Connecticut man charged with fatally shooting neighbor’s dog – mistook it for a coyote
A Connecticut hunter is facing charges for gunning down his neighbor’s dog — which he said he mistook for a coyote, police said.
Peter Martinelli, 53, told Vernon police he was hunting in a tree stand on his 12-acre property in early November when he spotted a deer about 50 yards away but didn’t fire his rifle, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Hartford Courant.
Martinelli then saw what he believed to be a coyote chasing the buck — and squeezed the trigger on his .30-06 rifle, later telling investigators he would have “bet his life it was a coyote,” police said.
Some 10 minutes later, Martinelli said, he found the lifeless animal, but he was dismayed by the kill upon realizing he had actually shot his neighbor’s 8-year-old German shepherd named Karo, police said.
“He stated he was completely shocked and unnerved to see that it was a dog,” the warrant said.
Martinelli, who has been charged with illegal discharge of a firearm in the incident, had an active hunting license and legally owned the rifle, police said.
Karo belonged to Martinelli’s neighbors, Belleann Maffessoli and her husband, she previously told the Courant.
The dog was outside on Nov. 3 when Maffessoli heard a gunshot, prompting her to search for Karo nearby and on the 40 acres the couple owns, she said.
A day later, Maffessoli went to Martinelli’s house, where he didn’t tell her about the shooting — subsequently telling investigators he “didn’t really know how to handle” the matter, the warrant states.
Maffessoli found Karo dead behind Martinelli’s house two days after the shooting, prompting her husband to confront him, police said.
Martinelli admitted shooting Karo, and that’s why Maffessoli’s husband threatened him, the warrant states.
“You’re a dead man walking,” Martinelli told detectives of the alleged threat while saying he did not want to press charges, police said.
Messages seeking comment from Martinelli and Vernon police were not immediately returned early Thursday.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/12/10/connecticut-man-charged-with-fatally-shooting-neighbors-dog/
Photo Credit: Belleann Maffessoli
Workers sue Illinois dental practice over hidden cameras found in bathroom
An Illinois dental practice has been sued by 11 employees after an hygienist allegedly hid two cameras in the work bathroom, new court papers show.
One camera was discovered Oct. 22 in a unisex employees’ bathroom of the national dental chain Aspen Dental in Crestwood, and it was turned over to the police department, according to the lawsuits filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Thursday.
That same day, dental hygienist Armani Alexander, 25, “admitted to placing the camera” in the bathroom and was arrested, the court papers say.
The office assured the workers that they swept the premises and didn’t find any more cameras.
Yet Oct. 26, a second camera was discovered in the same bathroom, the court documents allege.
Lawyers for the workers — who include dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and a marketer — say the cameras were first placed in the bathroom sometime in September.
Aspen admitted that a background check for Alexander — who had only been with the company for two months — “was flagged for criminal activity,” the court papers say.
Dentist Trent Jones, who along with dental assistant Alyssa Raine quit over the cameras, said the corporate office told him they knew Alexander had a criminal record.
“In essence, Aspen Dental rolled out the proverbial red carpet for this documented offender so that he could carry out his perverse actions against a predominantly female staff,” Jones said in a prepared statement.
Raine said she was horrified to discover the violation of her privacy.
“I am a very private person, and when I learned on Oct. 22 that a camera was found in the employee’s bathroom, I was shocked,” Raine said in a statement. “I was sick to my stomach. Many of us at the clinic were crying.
“I still cry about the way my privacy was taken from me,” Raine’s statement continued.
Raine said that when the second camera was discovered despite Aspen’s assurances that there were no others, “I knew this was the absolute worst place to work.
“I still am unable to use any public bathroom,” Raine said.
“These individuals relied on Aspen Dental to provide a safe and healthy working environment which they failed to do with their negligent hiring of a dental hygienist with a criminal background,”
Plaintiff lawyer Joseph Rourke said in a statement, “Aspen Dental, and its owners and managers, could have avoided this perverse invasion of privacy that resulted in unthinkable mental and emotional distress if they had followed up on the background check they conducted before deciding to hire this despicable individual.”
The workers — who are each suing for at least $50,000 — have brought claims of negligent hiring and supervision against the practice.
Alexander did not immediately return a request for comment.
A woman who answered at Aspen Dental corporate declined to take a message.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/12/11/workers-sue-dental-practice-over-hidden-cameras-found-in-bathroom/
Photo Credit: Clifford Law Offices
Horror movie fan who decapitated mom found not guilty
An Australian horror movie fan who hacked her mother’s head off after stabbing her more than 100 times in a fit of rage was found not guilty of her murder Thursday.
A jury in the Supreme Court of New South Wales instead found 27-year-old Jessica Camilleri guilty of manslaughter in the grisly slaying of her mother, Rita Camilleri, in their western Sydney home in July 2019, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Camilleri’s defense attorneys argued her multiple mental health conditions, which include autism spectrum disorder and dyslexia, made her lose control, including when she carved her mother’s eyeballs out and severed her tongue and nose.
The jury heard gruesome details of Rita Camilleri’s murder during the seven-day trial, including how Jessica Camilleri left her mother’s bloody severed head on the doorstep of a neighbor’s home.
They also learned Camilleri was obsessed with the horror films “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Jeepers Creepers.”
Kristy Torrisi, Camilleri’s sister, testified Camilleri would pause and rewind scenes in horror movies where dismemberment was shown, according to the Herald.
Forensic psychiatrist David Greenberg also testified Camilleri was aware she was killing her mother but that her mental health conditions “substantially impaired” her from controlling herself after going into a fit of rage when Rita Camilleri tried to get her daughter professional help.
Camilleri initially told police she was defending herself from her mother, but then told Greenberg she got the idea of decapitating her from watching movies.
“I remember stabbing my mum. I wouldn’t stop,” Camilleri told the forensic psychiatrist. “I injured myself. I was getting her everywhere.”
Camilleri’s sentencing is scheduled for February.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/12/10/horror-movie-fan-who-decapitated-mom-found-not-guilty/
Photo Credit: facebook
Ohio man fatally shoots son while deer hunting
An Ohio man shot and killed his son when he mistook him for a deer on a hunting trip, officials said.
Bradley Smith, 63, shot his 28-year-old son, Andrew Smith, while with a group of friends last week in a heavily wooded area just outside the city of Delaware, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
“It’s just the worst kind of tragedy,” said Tracy Whited, a spokeswoman for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. “He thought he was shooting at a deer. It was his son.”
The shooting occurred just before dusk around 5:45 p.m. Dec. 2, Whited said.
Emergency crews responded to the shooting but the younger Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.
He had not been wearing any orange shooting gear, which is legally required when hunting during deer season 30 minutes before sunset, the newspaper reported.
His father will not face any charges in his death, authorities said.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/12/10/ohio-man-fatally-shoots-son-while-deer-hunting/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Dad who died from cancer left son $10 to buy first beer on 21st birthday
A Massachusetts man learned on his 21st birthday that his late father left him a $10 bill to buy his first legal beer — so he celebrated with a heartfelt toast to his old man.
“Almost 6 years ago before my dad passed he gave my sister this 10$ bill to give to me on my 21st birthday so he could buy me my first beer, cheers pops havin this one for you!” Matt Goodman tweeted Sunday, along with a photo of himself sipping suds from a frosty mug.
Goldman, whose father died of cancer in 2014, had no clue his dad had instructed his sister Casey and his mom to keep the beer money a secret until the young man’s milestone birthday.
So the son was flooded with emotion when Casey handed him an envelope with the dough inside last week.
“She kind of explained the backstory and everything, and then it turned into a pretty emotional moment, and [I] started crying,” Goldman told CBS Boston.
On birthdays and other big life events, Goldman has struggled with the empty spot where his dad once was, Casey told the station.
“Him and my dad were so close, and he’s had such a hard time anytime that a monumental moment comes up in his life that my dad’s not there,” she said of her sibling.
It was just like their father to have the forethought to know his boy would miss drinking with him on his 21st birthday, she said.
Matt Goldman said he and his pop had a strong bond, often going fishing, riding quads and playing games in their backyard before he got sick.
“Me and him were just like best friends,” he told the station. “Anytime we would hang out, it was just like having fun.”
The son’s now-viral post struck a chord on Twitter, prompting users to share stories about losing loved ones and family members.
“My dad passed when I was 13,” one observer wrote. “What I’d give to simply have a beer [with him].”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/12/11/dead-dad-left-son-10-to-buy-first-beer-on-21st-birthday/
Photo Credit: @MattG12699; Instagram
12-year-old boy takes parents’ car and goes on a 5-hour, multi-state joyride with 7 year old cousin – outruns state trooper
(Meredith) — A social media challenge may have inspired a 12-year-old boy to take his 7-year-old cousin on a 100-mile joyride.
Police spent hours on Monday searching for the kids, who traveled from New York to the New Jersey-Delaware border in a Range Rover.
Someone reported the children missing around 9 a.m. in Queens.
Investigators said surveillance video showed the 12-year-old boy took the keys to a white Range Rover before he and his 7-year-old cousin drove off.
Police used an electronic toll collection system and license plate readers to track the vehicle on the Verrazano Bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Staten Island, around 11 a.m.
New Jersey State Troopers later spotted the SUV and flashed sirens to get it to stop — but the boys sped off.
Authorities eased off the pursuit for the safety of the children. At 2:15 p.m., police said the 12-year-old used his dad’s credit card to buy cookies at a rest stop.
The credit card was flagged, and the kids were apprehended.
It turns out the 100-mile joyride may have been inspired by a social media challenge — taking a car and driving it until it runs out of gas.
Police are withholding the children’s names because they are minors.
The two cousins were taken to an area hospital for a check-up, then to the local police precinct for questioning before being reunited with their family.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/12-year-old-boy-takes-parents-car-and-goes-on-a-5-hour-multi-state/article_aafa3893-1783-58df-b9ff-c69a8db6fede.html
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Drugs recalled after “mix-up” packages depression medication and erectile dysfunction drug together
(CNN) — Parmaceutical distributor AvKare is voluntarily recalling 100mg sildenafil tablets and 100mg trazodone tablets due to a “product mix-up,” the company announced Wednesday. The tablets were “inadvertently packaged together” when they were bottled by a third-party vendor.
Sildenafil is the active ingredient in Viagra, which is used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Trazodone is used to treat major depressive disorder.
Unintentional consumption of sildenafil can pose serious health risks for those with underlying health issues, such as lowering blood pressure to dangerous levels for those taking prescriptions containing nitrates.
Unintentional intake of trazodone can results in sedation, dizziness, constipation and blurred vision. So far, AvKare said, it has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall.
The lots that are being recalled are sildenafil 100 mg tablet Lot 36884 with an expiration date of 03/2022 and trazodone hydrochloride 100 mg tablet lot 36783 with an expiration date of 06/2022.
Consumers with questions about the recall can contact AvKARE at 1-855-361-3993 Monday- Friday (8am — 4pm CST).
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/drugs-recalled-after-mix-up-packages-depression-medication-and-erectile-dysfunction-drug-together/article_7593f3be-2592-5125-a485-7f11dd8003a0.html
Photo Credit: FDA
Ga. Girl, 5, Is Fatally Shot by Playmate Accidentally After Man Allegedly Left Gun Unattended
A 5-year-old Georgia girl was fatally shot last week, and authorities allege the person who accidentally pulled the trigger was a small child who was her lifelong playmate.
Little Jada Willingham died on Friday, soon after arriving at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Hospital, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WXIA-TV and WAGA-TV.
She’d been shot in the face in what police suspect was an accidental shooting.
However, detectives continue to investigate the shooting inside a home in Lithonia.
Investigators spoke to Jada’s longtime babysitter, who was in the house when the tragedy unfolded.
The 68-year-old woman told DeKalb County police investigators Jada was one of four children she was watching at the time of the shooting.
According to the Journal-Constitution, police arrived at the home at about 3:20 p.m., to find the babysitter kneeling on the ground next to Jada, using a cloth to stop the bleeding.
According to the reports, the shooter and the victim had known each other their entire young lives.
The babysitter said the two girls had been been playing together, and apparently had found a loaded handgun, playing with it in a bedroom.
The babysitter recalled hearing the gunshot from where she was in the kitchen. Crying followed; she ran to the bedroom, and found Jada unconscious on the floor, bleeding from her face,
On Saturday, police charged 36-year-old Chad Brooks, Sr., with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children for allegedly leaving the gun unattended.
Brooks is currently in custody at the DeKalb County Jail. He’s yet to enter pleas to the charges he faces, and information on his attorney was unavailable Thursday.
A GoFundMe campaign has been established online to help Jada’s family pay for her impending funeral.
According to the GoFundMe page, Jada “was a beautiful, loving little girl” who loved Barbie dolls and painting.
via: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/ga-girl-5-fatally-shot-161829419.html
Photo Credit: GoFundMe
Utah teacher admits to inappropriate relationship with 14-year-old student
A Utah teacher has admitted having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old pupil — even sneaking her into their school in a large storage bin, according to an affidavit.
Father of four Lucas Sloan Talley, 38, had “personal contact via text message and email with multiple young girls” during his 12 years at South Hills Middle School in Riverton, according to the affidavit obtained by Deseret News.
That increased when the school shut down because of the pandemic and he “struggled” with no longer getting the girls’ “validation” that he “thrives on,” he told investigators, according to the affidavit.
He started to think of being a “couple” with one 14-year-old girl, with “multiple emails, text messages and video messages” showing him telling the teen “he loves her and misses her,” the affidavit said.
“Lucas began taking treats to the young female’s home and spending time (hours) inside the girl’s home with her,” admitting to hugging and inappropriately touching the girl multiple times, police said.
The girl was “scared something sexual was about to happen and felt uncomfortable” — and her mother warned the teacher to stop contacting her daughter, the Deseret News said.
But he persisted — and even smuggled her into their school when it was closed because of the pandemic, the affidavit said.
“Lucas told the girl to get into a large black and yellow Sterilite bin. Lucas placed the Sterilite bin (with the female victim inside of the bin) on a dolly device and wheeled the girl into his classroom,” the affidavit said.
He told cops that he named the bin after the girl, and put a note inside reading, “Hope your box is comfortable.”
Talley said the girl’s parents didn’t know he had put her in a bin — and admitted he “does not feel a girl at the age of 14 is able to consent or even choose to be put into a bin and wheeled into his classroom,” the report said.
Talley resigned from the school a week before he was arrested and charged with two counts of kidnapping Friday, the paper said. He is being held without bail, jail records show.
“Lucas told detectives he has had other parents reach out to him and tell him to stop talking to their young daughters,” the affidavit said.
“Detectives are still actively investigating other cases which will be linked to Lucas,” police said, according to the Utah paper.
Jordan School District spokeswoman Sandy Riesgraf confirmed that Talley is “no longer employed” by the district but declined further comment, citing the ongoing police investigation, the paper said.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/12/09/teacher-admits-to-inappropriate-relationship-with-14-year-old-girl/
Photo Credit: Salt Lake County Jail
Black man carrying sandwiches was shot and killed on his grandmother’s doorstep last week by a sheriff’s deputy
Franklin County sheriff’s deputy Jason Meade was working with the U.S. Marshal’s fugitive task force looking for violent offenders when he opened fire on Casey Christopher Goodson Jr., 23, as he was entering his home in Columbus Friday, Columbus police said.
Columbus police had said earlier that Goodson was carrying a gun, and that Meade, a 17 year veteran in the force, had recovered it at the scene.
Meanwhile, U.S. Marshal Peter Tobin said at a press conference Friday that Meade reported Goodson was drove by and waved a gun at him.
Goodson’s family didn’t confirm whether he was carrying a gun or not when he was shot.
But Walton + Brown LLP, the law firm representing Goodson’s family painted a different picture, saying he picked up Subway sandwiches on his way home from the dentist and was gunned down in front of his 72-year-old grandmother and two toddlers.
His family watched in horror as Goodson fell to the ground and the sandwiches laid next to him in a pool of his blood, the firm said.
Tamala Payne called her son’s death “senseless” and said couldn’t understand why he was killed.
“This was senseless. My son would not have harmed a fly. If my son was given a command, he would have listened,” the grieving mother told CNN on Tuesday. “He was a law abiding citizen. Everything he did was legal. My son was murdered and there’s no way around it. He deserves justice.”
The incident began when Meade reported seeing a man with a gun, and encountered Goodson. The two men exchanged words before Meade shot and killed Goodson, police said, adding that Goodson wasn’t the man the deputy was looking for during the investigation.
Columbus police said there were no witnesses to the shooting and no body cam footage because Franklin County deputies aren’t issued cameras.
Sean Walton, the family’s attorney, said the allegation that Goodson was waving a gun is outrageous.
“It doesn’t make sense,” he told NBC News on Monday. “Who drives down the street waving a gun out of the window? This isn’t a music video. This is real life.”
He added that Goodson was licensed to carry a gun and Ohio doesn’t prohibit the open carrying of firearms.
Meade has been placed on paid administrative leave pending and investigation, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced Tuesday it has opened a civil rights investigation into Goodson’s death and is working the FBI and Columbus police.
Columbus police is conducting a separate investigation where homicide detectives will turn over evidence to the Franklin County prosecutor who will then present to the grand jury, which will determine if the shooting was justified.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/12/09/ohio-black-man-carrying-sandwiches-fatally-shot-by-deputy/
Photo Credit: Family Photo/Courtesy of Attorney Sean Walton via AP