Boy, 8, shoots girl, 7, at Maryland day care
When the news that there had been a shooting at a Maryland day care center hit the seven thousand Fox News Alerts recently, speculation abounded. At first it was hinted it might be a terrorist action. Then it was suggested it might be another Columbine, albeit in a miniature version. Next it was an accidental shooting, the handsome anchors alleged.
We’ll assume that an 8 year old shooting a 7 year old must be an accident of some sort, right? By the time Fox played out their news alerts a new story came across the radar and the very sad story of the shooting at the Day Care center was all but forgotten.
From Reuters:
Tue Jan 24, 2006 11:20 AM ETWASHINGTON (Reuters) - An 8-year-old boy accidentally shot a 7-year-old girl in the arm on Tuesday with a handgun he pulled from his backpack at a day-care center, police in suburban Montgomery County, Maryland, said.
The wounded girl was flown to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury, police spokesperson Lucille Baur said. There were six children at the For Kids We Care day-care center at the time the shooting and no one else was injured, she said.
The shooting happened just before 7 a.m. as the boy was handling the gun, which he brought to the center in his backpack, Baur said. Officers were investigating how the boy happened to have the weapon.
Later that evening, the crime gossip shows took up the story. Greta, Nancy Grace, even Bill O’Reilly, discussed this sad tale. It was suggested that the shooting was not accidental, that the little boy with the gun was actually trying to rob the girl he shot. Likely the gun did go off accidentally for no one really knows for sure. I’m inclined to believe the kid didn’t really mean to shoot anyone, that he just wanted to rob the little girl. I can’t get my head wrapped around any other more heinous possibility.
For the story does get murkier. Turns out the kid’s father (or stepfather or his mother’s “significant other”, it’s not clear) has quite the felon record. In addition, according to cable talking heads, there were quite a few weapons laying about that house. Not to mention the fellow was a felon and should have no firearms at all.
Poor kid. Growing up in an environment where armed robbery is something to emulate.
Let’s hope that gun went off by accident. Any other possibility makes me shiver.
Election Day Tire Slashers Get Probation
I first wrote about this seriously under-the-radar crime in mid-January. Seems a bunch of Milwaukee Democrats got it into their head that the way to fairly win an election would be to slash the tires of the Republican party’s vehicles earmarked to transport voters of their party to the voting booths.
Only the Milwaukee prosecutor has a reputation for loving plea bargains so he did just that.
The bigger story here is that such an awful attack was waged against this country’s election system while all around the world we’re sending observers to insure fair elections in other countries. More, had this been Republican operatives involved in slashing tires of Democrats’ cars, I will be forever convinced one couldn’t make the headlines go away.
Finally, Wisconsin was won by John Kerry by a very close margin. We will never know who really carried the state of Wisconsin.
From The American Mind:
In an unexpected twist in the Election Day tire slashing trial, four former Kerry-Edwards campaign staffers, including the sons of U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) and former Acting Mayor Marvin Pratt, have agreed to plead no contest to misdemeanors. Prosecutors will recommend probation sentences as part of the deal.
The plea agreements came in the middle of jury deliberations after an eight-day trial on felony property damage charges that carried potential 3 1/2 year prison terms upon conviction.
The surprise resolution was offered by prosecutors at 2 p.m., nearly 7 hours into deliberations and an hour after a jury note complained of an impasse.
The Latest on the “Cruise Ship Murder” …
…Or the tragedy that befell George Smith IV as he and his new bride honeymooned on a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship called “Brilliance of the Sea”.
Here’s a more recent update on Smith’s death. Here’s a post made close to the time Smith disappeared.
A synopsis of George’s sad unknown fate is that he and his lovely bride spent much of their time publicly fighting, that George returned to his cabin, possibly with persons unknown, that George’s body outline was imprinted in blood on the canopy covering the rescue boats below his cabin. Nearby passengers heard loud thumps coming from the Smith’s cabin. Jennifer, George’s wife, was found passed out drunk in a nearby corridor and was escorted to her room by ship personnel somewhere around the time George went missing.
Beyond that, the timeline’s murky, the location of Jennifer is fuzzy, the persons partying with George Smith are mysterious.
It’s possible that George Smith IV fell overboard accidentally. However, that bloody image on the canopy at the least reveals that there was some sort of foul play. Foul play that may have caused a dazed Smith to fall overboard.
The latest news into the investigation of what happened to George Smith IV is that famed forensic expert Henry Lee has been hired to help with the investigation.
In keeping with his inscrutable nature, Lee professes to have found “something” but cannot tell us what it is.
More importantly, Lee wanted to test the tossing of a mannequin from the balcony to re-create the scenarios that might have caused Smith to go overboard. I’m no vaunted investigator but I would think such a thing would be a mandatory part of such an investigation. Royal Caribbean didn’t want such a test to be conducted for fear of alarming passengers embarking on the ship the day of Lee’s visit.
Let’s hope somebody comes back and conducts just such a test.
From Local10:
Lee was on board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Brilliance of the Seas, Monday with his forensic team to conduct his examination into the case of George Allen Smith IV, who disappeared July 5. Officials for cruise line limited Lee's time on board to two hours.
While the ship was in port in Miami, Lee was granted access to the cabin and balcony where Smith and his bride, Jennifer Hagel-Smith, stayed during the two-week cruise.
But, Lee was denied a request to toss mannequin from the balcony in an attempt to reenact what may have happened to Smith. A cruise line representative said that the request was denied because the cruise line thought it would be an inappropriate experiment since on Monday afternoon, nearly 5,000 passengers would be boarding and disembarking the ship.
After Lee and his team finished on board the Brilliance of the Seas, he told reporters, "I did find something, but I cannot tell you what it is."
Another Unidentified Dead Toddler
This one judged to be three years old.
From Review Journal.com:
…families who traveled from all over the valley to mourn an unidentified Hispanic girl, believed to be about 3 years old, who was found dead Jan. 12 in a trash bin outside The Fountains of Villa Cordova apartments at 2800 S. Eastern Ave.
"I couldn't go to work the day I heard about her," said a tearful North Las Vegas grandmother who asked to be identified as Susana. "I was devastated. I can't imagine anyone doing something like that. It's just so cold."
The mostly Hispanic crowd filled the church and overflowed into the parking lot. Parents, grandparents and children brought teddy bears, stuffed animals and bouquets of pink roses and white carnations to lay beneath a poster-size composite picture of the brown-eyed girl authorities have dubbed "Jane Cordova Doe."
Three years old. Tossed into a trashcan like so much rubbish. I’m at a loss.
Okay, So It’s Weird
But for the morbidly curious, Deadmaneating.com gives a listing of requested last meals. Gotta love that site name.
In fact, there is something curious about requested last meals before execution. The first of which would be the history of this practice. Said history also provided at the site.
Below is the last meal requested by the most recent death row inmate.
I can’t help but wonder why a person about to die would request sugar-free desserts.
But then that would be morbidly curious.
Last Meal:
clarence ray allen, california, january 17, 2006
the menu:
buffalo steak, a bucket of KFC white-meat-only chicken, sugar-free pecan pie, sugar-free black walnut ice cream, Indian pan-fried bread and whole milk. The ice cream was left out one hour to thaw, and Allen turned it into a milkshake by hand.
Tough Talking Blogger Arranges Her Mother’s Murder
This has got to be one of the strangest true crimes of the month. Rachelle Waterman liked to post pictures of her self clad in studded leather collars. She also complained constantly on her blog about her very boring life. In fact, the name of her blog was ”My Crappy Life”. Below, a quote from Rachelle’s blog.
"Ode to Suicide."
Pain consumes my body,
Eating away like lye.
Tearing at my flesh
No more tears left to cry.
The Watermans were considered a close, tight-knit family in the small Alaskan town in which they lived. Rachelle liked to blog and many viewed her strange behavior, dress and blog posts as just those of a maturing, slightly troubled adolescent.
One day Rachelle and her father went away to different appointments. When they returned home, they were informed that Rachelle’s mother, Lauri Waterman, was found dead, burned in the family van.
The story of how Lauri Waterman came to die is as unbelievable as most anything one could read. For Rachelle, it is alleged, arranged for two local thugs to kill her mother. Indeed, Rachelle went to a volleyball tournament the day the thugs were scheduled to do the deed.
And so the deed was done. Lauri Waterman died a horrific death. The thugs who killed her alleged it was Rachelle who asked them to do it and that she gave them the information on how to get into the house and when was a good time.
Click to read the story of Rachelle Waterman, the strangest of strange adolescent bloggers. You simply won’t believe anyone could be so cold.
Waterman said she once told Arrant that her mother physically abused her, threatening her with a knife, beating her with a baseball bat and trying to push her down steps. She said Arrant became upset.
"Arrant tried to get her to go to the police, but she did not want to," according to prosecution papers. "She was depressed and suicidal about this abuse ... so he and Radel might have wanted to do something about it although she doubted they would commit murder
EMT Kills Co-Worker By a Prank
Couple of things here. Joshua Martin was 25 years old. He had been trained as an Emergency Medical Technician.
Yet he still thought it would be a hoot to zap a co-worker with his defibrillator paddles.
I didn’t know that such a thing would kill a healthy person. Then I haven’t been trained as an EMT. Surely the trained Joshua knew that this kind of horseplay was dangerous.
According to the Times Dispatch, Joshua at first threatened his co-worker, a mother of two young children, with a zap from the paddles but she warned him to put the paddles away.
Still, Joshua leaned over the seat and surprised his colleague with a zap from the paddles. She died three days later, never having recovered from the coma the initial jolt put her in.
It gets even better. Joshua’s family sobbed in the court room, proclaiming Joshua to be a good boy, that he was just playing around.
Uh, I don’t think so. Joshua is not a good boy. He was warned to put the paddles away. He was likely trained that zapping healthy people was very dangerous. He did it anyway. Good boys don’t act that way.
Joshua stands to go away for ten years.
As he should.
LEBANON -- Joshua Philip Martin was in his fourth day on the job as a rescue-squad worker in Russell County when, in a playful mood, he decided to reach into the front seat of the ambulance and zap one of his co-workers with the defibrillator paddles. The rookie's mistake was fatal.
Yesterday, in Russell Circuit Court, a judge convicted Martin, 25, of involuntary manslaughter, warning the burly but pink-faced young man that when he returns to court in March, he likely will be sent to prison. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years.
More True Crime Updates HERE
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Rules to Save Your Life
| 1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do! 2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION! 3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives. 4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE. a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location. 5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage: A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars. C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.) 6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!) 7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably ! in a zig -zag pattern! 8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP. It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim. 9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open! the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night. Shannon LaForge Courtroom Deputy to Judge Robert Junell U.S. District Court for the Western District |
A Different Take on Being a Redneck
We have enjoyed all the redneck jokes for years. It's time to take a reflective look at the core beliefs of a culture that values their home, family, country and God. If I had to stand before a dozen terrorists who threaten my life, I'd choose a half dozen or so rednecks to back me up. Tire irons, squirrel guns and grit -- that's what rednecks are made of. I hope I am one of those. If you feel the same, pass this on to your redneck friends. Ya'll know who ya' are... You might be a redneck if: It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, "One nation, under God." You might be a redneck if: You've never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.  You still say "Christmas" instead of "Winter Festival." You might be a redneck if: You bow your head when someone prays. You might be a redneck if: You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem. You might be a redneck if: You treat Viet Nam vets with great respect, and always have. You might be a redneck if: You've never burned an American flag. You might be a redneck if: You know what you believe and you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening. You might be a redneck if: You respect your elders and expect your kids to do the same. You might be a redneck if: You'd give your last dollar to a friend. If you got this email from me, it is because I believe that you, like me, have just enough Red Neck in you to have the same beliefs as those talked about in this email. God Bless the USA! Gitt'er done!!! |
Ending With a Smile
HOSPITAL PATIENTS CHARTS  |
More Miscellany posts HERE
