thing, KFC also created a Cheetos chicken sandwich over the summer. So this might not be the last of the chicken sandwich game we see from KFC.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/09/17/kfc-is-testing-some-kind-of-fried-chicken-and-glazed-doughnut-sandwich/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Bags full of body parts from 41 people found in well in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Forensic examiners in western Mexico said Tuesday they have pieced together a total of 41 bodies from bags full of body parts found in a well earlier this month.
The examiners in the western state of Jalisco said tests were continuing on the grisly contents of 119 plastic bags dumped in a well near the city of Guadalajara. Authorities had to call in backhoes to fully excavate the pit.
Experts said that after a week of study, they had been able to piece together 13 complete bodies, 16 partial bodies, six heads and six body trunks that correspond to different people.
The pit was first located in early September, when residents reported fetid odors and flies around the rural site.
Clandestine burial sites have become common in Jalisco, home to the drug cartel of the same name. Gangs frequently use such pits to dispose of the bodies of rival gangs or kidnap victims.
In July, prosecutors found 21 bodies in the yard of a house near Guadalajara. In May, the remains of at least 34 people were found at two separate properties in Jalisco.
In March, workers were removing mud and debris to clear a storm drain at another spot on the outskirts of Guadalajara, when they began finding plastic bags with the odor of dead bodies.
In the end, they pulled a total of 20 bodies out of the storm drain.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/09/17/bags-full-of-body-parts-from-41-people-found-in-well-in-mexico/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
A plumber fixed the boiler of a 91-year-old terminally ill woman. He billed her $0
It’s totally free of charge.” These are words you wouldn’t normally associate with a broken boiler.
That was until a plumber in the British town of Burnley, gained internet stardom after a receipt from one of his jobs went viral.
James Anderson, originally from Liverpool, is being lauded for his bill of £0 sent to a 91-year-old woman with leukaemia.
The bill, initially shared on Facebook by the woman’s daughter, Christine Rowlands, was accompanied by the message: ‘No charge for this lady under any circumstances. We will be available 24 hours to help her and keep her as comfortable as possible.’
Anderson insists that she will have “free plumbing for life.”
But this isn’t a first act of kindness for Anderson. Since turning his plumbing business into a community project for vulnerable people, he says he’s helped and assisted thousands of people.
That’s 2,389 people since March 2017 to be precise, he told CNN.
He says he was inspired to set up his company, DEPHER, after he saw another elderly man being “manipulated” by another engineer in the area.
“It got me thinking about other elderly and vulnerable people — we need to do something more to help the people who need it most,” Anderson said in a phone interview.
“A lot of elderly and disabled people don’t like asking for assistance and if they can’t afford something like fixing the boiler, they might not do it and get into trouble. We are there to take that worry away.”
He hopes that, by lowering the cost, people can use the saved money in other important areas of their life and help “keep their independence.”
Anderson acknowledged that he couldn’t always provide a free service if the funding wasn’t there and said at times it had been a “struggle.”
DEPHER relies heavily on donations and crowdfunding to support the service and has previously received £2,000 from the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund, the Queen’s charity.
However, Anderson has drummed up debts of around £8,000 from running the service. He insists they are under control though and is paying it off in monthly £100 installments to the bank.
That said, he offers a 25% discount even when the funding is running dry.
“As long as I have enough money to fill up the tank in my car, I will be there to try and help the people who need it.”
Rowlands, the daughter of the 91-year-old woman he helped, described Anderson as an “angel dressed as a plumber.”
She told CNN that she came across him when her mother’s boiler broke and they needed it fixing at a reduced cost.
“James is an absolute star, it was overwhelming to see that it cost nothing,” she told CNN.
The plumber says he does get something back from his work for vulnerable people. Put simply, it makes him feel good inside.
“It makes me feel human, humble and a little giddy inside… I want to expand this service across the country. I will never give up the fight.”
And although he doesn’t always expect payment, he says it is sometimes nice to receive a “smile and a cup of tea.”
Photo Credit: James Andeson
Man arrested for DUI after baby girl in stroller fatally struck in the Bronx
OLINVILLE, the Bronx — A baby girl was fatally struck in the Bronx on Tuesday afternoon, sources said.
Witnesses say the mother took the child in a private vehicle to the hospital where the child was pronounced dead.
A 22-year-old man has been arrested for a DUI in connection with the collision, a police source said.
The driver was given sobriety tests, officials said.
Video from the scene shows a white vehicle partially on the sidewalk.
The FDNY responded to White Plain Roads and East 216th Street around 4 p.m., but the patient was already gone.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/09/17/child-fatally-struck-in-the-bronx-sources-say/
Photo Credit: citizen
San Diego Father Whose Children Died in Condo Fire Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter for Falling Asleep With Lit Cigarette
A San Diego man whose two children died in a fire at their home has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors said Henry Lopez fell asleep with a lit cigarette, sparking a fire in his Rancho Bernardo home in 2017. His 10-year-old son, Cristos, died from burns and his 7-year-old daughter, Isabella, died from smoke inhalation.
Lopez’s attorney argued that there was no evidence a cigarette caused the deadly blaze and that a defective cell phone was a more likely source for the fire, KTLA sister station KSWB reported.
In addition to manslaughter, Lopez was found guilty Monday of child endangerment and recklessly causing a fire causing great bodily injury.
He could be sentenced to more than 16 ½ years in prison.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Wisconsin Man Accused of Running Massive Bootleg Vape Cartridge Organization
A Wisconsin man suspected of running an illegal operation to manufacture vaping cartridges flew to California last month to get THC oil in bulk to fill thousands of cartridges to sell, prosecutors said Monday in charging documents.
Authorities in Kenosha, Wisconsin, arrested 20-year-old Tyler Huffhines on Sept. 5 after parents tipped off police when they saw their teenage son with one of the cartridges.
Prosecutors say Huffhines employed 10 people to fill the cartridges with THC oil at a condo he rented with a stolen identity. Police say he had been running the operation since January 2018.
His arrest came as health officials across the country investigate hundreds of cases of a severe lung disease where vaping was linked to the illness. No illnesses have been tied to Huffhines’ operation, and police say tests to determine what was in Huffhines’ cartridges are pending.
Huffhines’ attorney, Mark Richards, declined to comment. Huffhines is being held on a $500,000 cash bond. He has not entered a plea yet.
Huffhines is charged with maintaining a drug trafficking house and three counts of possession with intent to deliver THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. He is also charged with identity theft.
Charging documents say Huffhines posted a Snapschat video of himself in first class on his flight to California, where prosecutors say he bought 50 jars of THC distillate.
Prosecutors say Huffhines told police when they arrested him that he launched his business because he saw a demand for THC cartridges and began buying THC oil from California. He said all the money he made he invested back into his business.
“You invest more, you make more. No risk, no reward,” according to police who interviewed him.
Prosecutors say Huffhines told police he sold the cartridges in bulk, $15 each for a purchase of a minimum of 100 cartridges. Police said Huffhines told them he recently changed the minimum to 500 cartridges.
One detective on the case said the cartridges were then sold on the street for about $35 each.
According to charging documents, Huffhines told police he was initially paying his employees $20 an hour. But he switched to paying them 30 cents per cartridge they filled so they “would work harder” and increase their productivity.
Employees told authorities they filled about 3,000 to 5,000 cartridges a day, KTLA sister station WITI in Milwaukee reported.
Police also arrested Huffhines’ brother, Jacob, 23, on drug and weapons charges. Investigators have not said whether he had any role in his brother’s business.
Photo Credit: WITI via CNN