Texas Mother Arrested After Videos Allegedly Showing Her Abusing, Burning 1-Year-Old Son Posted on Facebook
A Virginia woman’s efforts to save her 1-year-old nephew from the hands of his abuser — allegedly his own mother — by turning to social media prompted police to investigate the case and resulted in the Texas woman’s arrest.
Ra’Neicha Broadnax, 20, is expecting her first child, but her motherly instinct has already kicked in and that in part inspired her to save her 1-year-old nephew Jaiden from harm, KTLA sister station KDAF in Dallas reported.
After seeing multiple videos of Jaiden being burned, hit and having a bag placed over his head, she reached out from Virginia to contact authorities in Texas, where the little boy’s mother lives.
Broadnax said, at first, she was told that nothing could be done.
Then she turned to Facebook.
Broadnax posted videos of the baby screaming while someone — the baby’s mother, according to Broadnax — taunted the child.
“Tell your daddy that’s what happens when you sit around and play with people,” a woman is heard telling the baby. “Say ‘Dad, you should have just left my mama out your b——-.’ Say that.”
The woman continues, “You just want to keep playing, so this is what you get. That’s too bad, Jaiden. Too [expletive] bad!”
In various videos, the woman can be seen holding a flame to the baby’s hand, tying a plastic bag over his head and stuffing a plastic bag into his mouth, KDAF reported.
Broadnax said she obtained 64 heartbreaking videos showing the innocent child strapped in a car seat, unable to get away from his abuser. Broadnax told KDAF that after watching three seconds of the first video, she was on the phone calling authorities.
Her older brother, who also lives in Virginia, fathered a child with 23-year-old Janelle Peterkin, who lives in Humble, Texas, outside Houston.
Broadnax said Peterkin was angry with the father, who has another girlfriend, and sent the photos and videos of her torturing their son to the couple.
The brother never received those messages because he was blocking Peterkin’s calls, according to the station. But after he was arrested last week, his girlfriend got possession of his cellphone. She unblocked Peterkin’s number and that is when she allegedly found the videos.
“His girlfriend was snooping through his phone and she saw he had (Peterkin) on the ‘Do Not Disturb’ features, so she took it off and the phone vibrated for an hour straight. When she looked, there were over 300 messages from Peterkin and 64 videos,” Broadnax explained.
Broadnax knew Peterkin’s address because she previously asked for it in order to send a gift to Texas for her nephew’s first birthday. She placed the address in Google maps to find the nearest police station.
That led Broadnax to the Humble Police Department, which Broadnax said she called immediately. Broadnax said she asked police to do a welfare check on her nephew, fearing he was dead. She said in one of the videos, she saw the baby’s eyes rolling back. Broadnax claims she explained to them what was happening, but they did not do anything.
That is when she decided to post the videos on social media. After that, she was flooded with responses from law enforcement from all over the U.S., she said.
“After I put the post up, someone from New York Police Department called me and from all different states, police were calling,” Broadnax said. “Then a detective called me from the Humble Police Department asking where Janelle was.”
Broadnax said investigators went to the Jaiden’s day care and called her, saying that they saw no physical evidence of abuse.
But after watching the videos Broadnax forwarded them, the case was handed over to Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables, who conducted an interview. Deputies confirm that Peterkin admitted that she made the videos about 90 days ago to show her ex-boyfriend and father of her child that he did not care enough about their baby.
Peterkin was then arrested and charged with child endangerment, according to KDAF. She was released from jail after posting a $15,000 bond.
Broadnax said her brother, who has three children, had no idea his son was being abused. The brother learned about Jaiden’s abuse while watching television in jail.
“My brother was watching TV and saw me on the news and thought it was for my other brother’s baby until he heard his son cry,” Broadnax said.
She said he wishes that his son’s abuse had not been publicized on social media, but is grateful that his sister took action to make sure the baby was saved.
Still, Broadnax does not feel the baby is completely safe because he remains in the custody of Peterkin’s family. Broadnax said Peterkin has a history of displaying erratic behavior and has previously vandalized her brother’s vehicle.
“Her craziness is what got her on the blocked list,” Broadnax said. “My brother loves his kids; he has three little babies. Janelle has taken him through hell.”
Broadnax said she called Peterkin after seeing the videos, asking why she hurt Jaiden.
“She was so nonchalant with an ‘OK, I don’t care’ attitude, and she was saying it is her son, and that we did not do anything for the baby,” Broadnax said. “This is all about my brother. This is about nothing else but my brother and I want everyone to know that.”
Broadnax also wants her nephew to heal and never be harmed again.
Neither Peterkin nor her family has given a statement to KDAF.
Okla. Woman Gets Life In Prison for Dressing as a Witch to Terrorize Her 7-Year-Old Granddaughter
An Oklahoma City woman who prosecutors say dressed like a witch while severely abusing her 7-year-old granddaughter was sentenced last week to life in prison, PEOPLE confirms.
It was two months ago that Geneva Robinson, 51, and her 33-year-old boyfriend and co-defendant, Joshua Granger, pleaded guilty to child abuse and neglect charges.
On Thursday, Robinson learned she’ll spend the rest of her life behind bars when she received three life sentences; Granger received a 30-year sentence for helping Robinson commit the abuse.
The defendants initially faced a combined 29 counts of felony child abuse and neglect.
Robinson assaulted her granddaughter for more than a year, prosecutors said, including burning the girl with cigarettes, smacking her in the face and beating her with a rolling pin.
She painted her skin green and dressed in black whenever assuming the persona of the abusive “Nelda the Witch,” according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Robinson also removed the girl from the local school system and deprived her of food. Court records further confirm Robinson often forced her granddaughter to sleep outside with her dogs.
As she was sentenced, prosecutors also released cellphone video showing some of her abuse.
In the footage, which PEOPLE declined to publish, Robinson appears dressed as “Nelda” and grabs the girl by the throat before dragging her across the floor.
She tells the child she’s going to eat her, according to the video.
Detectives began investigating Robinson in 2014, after receiving a call from workers at Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman, Oklahoma, where she had tried to have her granddaughter committed – saying she couldn’t control the girl.
The victim told investigators her grandmother regularly whipped her, beat her and pinched her skin with pliers, court documents state. She also said she went days without eating.
The girl told detectives her grandmother would wear a green mask and bring her into the garage, where she was restrained and forced to sleep on a pair of pants, according to the documents. Robinson also used a pink dog leash to tie her up and suspend her from the ceiling.
Inside Robinson’s home, police recovered the leash as well as a horse whip.
Court records indicate Robinson allegedly utilized her “Nelda” character on others, including the girl’s father when he was a child.
The victim, who is now 9, addressed Robinson in a letter that was read in court on Thursday, a court official confirms.
“I love you,” the girl wrote, the official says. “I forgive you. You’re the best grandmother I ever had.”
It was not immediately clear in whose custody the child is now.
Lawyers for both defendants were unavailable for comment Monday afternoon.
via: https://www.yahoo.com/celebrity/okla-woman-gets-life-dressing-165822265.html
NEW CHATTANOOGA CITY COUNCILWOMAN OPENLY ADMITS SHE’S A RACIST
The newest member of the Chattanooga City Council has an extensive history of criminal behavior and once proudly declared herself racist.
Demetrus “Meechie” Coonrod was arrested and sentenced to prison for charges including child abuse, assault, and armed robbery, local NBC affiliate WRCB reported on Wednesday. Coonrod is also the vice chairwoman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, The Washington Free Beacon reports.
Local news website the Chattanooga reports that Coonrod took part in a string of armed robberies targeting restaurants, and on one occasion a blood plasma center. The ringleader of those robberies received 45 years in prison, while Coonrod received seven. That sentence was later reduced in exchange for her testimony against a sexually predatory group of prison guards.
Coonrod was released to a Salvation Army halfway house in 2010, but was kicked out after a string of violations. In the final incident, Coonrod (who is African-American) hurled a racial slur at a white worker.
The future lawmaker said that she wanted to speak to a black man, yelling, “You’re a f**king peckerhead,” and, “You’re a f**king peckerwood.” According to the incident report, she also asserted she was a racist.
“You are god damn right I’m racist,” she reportedly said.
But fellow council members tell WRCB they are standing by Coonrod.
“Her past is her past. She was elected by the people,” said council member Darrin Ledford.
“She made it clear up front,” Anthony Byrd, another colleague, said. “If you put your mind to something and put God first, the sky is the limit.”
Coonrod told WRCB that she wanted to help her community and turn her life around.
“I had time to think about my life. Like what am I doing? What am I not doing? How can I make things right. I knew I did not want to come outside of prison being the same person I was going inside prison,” she said. “I began to knock on every door. Reach out to elected officials saying hey I need some help. I need you to help me help my community.”
Coonrod is set to be sworn in to Chattanooga City Council next week.
Young dad killed in movie theater had people ‘after him’
His life ended as the final credits rolled.
A Yonkers man was fatally stabbed early Saturday in the lobby of the movie theater where he worked, police said.
The 19-year-old victim, who had just started working at the Showcase Cinema De Lux multiplex in Ridge Hill, was arguing with another man at 12:44 a.m. when the encounter turned violent.
The killer then whipped out a knife and stabbed the worker in the chest, according to Yonkers cops.
A relative identified the dead man as Daij Thomas, adding that Thomas had been attacked two weeks ago but survived. “He had a disagreement with a group of people. We don’t know over what, but we knew they were after him. If we would’ve known who or over what we would’ve tried to help him,” said brother-in-law Landon Tucker-Brown, 28.
Thomas worked two jobs at the mall and was trying to get an apartment for himself, his girlfriend and their young son.
“He was a good kid and he was finally getting his life together,” Tucker-Brown said.
The bloody encounter unfolded as the theater’s late-night showings were wrapping up. Video of emergency responders working to save Thomas in the lobby was posted online.
Thomas was pronounced dead at New York-Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville.
The slay suspect was described as 6-feet tall and thin.
Those who said on social media they knew the victim paid him tribute.
Tia Thomas updated her Facebook cover photo with a picture of her slain boyfriend with angel wings, noting, “Life cut short, Spirit Lives Forever, Rest Easy Young King.”
The post said Thomas began working at the theater on Wednesday and “now he’s gone.”
via: http://nypost.com/2017/04/15/worker-fatally-stabbed-in-movie-theater/
2 Gwinnett officers fired after videos show them hitting suspect
WOW. What did this motorist do to warrant this punch in the face? As we know Police have NO self control when it comes to Black and brown folks. OUR LIVES DON’T MATTER! Maybe just MAYBE if he was Muslim he wouldn’t have gotten sucker punched. WE ALL KNOW IF HE’D BEEN WHITE HE’D BEEN TREATED WITH RESPECT AND DIGNITY. If this had been a Muslim brother or sister this happened to. The whole USA would have come to his defense. There would have been marches and demonstrations. The highest courts of the land would have come to their aid. I’m not saying that doing this for our Muslim people is wrong. But it is a FACT. BLACK AND BROWN LIVES DO NOT MATTER. There are a lot of white People who scream ALL LIVES MATTER! When they feel left out. It seems strange to me when a dozen or more Black and brown children go missing. There’s not a hashtag or any national news airing updates on the case. If only these people with their hands over their eyes, ears and mouth would only remove their hands and SEE US AND HEAR US AND SPEAK UP FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE OPPRESSED. People of color are only helped by selective hearing.
We people of color are only helped by selective seeing. What SOME white People fail to realize our OPPRESSION affects EVERYONE. BLACK LIVES DON’T MATTER. I guess when more white folks get punched in the face by Hulk smash police only then will it becomes a national emergency. Then we ALL will get the rights and equality we want. Until then NO LIFE MATTERS BUT WHAT LIFE WE CHOOSE. SIGH WHERE’S OFFICER TOMMY NORMAN WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
Source:
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/gwinnett-county/gwinnett-officer-on-administrative-leave-after-kicking-man-in-head/512174994
Boy, 8, Drives His 4-Year-Old Sister to McDonald’s After Watching YouTube Instructional Videos
An 8-year-old Ohio boy drove the family van to McDonald’s, with his 4-year-old sister riding shotgun, because they really wanted some cheeseburgers, police said.
The child maintained the speed limit and executed a perfect left turn into the drive-thru lane, where he came to a stop at the window and placed his order.
“It was remarkable,” East Palestine Police Officer Jacob Koehler told InsideEdition.com Wednesday. “He got him and his sister to McDonald’s without hitting anything or running any red lights.”
The boy took money from his piggy bank to finance the fast-food adventure, and lifted the vehicle’s keys after his father went to bed early and his mother nodded off on the couch.
Police received two calls from pedestrians about a little boy driving a big van, Koehler said. The officer arrived at the McDonald’s at about 8 p.m. Sunday, just as the boy pulled up to the drive-thru window.
“He said he and his sister looked up how to drive on YouTube,” Koehler said. “They waited until mom fell asleep and grabbed her keys.”
They drove a mile to Mickey D’s, stopping at four intersections along the way. They’d already had dinner, but the boy told police “me and my sister really wanted a cheeseburger,” Koehler recounted.
The boy was able to reach the pedals by standing up while driving. “This was a one-ton work van. This thing was huge,” the officer said.
A customer at the restaurant recognized the children and called their grandparents. Police called the parents.
They all hurried to the restaurant.
How did they react?
“I’m not sure there are any words to accurately describe their reactions,” Koehler said.
Employees thought it was a prank when the kids pulled up. “They thought the parents were in the back and it was a joke,” the officer said.
The little boy certainly didn’t think it was funny when the cops showed up. He burst into tears when he grasped how badly he had messed up, Koehler said.
“He started crying when he realized he’d done something wrong,” Koehler said.
But he didn’t get into any trouble with the law, as no charges were filed over the incident.
“I was expecting to get call after call about mailboxes being knocked over, stupid stuff like that,” Koehler said. “But he didn’t hit a single thing.”
via: https://www.yahoo.com/news/boy-8-drives-4-old-192400950.html
Butcher accused in noose incident blames fired employee
A famed West Village butcher accused of handing a noose to a black delivery man claims he didn’t make the racist gesture — and now blames a fired employee.
Joe Ottomanelli, of Ottomanelli & Sons Meat Market on Bleecker Street, sent the longtime employee packing this week, his lawyer, Ron Kuby, told the Post Tuesday.
“Joe Ottomanelli on Monday terminated the employee who had given a makeshift noose to a delivery person,” Kuby said. “Ottomanelli stores have zero tolerance for racism. It’s unfortunate that this ugly and stupid act occurred.”
The incident occurred April 4 at the market on Bleeker Street, where Victor Sheppard had been making deliveries for months.
Sheppard, 36, insisted that the 60-year-old white butcher handed him the noose, fashioned out of yellow rope.
“Here’s your present,” Sheppard said the business owner told him. “You can use it when you’re stressed and need to end it all.”
During a prior delivery, Ottomanelli allegedly cracked to Sheppard, “If this was years ago, you’d be on the back of the bus.”
Sheppard reported the incident to the local police precinct, and the NYPD’s hate crimes task force initiated an investigation.
Meanwhile, Sheppard shared his feelings about the exchange at the National Action Network’s Harlem headquarters Saturday.
“Yeah, other co-workers were there. They just laughed along with it. It’s a laughing situation over there,” Sheppard said. “They just laughed at me,…after they gave me the noose they was just laughing at me and I felt threatened.”
But Kuby said “the problem has been rectified” now that the employee has been fired.
Kuby wouldn’t share the name of the employee. Nor could he say with certainty who made the “joke” about the noose.
“My investigation has not gotten to the point of determining every word that everybody spoke,” he said. “The point is the guy got fired.”
The NYPD Hate Crimes Unit is still investigating, a police source said.
via: http://nypost.com/2017/04/11/butcher-accused-in-noose-incident-blames-fired-employee/
Pennsylvania Toddler Hospitalized After Eating From Bag of Meth
Parents of a Pennsylvania toddler are facing child endangerment charges after state police say the girl ate from a bag of meth.
State police said the 22-month-old girl had to be flown to the hospital after swallowing the drugs at a home near Schuylkill Haven Sunday morning, WNEP reported.
Investigators said charges are pending against the girl’s parents, John Kemmerer, 26, and Leanne Popp, 24, both of Auburn.
There was no immediate word on the child’s condition.
Former Equinox Employee Opens Fire in Florida Gym, Killing 2 of His Former Coworkers
A gunman opened fire inside an Equinox fitness club at the Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables, Florida, around 1 p.m. on Saturday – leaving two people dead, the luxury gym has confirmed.
Police said the shooter is dead, The Miami Herald reported – and it is believed that he committed suicide after firing his gun.
Equinox member Shed Boren told The Herald the incident involved a disgruntled trainer: “I had just left Equinox,’’ he said. “I heard from my trainer that it was a trainer that had been let go. The general manager and one of the trainers were shot.’’
Equinox confirmed in an email early Sunday morning that the two victims – General Manager Janine Ackerman, 35, and Fitness Manager Marios Hortis, 42 – died from their injuries. They also confirmed that the shooter was a former employee.
“Janine was 35 years old and had been a member of our Equinox family for nearly two years,” several members of Equinox’s executive team said in their statement. “She was promoted to General Manager of our club in Coral Gables last August. She was a kind and caring soul, a person we all loved and will deeply miss. Her memory will never be forgotten.
“Marios Hortis, 42 years old, was with Equinox for more than six years. He was mortally wounded when the shooter entered the club, and died as a result of his injuries. His generous spirit and warm demeanor made him an always welcome presence in our world, one that will be sorely missed.”
There was panic in the gym when shots were fired, a witness told NBC-10.
The upscale mall -which includes stores like Neiman-Marcus, Nordstrom, Jimmy Choo and Crate & Barrel – was placed on lockdown, sending many at its outdoor dining areas scrambling to get under tables, NBC-10 reported.
Security issued a 15-minute audio alert advising “emergency, evacuate or seek shelter,” according to Instagram video posted of the scene.
The Coral Gables Police Department and Miami-Dade Police Department surrounded the mall – securing the crime scene by 1:45 p.m. Those injured were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center via helicopter, NBC-10 reported, which landed at the nearby Coral Gables Senior High School’s sports field.
The mall appears to be one frequented by CNN commentator Ana Navarro, who tweeted about the incident.
“Wow. My local mall,” she wrote. “Hope Miami peeps safe. Reminder, life’s fleeting.”
Equinox CEO Harvey Spevak released a statement to employees Saturday, writing, “On behalf of the Executive Team, I am writing with the sad news that an employee-involved shooting took place at our Coral Gables club earlier today. Two current employees and one former employee were involved in the incident.
“We are not yet releasing the names of the victims, as we cannot confirm that their families have been notified. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident is ongoing and we are awaiting further details from the authorities,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this terrible tragedy. We wanted to alert you, our Equinox family, directly. We are here to answer any and all questions that we can.”
via: https://www.yahoo.com/celebrity/gunman-dead-opening-fire-luxury-211922641.html
BRONX COUNSELOR ACCUSED OF RAPING YOUNG GIRLS IN HIS CARE
A former counselor is now behind bars, indicted on charges he raped and sexually abused three teenagers in his care.
Willie Bowman was a counselor at the Henry Ittleson Center in the Bronx, where District Attorney Darcel Clark said the 30-year-old used his position to prey on young girls.
The victims range in age from 12 to 14, and investigators said the acts happened from October 2014 to July 2015.
Bowman was previously terminated from his position at Henry Ittleson, a children’s day treatment center run by the Jewish Board of Family and Children Services.
Officials with the organization released the following statement:
“When The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services uncovered allegations of Willie Bowman’s inappropriate behavior, we immediately removed and suspended him and reported the incident to The Justice Center. We have cooperated fully with the Justice Center and law enforcement. Mr. Bowman was subsequently fired. At the Jewish Board, we expect our employees to adhere to the highest professional standards. We will not tolerate anything less. The safety and protection of those in our care is our highest priority.”
Bowman is charged 16 counts of rape, nine counts of sex abuse, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one count of course of sexual conduct against a child.
Bail was set at $75,000, and the case was adjourned to July 18.
via: http://abc7ny.com/news/bronx-counselor-accused-of-raping-young-girls-in-his-care/1846951/