Naked man accused of assaulting baby in stroller in NJ
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Atlantic City police say a naked man was under the influence of narcotics when he assaulted a baby in a stroller.
Police say they found Stephon Whitfield naked, yelling and bleeding while beating on the front door of an apartment building on Caspian Avenue Monday evening. Police say he had approached a woman pushing her 9-month-old child in a stroller and attacked the child.
The baby was treated at a hospital for what police say were non-life threatening injuries.
Whitfield was taken to the hospital for evaluation. The 28-year-old is charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and disorderly conduct.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/05/08/naked-man-accused-of-assaulting-baby-in-stroller-in-nj/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Students who owe lunch money in Rhode Island district will get jelly sandwiches until debt is paid
Students at a Rhode Island school district who owe money on their lunch accounts will have the sole option of a sunflower butter and jelly sandwich until they are able to pay their balances, the district announced Sunday.
Warwick Public Schools, which has more than 9,000 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, said the district-wide policy will go into effect on May 13.
“If money is owed on a paid, free, or reduced lunch account a sun butter and jelly sandwich will be given as the lunch choice until the balance owed is paid in full or a payment plan is set up,” said a post from the district on Facebook.
Warwick School Committee chairwoman Karen Bachus told NBC News that the sandwiches are served with the vegetable of the day, a fruit and milk.
Public schools in Rhode Island are mandated by state law to provide lunches to students.
Nearly 70 percent of school lunches in Rhode Island are served for free or at a reduced price based on family income, according to the state. But some parents who commented on the announcement from Warwick Public Schools said even though they qualify for free lunches, their children still owed money because they had added something to their trays that wasn’t included with the free lunch, like extra milk.
Other parents noted that the policy of giving out jelly sandwiches to students who owed money would likely leave those children embarrassed and prone to bullying. “This is absolutely awful. Our schools shouldn’t be in the business of shaming children,” one person wrote beneath the Facebook announcement.
“Just give the kids lunch. … we cant spring for a chicken patty for a hungry kid? What if this is their only meal of the day?” another commenter to the post asked.
The sunflower butter and jelly sandwich is an option on the regular lunch menu that many students opt for anyway, Bachus said.
“Before we used to give a cheese sandwich which did single them out, but now we’ve gone with an on-the-menu meal,” she said. “So what’s wrong with that?”
Bachus said that the district implemented the new policy because it is owed more than $78,000 on account of outstanding lunch payments. She said more than 1,600 students in the district of 8,700 owe money.
“We have sent out letters and certified letters to every family,” Bachus said. “All they have to do is contact us to try to work it out.”
The issue is not specific to Warwick. More that 75 percent of schools reported that they were owed money for lunches at the end of the 2016/2017 school year, according to the non-profit School Nutrition Association. And 40 percent of schools reported that the amount of students without adequate funds to pay for lunch had increased during the same school year.
The association said that schools found they were able to help parents and students by allowing them to pay outstanding funds online, reminding them about low balances and taking advantage of charitable donations.
Warwick Public Schools, meanwhile, refused a $4,000 donation offered to them from a local restaurant owner, Angelica Penta. “I have met with Warwick twice and the second time I left in tears after they refused to take a $4,000 check,” she wrote on Facebook.
Penta raised the money by setting up a donation jar at her restaurant, Gel’s Kitchen.
The district said in a statement that it didn’t take the donation because they didn’t want to be responsible for allotting which students the money benefited. “Each time these offers were made, Warwick Public Schools stated that the school department was not in the position to single out or identify specific students that should be selected for a reduction in their lunch debt while excluding others,” the statement said, according to NBC affiliate WJAR.
A statement released by the district Wednesday said they are working with attorneys to “ensure that we accept donations in compliance with the law and that the donations are applied in an equitable manner.”
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Kentucky teen who sued over school ban for refusing chickenpox vaccination now has chickenpox
A northern Kentucky teenager banned from school for refusing the chickenpox vaccination due to his religious beliefs has come down with the childhood malady, his attorney said Wednesday.
Jerome Kunkel, a student at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Assumption Academy, first started showing chickenpox symptoms last week and hopes to have recovered by next week, a lawyer for the 18-year-old told NBC News.
Kunkel and his family have no regrets about their decision to not be vaccinated.
“These are deeply held religious beliefs, they’re sincerely held beliefs,” family attorney Christopher Wiest said. “From their perspective, they always recognized they were running the risk of getting it, and they were OK with it.”
Some ultraconservative Catholics oppose chickenpox vaccinations because it was developed in the 1960s from cell lines of two aborted fetuses.
A chickenpox outbreak at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Assumption Academy in March prompted state health officials to order unvaccinated students to stay away from school. Kunkel unsuccessfully challenged the state ban in court.
Now that Kunkel has had the chickenpox, and is thus immune to it, he hopes to be back in class soon for the first time since March 15.
Had state health officials not intervened, Wiest said, his client would have had the chickenpox earlier this year.
“The ban was stupid,” Wiest said. “He could have contracted this in March and been back to school by now.”
Once the banned student can show that all of his chickenpox lesions have scabbed over, he’ll be allowed to return to school, according to Doug Hogan, spokesman for Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
State health officials also lashed out at Wiest, accusing him of “downplaying the dangers of the chickenpox.”
“Encouraging the spread of an acute infection disease in a community demonstrates a callous disregard for the health and safety of friends, family, neighbors and unsuspecting members of the general public,” according to a statement by Laura Brinson, a spokeswoman for the Northern Kentucky Health Department.
Earlier this year, opponents of mandatory vaccinations seemed to pick up support from Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, who admitted he’s exposed all nine of his children to chickenpox.
“We found a neighbor that had it, and I went and made sure every one of them got it. They were miserable for a few days and they all turned out fine,” Bevin told WKCT, a radio station in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in March.
Despite his unorthodox actions, Bevin urged parents to get their kids vaccinated.
Photo From Video Still from: www.nbcnews.com
Illinois troopers patrol undercover dressed as construction workers
EAST MOLINE, Illinois — Illinois troopers plan to start dressing up like construction workers as they patrol work zones.
“Somebody is going to get hurt,” disguised Illinois State Trooper Ron Salier said. “That’s why we’re out here. We are trying to make a difference and educate people.”
WQAD-TV reports that undercover patrols were underway Monday, May 6 to raise awareness for Work-Zone Safety Week.
Police said they planned to conduct more patrols in the future, but didn’t have plans in place.
“It’s not about writing tickets,” Illinois State Trooper Jason Wilson said. “It’s not about pulling people over, it’s about keeping people safe.”
Wilson says so far in 2019, 19 trooper cars have been hit. 17 of those cars were pulled over on the side of the road.
“Reminding drivers the human element that they are actually driving through,” Wilson said. “This is a work zone. Imagine if you were at your office and somebody drove through at 80 miles an hour.”
According to the Illinois State Police, troopers will be watching for speeders, distracted drivers and other violators in construction zones. The campaign is called “Operation Hard Hat.”
“Our hope is the plain-clothes Trooper doesn’t observe any violations. That would mean drivers were operating their vehicles safely,” said District 7 Commander Captain Jason Dickey. “Sadly, that will probably not be the case.”
Up until now, patrols in work zones have been in marked vehicles.
“They are still in great danger while they are out here doing their jobs,” Wilson said. “They deserve the exact same safety everyone else does.”
According to Blatti Law, out of Joliet, Illinois, a first-offense speeding ticket in a construction zone is penalized by a $375 fine. A second offense could bring a $1,000 fine and a 90-day driver’s license suspension.
This detail consisted of 1 observation Trooper and 3 enforcement Troopers patrolling in the zone for 2 hours. Within that time, 10 traffic stops produced 10 speeding contacts,1 seatbelt violation, and 2 other equipment warnings.
via: https://fox2now.com/2019/05/07/illinois-troopers-patrol-undercover-dressed-as-construction-workers/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Tennessee man kidnapped for allegedly not paying his rent, then has his Church’s Chicken dinner stolen
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man was arrested after he allegedly kidnapped and threatened to shoot his former roommate over a disagreement before stealing his Church’s chicken.
The victim told police he was walking down Goodwyn Street after having just stopped at Church’s Chicken Monday when he was suddenly stopped by two men, one of whom was armed with a gun. They took his cellphone and then told him he would have to wait there with them until Courtney Peterson arrived. If he tried to leave, he would be shot.
After a brief argument once Peterson arrived, the victim was taken to a home on Huntcliff where he said he was held for two hours. That’s when the suspects allegedly took his debit card and his Church’s chicken.
Police didn’t say how the victim escaped. However, they did reveal that the whole thing was the result of Peterson believing the victim owed him $300 for rent and stole some of his things.
Peterson was charged with kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, theft of property and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
GA mayor says city “isn’t ready” for a black employee, councilman agrees, saying as a Christian he’s against mixing races
HOSCHTON, Ga. (AP) — The mayor and a council member in a mostly white north Georgia city are facing calls to resign over racially charged comments.
At issue is how Mayor Theresa Kenerly treated a black candidate for the city administrator job in Hoschton.
In documents released by the city, Councilwoman Hope Weeks wrote that the mayor told her Keith Henry was a good candidate “but he was black and we don’t have a big black population and she just didn’t think Hoschton was ready for that.”
Kenerly said she doesn’t recall saying that.
According to census data, Hoschton is 84.6 percent white and the black population makes up 3.5 percent of the city. At last count, the city had 1,782 residents.
At a tense city council meeting Monday, Councilwoman Susan Powers called for resignations of the mayor and her fellow Councilman Jim Cleveland.
Cleveland earlier told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he abhors interracial marriage because he’s a Christian.
Photo Credit: kmov.com/City of Hoschton webtsite
Man arrested after walking out of Costco with 24 bottles of Hennessy
(Meredith) – Police said a man packed his shopping cart with 24 bottles of Hennessy and casually walked out of Costco with the liquor.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, allegedly stole the alcohol and a home security system from the store in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, on Friday.
Surveillance video showed the man bypass the checkout lane and leave the store with a cart full of merchandise, worth more than $1,500, WISN reported. Upon exiting the store, he was confronted by a Costco employee — but the suspect kept walking.
He then drove away in a 2018 Dodge Caravan with Minnesota plates, according to police.
Officers nabbed the suspect after asking for the public’s help in identifying him. Police have not yet said what charges he may be facing.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Father charged after leaving son in hot SUV for nearly six hours
A 4-year-old Minnesota boy died after his father left him inside a hot SUV for nearly six hours while he worked, authorities said.
Kristopher Alexander Taylor, 26, of Apple Valley, was charged Monday with second-degree manslaughter in the death of his son, who was found “stiff” to the touch when Taylor returned to his SUV on Saturday after working at the Minnesota Monthly 8th Annual Grillfest at CHS Field in St. Paul, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Star Tribune.
Taylor parked the vehicle in a spot “entirely exposed” to sunlight and told police he cracked just one of its windows roughly one-quarter to one-half inch for the boy. Taylor said he gave his son a handheld video game to pass the time and last checked on him at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday before returning nearly six hours later at 5:15 p.m., the complaint reads.
The boy — identified by a family friend as Riley Taylor — was left in Taylor’s care at about 2:30 a.m. Friday while his mother went to work. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital after Taylor returned to the SUV and found him unresponsive, the Star Tribune reports.
Temperatures during the nearly six-hour span ranged from 64 to 70 degrees, with partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies, according to National Weather Service data. But reps from a national nonprofit advocacy group told the newspaper that children have died from heatstroke inside cars while temperatures dipped below 60 degrees outside.
“A vehicle acts like a greenhouse, heating up to deadly temperatures within minutes, even on a mild day,” KidsandCars.org told the Star Tribune in a statement. “Contrary to popular belief, cracking the windows does nothing to decrease the maximum temperature reached inside a vehicle. Additionally, a child’s body temperature rises 3 to 5 times faster than an adult’s.”
A preliminary ruling from the medical examiner reported that Riley died of hyperthermia. A total of 52 children died inside cars due to excessive heat last year, making 2018 the deadliest year on record for such deaths. On average, 38 children die in hot cars annually — or one every nine days, according to the group, which has tracked data for more than 20 years.
Taylor, who was arrested at the hospital, told police he couldn’t find anyone to watch his son while he worked and didn’t think it was too hot to leave his son behind, citing prior instances, KSTP reports.
“Taylor said he had done it once in the past about a year ago and nothing bad happened to the boy on that occasion, but he admitted he had left the window entirely down that time,” the complaint reads.
Jan Null, a meteorologist at San Jose State University, said Riley is the fifth person nationwide to die inside a hot car this year. The interior of a vehicle in direct sunlight could exceed temperatures of 130 degrees if the outside temp is roughly 71 degrees, Null told the station.
Taylor, who has been released from custody after posting $25,000 bail, is scheduled to return to court on Friday.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/07/father-charged-after-leaving-son-in-hot-suv-for-nearly-six-hours/
Photo Credit: Facebook; St. Paul Police Department
Nurse allegedly took nude photos of elderly patients
A Pennsylvania nurse took “explicit and private” photographs of at least 17 elderly nursing home patients — and sent the images to her boyfriend, police said.
Ashley Ann Smith, 30, of Dravosburg, is facing 30 counts — including invasion of privacy and abuse of care — in connection with photographs she took while working as a licensed practical nurse at Kane McKeesport Community Living Center, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Smith then sent roughly 20 of the “explicit and private” images, some of which showed vulnerable patients in “need of immediate care and private situations,” to the father of her child, who previously worked at the facility. Ron Whittaker, 36, reported Smith to hospital administration April 5 and staffers there immediately contacted police.
Whittaker — who lived with Smith until they separated in November, according to court records — has not been criminally charged in connection with the photos. He was arrested in October for allegedly assaulting Smith and that case is still pending, court records show.
Allegheny County police also found two pornographic photos of a 2-year-old girl on Smith’s cellphone, according to the complaint. Smith, who earned roughly $38,000 and had been an employee since 2015, was fired by the assisted living facility after the images were found, the Post-Gazette reports.
“The images are explicit and private, and some have the sole purpose to humiliate the patients,” according to the complaint, which notes that a video on Smith’s cellphone also depicted a nude patient undergoing a medical procedure.
Some patients and their relatives were notified of the offending images, including one woman whose dementia-stricken, 90-year-old father was one of Smith’s victims during a 15-month span between May 2017 and August 2018, police said.
“I think it’s pretty heinous,” Lori Rushe told the newspaper. “That is total elder abuse.”
She continued: “You’re taking advantage of people who don’t know their name, where they’re at or anything. That is so disturbing.”
Smith’s attorney, Frank Walker, told the Post-Gazette that Smith surrendered to authorities Friday. He declined to comment on the allegations.
“Right now, the Constitution affords her the presumption of innocence, and she stands firmly on that,” Walker said.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/07/nurse-allegedly-took-nude-photos-of-elderly-patients/
Photo Credit: nypost.com/Allegheny County Police Department
Pervert said he bought child sex doll to replace dead son
A pervert has been charged with “child porn” offenses after he bought a kid-sized sex doll to ‘replace’ his dead son.
Kenneth Harrisson, 54, from Canada, ordered the doll from a Japanese website that advertised childlike and adult sex dolls.
The complicated case has been working its way through court for years, with lawyers arguing over the definition of “child pornography” in instances where a real child isn’t involved.
Instances where real children appear in video or photos, the crime is usually classed as possession, manufacture or distribution of ‘child abuse images’.
But in Harrison’s case the definition has proven more complex, and has resulted in single charges of “child pornography” and mailing obscene matter, and two charges under the federal Customs Act of smuggling and possession of prohibited goods, CTV News reported.
The 54-year-old testified on Monday saying that he didn’t plan on having sex with the doll.
Instead, he claimed to be lonely, adding that he only ordered the doll for companionship to replace his son who died aged just six months old 20-years ago.
During his court appearance, Harrisson fainted and was taken away by an ambulance, according to local media reports.
Defending himself, Harrisson said after Googling “sex doll”, he chose that particular model because it had a “male-like” face that resembled his son.
He said the doll’s face was what appealed to him and the fact it was kneeling in a sexual position did not factor into his decision.
Harrisson went on to say Googling “male sex doll” didn’t come to his mind, which is why he ended up with a child model.
Crown attorney Bill Howse said Harrisson’s explanation that he ordered a female sex doll as a male companion to replace his son “doesn’t make any sense” and asked him to explain further.
“I did not order a sex doll of a childlike nature. The purpose I intended it for was to replace my deceased son, period,” Harrisson said.
Forensic psychologist Peter Collins testified at an earlier trial date that the doll is the size of an infant without sexually mature characteristics.
Collins added that the doll meets the Canadian definition of “child pornography”.
The case will return to court for closing submissions on Tuesday.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/05/07/pervert-said-he-bought-child-sex-doll-to-replace-dead-son-cops/
Photo Credit: nypost.com/Ntv.ca