Texas man faces life in prison for kidnapping ex-girlfriend to brainwash her into being his wife
A Texas man is facing life behind bars for kidnapping his ex-girlfriend with the hopes of brainwashing her into being his wife.
Jack William Morgan was found guilty Tuesday of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping and is slated to be sentenced in March, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Authorities in January arrested the 32-year-old after finding a woman wearing only underwear chained in the back of his van. They were tipped off by a witness earlier in the day, who had seen the 28-year-old victim being dragged out of her Las Vegas apartment.
The witness was also able to give a description of the van, which authorities found just outside Santa Fe the same night, according to the newspaper.
Morgan and his victim — who he dated during and after college — met up for coffee about a week before the kidnapping.
She told police her ex-boyfriend wrapped her neck and face in duct tape and attempted to hogtie her before knocking her unconscious and dragging her from her home. She said Morgan told her he intended to take her to cave, where he would chain her to an anchor and “brainwash” her into being “his wife,” according to court documents.
Samuel Brown, 19, was in the passenger seat of the van when Morgan was arrested and was also hit with a federal kidnapping charge. In November, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and is awaiting sentencing.
Morgan told the woman he’d been planning the attack with Brown for more than a year and that he used fake social media accounts to stalk here.
He was unable to find her address, so he began knocking on doors in the area under the guise of collecting donations for the church.
via: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-guilty-kidnapping-hopes-brainwashing-article-1.3720226
Eric Garner’s daughter in coma after suffering heart attack
Erica Garner — whose father Eric Garner became a symbol of police brutality when he died after being placed in a chokehold —was in a coma Sunday night after suffering a heart attack, family members said.
“So my sister had another heart attack last night and she’s in critical condition,” Erica’s sister Emerald Snipes wrote on Facebook.
“I just left the hospital and it’s not looking good…I pray she makes it she has two little ones to live for.”
Garner, 27, became an activist after her father’s untimely death in 2014.
The woman’s Twitter account asked supporters to pray for her.
via: https://nypost.com/2017/12/25/eric-garners-daughter-in-coma-after-suffering-heart-attack/
Couple, ages 80 and 83, allegedly tell cops 60 pounds of marijuana was for ‘Christmas presents’
YORK, Neb. – Nebraska officers arrested a couple in their eighties after finding 60 pounds of marijuana in their truck during a traffic stop, according to the York County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies pulled over 80-year-old Patrick Jiron and 83-year-old Barbara Jiron, both of Clearlake Oaks, California, after they noticed the couples’ vehicle crossing the center line and the driver turning without signaling, according to the York News-Times.
A strong smell of marijuana wafted from the Toyota Tacoma, and, with the help of a police dog, deputies found the roughly $330,000 worth of pot in the pickup, authorities said.
While being questioned, the couple told deputies they were headed to Vermont, and “the marijuana was for Christmas presents,” according to a police report.
Deputies took Patrick and Barbara Jiron into custody on felony charges of possession of marijuana with the intent to deli
Man sexually assaulted, robbed 15-year-old in Brooklyn
EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn — Police are looking for the man they say sexually assaulted a teen in Brooklyn Tuesday evening.
A 15-year-old girl met a man around Berriman Street and Hedgeman Avenue in East New York around 5 p.m., police said.
They entered a basement apartment where the man sexually assaulted the teen, said police. He allegedly punched and took her cellphone and jewelry before running away.
He is described to be about 23 years old, 5 feet 11 inches, 190 pounds, and was last seen wearing all black.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting www.nypdcrimestoppers.com, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Deputies’ stray bullet kills 6-year-old boy hours after Christmas party
Hours after Kameron Prescott’s Christmas party at his school, the 6-year-old boy was fatally shot when deputies opened fire on a suspected car thief, the local sheriff said.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar called Kameron’s death Thursday a “tragic accident.” No weapon was found after four deputies fired, also killing the suspect, Amanda Lene Jones, 30, whom they believed was armed, Salazar said.
A bullet pierced the wall of the mobile home where Kameron lived and lodged in his abdomen, Salazar told reporters.
Deputies discovered the wounded boy inside the home, carried him out and administered first aid, Salazar said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
“The deputies are, of course, understandably shaken up,” the sheriff said. “Officer-involved shootings are traumatic enough. Add to this the death of an innocent 6-year-old, and it’s that much more troubling.”
A dark-colored pipe with Jones’ blood on it was found near her body, Salazar said. The deputies, as well as witnesses who encountered the woman that day, said she threatened to shoot them. Investigators were still searching for a weapon.
The killing stunned the small community near San Antonio. First-grade teacher Shanda Ince told CNN affiliate KSAT she couldn’t help but wonder how the tragedy might have been averted.
“All I can think about right now is what could I have done differently,” she said, “had it not been a half day.”
‘A tragic accident’
The deputies who opened fire — identified as John Aguillon, George Herrera, Jesse Arias and Johnny Longoria, a reservist — have been placed on administrative leave, the sheriff’s office said. The local district attorney is investigating.
“Preliminarily, I can tell you it appears as if policies were complied with,” Salazar said of the shooting. “Right now, what I’m dealing with is a tragic accident that led to the death of this young man.”
Parts of the shooting were captured by a body camera worn by one deputy, Salazar said. But the view was obstructed when the deputy raised his rifle to fire.
“I’ll be honest with you,” Salazar said, “it’s pretty heartbreaking video for us to see.”
‘Kameron was a ball of energy’
Maria Morales, a counselor at Wiederstein Elementary School, described the slain boy as a kind soul.
“Kameron was a ball of energy, happy, smart and could strike up a conversation with anyone,” she said. “He also had a great sense of humor and caring heart. He’ll be truly missed.”
Ince called Kameron “the kindest-hearted little boy that I have ever had the pleasure of teaching.”
“He loved to make everyone laugh,” she said in a statement. “He will be missed by all of his classmates and everyone at Wiederstein.”
Suspect described as ‘desperate, maybe on drugs’
The incident began Thursday morning when a deputy responding to a report of a stolen vehicle spotted Jones with what he thought was a weapon, Salazar said.
Jones, on several occasions, “physically threatened him with that weapon and verbalized to him that she intended to shoot him with that weapon,” the sheriff said.
The suspect managed to get away, and deputies did not see her again until a couple of hours later, when she turned up at the mobile home park where Kameron lived, Salazar said.
She forced her way into Kameron’s home, threatened to shoot members of his family and said she was taking their vehicle, the sheriff said, adding that Jones had no apparent ties to the boy or his relatives.
When Jones left the home, the deputies were outside, waiting. Salazar said witnesses heard the woman threaten to shoot the law enforcement officers.
“Those deputies all report in their statements that she was holding an object in her hand they believed it to be a weapon at the time,” Salazar said.
‘He loved everybody’
Jones’ criminal history included at least 13 arrests on charges ranging from drug possession to burglary, KSAT reported.
Rhonda Campbell, who also lives in the Pecan Grove Mobile Home Park, told KSAT that Jones’ had kicked in her door that morning. She described Jones as “desperate, maybe on drugs.”
“She was standing right here, demanding my car keys,” Campbell told the station. “Well, it took me almost 30 years to get my dream car. She wasn’t about to get it.”
Ince, Kameron’s teacher, said she wondered what she could have done differently that morning.
“Kameron had the biggest heart of any boy I have ever come across,” she told KSAT. “He cared about everybody. He loved everybody. Not one day would go by where he would not hug me and tell me he loved me before he left.”
A fund was set up to help Kameron’s family with expenses, the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District said in a statement.
via: http://pix11.com/2017/12/24/deputies-stray-bullet-kills-6-year-old-boy-hours-after-christmas-party/
Enraged naked postal worker goes on killing spree
Relatives and friends of two Ohio postal workers slain by an enraged, naked coworker were at a loss to explain the violence that occurred Saturday morning.
Police said DeShaune Stewart, 24, of Columbus, was charged with killing his supervisor at a post office in Dublin, Ohio, and then killing the Dublin postmaster outside the Columbus apartment complex where she lived.
Both killings were regarded as acts of “workplace violence,” police said, adding that they believed Stewart regarded the victims as being to blame for his impending dismissal from his job.
Stewart was naked and carrying a weapon at the time of both killings, which occurred about three hours and four miles apart, authorities said.
“He should have never died the way he died,” Lisa Gonzales said about her brother, Lance Herrera-Dempsey, 52, the supervisor and U.S. Army veteran who was one of the victims, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
Police said Stewart arrived at the Dublin post office around 4:30 a.m. — three hours early — approached Herrera-Dempsey, and shot him. When the supervisor fell to the floor, Stewart shot him again, killing him, police said.
About three hours later, Stewart – again naked and armed – was seen chasing postmaster Ginger Ballard, 53, around a parking lot, the Dispatch reported.
Then Stewart threw her to the ground, where she struck her head and died, according to police.
“I just don’t understand; I loved her so much,” friend Terri Rivera wrote on Facebook about Ballard, the Dispatch reported. “I pray for all of you who she touched.”
Stewart has been charged with aggravated murder for fatally shooting Herrera-Dempsey in Dublin and with murder for killing Ballard in Columbus, police said.
Patrol officers arrested Stewart shortly after Ballard was killed. They recovered a handgun after he tried to run away, police said.
5-Year-Old Chicago Boy Shot for Second Time in Less Than 2 Years
A 5-year-old boy who was shot in the face during a drive-by shooting last year accidentally shot himself in the hand on Tuesday, according to Chicago police.
Police say the latest shooting happened about 6:20 p.m. Tuesday at a home in the city’s South Side, according to WGN.
Investigators are trying to determine how Kavan Collins got the handgun and accidentally shot himself in the hand. They are questioning a man who was in the home at the time of the shooting.
Kavan was taken to Comer Hospital and is in good condition.
In June 2016, the then-4-year-old Kavan was shot in the jaw while walking with his mother and others.
A bullet fired from a vehicle struck him in the face and another shattered a window and pierced a wall before it struck a 28-year-old woman.
The Chicago Tribune reports that police said neither the boy nor the woman was the intended target.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/12/21/five-year-old-chicago-boy-shot-for-second-time-in-less-than-two-years/
Arizona Dad Accused of Bending Infant Over, Biting Him to Stop Crying; Injuries ‘Not Survivable,’ Doctors Say
An infant has been hospitalized in Phoenix after his father allegedly bent him over because he was crying, authorities said.
Phoenix Police Department officers were dispatched to a home near 12th Street and Camelback Road on Dec. 19 where they found a 6-month-old child unresponsive and not breathing, according to Phoenix television station KNXV.
An officer gave CPR to the child until paramedics arrived.
Doctors at Phoenix Children’s Hospital reported to police that the infant had lacerations to his liver and pancreas, a broken wrist and bruising on his thigh.
“The injuries are not survivable,” doctors told police.
The child was in the care of his father, 30-year-old Robert Anthony Resendiz, at the time.
Resendiz told police that he pressed the infant’s legs over his head and bent his body to get his son to stop crying, the station reported. He said he didn’t release the pressure until the victim stopped moving and was limp.
He also allegedly admitted to even biting the child twice out of frustration.
Resendiz is being held on a $250,000 bond on child abuse charges.
Parents Arrested After Trying to Sell Their Sons for Drugs, Cash in Lancaster
The parents of two boys were arrested in Lancaster after trying to sell their children in exchange for money or drugs, authorities said Monday.
The couple, 38-year-old Vincente Calogero and Sarah Nilson, 32, were taken into custody after deputies were called to respond to a report of possible child abuse, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
The call came at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, from the 100 block of Avenue J-8, a residential area.
It’s not clear what circumstances led to the call to authorities, but a sheriff’s news release said detectives “would like to commend the residents of Lancaster who intervened in response to the danger the children were in.”
Deputies found Calogero and Nilson “had been attempting to give and/or sell their children in exchange for money or drugs,” the release stated.
Calogero and Nilson were booked into the sheriff’s Lancaster Station on suspicion of felony child endangerment, child neglect, and being under the influence of a controlled substance. They are being held on $100,000 bail.
Their two sons were put into the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services.
Detectives are seeking witnesses to the alleged child abuse, or anyone who was approached by the suspects “in order to give away their children, and/or sell their children in exchange for drugs or money,” the release stated.
Nilson is described as white, 5 feet tall, 250 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Calogero is described as white, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 175 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call Lancaster Station at 661-948-8466 or Detective Gore at 661- 940-3855. Anonymous tips may be made at 800-222-8477.
Chicago Day Care Worker Accused of Using Hot Glue Gun to Burn 5 Toddlers
A Chicago day care worker has been charged after allegedly burning five toddlers with a hot glue gun.
Police arrested 32-year-old Lizandra Cosme at her home in Humboldt Park Sunday afternoon, according to KTLA sister station WGN in Chicago.
She faces five felony counts of aggravated battery to a child after the alleged Dec. 1 incident at Children’s Learning Place, located in the Logan Square area.
Investigators say the children involved, two boys and three girls, are all 2 years old. The extent of any injuries is not yet known.
A second worker faces misdemeanor charges for not stopping the abuse, authorities say.
Children’s learning place spokeswoman Lissa Druss Christman emailed this statement to WBBM:
“The well being of our students is paramount. Upon learning of the alleged incident, we notified DCFS immediately and terminated two of our employees. We are currently working with investigators.”
via: http://ktla.com/2017/12/18/day-care-worker-accused-of-burning-5-toddlers-with-hot-glue-gun/