Nun busted for smuggling cocaine in high heels
A Missouri nun smuggled 2 pounds of cocaine into Australia using her high heels — but claims she was duped into the act by a man she met online.
Denise Marie Woodrum, 51, was caught arriving into Sydney Airport last August while making her way through customs — when officers discovered the drugs stuffed into the heels of her shoes, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Monday.
But her lawyer, Rebecca Neil, told District Court Judge Penelope Wass last week that the items were meant for a mystery man Woodrum had met online named Hendrik Cornelius.
“She was groomed to provide a financial gain for this person, Hendrik Cornelius, whatever person or persons it was behind this identity,” Neil said, according to the paper.
“She went on this trip thinking she was bringing artifacts for him.”
After a failed marriage and major health problems that led to crippling bills, Woodrum, a sister of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, a religious order based in Kansas, believed she had met someone special online.
“Can you promise you will never leave me?” she had texted him last July. “You are my Only and First True Family!!!”
Despite exchanging hundreds of texts with Cornelius, Woodrum had never met him face to face — and her lawyer claimed she was just a “vulnerable” woman who had been preyed on.
Woodrum pleaded guilty in January to importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug — but there are still questions surrounding how much she knew about what she was smuggling.
Wass questioned the claim that Woodrum was duped by an online lover, finding it “inconsistent and unbelievable.”
“I am less than convinced by her explanation,” she said, according to the Herald.
Prosecutor Ben Dunstan urged the judge to find that Woodrum knew she was bringing in cocaine as part of a plot she had full agency in.
Woodrum had flown from Missouri to Texas and then to Trinidad and Tobago on July 18. The next day she traveled to Suriname in South America, and on July 25 she texted someone named “Stacie”: “This whole trip is paid for and will get additional payment for work.”
On July 30 she texted Cornelius, “Riding in his car to get stuff no signature needed,” and on Aug. 2, she texted him a list of expenses for hotels and flights and then departed to Sydney.
When stopped at the airport, Woodrum said she’d come to Sydney to see the Harbour Bridge and the aquarium and that the shoes in her suitcase were a gift for her mom.
After being told the slingbacks tested positive for cocaine, she reportedly replied: “Why, how much did you find?”
She later told investigators she’d been given gifts and clothes in South America to give to people in Sydney. All the while, Cornelius was sending her messages that read: “Are you ok?” “What are you doing honey?” “Shuttle?” “In taxi?”
Woodrum has been in custody since the day she was arrested and will be sentenced next month.
Meanwhile, her dad, who lives in Illinois, said his daughter’s arrest “was a big shock to the whole family.”
“It just came out of the blue,” her father, Tom Rozanski, told the Herald.
Rozanski said his daughter was a former teacher with a master’s degree in marketing who suffered from depression and had undergone a hysterectomy.
“All of a sudden she met someone she talked to,” he told the paper. “She said she was going to be doing some traveling.”
“Life took a turn. She has never done anything like this before, and this experience has been difficult for me to understand. Mostly because none of our family has had anything happen to them that even remotely resembles what Denise has done,” he added.
“I’m just hoping the best for her, that’s all I can tell you.”
via: https://nypost.com/2018/08/13/nun-busted-for-smuggling-cocaine-in-high-heels/
Photo credit: Australian Border Force
Woman accused of killing boyfriend’s toddler Googled ‘how to do CPR,’
CLAIRTON, Pa. – Police are looking for a 21-year-old woman they believe killed her boyfriend’s toddler daughter, then searched online for a way to revive the child instead of calling 911, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
On Monday, Allegheny County authorities said they are searching for 21-year-old Deasha Ringgold in the April 27 death of 23-month-old Aubree Sherrell.
According to her iPhone’s data, Ringgold used Google to search “how to do cpr on a baby,” “my friend go choked out what to do” and “she’s not breathing what do i do,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by WTAE.
She initially told investigators that she put Aubree down for a nap around 3 p.m. and woke up later to find the child unresponsive with blue lips. Police believe Ringgold’s search history tells a different story.
“The first Google search occurred at 2:57 p.m. and Deasha and (the child’s father) arrived at Jefferson Hospital approximately 4:04 p.m.,” police said in the complaint. The 23-month-old was was rushed to Children’s Hospital of UPMC of Pittsburgh where she was ultimately pronounced dead at 10:27 p.m.
On Friday, an autopsy revealed that Sherrell had been strangled, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports, and authorities classified her death as a homicide.
Ringgold faces charges of homicide and endangering the welfare of a child, according to WPXI.
Police describe Ringgold as 5 feet, 1 inch tall with multiple tattoos. Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous hotline 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
Video of Baltimore officer beating a man leads to suspension and outrage
The video starts with a man screaming in a police officer’s face.
“For what?!” the man yells on a Baltimore sidewalk.
The officer responds by shoving the man backward against a brick wall.
“Don’t touch me!” the man yells, slapping the cop’s hand away.
Then the video gets really ugly.
The officer starts throwing punches and continues pummeling the man for the next 12 seconds, the bystander’s video shows.
They both eventually fall to the ground, and the officer pins the man down with his arm across his neck. The man’s blood starts pooling on the sidewalk.
What happened Saturday morning marks the latest controversial use of force against a black person by police.
The Baltimore officer who attacked the man is also black. So is another officer who witnessed the attack, but did little to intervene.
Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle said he was “deeply disturbed” by the incident, and the officer seen throwing punches has been suspended.
The other officer has been placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of an investigation, Baltimore police said. The state attorney’s office was also notified.
Police have not identified either officer.
What led up to the attack
The incident began around 11:45 a.m. while officers were working on “a crime suppression detail related to crime in the area,” Baltimore police spokesman T. J. Smith said.
“Two officers encountered a man, whom one of the officers is familiar with,” police said.
“After the first encounter, officers released him and … approached him again to provide him a citizen’s contact sheet,” police said.
Smith said officers are required to fill out a contact sheet any time they talk to a citizen in relation to any type of investigation, no matter how brief the encounter.
“When he was asked for his identification, the situation escalated when he refused,” police said.
Police did not identify the man, but CNN affiliate WJZ identified him as Dashawn McGrier.
He was taken into custody and was also given medical treatment for his injuries, police said. He was not charged with any crimes and was released from custody, police said.
The man’s attorney, Warren Brown, is planning to file a lawsuit, CNN affiliate WBAL reported. Brown has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.
‘Zero tolerance’ for this behavior
Tuggle said he was appalled by the incident and has “zero tolerance for behavior like I witnessed on the video.”
“Officers have a responsibility and duty to control their emotions in the most stressful of situations,” the interim police commissioner said.
Baltimore is still dealing with the aftermath of the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, who died in custody a week after a police encounter.
Days of peaceful protests devolved into riots, with assaults on police, looting, arson and the devastation of businesses.
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said in a tweet that the city is working hard to earn and maintain the trust of the public. She said she has demanded answers and accountability for what happened Saturday.
“We are working day and night to bring about a new era of community-based, Constitutional policing and will not be deterred by this or any other instance that threatens our efforts to reestablish trust of all citizens in the Baltimore Police Department,” she said.
Trump calls Omarosa a ‘lowlife’
President Donald Trump on Saturday called his former aide and “Apprentice’’ contestant Omarosa Manigault Newman a “lowlife.’’
At his golf club in Bedminster, NJ, Trump said Newman is a “lowlife, she’s a lowlife,” according to clips of the exchange, including on CNN.com.
Boy severely burned when another child lights him on fire, mother says
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – Vibrant, fun-loving and compassionate are words Ashley Lyons describes her 7-year-old son, but a recent attack has made her little boy nearly unrecognizable, she told WDAF.
Lyons said she received a call saying her son was headed to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City after another child doused him in fingernail polish remover and “lit him on fire, on purpose.”
When she arrived, doctors told her the extent of Julien’s injuries.
“The burns were so bad that they had to go in immediately and do surgery . . . they had to scrape his face and all of his skin,” Lyons said.
Doctors say Julien’s internal organs were damaged from inhaling fumes and smoke.
“It will take three to six months to find out if the lungs could still collapse, if we’re going to have to do skin grafts,” she explained.
The Missouri mother said the attack happened Aug. 6 at the Hawthorne Place Apartment Complex in Independence. The 8-year-old boy who allegedly attacked her son also lives at Hawthorne Place.
“It’s got the highest crime rate in Independence,” Lyons said. “Unfortunately they’re not . . . making sure that everyone feels comfortable and safe in their own homes.”
This spring, Independence police took measures to address crime at the complex, such as adding two off-duty officers to staff the complex and adding more security cameras.
Lyons said it hasn’t helped.
“There’s no safety boundaries, there’s no inspections, there’s no doing what they’re supposed to be doing for HUD regulations,” she said.
“There is nothing from this isolated incident that I believe is indicative of crime in the apartment complex,” Independence Police spokesman John Syme said. “IPD has two officers assigned full-time to work in the Hawthorne Place Apartments and additional officers are assigned to the complex during other hours when those two officers are not there (7 days a week coverage).
Now, four days after the attack, Lyons says Julien is doing better than expected, but has a long road to recovery.
“For the rest of his life. [Doctors are] talking anywhere from 2 to 3 years just getting the skin growth back on his [face]. That’s not including the pigment or the color of his skin,” she said.
As she prepares for the next steps in her son’s recovery, Lyons said she’s worried about how to keep her son safe if she has to return to the place where it happened.
“The hospital is trying to release him soon, and we’re coming up with a home plan but there’s no home plan. This is not safe,” Lyons said.
Managers of Hawthorne Place say they aren’t aware of the incident.
Lyons has set up a GoFundMe page to help with Julien’s medical bills and moving costs to get her family out of this apartment and into safer housing.
Independence police gave this statement to WDAF:
“Our officers have a great working relationship with both management at the complex and the citizens who live there. They’ve made great strides in working together to both prevent crime and address issues when they arise. Officers assigned to Hawthorne have told me they have definitely seen a reduction in crime and calls for service since implementing those efforts.”
via: https://pix11.com/2018/08/10/boy-severely-burned-after-mom-says-another-child-lit-him-on-fire/
Woman gives birth while overdosing on heroin in Burger King bathroom
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A mother believed to be overdosing on heroin gave birth in an Ohio Burger King bathroom stall, and first responders found the baby alive in the toilet Friday afternoon, according to Chillicothe police.
Police initially responded to reports of a man who had passed out in a vehicle and that a woman, who was with him, had overdosed, according to WSYX.
Officers said they found 26-year-old Zachary Frey passed out behind the wheel of a running vehicle and Elizabeth D. Sanders, also 26, sitting on the toilet in the women’s restroom, a suspected ball of heroin on the floor beside her.
Sanders told officers she thought she had suffered a miscarriage, police said. However, when the officer looked inside the toilet, there was an infant lying face up, according to the Chillicothe Gazette. The officer reportedly told Sanders to stand up, causing the child to roll face down into the water.
The medic grabbed the newborn, who was still breathing, and the baby was taken to the hospital. Chillicothe Police Capt. Larry Bamfield told the paper the boy is expected to be “OK,” but it’s not clear what plans are in place for the child’s custody.
Police say Frey was taken to Ross County Jail and charged with operating a vehicle impaired and possession of drug paraphernalia. Sanders pleaded guilty on Monday after being charged over an unrelated warrant for theft.
Man accused of molesting girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter
OWEN COUNTY, Ind. — An Indiana man was arrested after police say he molested his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter, according to WTHR.
According to court documents, Robert A. McKenzie told his girlfriend if she couldn’t find anyone for him to have sex with, he would have sex with her 5-year-old daughter.
McKenzie became agitated when she couldn’t find anyone and allegedly performed various sexual acts with the child, court documents show.
Police say McKenzie told his girlfriend he could get away with rape, murder, and hiding dead bodies. McKenzie also told investigators he liked molesting the child and became aroused.
McKenzie is charged with child molesting, incest, neglect of a dependent and sexual misconduct. McKenzie’s girlfriend, Lacey S. Brown, has also been charged with child molesting, incest, neglect of a dependent and sexual misconduct.
via: https://pix11.com/2018/08/09/man-accused-of-molesting-girlfriends-5-year-old-daughter/
Man who tied up, sexually assaulted 14-year-old girl will serve no jail time
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A former Virginia high school student who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl will serve no active prison time, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Logan Michael Osborn, 19, pleaded guilty in September to the charge of having carnal knowledge of the girl. At the time, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with eight years suspended.
In early January, Chesterfield Circuit Court Judge T.J. Hauler decided to pause the two-year term, saying that he wanted more time to review the case. On Wednesday, he declined to reinstate the original sentence.
“The family is disappointed that the defendant will not serve any active incarceration for the brutal attack on the victim,” Chesterfield prosecutor Erin Barr told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “They do not believe justice has been served and shared concern for community safety and future potential victims.”
Osborn, then a student at Cosby High School, sexually assaulted the 14-year-old girl after they attended a school play together. Prosecutors said Osborn went on a walk with the girl, who didn’t know the Cosby campus, and when the path ended at a fence, Osborn became aggressive.
Barr said he forced the 14-year-old onto her knees, then tied a belt around her neck and hands before the assault. Osborn released her around the time her mother was supposed to pick her up.
The girl’s mother knew something was wrong, and the teen told her what happened during the ride home, Barr said.
In Virginia, individuals aged 17 or younger are not legally able to consent to sexual activity.
Barr argued that the former high school wrestler had a history of sexual assault – at the age of 12 he was charged with grabbing a student’s genitals, according to the paper. Girls accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior on seven different occasions, Barr said.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Evan Nelson also testified that Osborn has a “moderately high risk” of reoffending, based on standardized tests.
Osborn, who will have to register as a sex offender, lost an academic scholarship to the University of Mary Washington, according to the Times-Dispatch.
Dad slashes children’s throats, admitting ‘left a present’ for wife
An 8-year-old cried “daddy, I’m sorry” as a Texas father slit his children’s throat on Saturday, then called his estranged wife to tell her he left her a “present,” court documents show.
Jean Pierre Ndossoka, 62, was charged Tuesday with two counts of capital murder in the deaths of his two children, 8-year-old Marcel Ndossoka and 1-year-old Anna-Belle Faith Ndossoka, in his Houston apartment. The children’s mother, Sabine Ntongo, discovered their bodies after receiving a disturbing call from her estranged husband.
According to court documents released Tuesday, the Houston father slashed his two children’s throats as they cried and begged. Ndossoka told police his daughter “just kept crying” as his son mumbled his last words.
Ndossoka called Ntongo multiple times Saturday after the slaying. According to Ntongo, Ndossoka told her that he killed the children and had left her a “present.” He also said she needed to come to his place and there was a key under the mat, according to court documents.
Police found a bloody knife at the apartment and a handwritten note in French placed on the bed near the boy’s body.
Ndossoka appeared to sign the note that indicated he intended to die with his children.
Ndossoka was found alive a day later in his car parked in Pasedena. He was suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and taken to the hospital in stable condition. Though he initially said he didn’t remember what happened, he eventually confessed to investigators that he “did something bad” and reported having high blood pressure.
“The defendant then admitted that he had done something to his children and when asked ‘what?’ he motioned towards his neck,” according to the court documents.
The 62-year-old said he choked the children, but later changed his statement to report he used a knife. He admitted writing the note left in the apartment.
Man drowns playing ‘who can stay underwater the longest’
A New Jersey man drowned at a bachelor party while playing a game of “Who can stay underwater the longest,” authorities said Tuesday.
Robert Zachary “Zack” Bunsa, 23, of Basking Ridge was at a home on Lake Sinclair in Georgia on Saturday with about a dozen other guests, including his brother, when the group started the contest.
“He was attempting to see how long he could hold his breath, and tragically, he drowned,” Baldwin County Sheriff’s Capt. Brad King told The Post. “I don’t know if it was the type of thing that was ongoing all afternoon or if it was a spur-of-the-moment type” game.
The group of 15 men didn’t realize Bunsa hadn’t gotten out of the water at first. Thinking he was already back at the house, they went up to find him, authorities said.
“He was missing for some time — over 7 minutes, at least — before they realized,” Cpl. Lynn Stanford told the Macon Telegraph.
Finally, one of the men back at the lake dove in to look for Bunsa and pulled him out of an area between 5 and 10 feet deep near the dock. Visibility in the lake is about 1 foot, Stanford said.
A law enforcement officer living nearby heard a call on the radio and responded to the dock, performing CPR for 10 to 15 minutes before EMS arrived.
A helicopter was called to airlift Bunsa for treatment — but he was already pronounced dead at the scene.
Bunsa was a graduate of Koinonia Academy in Plainfield, NJ, where he played on the high school’s basketball team. He worked at Urban Table Restaurant in Basking Ridge, a former employer of his, Lauren Rubio, told NJ.com.