Florida House passes bill requiring felons to pay court fees before voting
Article via The Hill
The Florida House on Wednesday passed a bill that would require felons to pay all court fees and costs in addition to restitution before becoming eligible to vote.
The measure, which would significantly curtail a state constitutional amendment that restored voting rights to felons who have been released from prison, passed 71-45 along party lines, according to The Miami Herald.
The newspaper noted that measure’s approval would likely set up a dispute between Florida’s lower chamber and the state Senate.
The Senate version of the bill enforcing Amendment 4 is only requiring felons to pay restitution, as long as the court fees and fines have been converted to a civil lien. The measure has yet to be heard by the Senate.
The bill’s passage on Wednesday comes months after Florida voters approved an amendment automatically restoring voting rights to approximately 1.5 million felons in the state.
Former offenders who have completed “all terms of their sentence including parole or probation” had their voting rights automatically restored in January. The legislation does not apply to Floridians convicted of murder or sexual offenses, however.
Those cases will reportedly be considered individually by the state’s Clemency Review Board.
The new measure to curb the rights is facing criticism from Democratic lawmakers in Florida, as well as on the national stage. State Rep. Adam Hattersley (D) described the House bill as a “blatantly unconstitutional” poll tax after the measure was approved by the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee in March.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a 2020 presidential candidate, slammed the bill as a “poll tax” in a tweet on Wednesday.
State Rep. James Grant (R), the bill’s sponsor, has contended that the measure clarifies the ballot proposal that voters supported last November. He’s also argued that Amendment 4 advocates testified before the Supreme Court that fees and fines are a part of a sentence, according to The Tallahassee Democrat.
Callichimaera Perplexa: Bizarre ‘Platypus of the Crab World’ Discovered From 95 Million Years Ago
Article via Newsweek
Researchers have discovered a “unique” 95-million-year-old crab species that casts new light on the evolutionary history of crustaceans.
An international team, led by paleontologist Javier Luque from Yale University, found the unusual specimen—dubbed “Callichimaera perplexa”—in Colombia alongside several other well-preserved fossils in rocks dating back to the mid-Cretaceous period (90-95 million years ago).
The fossil cache included numerous shrimp fossils and other marine creatures, but Callichimaera was by the far the most intriguing, according to the researchers. They described the animal in a study published in the journal Science Advances.
“Callichimaera perplexa is the strangest—and cutest—crab yet discovered,” Luque told Newsweek. “It is in a way like the ‘platypus’ of the crab world. A truly perplexing beautiful chimera, as its name indicates. This new discovery is one of the most exciting fossil findings in the tropics in the last decade. It reveals a long-gone branch in the crustacean tree of life that has never been seen before.”
Furthermore, it was the first arthropod—a large group of animals that includes lobsters, crabs, spiders, mites, insects, centipedes and millipedes—to evolve swimming oar-like legs since the disappearance of “sea scorpions” more than 250 million years ago, according to Luque. In addition, its unique body form “pushes the textbook definition” of what a crab is.
The strange animal was very small—about the size of a quarter—and featured large compound eyes with no sockets, bent claws, leg-like mouth parts, an exposed tail and a long body—traits that are characteristic of crab larvae. The researchers say that several larval traits may have been retained in the animal in a process that could have led to the evolution of novel body plans.
“Callichimaera hints at how novel forms can evolve via the retention and amplification of larval traits in miniaturized adults during development,” Luque said.
“Usually we think of crabs as big animals with broad carapaces, strong claws, small eyes in long eyestalks, and a small tail tucked under the body. Well, Callichimaera defies all of these ‘crabby’ features and forces a rethink of our definition of what makes a crab a crab,” he said in a statement.
The unusual body plan of the newly discovered species provided the inspiration for its name, which derives from the word “chimera”—a mythological creature that contained body parts from more than one animal.
The fossil cache in which Callichimaera was found was first discovered by chance in 2005 when Luque was an undergraduate student studying geology in Colombia.
“During a field expedition, a friend and I were doing geological mapping of an area in the Andes,” he said. “After a long day of walking through the mountains we sat on a hill to take a break. It was already late in the afternoon, and I just decided to swing my hammer one more time to check the rocks we were sitting on. It was there that I discovered a layer in the rock with hundreds of fossils of marine creatures—most of them crustaceans of different shapes and sizes—and among them the ‘beautiful chimera’ that is the focus of our study today.”
“The rocks from where these specimens come were deposited during the mid-Cretaceous in a relatively shallow and narrow inner sea that ran all the way from Venezuela and Colombia to Peru and Bolivia,” he said. “That is why we find marine fossils in rocks that are today in the middle of the Andes.”
In total, the researchers collected more than 70 individual specimens of Callichimaera, including males, females, babies and adults. Despite their small size, the fossils were preserved in “exquisite detail,” including body parts like antennae, sexual appendages, mouth parts and even large eyes.
“It is very exciting that today we keep finding completely new branches in the tree of life from a distant past, especially from regions like the tropics, which despite being hotspots of diversity today, are places we know the least about in terms of their past diversity,” Luque said.
World Health Organization says no screen time for babies
The World Health Organization has issued its first-ever guidance for how much screen time that children under five should get: none!
Man pretending to be ICE agent allegedly handcuffed California construction workers, demanded ‘court fees’
EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. – Workers at a California construction site were reportedly robbed by a man who identified himself as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent before handcuffing them and demanding “court fees,” according to a sheriff’s office news release.
The man threatened the workers with deportation if they didn’t pay, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said. A similar incident happened a week earlier, according to the sheriff’s office.
The man was not an ICE agent or any officer of the law. Instead, investigators identified him as 56-year-old Patrick Mullany.
Detectives got a search warrant for Mullany’s Cameron Park vehicle and home, where he was arrested. During the search, law enforcement reportedly located two replica firearms, two sets of handcuffs and a large amount of cash.
Tuesday, KXTL stopped by the Cameron Park home associated with the name Patrick Mullany. Nobody answered the door, but some people eventually came to the home. They were very upset and said nobody living there knew anything about the case other than what was posted online by the sheriff’s office.
However, neighbors recognized Mullany’s mugshot. Those who spoke with reporters said didn’t know much more about him and that he usually kept to himself.
John Flores said he was surprised to see the heavy police presence Monday in the quiet neighborhood when Mullany was arrested.
The sheriff’s office did not respond to KXTL’s attempts to reach a public information officer for more details about the locations of the reported robberies and how investigators linked them to Mullany.
Mullany was booked into the El Dorado County Jail on suspicion of robbery, false imprisonment and impersonating a police officer; he may also face federal charges for impersonating an ICE officer.
Sacramento couple begs for return of baby’s ashes that were stolen during burglary
SACRAMENTO – A Sacramento couple, both of whom served in Afghanistan, came home from a vacation to find their apartment had been broken into – and a box containing their daughter’s ashes had been stolen.
“We were excited to come home. We wanted to relax,” Kelly Smith said. “We came home to this, and it was not relaxing.”
Kelly and Elliott Smith said it made them feel unwelcome in their own Pocket-area home.
“We first noticed that our TV was gone and I told him that we’ve been robbed. And we looked around and we noticed other things were gone too,” Kelly said.
Someone had smashed a hole in their back window to get inside sometime Sunday, stealing laptops, textbooks and virtual reality headsets.
“Worth six grand,” Kelly said. “We don’t care about any of that. We just want our daughter back.”
Among the items stolen was a small wooden box with two tiny, pink footprints containing their daughter’s ashes.
“Losing a child was the worst experience ever. I went through a deep depression and I just got through that,” Kelly said.
Their daughter, Enola, was born with a rare genetic condition.
“She was five months early and she was passed, deceased,” Kelly told KTXL. “I didn’t hold her when she came out. I didn’t want to, I was in too much pain. So, that’s all I have.”
Now, the Smiths are making flyers in hopes that someone will find the ashes and return them. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sacramento Police Department or the Smiths via email.
“They might not have even known that that was an urn,” she said.
They’re praying Enola’s ashes will be back in their living room soon, the only piece of their daughter they had left.
Texas Couple Who Admitted to Sexually Assaulting Children on Video Are Each Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison
A husband and wife from Killeen, Texas, were each sentenced to 60 years in federal prison Wednesday on charges related to child exploitation, according to the US Department of Justice.
Christopher Almaguer, 26, and his wife, 27-year-old Sarah Rashelle Almaguer, pleaded guilty in October to one charge of sexual exploitation of children and one count of production of child pornography.
“These are two of the most wicked criminals in Texas history,” John Bash, the United States attorney for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement.
The Justice Department had said the Almaguers admitted to uploading in December 2017 videos of the couple sexually assaulting children. Prosecutors believe there are at least 25 possible victims, ranging in age from 8 months to 14 years old.
US District Judge Alan Albright ordered each defendant to pay $10,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Fund and to be placed on supervised release for the remainder of their lives after completing their prison terms.
Bash called the Almaguers “serial child abusers” who preyed on “children from the neighborhood, children from church, children they babysat.”
Albright also sentenced Christopher Almaguer’s brother, Paul Perez Jr., to 20 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release, according to the federal prosecutor’s statement. The judge ordered the 25-year-old Perez to pay $10,000 to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Fund.
Perez pleaded guilty in September to two counts of receipt of child pornography. Perez admitted to receiving images and videos depicting sexual abuse of children from the couple.
Before sentencing, Sarah Almaguer’s attorney, Bradford J. Glendening, said he would ask the judge to give his client concurrent sentences.
Robert Stem, attorney for Christopher Almaguer, wrote in an email that he had no comment on the case.
The investigation started in February 2018 with a tip from Facebook to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a user who was uploading suspected child pornography.
Family ‘horrified’ after pet dog found hanging from noose
An Arkansas family’s search for their missing pet led to a gruesome discovery when their children found the pooch hanging from a noose near their home, according to a report.
For days, Paula McNeil’s family held out hope as they searched for their beagle mix, Chevy, after he disappeared from their yard last Tuesday, according to news station KSFM.
Then her kids went searching in the woods behind their home two days later and found their beloved pup hanging from a tree.
“It’s frightening to think that there is somebody close by here that could do this to a dog,” McNeil said. “It’s very scary to think what’s in that person’s mind.”
McNeil said her children are “traumatized and horrified” over the dog’s death.
“It’s heinous. It’s pure evil, and whoever did this needs to be brought to justice,” McNeil said.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crime — and the owners are urging anyone with information to come forward.
“Think about it as if it was your dog and if it was your children that are traumatized and horrified, afraid for our other animals as well,” McNeil told the news station.
via: https://nypost.com/2019/04/24/family-horrified-after-pet-dog-found-hanging-from-noose/
Woman accused of cutting boyfriend’s throat, telling him to claim it was suicide
WAUKESHA, Wis. (WDJT ) — A Waukesha woman is charged after allegedly cutting her boyfriend’s throat and telling him to claim it was suicide.
Juanita Blair, 41, is charge with First Degree Reckless Injury, Identity Theft, and Misdemeanor Theft.
According to the criminal complaint, officers were called to an apartment on West Wisconsin Avenue in Pewaukee on April 2.
Upon arrival, officers spoke with a man who was laying in bed, holding a towel to his throat. The man allegedly told police he cut his throat and that he “tried to commit suicide.”
Officers located a great deal of blood throughout the apartment including a large amount of blood by a bathroom sink where a paring knife was located.
The man was rushed into emergency surgery and needed numerous stitches to repair a three-inch gash across his neck.
On April 9, the man came to the Village of Pewaukee Police Department and told officers that what happened to him on April 2 was not an accident or a suicide attempt.
The man told officers that Blair was going to shave his back when she asked for a knife. According to the criminal complaint, Blair then allegedly put the victim in a chokehold from behind and started to cut his neck with the knife.
Blair then allegedly told the victim to write a suicide note.
The victim told officers that he believes Blair suffers from mental illnesses.
The investigation revealed that Blair took the victim’s debit card and spare car key after.
Blair will have a hearing on April 24.
Man accused of killing baby after learning he’s not the dad
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Police say a Tennessee man is accused of beating an infant to death after discovering that he wasn’t the child’s father.
Memphis police say 33-year-old Jose Avila-Agurcia is charged with murder in the death of 4-month-old Alexander Lizondro-Chacon.
News outlets cited an affidavit of complaint that says officers responded April 12 to a report of an unresponsive infant. The baby was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead from blunt force trauma to the head.
The affidavit says Avila-Agurcia became a suspect after the child’s mother, Mercy Lizondro-Chacon, told investigators that the man said he struck the baby multiple times in anger after learning he wasn’t the father.
Avila-Agurcia is being held at a county jail.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
via: https://pix11.com/2019/04/24/man-accused-of-killing-baby-after-learning-hes-not-the-dad/
Bun B shot an armed intruder trying to steal his car
Houston rapper Bun B shot an armed man suspected of invading his home in southwest Houston on Tuesday.
Houston Police said Bun B’s wife answered the door to a man holding a gun and demanding property as he forced his way into their home.
Bun B’s wife directed the suspect, identified as 20-year-old DeMonte Jackson, to their car in the garage.
Bun B, whose real name is Bernard Freeman, heard the commotion, grabbed a gun and came downstairs.
The rapper confronted Jackson in the garage as they both fired shots at each other.
The suspect ran away and later showed up at a hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound to his shoulder.
Jackson has been charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of burglary.
Bun B, who police said has not been charged, was not injured. Neither was his wife.
Bun B is best known as half the rap duo UGK, a group credited for hits including, “Pocket Full of Stones,” “Ridin’ Dirty” and “Int’l Playas Anthem.”
via: https://pix11.com/2019/04/24/rapper-bun-b-shot-an-armed-intruder-trying-to-steal-his-car/