British escaped inmate busted after venturing out to buy ‘Call of Duty’
Clint Butler, a 36-year-old British man, had eluded police for months after escaping from jail in November. But the jig was up after he ventured out of hiding to buy a copy of “Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War,” according to the West Midlands Police.
The fugitive — who had served 14 years of a 17-year sentence for robbery and weapons possession — was caught Jan. 13 in Birmingham after officers observed him and a friend suspiciously change directions after spotting police, according to the press release.
When an officer asked Butler and his companion why they were in town during the pandemic lockdown, his friend replied, “I’ve come to get the new ‘Call of Duty’ because I can’t sit around in lockdown,” officials said.
The fugitive admitted he was carrying marijuana, and allegedly gave police a fake name, according to officials.
When the officers said they’d be running the dimwitted duo’s information, Butler confused the violent video game for real life and attacked the cops, throwing kicks and punches, police said.
He’s now back behind bars and is set to do an extra two years for breaking out of jail and attacking the officers.
“This was great work by our officers, acting on instinct that there was something not quite right and then challenging the men,” West Midlands Police Superintendent Nick Rowe said.
“The situation escalated really quickly, but both PCs put their training to good effect by restraining Butler, subduing him and getting him safely in handcuffs, while also calling for back-up from officers nearby.”
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/08/uk-fugitive-busted-after-venturing-out-to-buy-call-of-duty/
Photo Credit: Jam Press
Florida 15-year-old charged with kidnapping, killing real estate agent
A 15-year-old Florida boy allegedly held a man hostage at gunpoint, robbed him of $1,000 and then shot him to death, according to authorities.
The victim, a 37-year-old Fort Lauderdale real estate agent named Stefano Barbosa, was on his way to a meeting with tenants on Feb. 1 when a masked, armed teen accosted him, police said.
Barbosa was forced at gunpoint to drive to a nearby bank and take $1,000 out of an ATM in separate $500 withdrawals, according to investigators, who reviewed bank documents.
The suspect, Henry Lee Lewis III, allegedly had Barbosa drive a few miles away and then shot him in the chest at point-blank range, according to court records. The car crashed off the road, through a fence and into a tree, and the suspect allegedly fled on foot.
A nearby homeowner heard the crash and called police, who found Barbosa unresponsive with a bullet wound. An autopsy later ruled the death a homicide.
School workers were able to identify Lewis from surveillance video, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported, and investigators searching his phone allegedly found a story about the victim in his browser history.
He has a rap sheet dating back to a firearms charge when he was just 12, according to the paper.
Lewis had already been in custody on unrelated charges when Fort Lauderdale police identified him as a suspect in Barbosa’s slaying.
The teen faces charges as an adult of second-degree murder and armed robbery.
A judge ordered him held without bond.
Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a statement that the decision to prosecute the 15-year-old as an adult had to do with consideration over the maximum punishment.
“These types of decisions are very difficult to make but I believe this is the correct decision in this case and in these circumstances,” he said. “This young person’s issues are so significant that they require treatment, help and services beyond what the juvenile justice system can provide at this time. If this case were to be handled as a juvenile matter, he would have to be released from the juvenile justice system at age 18.”
He added that a juvenile charge would limit the punishment to just three years of incarceration, and post-release supervision would end when the suspect turns 21.
Lewis pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
Barbosa was born in Campinas, Brazil, and graduated from Miami Palmetto High School in 2001, according to an obituary. He attended Penn State and returned to Florida to kick off his real estate career. He was into scuba diving, sailing, cycling and aviation.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/09/florida-15-year-old-charged-with-kidnapping-killing-real-estate-agent/
Photo Credit: Zillow
Anti-Cuomo billboard in Albany takes swipe at governor’s ‘nipple rings’
New billboard messages demanding Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s impeachment appeared in Albany on Tuesday — with one mocking the nipple rings that appeared to jut out under his official state shirt last year.
“6 strikes → CUOMO’S OUT — Free the Nipple, Fire the Boob,” one digital slogan says in hot pink and white letters against a black background, according to a mock-up posted on Twitter.
Another says, “I AM ONE MORE WOMAN — Impeach CUOMO,” while a third features an image of a bald eagle and the words “MAKE PUBLIC THE CUOMO ADMINISTRATION FBI INVESTIGATION!”
The poke at Cuomo’s nipples — amid spiraling accusations of sexual misconduct and other inappropriate behavior — stems from a series of photos shot on March 31, 2020, as he doffed a black coat bearing the state seal to reveal a white golf shirt underneath.
The photos also seem to show mysterious protrusions on Cuomo’s upper chest that online commenters suggested were the result of jewelry attached to his nipples.
A Cuomo spokesman denied the speculation at the time, saying, “Of course not, sorry, internet.”
The governor’s ex-girlfriend, celebrity chef Sandra Lee, also told Page Six that the nipple-ring theory was “nonsense,” but didn’t deny that Cuomo had any piercings.
The new electronic messages were commissioned by political activist Kat Sullivan, who said she’s paying $3,000 to have them and four others displayed on a billboard along I-787 near the Capitol building through Friday.
They appear in rotation, once a minute for 10 seconds each, she said.
Other messages target top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa and US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) for not unequivocally denouncing Cuomo over the sexual harassment allegations against him.
“I’m not sure that the people who are around Cuomo understand the gravity of things that are done wrong in New York state,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said she dropped a plan to shame state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins when the Yonkers Democrat on Sunday called for Cuomo’s resignation.
Spokespeople for Cuomo and Gillibrand didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/09/anti-cuomo-billboard-takes-swipe-at-governors-nipple-rings/
Photo Credit: @AcidSullivan via Twitter
Cops were called to the scene a day before boy, 10, was beaten to death
The NYPD is investigating the actions of two cops who were called for a domestic dispute at a Harlem building a day before a 10-year-old boy was found beaten to death there — but decided there was nothing troubling afoot.
“I have directed the Office of the Chief of Department to review the police response on Friday to determine if the officers’ actions were consistent with all department procedures and whether our current procedures need to be revised,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said Tuesday in a statement.
Ryan Cato, 34, the boy’s stepfather, was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of endangering the welfare of a child for Ayden Wolfe’s tragic slaying inside the family’s fourth-floor apartment on Saturday.
Shea said that the day before, on March 5, a person inside the Saint Nicholas Houses at 260 West 131st called 911 to report an argument on the fourth floor.
“The 911 caller could not provide an apartment number but stated that there was banging and screaming heard in the hallway and that a child was present,” he said.
Two officers were dispatched to the building and went to the fourth floor to listen for any sound of a continued dispute where they remained for 12 minutes, according to the statement.
They dialed the 911 caller twice but the call went to voicemail. “After not detecting any ongoing dispute or contact with a caller, they resumed patrol,” Shea said.
The next day, at about 2:25 p.m., police returned to the building after Cato called 911. They found the boy naked and unconscious in the bathtub and covered from head to toe in bruises and cuts.
The child, who neighbors described as a “little angel,” was rushed to Harlem Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to the criminal complaint, a neighbor heard “banging and thuds against a wall and a man yelling” followed by whimpering on March 5 at about 3 p.m.
The same neighbor heard similar sounds the next day emanating from the apartment at about 11:45 a.m. A man was yelling, “‘You thought yesterday was something? You think this s–t is a game?” the complaint alleges.
An autopsy revealed that Wolfe had suffered countless injuries — both new and old — including multiple broken ribs and lacerations to his spleen, liver, kidney and renal vein.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/09/nypd-called-to-the-scene-a-day-before-boy-was-beaten-to-death/
Photo Credit: GoFundMe
Missouri family gives up on 911 after hearing automated please hold message for a 4 year old unconscious then seizing child
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) — When you call 9-1-1, you expect to be able to talk with some immediately, But if you live in Kansas City, be prepared to sit on hold and wait.
You’ll likely hear a recorded message before you get a dispatcher.
One Kansas City family we talked to were stunned to get a recorded message when they called 9-1-1 seeking help for a child who suddenly went unconscious and started having seizures.
“We literally have a 4-year-old baby unconscious, seizing on the floor and we can’t get ahold of 911,” said Simone Grantham, the child’s aunt. “It was scary.”
Multiple family members grabbed phones and called for help for little Nathan. They all got the recording. Then they tried to call a precinct directly and got another automated message. They’re not alone.
Our investigative team has revealed the startling statistics on 911 hold times. The average wait time in four months of last year was longer than 20 seconds. That’s outside the national standards. Even worse, the maximum hold times in two months of last year was more than 12 minutes.
The family decided the best way to get help for the boy was to drive him to the hospital themselves.
“We got him in the car he had a seizure in my arms,” said Kajaun Johnson, Nathan’s dad. “I told him ‘Stay with me. We are going to get through this and get you there.”
Their story has a happy ending. Nathan is fine. But the family has no confidence is the 9-1-1 system. It failed them when they needed help.
“I was dumbfounded. It was crazy! Because how are you an emergency line? In an emergency, we can’t get a hold of you,” said Grantham.
To be fair, it’s possible that if the family had kept holding, their call might have been answered within seconds. We learned that on the day the family called for help, the average hold time was 12 seconds. The hour they called someone waited one minute and 21 seconds.
We also learned that on that same day, someone waited on hold for three minutes and 51 seconds.
Still, the best advice from the city is to be patient and wait. If you hang up and redial, you’ll move to the end of the hold queue.
Kansas City is unique when it comes to hold times. We checked other departments in the Kansas City Metro, and no other department struggles with long waits like KCMO sometimes does.
We even checked with other cities of comparable size. All who have responded so far are within the national guidelines. In Oklahoma City, 97% of 911 calls are answered with in 20 seconds. In Denver, the average wait last year was 6.06 seconds. Seattle’s average wait time was 1.9 seconds.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/missouri-family-gives-up-on-911-after-hearing-automated-please-hold-message/article_56041c47-3a1e-584d-abc4-9b4f1a7daadb.html
Photo Credit: kake.com
Idaho protesters burn masks at state capitol – “I will not self suffocate”
Protesters in Idaho staged a mask burning event at the state capital on Saturday, as frustration over coronavirus-related disruptions to daily life continue to fester.
At least three lawmakers from the state legislature and the Lt. Gov Janice McGeachin were there to cheer them on, according to local media reports from the scene.
Video posted to Twitter suggests that most of the actual burning of masks took place inside small, self-contained fires lit in garbage bins. At least one person was filmed burning a picture of Joe Biden.
Many protesters, often with children in tow, displayed signs reading “I will not self-suffocate,”
“We’re standing here today to rein back government. To reestablish our Republican form of government, a government that has balance between the branches,” said Daar Moon, a protest organizer, in a Twitter video. “It’s a widespread grassroots movement, an uprising in that regard, it’s come off very well today here in Boise.”
Last week Idaho legislators introduced a bill to make mask mandates illegal. Though there is no current statewide requirement, mask mandates are in force in seven of 11 Idaho counties, according to the Associated Press.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/06/idaho-protesters-burn-masks-at-state-capital/
Photo Credit: Nathan Howard
CNN host Chris Cuomo gets ripped for joking he is ‘black on the inside’
CNN’s Chris Cuomo is getting ripped as being “f—ing offensive” after joking that he is “black on the inside.”
The 50-year-old brother of embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was quickly roasted after a clip was shared Friday showing him hand over to CNN colleague Don Lemon by singing the theme to 1970s’ TV show “Good Times.”
Laughing awkwardly with his eyes lowered, Lemon asked his fellow host how he knew the words to the series about a black family living in a public housing project in Chicago.
“You know I’m black on the inside,” Cuomo responded.
While Lemon appeared to skip the comment, it was quickly picked up on the Twitterverse.
“It’s f–ing offensive,” tweeted Sister2Sister magazine managing editor Aisha Staggers, who said that “Black is not a costume.”
Many commentators compared Cuomo to his politician brother — who has faced repeated calls to resign amid sexual harassment allegations — with one asking if they were “competing for s–tiest Cuomo.”
Another ripped the TV host as a “spoilt, entitled guy raised in money and privilege, who is only on tv because of his surname.”
Rev. Mary Dande said she “had to turn off the television because I’m not here for that nonsense.”
“CNN needs to have some sensitivity training with their on-air personalities,” she tweeted.
Others insisted the exchange was “hilarious” and not worthy of the anger it sparked.
Others, meanwhile, joked that commentators were misreading what he meant by being “black on the inside.”
“Maybe his heart,” @docsamson829 joked.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/03/07/cnn-host-chris-cuomo-gets-ripped-for-joking-he-is-black-on-the-inside/
Photo Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Teen was offered over $1 million in scholarships when she applied to colleges
(CNN)After applying to more than 20 colleges, one high school senior from Philadelphia has been offered a total of over $1 million in scholarship money.
Shanya Robinson-Owens, 17, applied to somewhere between 25 to 30 different colleges, hoping to find the school best suited for her. As her acceptance letters came rolling in, her family quickly realized she was being offered just over $1 million in scholarship money.
The senior at the George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science didn’t have many expectations when applying to colleges and was shocked to discover just how much money she had been offered.
“I didn’t expect to get this, I knew about the scholarships, but I didn’t expect it to be this much, at all,” she said.
As Robinson-Owens began her application process, her family began counting all her scholarship packages. They created the hashtag #KeepingUpWithNya to track her progress on social media.
The high schooler is still in the process of touring college campuses and hasn’t made any decisions on where she’ll end up. She told CNN that she wants to evaluate her options carefully, not simply pick the school that offers her the most handsome scholarship package.”I don’t want to base it off money and then I don’t like the school and not finish,” said Robinson-Owens.
Among the colleges that have made offers are Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, La Salle University in Philadelphia, Temple University in Philadelphia, Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri and Cabrini University in Radnor, Pennsylvania.
Once she makes her final decision, Robinson-Owens hopes to study psychology, as some of her favorite subjects in school have been chemistry and physics. The high schooler also enjoys journalism, she’s contributed to her school’s news website and podcast. She’s also a part of her school’s yearbook committee.
Robinson-Owens will be graduating from high school in June and will start her college career in the fall.
via: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/06/us/teen-one-million-in-scholarships-trnd/index.html
Photo Credit: cnn.com
One person killed in shooting at George Floyd memorial site in Minneapolis
(CNN) – One person was shot to death Saturday night in Minneapolis at the same intersection where George Floyd died last year — an area that has since become a memorial site.
“The victim and the suspect had a verbal disagreement, and the suspect shot the victim,” Minneapolis Police Department spokesman John Elder said.
Police responded to the area of 38th Street East and Chicago Avenue, Elder said, after determining shots had been fired using an automatic sound detecting system called ShotSpotter.
When they arrived at the memorial site, “officers were met with some interference at the scene,” Elder said,but did not provide further clarification.
They were then told that the victim had already been taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The victim’s name has not been released.
The shooter has not been identified or apprehended, Elder said, and police are asking for the public’s help in locating the getaway vehicle, described as a light-colored Suburban with gunshot damage.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Minnesota,” Elder said. “
All tips are anonymous and anyone providing information leading to an arrest and conviction is eligible for a financial award.”
An investigation is ongoing, he added.
Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died on May 25, 2020, after pleading he couldn’t breathe as a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly eight minutes.
In September, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously voted to approve the renaming of the 38th Street and Chicago Avenue intersection after Floyd.
via: https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/06/us/george-floyd-memorial-site-shooting/index.html
Photo Credit: nypost.com
A mother says her 13-year-old son was bullied, forced to drink urine at sleepover
PLANO, Texas (KTVT/Meredith) — The mother of a 13-year-old boy said the bullying at her son’s school had been going on over the past year, but everything came to a head at a sleepover last month.
Summer Smith posted a now viral video of her son, SeMarion Humphrey, to Facebook, accusing his classmates of forcing him to drink urine.
She said the sleepover was orchestrated by the kids to purposefully bully him, with one of them befriending him the month before just to get him to come.
It was also that night she said he was shot with BB guns, hit in his sleep and called racial slurs.
She said Humphrey has been harassed, degraded and physically and mentally tortured by his schoolmates.
But despite reporting the incidents, she said she didn’t receive help from staff.
“When you say there’s nothing you can do, what do you mean exactly?” Smith said. “Because it seems to me that there’s plenty you can do. Where it was pre mediated and obvious that SeMarion was only invited for their pure entertainment.”
Police have said they will conduct a full investigation to identify any criminal offenses.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/a-mother-says-her-13-year-old-son-was-bullied-forced-to-drink-urine-at/article_666d4f9f-a3b8-5e17-9622-2e45fdca4da7.html?block_id=985917
Photo Credit: revolt.tv