Catering job leaves black business owner facing boycott over Donald Trump Jr. photo-op
DETROIT (WXYZ) – A black business owner is under fire, his restaurant boycotted, because he chose to cater a Republican event involving Donald Trump Jr. in Detroit.
Last week Chef Don Studvent was captured on camera with the Presidential nominee’s son. According to Studvent, he was returning to the venue to grab his pots and pans after serving food. The photo-op left a bad taste in some people’s mouths, and now Studvent’s business is suffering.
“They want to not only not support me, but boycott me!” said Studvent. “It’s unfair and it’s selfish.”
Studvent, known as Chef Don, has run the 1917 American Bistro on Livernois Avenue for seven years. The self-described Democrat said he didn’t think anything of taking the job, or allowing the candidate’s son to snap a picture with him.
“There is personal and there is business, it should always be separate,” said Studvent. “Business-wise I can’t take sides. I just can’t.”
While Studvent saw the situation as cut-and-dry, others were up in arms. One Facebook post shared more than 200 times reads, in part: “after seeing the owner spinning and grinning here with Trump Jr. I’ll be eating at Kuzzo’s from now on.” As more people commented, the call came to boycott the restaurant.
“It hurts,” said Studvent, pointing out that he had two tables filled during his typically busy lunch hour.
“This is my living,” he said. “And it’s not just my living, my employees as well.”
He hopes the situation blows over quickly, but with the tensions surrounding the 2016 election, Studvent said it may take a lot of work to get his customers back.
Woman Killed Stranger Who Slapped Stepson On Hoops Court, Prosecutors Say
COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A West Side woman shot a stranger to death who slapped her 13-year-old stepson on a basketball court, prosecutors said Thursday.
The incident started Aug. 8 in the late afternoon as the boy played basketball near Springfield Avenue and Polk Street in the Garfield Park neighborhood, Assistant State’s Attorney Bryan Grissman said during a bond hearing Thursday.
The 13-year-old got in an argument with 22-year-old Ireal Mitchell, and Mitchell slapped the teen, prosecutors said.
The boy went home and told his stepmother, Sirena Crosby, 38, what happened, Grissman said. Crosby went to the basketball court to confront Mitchell. After a short time, she returned home.
That’s when she asked a man “to get a gun,” Grissman said. She and the accomplice got into Crosby’s silver Chevy Malibu and headed toward the basketball courts, according to prosecutors.
Crosby spotted Mitchell in the 800 block of South Springfield Avenue, Grissman said. As Mitchell walked by Crosby’s car, she pointed a gun from the driver’s side window and fired several shots — fatally striking Mitchell in his arm and back, police and prosecutors said.
Crosby then sped off, Grissman said.
The shooting was captured on surveillance footage, prosecutors said, and multiple witnesses were able to identify Crosby and her silver Chevy Malibu.
Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. on Thursday ordered Crosby, of the 400 block of North Springfield Avenue, held in lieu of $3 million bail.
Student charged with putting bleach in pregnant girlfriend’s water to harm unborn baby
District Attorney: Student charged with attempted murder of an unborn child
According to the Lancaster County District Attorney, 20-year-old Theophilous Washington, a Millersville University junior from Washington D.C., is charged with a felony count of attempted murder of an unborn child and misdemeanor reckless endangerment.
Washington is in custody and was arraigned Friday evening when bail was set at $1 million.
Millersville University police Deputy Chief Howard Bauman filed charges late Friday afternoon, with consultation from First Assistant District Attorney Christopher P. Larsen and Assistant District Attorney Andrew LeFever.
“The charges are twisted and the intended result nothing short of horrifying,” District Attorney Craig Stedman said on Friday.
A doctor examined the female victim, approximately 2-months’ pregnant, and the unborn baby. Both are believed to be physically unharmed.
Officials say that Washington and the female were hanging out at Washington’s room Thursday night into Friday morning. As the female was leaving, Washington suggested she have a water from his refrigerator.
The female drank the water when she returned to her on-campus room and felt a burning sensation in her throat. She vomited then called 911. Police responded.
Both Washington and the female victim provided statements to police.
According to investigators, Washington, the father of the child, admitted to putting bleach in the water bottle. He had stated previously that he did not want the female to have the child.
Millersville University officials said Friday there was never any threat to the safety of other students.
“This was a horrible, unconscionable event,” said Brian Hazlett, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Millersville University. “It is very disturbing to me personally because I consider our students to be our family. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and we’re doing everything we can to make sure she is okay. At no time was anyone else on campus at risk. Because this was a totally isolated incident that did not impact anyone else on campus, a Timely Warning and our MU Alert system were not warranted.”
A preliminary hearing will be scheduled for a date in the coming weeks.
“There is no greater call in law enforcement than to protect the most vulnerable among us and there are none more vulnerable than the unborn,” Stedman said.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges could be filed.
Texas Man Allegedly Beheaded Wife and Put Her Head in Freezer in Battle of ‘Good and Evil’
A 23-year-old Texas man who police claim confessed to decapitating his 21-year-old wife and placing her head into their freezer allegedly described the killing as “a battle between good and evil” as he was being interrogated, PEOPLE confirms.
On Wednesday, a grand jury returned an indictment against 23-year-old Davie Dauzat, who allegedly stabbed Natasha Dauzat to death in August while their young children were in a separate room of their Bellmead, Texas, home.
The indictment charges Davie with a single count: murder for his wife’s Aug. 25 death.
He remains in police custody on $500,000 bond.
According to the indictment, police received a call the morning of Aug. 25 from Davie’s brother, who told investigators he was worried about Davie after speaking with him on the phone. The brother told police Davie made “weird statements” during the call and asked “funny questions.”
He told police he wasn’t sure if his brother’s statements were drug-induced or serious.
Police were dispatched to the Dauzat home, but Davie refused to come out, the indictment alleges. Over time, officers were able to talk him into surrendering. Once inside the home, they found the couple’s children unharmed but drenched in their mother’s blood.
The medical examiner ruled Natasha’s cause of death due to “sharp-force injuries, including decapitation,” according to the indictment.
Davie allegedly admitted to police that killing his wife was wrong but later defended the move, arguing the slaying “was a battle between good and evil,” according to the indictment.
Davie allegedly told investigators he’d used drugs prior to the slaying, but the indictment doesn’t list any substances other than marijuana, which he had smoked with his wife earlier that day.
Joseph Marcee, Davie’s attorney, did not return calls seeking comment. It is unclear if Davie has entered a plea.
via: https://www.yahoo.com/news/indictment-returned-against-texas-man-190850559.html
6th grader stabbed in chest with pencil suffered punctured lung, and school DID NOT call 911
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A middle school student in Colorado was stabbed in the chest with a pencil during a fight, but the school did not call police or an ambulance, according to FOX21 NEWS.
Kyle Nipper was stabbed when he got into a fight with another 6th grader at Carmel Middle School on Friday.
School District 2 released a statement saying his injuries “did not appear to be severe at the time.”
However, Nipper’s parents took him to the hospital, where doctors said one of his lungs was punctured and he needed trauma surgery, FOX21 reported.
Now parents and family friends want to know why no one at the school called 911.
“They should have called 911. I mean, if you don’t know how to call 911 when somebody’s stabbed in the chest and can’t breathe, then there’s something wrong with you,” Aaron Coates, a friend of the Nipper family, told FOX21.
“You really need to check your priorities. I mean, I know it was late at night, end of the day on Friday and you know, they probably wanted to go home and get high or something, but you know, when you’re at work, you’re at work,” Coates said.
“That kid’s parents, really for real, how are you going to teach your child that something like that is even an option? I mean stabbing somebody with a pencil? I seen somebody get stabbed with a pencil once, you know where that was? In prison, okay? Thank you!” Coates said.
Nipper’s parents told FOX21 they want to raise awareness about bullying and see changes in training.
The district superintendent said all the health techs at each school have CPR training and emergency management training, along with district nurses that provide additional support.
The superintendent also said there is no evidence bullying was a factor in this situation.
Idaho Teen Allegedly Raped by Truck Driver He Met Through Craigslist Ad
A semi-truck driver from Iowa has been arrested after allegedly raping a teen boy in Idaho who was looking for a ride, East Idaho News reported on Tuesday.
After a yearlong investigation, 31-year-old Kyle Townsend has been charged with one count of lewd conduct with a child younger than 16.
Court documents show that Townsend responded to a 14-year-old boy’s Craigslist ad in February 2015. The teen wrote that he was looking for a ride to Nevada.
Records show Townsend responded to the ad within minutes and told the teen he would give him a ride for free. Townsend and the boy agreed to meet in the Dillard’s parking lot at the Grand Teton Mall.
The teen told detectives Townsend was driving a blue semi-truck. It was later discovered the vehicle was owned by a local trucking company Townsend worked for at the time.
The teen said he entered Townsend’s truck and they drove for a few minutes before Townsend told him to remove his pants.
Court records show Townsend forced the boy to perform sexual acts and then raped him. The teen reported to police he vomited after the assault and Townsend kicked him out of the truck saying the boy was “too easy.”
Investigators obtained video surveillance that shows the teen being dropped off near the Target parking lot in Ammon. The boy called police and reported he had been kidnapped and raped but later said he lied about being abducted.
When police arrived they noted the teen as being visibly shaken and was crying when asked what had happened to him.
Police were able to identify Townsend as a suspect through his cell number and a photo line-up.
They tracked the GPS location of the semi Townsend was driving to the locations and times of the reported pick up, rape and drop off. Police also verified the corresponding locations through cell phone towers used from Townsend’s cell phone.
Weeks after the assault, another teenage boy contacted police and reported interactions with Townsend.
The teen reported that Townsend emailed him nude photos and tried to meet up with him in the Idaho Falls Wal-Mart parking lot. Police obtained a search warrant for Townsend’s email and verified the report.
An arrest warrant was issued for Townsend in January and detectives spent months trying to track him down.
He was located in September and extradited back to Idaho Falls on Oct. 6.
Townsend is held in the Bonneville County Jail on $50,000 bond. He was arraigned on Oct. 7 and will make another court appearance later this month.
via: http://ktla.com/2016/10/11/idaho-teen-allegedly-raped-by-truck-driver-he-met-through-craigslist-ad/
Thousands Sign Petition to Publicly Hang West Virginia Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting, Killing Baby Girl
A petition to publicly hang Benjamin Taylor, the West Virginia man accused of brutally sexually assaulting a 10-month-old girl who died this week, was removed from the White House’s website Friday after receiving tens of thousands of signatures.
The website did not specify a reason beyond stating that the petition violated its terms of participation. It was not immediately clear when the petition was taken down, but it had received at least 50,000 signatures before being removed.
The petition on the White House’s “We the People” calling for Taylor to be publicly hanged was posted Tuesday by a person identified as “J.R.”
The petitioner wrote: “Prison is too good for child rapists and their ilk. I would move to say that our ‘justice system’ is even a part of the problem, in that incarceration is hardly justice when it comes to such an awful act … Let us hang these creatures publicly. Let us make examples of them, and allow the American people to attend these hangings so that the accused may be ridiculed.”
Had the petition received the required 100,000 signatures by Nov. 4, the White House would have had to issue a response, according to the website’s policy.
The petition was started one day after Taylor, 32, was discovered with his girlfriend’s severely injured baby in the basement of the apartment they shared.
Emmaleigh Elizabeth Barringer was naked, covered with blood and unconscious when she was found by her mother, according to the baby’s aunt.
At the time the petition was posted, Emmaleigh had already been pronounced brain dead. She died the following day from her injuries, which were described by family members as “extensive.”
Taylor was initially charged with one count of first-degree sexual assault, but a murder charge was added after the girl’s death, Jackson County Sheriff Tony Boggs told West Virginia-area television station WSAZ.
Boggs described the case as one of the worst he’s seen in his career.
“I have not and hope to never again,” he said. “I don’t know of any normal human that could fathom what would possess somebody to do that.
West Virginia abolished capital punishment decades ago, though another case spurred one state lawmaker to promise that he would introduce legislation to bring the death penalty back to the state in the next legislative session, West Virginia Metro News reported.
A vigil for Emmaleigh is scheduled for Friday night in Pasadena, Maryland, according to aGoFundMe page set up by the family to help cover funeral costs. The infant’s funeral will take place on Oct. 17.
San Dimas Woman Sentenced to 9 Years For Death of Mother-in-Law Whose Remains Were Found in SUV
A San Dimas woman was sentenced to nine years in state prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to elder abuse in connection with the death of her mother-in-law, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.
Un Young Lee, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of elder abuse causing death and one count of arson of inhabited dwelling.
Firefighters responded to reports of a fire at the mother-in-law’s home in the 1200 block of North Diamond Bar Boulevard in March 2015.
No one was found inside the home, but Lee was found driving her SUV in Orange County later that day, officials said.
The SUV filled with plastic bags, and a detective on scene said he saw body parts inside as the vehicle was towed away for evidence. Authorities later discovered the remains of the 77-year-old victim, Young Ja Lee, inside the car.
Prosecutors believe the elder Lee died sometime between March 23 and March 25. The younger Lee was immediately sentenced after pleading guilty.
Mother gets 21 years to life for drowning toddler in custody dispute
Oceanside woman was sentenced to 21 years to life in prison for intentionally drowning her toddler son after learning she’d have to split custody of the boy with his father.
Veronica Rivas, 30, pleaded guilty in Vista Superior Court last month — three weeks before trial — to second-degree murder and willful cruelty to a child.
In September 2014, Rivas placed 21-month-old Elijah in the bathtub of her family’s Oceanside condo and held his head underwater until he stopped fighting, authorities said. When the boy regained consciousness, she called her estranged boyfriend — the child’s father — to ask him to give up his custody rights. When he said no, Rivas held the child underwater again until he died, prosecutors said.
In court Friday, the boy’s father, Marine Sgt. Juan Concha, addressed Rivas as he clutched a blue stuffed elephant — the toy his son had slept with.
“Remember this?” the 30-year-old asked, holding a long stare at Rivas.“How do you kill a 2-year-old? How do you hold Elijah’s head underwater?”
He told Rivas that “young, innocent Elijah didn’t do anything to you.” He wished her a long life, adding “I hope you think about it every night and every morning.”
Rivas remained mostly expressionless while he spoke. Concha said he should have been getting ready to celebrate his son’s birthday — Elijah would have been 4 this November — not speaking at the sentencing for his murder.
“How do you kill a kid?” Concha asked. “How do you hold Elijah’s head underwater not once, but twice? Do you even care?”
After a tense and quiet moment, Concha wiped his eyes, picked up the toy and walked away.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Claudia Grasso told Judge Richard Monroy that Rivas’ actions “were all committed out of revenge and spite.
“From the beginning, this baby was a pawn to her that she used to get back at Mr. Concha,” Grasso said. “The minute he moved on … she would not allow him to see the baby.”
Five days after Concha formally asked for custody, Rivas told police she suspected he was abusing the boy, the prosecutor said. The ensuing investigation by three agencies, including Oceanside police and child social workers, found no merit to the allegation.
The day after she learned she would have to share custody of Elijah, Rivas drowned him.
She was about to pick up her son from his baby-sitter’s home around noon on Sept. 10 when she decided to kill him, Grasso said. Rivas told police: “I had to put him down” for his own protection.
At her family’s home, Rivas poured herself a drink and filled the tub in an upstairs bathroom as the toddler ran around in his diaper, Grasso said. She then put him in the tub and held his face down. But he “was a sturdy little guy, who fought, who struggled,” Grasso said.
Rivas thought Elijah was dead, but he regained consciousness.
“And instead of feeling that remorse … she called Mr. Concha to continue the fight,” Grasso said.
After they hung up, “out of anger, out of spite, out of revenge, she got the baby a second time and immersed him in the tub until she killed him,” the prosecutor said. “Revenge, spite, that’s all it was.” Veronica Rivas was sentenced to 21 years to life in the murder of her 21-month old son.
Rivas did not make a statement during the hearing. Last month, public defense attorney Daniel Segura said his client was “tremendously remorseful.” When she was arrested two years ago, her arraignment was delayed as she was on suicide watch.
Her family attended Friday’s hearing, but did not comment.
Rivas must serve 21 years — she has already served two as she waiting for trial — before she is eligible for parole.
Concha said the stuffed toy is the only item of his son’s that he has. The sergeant, who is from New York, said he hopes to permanently remain in California for one reason: “My son is buried here.”
via: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-toddler-drowned-20160917-snap-story.html
Deputies Fatally Shoot Pompano Beach Man Who Was Eating Chicken Wings At Backyard BBQ
Two deputies from the Broward Sheriff’s Office shot and killed a man in Pompano Beach at around 10 o’ clock last night.
Deputies were responding to a call about a domestic disturbance. When they arrived, they were directed to the back yard, where the man (whose name has not yet been released) was holding a knife. Both deputies opened fire. Pompano Beach Fire Rescue later confirmed the man was dead on the scene.
Neighbors who were present at the time of the shooting say the man was shot in the back six times. BSO has not yet confirmed that.
The incident is currently under investigation, and both deputies have been placed on administrative leave.
Friends and family confirmed the victim was Gregory Frazier, age 56, who lived at the Pompano Beach home where the shooting took place. His sister, Deborah, had called 911 because he had been arguing with her daughter. He had a knife in his hand—the small, Swiss Army-style pocket knife that he always carried, she told dispatchers.
When officers arrived, the argument was over, and Frazier was sitting outside in his backyard eating chicken wings and fries. Quartaze Woodard, Frazier’s nephew, who was at the scene, says three deputies showed up and told Frazier to get down on the ground. Frazier responded, “Leave me alone.” The deputies repeated the order. Again, Frazier asked them to leave him alone. After that, Woodard says, the officers shot him. Then, after handcuffing him, and removing the handcuffs once they realized he was non-responsive, they attempted to perform CPR. It was too late.
“I never would have called the cops if I’d known this was going to happen,” Deborah Frazier says. “They just came in and started shooting right away.”
Pastor Miguel Rosa, who lives next door, was holding a meeting with several of his parishioners when he heard what he initially thought were fireworks. At least five shots were fired, he believes.
Frazier was black. The deputies who responded to the call were white. And friends and family say this is why Pompano Beach in particular, and Broward County in general, needs officers who better reflect the populations they serve.
“It’s too much,” says Sarahca Peterson, a friend of the Frazier family and a community activist. “There has to be change. They need to face criminal charges. If I kill someone, I’m going to jail. They shouldn’t be out there on the streets.”