NJ nurse caught on camera stabbing autistic boy with syringes loses her license
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — New Jersey regulators have revoked the nursing license of a woman caught on security cameras stabbing an autistic teenager with syringes when he failed to comply with her instructions, officials said Thursday.
The state attorney general’s Division of Consumer Affairs announced in a news release that the New Jersey Board of Nursing had revoked the registered nursing license of Naomi Derrick because of the 2016 episode at an Atlantic City hospital’s psychiatric unit. Officials said they also plan to begin proceedings to revoke Derrick’s license for respiratory therapy.
A phone call to a listing for Derrick was not immediately returned Thursday.
“Intimidating and terrorizing a developmentally disabled child who is completely dependent on your care is a horror that should not be visited upon anyone,” said Paul R. Rodríguez, acting director of the Division of Consumer Affairs.
The department release said that a co-worker witnessed Derrick threaten the boy with needle-stabbing during her shift in May 2016. It also said several stabbings were captured by security cameras in the teen’s room.
During a hearing over the incident, Derrick said she only showed the boy the needle as a threat. Department officials said she claimed an examination of the boy the next day showed no bruising or bleeding.
Derrick had asked the department to suspend her license instead of revoking it, arguing she had no complaints during her previous eight years as a nurse. The woman said another nurse had instructed her verbally that the threats were the best way to get the teen to comply with her.
Derrick said the boy would call her names, pull her hair, throw sheets at her and leave his room to visit other patients during sleeping hours.
She had been charged in 2017 with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, child endangerment and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Atlantic County prosecutors allowed her to enter a pretrial program in January.
In addition to losing her license, Derrick was also ordered to pay 10% of the cost of the investigation.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
3-year-old boy dies after becoming trapped in washing machine
Orlando, FL (WESH ) — Orlando police said a 3-year-old died after climbing into a washing machine and getting trapped inside.
WESH 2 News spoke with washing machine experts about what a parent can do to keep their child safe around a washing machine.
Police believe the little boy who died inside the machine ultimately died of suffocation.
It happened at a home on Lake Como Circle.
Investigators say the boy was playing with his younger sibling in the laundry room when, on his own, he climbed inside a front loading washing machine.
“At some point in the process, the door closed. Either he pulled it shut himself, or maybe the sibling closed it. That’s something we’re still looking at. And also, when that door closed, did it create an air-tight seal and deprive the child of oxygen?” said Cory Burkarth, of the Orlando Police Department.
Investigators do not believe the washing machine was ever operating with the boy inside and say they are still investigating how long he was trapped. They say at least one parent was home at the time and that the tragedy was a terrible accident.
“It’s awful. With a 16-month-old at home, it just hit particularly close to home,” said Jeff Jaskot, of Aggressive Appliances.
Jaskot is one of the owners of Aggressive Appliances, and is intimately familiar with front loading washers.
He does not know of a front loading washing machine that offers an option to lock the door when it’s not in operation, but he points out that a parent can at least lock the control pad and prevent the machine from operating.
“What that does is, even if the machine is open and a child were, a pet, anything, were to crawl inside, that’s something that will keep any of the other buttons from being activated,” he said.
As for keeping a child from getting inside a washing machine, police say the best advice may be restricting access to the washer.
“If you have your laundry room as its own separate room with a door and handle, put a child-proof handle on it, a child-proof lock,” Burkarth said.
Police are not yet revealing the model of the washing machine involved.
Police said they are aware of three deaths among children ages 5 and younger since 2014, related to washing machines, and at least two of those involved front loaders.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/08/15/3-year-old-boy-dies-after-becoming-trapped-in-washing-machine/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
‘Gigantic’ praying mantis terrorizes 6 train
Delays, service changes and humongous bugs, oh my!
The MTA had one more pest plaguing the subway system on Tuesday when a massive praying mantis joined commuters for a ride.
City Councilman Keith Powers was on the uptown 6 train when another rider warned him he was sitting dangerously close to the long-legged insect.
The lawmaker quickly took cover — but not before tweeting a photo showing the enormous bug clinging to the subway car wall and staring back with its cold black eyes.
“Like most New Yorkers, I’m frightened by the gigantic praying mantis on the subway but also relieved that he didn’t yell ‘It’s showtime!’” Powers tweeted, in apparent reference to the ubiquitous subway performers.
Other New Yorkers responded in horror on social media.
“Holy crap. Can I say that to a Councilman?” tweeted one user.
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who has proposed that the city take over the subways, credited New York City Transit boss Andy Byford for the new straphanger.
“Andy Byford continues to improve the subways and up the game,” City Council Speaker Corey Johnson joked on Twitter.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/08/14/gigantic-praying-mantis-terrorizes-6-train/
Photo Credit: Council Member Keith Powers
South Carolina deputy caught in child sex sting by his own department
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina sheriff’s department says it caught one of its own deputies last week in a child sex sting that netted over a dozen other people.
The State reports Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott announced the arrest of Deputy Derek Vandenham on Tuesday. Twelve other law enforcement agencies assisted in “Operation Relentless Guardian,” during which deputies pretended to be 13- to 15-year-old girls and chatted with men online.
The men who solicited sex from the “girls” were arrested at an agreed upon meeting site. Lott says the meetup site was changed so Vandenham wouldn’t know he was about to be arrested and the uniformed deputy arrived in his patrol car. He was immediately fired.
The sting also led to the arrest of former transportation commissioner 72-year-old John Norton Hardee.
Photo Credit: RCSD
“Shoot now, pay later”: Arizona gun store criticized for back-to-school ad
PHOENIX, AZ. (CNN/KNXV) — It’s normal to see back-to-school advertisements for things like backpacks and lunchboxes as the beginning of the school year approaches.
But guns?
The owner of an Arizona gun shop says their back-to-school ad was all a big misunderstanding.
At Tombstone Tactical, the company has a very large online presence, according to owner Brian Smith.
On Saturday morning, he hit send to push out his weekly newsletter to his subscribers.
“The title of the program is called Shoot Now, Pay Later,” he said.
He wrote: “now that the kids are back in school it’s a perfect time to take advantage of some great specials.”
“How that could be missed it’s shocking, it’s shocking,” said New Mexico customer Marty Ryan who read the newsletter.
“I cannot believe these guys put this together as a promotion,” said Ryan. “Especially when they use the words.. ‘now that the kids are back in school let’s have an assault rifle sale’.”
Ryan is a gun owner, but his daughter is an elementary school teacher and his grand kids went back to school recently.
“It’s always in the back of our heads. It’s something that scares all of us,” said Ryan.
Smith said “there’s no way we would ever encourage violence at all.”
“We just spent a bunch of money on our kids. Now it’s time to spend a little bit of money on ourselves,” he added.
He’s convinced most customers didn’t misinterpret the newsletter.
“I would apologize to anyone who took offense to that. We sent that email out to well over 200,000 people and I only received three negative responses,” he added.
With multiple mass shootings less than 10 days old, the gun industry is once again facing scrutiny.
Tombstone Tactical says they go out of their way to promote gun safety and will now do a safety check on future emails.
“We will probably look at our emails a little bit better before we send them out,” said Smith.
Most customers say they think the email was an honest mistake. And that they will continue buying from Tombstone.
As for Ryan, he says he’s a former customer now.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Man was assaulted by police officer at St. Louis market because man asked “what type of police officer was he”
ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — Police are investigating an incident involving an officer and a customer in a local store from a week ago in which witnesses say the customer was assaulted.
The situation happened at Crown Food Mart of Vandeventer and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive on August 8.
Surveillance video shows the officer standing in front of the customer, Bryan Boyle, in line as both waited to buy things.
The clerk working at the time said the dispute started when the Broyle asked the officer, what type of police officer he was.
“What are you? That’s all I asked because I was interested in doing like private security and private bodyguard work,” Boyle said. “I just wanted him to point me in the right direction. He went a whole other direction.”
She said the officer seemed offended and tried to put Broyle in handcuffs.
Video shows when Broyle refused, the officer pulled out a taser and hit Broyle over and over in the head with handcuffs.
“That’s when he starts beating me in the face with his handcuffs and fists, with blood leaking down my face,” he said.
A clerk working at the time, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the officer wildly overreacted.
“The only thing the customer did was ask a question. It was just a simple yes question where he could have said, ‘I am an officer,’ or ‘I am a security guard.’ Like all you had to do was either answer the question or ignore the question and walk away,” she said.
Despite the trauma of the incident, Broyle said it inspired him to become a police officer even more than before.
“There’s people out there that actually want to protect their people, not harm their people,” he said.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Dog’s nose cut open during grooming at Petsmart
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A Virginia woman says her dog was delayed veterinary treatment after being injured at a local PetSmart.
Victoria Lawhorne says it happened July 30th while her pet was being groomed at the Petsmart on Jefferson Davis Highway in Chester, about 16 miles south of Richmond.
“They called me and said my dog was rushed to the vet because he had got cut,” Lawhorne told WTVR, “They said he was moving a tiny bit too much and accidentally cut his nose.”
She then met the PetSmart employees at the Banfield Pet Hospital, which is attached to the Colonial Heights PetSmart. Upon arriving, the employees allegedly told her that “because they charge an arm and a leg here, we’re going to go to another vet and see what they say,” Lawhorne said.
“A piece of his nose was kind of missing and open up and like and you could see meat inside and blood. It was kind of like gross and nasty. I didn’t even want to look at it because it gave me chill bumps,” she said.
Lawhorne said Osito was transported to Animal Medical Center in Midlothian, 30 minutes north of Banfield Pet Hospital in Colonial Heights.
“My dog is hurt you should have taken him to the first vet, you could have taken him to no matter what the price is,” Lawthorne said. “You guys injured him so you guys should be responsible to pay and get him fixed as soon as possible not wait four or five hours to figure out what vet you are going to take him to.”
“From 4:30 ’til about 10:30, 11 o’clock my dog was in the vet because they decided to shop from vet to vet because one was more expensive than the other that shouldn’t have happened.”
Vet records from Animal Medical Center show Osito was sedated and surgical glue was used to repair his lacerated nose.
He was sent home with medication and restrictions.
Victoria says PetSmart picked up the bill and offered her a gift card that she hasn’t accepted.
“It’s more than an inconvenience, my dog was in pain, suffering, he wasn’t eating and I don’t think just a $50.00 gift card could be okay,” Lawhorne said. “You guys haven’t checked on him, you guys won’t respond to any of calls or anything regarding the incident. You’re hurting somebody’s family. A dog’s pain and suffering at least care a little more than what they are doing,” she added.
A Petsmart spokesperson gave this statement to WTVR:
“Osito’s nose was accidentally cut during a groom, and he was immediately taken to a local pet hospital by our associate where he was transferred to an emergency veterinarian to receive prompt treatment. The welfare of Osito was our top priority, and treatment costs were not a factor in how we sought care for him. PetSmart has reached out to the pet parent multiple times to check on Osito and offer continued support, but to date, the pet parent has not returned any calls. we are sorry this accident occurred, and we wish Osito a speedy recovery.”
Lawhorne maintains she has not heard from the pet store chain.
Osito’s nose is almost fully healed and he should be able to return to normal activity by the end of the week.
There are no formal requirements for pet groomers in Virginia. PetSmart’s website states it takes more than one year to become a certified pet stylist with the company.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/08/14/dogs-nose-partially-cut-off-during-grooming-at-petsmart/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Family sues Walmart after dresser falls and suffocates toddler
The parents of a 2-year old girl who died after suffocating between the drawers of a toppled dresser have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Walmart.
Destiny Russell says she found daughter Lorelei Lyons “pinned between the drawers of the subject dresser” when she went to check on her sleeping child in August 15, 2017, according to the new suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Russel and her husband, Albert Lyons, were gifted the South Shore brand Libra 3-drawer dresser two years prior, which was bought at Walmart.com, the court papers say.
The family claims Walmart knew that the piece of furniture was top-heavy and had a tendency to topple over.
“Defendants recognized that the drawers of the subject dresser were often used by children as ‘steps’ to climb up the dresser,” the court documents say.
The Canadian furniture maker’s Summer Breeze line issued multiple recalls for the same reason twice in the six months before their daughter’s death, the parents allege.
The family is suing Walmart and the manufacturer for unspecified damages.
A spokesperson with Walmart, Lemia Jenkins, offered “condolences to the family for their loss” but did not comment on the suit.
South Shore did not immediately return a request for comment.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/08/14/family-sues-walmart-after-dresser-falls-and-suffocates-toddler/
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Man accused of force-feeding meth to his cat
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — A New Mexico man has been charged with a felony after police say his cat tested positive for methamphetamines.
Aaron Spaulding, 39, was initially arrested on June 4 and accused of battering his girlfriend and holding her against her will, the Las Cruces Police Department said in a statement.
While police were responding to the incident at Spaulding’s home, they learned he may have been neglecting his dog and a domestic shorthair cat, police said.
Authorities said he strangled and force-fed drugs to the cat, and announced Tuesday that they’d upgraded his animal cruelty counts to a felony after tests found the cat had methamphetamines in its system.
Information on his attorney was not immediately available.
He was originally charged with false imprisonment, two counts of battery against a household member, interference with communication and two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, according to court records.
Authorities said a veterinarian reported signs of neurological deficits in the cat, who was treated and adopted into another home.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/08/14/man-accused-of-force-feeding-meth-to-his-cat/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Mother arrested after attacking 3-year-old daughter with machete in Philadelphia, police say
(Meredith/KYW/CNN) — A woman is accused of attacking her 3-year-old daughter with a machete in north Philadelphia.
Authorities said Lauren Rodriguez, 34, will face several charges including attempted homicide, aggravated assault, child endangerment and related offenses.
Officers were called to a home in Feltonville shortly before 8:30 p.m. Sunday and found the girl “covered in blood and being consoled by multiple individuals.”
Neighbors told police they rushed to help the girl after witnessing Rodriguez strike her with the weapon numerous times.
“I saw the daughter with her head split open from her mother with a machete,” neighbor Pauline Williams told CBS Philly. “Thank God for the neighbors. They all got together, and they really helped that little girl.”
The child was later listed in stable condition with skull fractures and multiple lacerations on her head, shoulder and knee.
Police said a man at the same address was arrested a week prior for allegedly attacking a neighbor with a machete.
Photo Credit: philadelphia.cbslocal.com