Dunkin’ Donuts manager allegedly hired fake employee, pocketed checks
A Florida Dunkin’ Donuts manager was busted for hiring a “fictitious” employee — and pocketing all of the checks that worker received, according to new reports.
Markia Nelson, 29, who works at the franchise’s location in Largo, a city in Pinellas County, hired the fake worker on May 15, WFLA reported.
From May 16 straight through Saturday, Nelson did all she could to keep up the image that the employee was showing up for work every day — clocking in and out for the “worker,” logging a total of 235 hours, according to an arrest report obtained by the outlet.
The “employee” earned $8.65 an hour — for a total of $1,610.84, the station reported.
Nelson direct deposited all of the funds into her account, admitting that she used the dough for “life expenses,” according to the arrest report.
The company that owns the location was tipped off to the scam and launched its own investigation, FOX 13 reported. Once word reached the Pinellas Park Police Department, it was a relatively open-and-shut case — and Nelson was arrested Monday, according to the report.
“The employee never actually showed up to do any work, and when they researched the employee’s clock-in and clock-out times, they saw that it was her inputting it each time,” Pinellas Park police Sgt. Lonnie Lancto told the outlet.
Nelson has so far only been charged with grand theft, but could face other charges, including identity theft, for the phony employee, according to Lancto.
“She had the information [for the phony worker] who she said … was a friend of hers, so the information for the person was an actual person,” the sergeant told the outlet.
Nelson declined to comment to the outlet this week.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/07/11/dunkin-donuts-manager-allegedly-hired-fake-employee-pocketed-checks/
Photo Credit: Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Jennifer Walsh sex case: Teen professes ‘love’ for former teacher
An Ohio teen professed her devotion to a former special education teacher facing prison time for sex acts with her, saying she’s “completely in love” and never felt pressured into getting intimate.
The female student — who police in Montgomery said was 17 years old when she engaged in sex acts last summer with Jennifer Walsh, a 27-year-old former teacher at Sycamore High School in Cincinnati – told a judge that she never “felt forced or coerced” in the sexual relationship they had, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
“I know in my heart that I am completely in love with this woman, without a doubt,” the student told Hamilton County Judge Jody Luebbers, adding that their romance was “willing, on both ends.”
Walsh resigned in October after police got a tip about the educator, who also coached girls’ lacrosse at the school. The former teacher became emotional and cried in court as the student testified Wednesday, the newspaper reports.
The lead investigator in the case, meanwhile, also asked Luebbers for leniency, saying the circumstances surrounding Walsh and the student were unique and that their mutual affection was genuine.
“This relationship, I believe, was actually real,” Montgomery police Detective Steve Hoy told Luebbers. “It will probably continue to be real.”
Walsh pleaded guilty in June to gross sexual imposition and faces up to 18 months in prison. But Luebbers said she wasn’t ready to hand down a sentence Wednesday after hearing testimony from the teen, the lead detective and Walsh’s mother.
“I just need … more time,” Luebbers said without elaborating before delaying Walsh’s sentencing until Friday.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/07/11/jennifer-walsh-sex-case-teen-professes-love-for-former-teacher/
Photo Credit: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
A Burger King manager was told to ‘go back to Mexico’ by general manager for speaking Spanish in the fast food restaurant
The general manager of a Burger King restaurant in Florida was told by a customer to “go back to Mexico” if he wanted to keep speaking Spanish.
The exchange, captured in a video that was later posted on social media, shows Ricardo Castillo, who is of Puerto Rican descent, being berated by two unidentified women as they are eating in the restaurant in Eustis, 40 miles north of Orlando.
“You’re in America, you should speak American English,” one woman can be heard saying, to which Castillo replies “No ma’am, I don’t.”
“Yeah, yeah, go back to Mexico if you want to keep speaking Spanish, go back to your Mexican country, your state, your country,” the woman goes on.
Customer Neyzha Borrero, who recorded the heated exchange on July 6 and posted it on Facebook, told CNN the women complained to the manager because he spoke Spanish in front of them.
Before Borrero started recording the video, Castillo was doing some paperwork on a table when one of his employees came in and spoke with him in Spanish, Borrero said.
“The two ladies were next to the manager, and after the employee left, they told Castillo they wanted to complain.”
Thinking it was about the meal, the manager offered to give them credit or a free dessert, Borrero said. But instead, they said that he shouldn’t be speaking Spanish in public because “we are in the USA.”
Borrero, who was at the Burger King with her boyfriend Oni Martinez, started recording from her seat before moving closer to the three.
After being told to go back to Mexico, Castillo can be heard saying, “Guess what ma’am, I’m not Mexican, I’m not Mexican but you’re being very prejudiced and I want you out of my restaurant, right now.”
He threatened to call police when one woman said she would only leave after finishing her meal.
“People like you, so ignorant and disrespectful,” the manager goes on.
The video ends with the two women leaving the restaurant. CNN has not been able to identify the women in order to seek comment from them.
The Eustis Police Department told CNN in an emailed statement that it was not involved with the incident. “No officers responded and we were not notified,” a police spokeswoman said.
When contacted for comment, Castillo referred CNN to Burger King.
A spokeswoman for Burger King said in a statement to CNN: “There is no place for discrimination in our restaurants. We expect employees and guests to treat each other with respect. This incident took place at a franchised restaurant and the owner is looking into the matter.”
Borrero said the women didn’t come back and the manager was calm after the exchange. “We applauded him because he never disrespected them at all. He was very professional,” Borrero said.
She added that it’s not the first time she has witnessed this kind of episode. “Sadly, it’s something that happens every single day,” she said.
“I have witnessed many similar situations. It’s even happened to me,” Borrero, who is from Puerto Rico, said.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Teen mother delivers baby by herself in family kitchen
Flint, MI (WJRT ) — You never know what you can do until you do it.
A young Flint mom is living proof of that. Her baby delivery story is far from ordinary.
Takara Brown, 17, definitely has a calmness about her, which likely helped her get through one of the most intense situations of her life.
Aside from some minor contractions she was having, July 5 started off pretty normal for Brown, who at that point was just one week away from her due date.
“My sister was telling me something about Braxton Hicks, so I thought maybe I was having those, ’cause they were like slight pains. I knew it wasn’t excruciating so I thought I was fine,” Brown said.
She said her water didn’t break either. But little London was ready to make her debut anyway.
After feeling her baby’s head, Brown said she knew she had to act quickly. She grabbed a towel in the kitchen and used what she learned from her mom and sister to safely deliver her child.
“Apparently I went into a little bit of panicking,” Brown said. “I was scared a little bit, but I knew I had to do it for her so I had to set that to the side.”
Takara said she screamed when pushing London out. That’s when her siblings ran downstairs to help her and to clear the baby’s airway.
Her sister then called their mother, Talecia Smith, to tell her what happened.
“‘Takara just had the baby on the kitchen floor.’ I’m like, what? I’m thinking she’s playing with me,” Smith said.
But it wasn’t a joke. By the time Smith got home, the ambulance had arrived.
“The paramedics was like, ‘Y’all need to move, we need to cut the cord.’ And I’m just like, I had a big placenta just sitting in the middle of the floor and I’m just like ‘Oh, my God,’” Smith said.
Takara and London were checked out at the hospital, where she received praise for how she handled the situation. Her newborn is healthy and doing well.
“She handled her business and I’m so proud of her because I know I couldn’t have done it,” Smith said.
Smith has two other granddaughters — but this is the first time one was delivered in such a unique way.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/11/teen-mother-delivers-baby-by-herself-in-family-kitchen/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Mom arrested after reportedly taking video of her daughter licking tongue depressor at doctor’s office, putting it back
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida mother was arrested Thursday and charged with a felony after a video she took reportedly showed her daughter licking a tongue depressor in a doctor’s office and then putting it back in with unused medical supplies, KWESreported.
Cori E. Ward, 30, faces up to 30 years in prison if she is found guilty of tampering with consumer products without regard for possible death/bodily injury, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Video surfaced online showing Ward’s daughter at All About Kids and Families Medical Center. In the video, the girl is seen touching multiple tongue depressors before taking one out, licking it and putting it back under a sign reading “PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH MEDICAL SUPPLIES! THANK YOU”.
Ward reportedly posted a defense to Facebook before deleting her profile, saying the incident was not part of a “licking challenge” in which people lick things and returning them to shelves, posting video evidence of it on social media, according to KWES.
Ward’s post continued, saying the video was supposed to be sent only to a few close friends on Snapchat; according to KWES, one of those friends posted the video online.
The medical center released a statement saying it had removed all materials from the room in the video and sanitized the entire facility.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Man arrested after wife allegedly walks in on him raping 9-year-old girl
SLIDELL, La. – A Louisiana man has been arrested for first-degree rape after his wife walked in on him raping a 9-year-old girl, according to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Glenn Mills, Jr., 41, of Slidell, fled his home July 10 after his wife walked in on him “actively involved in a sexual act with a nine-year-old girl that was left in his care,” according to the STPSO.
A St. Tammany deputy assigned to the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force found Mills just before 1 p.m. July 11 at a home just off of 2nd Avenue in Harvey.
Mills was arrested on the scene and booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on one charge of first-degree rape and one charge of aggravated crime against nature.
Photo Credit: pix11.com
NYPD catches man using dummy to sneak into HOV lane
BROOKLYN — The NYPD caught themselves a real dummy this time. No, really.
The department’s Instagram posted about an officer who stopped a motorist in Brooklyn for trying to get into the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane using a homemade dummy in the backseat.
“While we appreciate the creativity (and the seatbelt), he still got a ticket,” the NYPD Instagram account wrote.
The violation typically comes with a fine of $100 and points on your license.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/07/11/nypd-catches-man-using-dummy-to-sneak-into-hov-lane/
Photo Credit: instagram
NorCal Baby Sitter, Camp Counselor Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Producing Child Porn
Federal officials say a Northern California baby sitter and camp counselor has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for producing and conspiring to distribute child pornography.
United States District Judge Charles R. Breyer sentenced 21-year-old Ryan Michael Spencer Wednesday.
Spencer pleaded guilty in October to producing child pornography of children he took care of as baby-sitter, camp counselor and teacher-in-training in Aptos.
Federal prosecutors say Spencer molested at least two of the children he babysat, including one boy who was younger than 10 years old. They say investigators found a video on Spencer’s iPhone that shows him molesting one child.
Detectives with the FBI started investigating Spencer after they found child pornography in a computer belonging to Spencer’s co-defendant, Bryan Petersen, a chess coach and tutor in the Tiburon area.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Victorville Man Tried to Hide Loaded Gun by Handing It to 11-Year-Old Daughter During Traffic Stop
A Victorville man was arrested after allegedly handing his 11-year-old daughter a loaded handgun in an apparent effort to hide it from deputies during a traffic stop on Wednesday, authorities said.
Around 10:35 a.m., Gerardo Mora was pulled over by two deputies on Village Drive near Tawney Ridge Lane, according to a Victorville Police Department news release.
The deputies were approaching the car when they witnessed Mora reaching toward a rear passenger compartment, police said.
Mora allegedly handed a loaded gun to his daughter, who was in the back seat, and then directed her to hide it, according to the release.
Deputies found the gun and discovered it had been stolen, police said.
They also recovered about 15 grams of suspected methamphetamine.
The suspect, who is a convicted felon, was booked on suspicion of several offenses, including possession of a controlled substance while armed, carrying a stolen firearm and child cruelty.
His bail was set at $100,000, according to jail records. A court date was set for July 12.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
Ex-Deputy in Florida Accused of Planting Drugs on 11 Drivers Is Arrested
Florida authorities have arrested a former Jackson County deputy accused of making false arrests after planting drugs on drivers, police said in a statement.
The allegations have prompted prosecutors to drop charges in scores of cases.
Zachary Wester, 26, was taken into custody at his Crawfordville home, about 20 miles south of Tallahassee, on Wednesday, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He is being held in Wakulla County Jail without bail, the FDLE said.
He stands charged with felony counts of racketeering, official misconduct, fabricating evidence, possession of a controlled substance and false imprisonment. He also faces misdemeanor charges of perjury, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, the FDLE said.
At least 11 people are suing Wester in federal court for alleged civil rights violations as well.
100+ cases tossed out
At the request of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Wester’s former employer, the FDLE began investigating the deputy in August after bodycam video from a February 2018 arrest appeared to show Wester planting methamphetamine in Teresa Odom’s pickup truck during a traffic stop, FDLE spokesman Jeremy Burns told CNN in September.
At the time, the FDLE was reviewing 254 of Wester’s cases, prosecutors said.
“The investigation shows Wester routinely pulled over citizens for alleged minor traffic infractions, planted drugs inside their vehicles and arrested them on fabricated drug charges,” the FDLE said in its Wednesday news release, adding that it had reviewed more than 21 hours of footage in its investigation.
It added, “Wester circumvented JCSO’s body camera policy and tailored his recordings to conceal his criminal activity.”
Wester’s attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
State Attorney Glenn Hess’ office said in September that 119 cases had been dropped and about 10 people had been released from prison. CNN could not immediately reach Hess on Wednesday, but local media reports indicate the probe has widened since then.
Wester was fired September 10. He had been with the department since 2000, according to Hess’ office.
‘It damned sure ain’t mine’
Bodycam video from Odom’s February 2018 arrest in Cottondale shows Wester approach the car in a friendly manner and explain to the woman that her brake lights are malfunctioning.
He leaves with her license, and as he returns to her vehicle he jokes that his hip almost gave out. Odom tells him her mother is in the hospital and she’s expecting a call from a doctor. Wester tells her that a drug dog is on its way, but Odom says she has nothing in the car and gives him consent to search it.
Wester appears to hold something in his left hand as he dons black gloves before the search. His hand moves out of the frame for a few seconds and returns empty. He finishes putting on the gloves and commences with the search.
After “finding” a bag of white powder in her truck, he places it on the driver seat but doesn’t alert two other deputies on the scene. Instead, he moves it around, first placing it on a spoon and then moving it to the passenger seat. All the while, he continues the chummy banter with Odom.
After searching the passenger side of her vehicle, where he had just placed the baggie, he returns to Odom and another deputy with the spoon and powder. Odom says the spoon is for her yogurt but seems surprised by the bag of powder.
“That is not mine. No, sir. No, sir,” she says.
After the powder tests positive for methamphetamine, Wester tells Odom she’s under arrest as she speaks on the phone with a relative.
“He says it tests positive for amphetamine, so I guess I’m going to go to jail,” Odom tells the person on the phone. “It damned sure ain’t mine.”
Case remains open
Three federal lawsuits have been filed against Wester. Eleven people arrested by him claim the ex-deputy framed them, planting some combination of marijuana, methamphetamine, prescription pills or drug paraphernalia, including syringes and scales, in their vehicles after pulling them over for minor infractions. Two lawsuits were filed in December, and another was filed in May.
In the most recently filed case, Lora Penn, one of nine plaintiffs, says she was a passenger in a vehicle pulled over June 7, 2018. During the stop, she alleged, Wester placed methamphetamine and a hypodermic needle in her purse.
Penn was charged with drug and paraphernalia possession and spent 12 days in jail before “her mother posted bond exhausting her meager financial resources. Penn’s mother was thereafter unable to afford medical care and died due to lack of such care,” the federal lawsuit says.
The FDLE, whose investigators have already logged 1,400 hours on the criminal case against Wester, says the probe remains open and encourages anyone with information to come forward.
“There is no question that Wester’s crimes were deliberate and that his actions put innocent people in jail,” said Chris Williams, the FDLE’s assistant special agent in charge of the Pensacola office.
Prior to his time with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Wester worked in Liberty County. Jack Campbell, the state attorney there, told CNN affiliate WCTV in May that investigators were in the process of “resolving” some cases involving the former lawman. He would not elaborate on how many cases, the station reported.
The station has previously reported Campbell was reviewing 26 cases.
Photo Credit: Getty Images