Prosecutor: Man killed son and baby’s mom to avoid child support

In Bonita man strangled the mother of his son and the 10-month-old baby to avoid paying child support, a prosecutor said today, but a defense attorney said the real killer was a hopeful suitor the woman rejected.

Dennis Potts, 25, surprised 22-year-old Tori Vienneau the night of July 26, 2006, knocking her unconscious between 6 and 6:45 p.m., then killed her after they had made plans to go out to dinner, prosecutor Per Hellstrom said in his opening statement.

A roommate found Vienneau strangled with the cord of a hair-flattening iron and her son, Dean Springstube, hanging in his crib with the cord of a cell phone charger wrapped around the baby’s neck, the prosecutor said.

A week before the murders, Vienneau had decided to take Potts to court after she became convinced that he had faked a paternity test, Hellstrom told the jury.

“He came over that evening, all right,” the prosecutor said of Potts. “He didn’t come over to go to dinner. He came over to kill them both.”

The crime scene was made to look like a sexual assault because Vienneau’s blouse and underwear were ripped and her pants were off, Hellstrom said.

There were no signs of forced entry into the third-story apartment in south San Diego, which told investigators Vienneau knew her killer, he said.

“This was not a stranger-type killing,” the prosecutor said. “This was somebody who knew Tori. It’s clear she was taken by surprise.”

Potts’ fingerprint was found in a door jam about 3 feet away from the baby’s crib, according to Hellstrom, who said a text message was planted by the killer on Vienneau’s phone at 6:59 p.m. so he could cover his tracks.

Hellstrom said Potts lied to detectives when he said the paternity tests he took were legitimate, when in fact he had used his friend Max Corn’s DNA to submit for the test.

“He is distancing himself from his connection with her,” the prosecutor told the jury.

Thirteen text message exchanges between Potts and Vienneau the day of the murders were deleted from her phone, and Potts told police he deleted all of his text messages from that day, Hellstrom said.

A “ping” from a cell phone tower near the victim’s apartment puts Potts in the vicinity at 6:44 p.m., around the time Vienneau was killed, the prosecutor said.

On Potts’ computer, authorities found Google searches for “committing murder; how to cheat a swab paternity test; best way to kill someone; getting away with murder; getting out of child support; performing (a) chokehold; knocking someone unconscious; knocking someone in the head; and how did you get away with murder,” the prosecutor said.

Hellstrom alleged Potts and Corn had an agreement to defraud Vienneau, but also to cover up Potts’ actions and throw off police so an obvious motive wouldn’t be apparent.

Defense attorney Kerry Armstrong, in his opening statement, said police focused on Potts from the beginning and ignored the real killer, a man named Daniel Moen.

Armstrong said once Vienneau’s boyfriend Neil Springstube was out of the picture, Moen became more attracted to Vienneau, but she didn’t see it the same way.

“Daniel Moen wanted to be Tori’s boyfriend,” Armstrong told the jury.

Four days before the murders, Moen and Vienneau had sex, but later Vienneau rejected him, Armstrong told the jury.

Potts will admit lying to police about the paternity test and will admit he faked it, his attorney said.

Armstrong said Potts was scared and had a longtime girlfriend — who is now his fiancee — and needed time to figure out how to tell her and his parents about the child he would now be responsible for.

“He knew he was going to be deemed the father,” Armstrong said of Potts.

Armstrong said Potts searched the Internet about death and murder because his father had suffered a couple of strokes in the past. Potts also had an interest in mixed martial arts, his attorney said.

Furthermore, Potts wrote a school paper on euthanasia that included those searches, according to his attorney.

“He will tell you that he had no plans to kill Tori Vienneau and Baby Dean,” Armstrong told the jury.

Potts’ fingerprints were in the victim’s apartment because he had been there at least three times in the past and remembered leaning against the door, Armstrong said.

Potts was at Corn’s South Bay home working on a project for his father when Vienneau was killed, Armstrong said.

An expert will testify that the “ping” off the cell tower near Vienneau’s apartment could have come from a call that Potts’ mother placed to him while he was at Corn’s house at 6:44 the night of the murders, Armstrong said.

Potts is charged with two counts of murder and a special circumstance of multiple murders, along with a charge of conspiracy to obstruct justice. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

The trial is expected to last about a month in courtroom of Judge Bernard Revak.

Corn, who is charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, will be tried following Potts’ trial.

Child Support Judge Sued for Not Supporting His Kids

Broward General Magistrate Philip Schlissel knows the rules of child support. The judge has been busting dads and moms for not paying their fair share for years.

But now he is being taken to court by, of all people, his judge ex-wife for not giving up enough dough to take care of their son and daughter.

A lawsuit filed last month claims Schlissel owes his ex-wife more than $5,000 for not helping with his kids' living expenses, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Now both children aren't really children at all. Schlissel's son is 19 and his daughter is 22. The get-off-child-support card kicks into effect at age 18 in Florida.

But Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren, his ex-wife of 15 years, claims they agreed to split the expenses of the kids, post-teenage years. That includes cell phone bills, health insurance, car repairs and other similar expenses that most adults tend to handle on their own. If that's not a silver spoon deal, we don't know what is.

Schlissel has never missed a child support payment, his attorney said. Good thing, too, because otherwise he would have to put out a warrant for his own arrest, and that can get complicated. The lawsuit will be heard in Palm Beach County.

I have spent many a days in front of the child support judges and to hear them talk to men like they were the low of all lows . Then what happens a judge that does not want to pay child support. They should first take his license to practice law, lock his ass up and treat him like he has treated many men. This make no sense to think that you being a judge makes you exempt from the law... Make the strike with the sword be swift and send a devastating blow to him and all the bureaucrats that don't want to pay! Teach them a lesson like they preach! Now lets put the shoe on the other foot and say he who has not sinned cast the first stone... What, no rocks?

Things you might not know about child-support payments

by Your Voices
Monday August 03, 2009, 2:05 PM

Voice: Dan Fish, Bay City

Ten things you might not know about friend of the court:

1. In the summer and on holidays when you have your kids 50 percent of the time, you still have to pay the full amount. They just changed this one. If you can't feed your kids, oh well. Pay up.

2. When your arrearage hits $2,000, it goes on your credit report. You can get out of credit card and bad mortgage debt, but nobody will help you with this debt. Bankruptcy is not an option. This is your fault.

3. It doesn't matter who left who, or who cheated on who. Michigan is a no-fault state. Quit whining and pay up.

4. Your children, no matter how old, are not allowed in hearings or conferences. They are not important. Your money is. Bring it.

5. Whatever you do, do not do any side work or play in a band. You will regret it.

6. When you lose your job or get laid off, your support amount does not go down. How dare you lose your job. Pay up.

7. You pay the taxes on child support. If you are behind, you do not get tax returns or stimulus checks. Oh well.

8. If you quit your job, you can get a lawyer and health insurance. If you work for minimum wage, forget it. You need to make more money.

9. Don't bother bringing in past-due bills or eviction notices. Not important. If you think your ex is not spending the money on your kids, accountability is not an option. Pay up.

10. It doesn't matter if you or your ex is living with anybody. If you live alone, that's your fault.

If this seems kind of bitter, you would be, too. So I'd like to thank all the real "deadbeat dads" that don't care about their kids for making things harder for the rest of us.

Thursday, July 30, 2009 Girl 'thrown off cliff by her father to avoid child support'

A dad threw his four-year-old daughter off a cliff to avoid paying child support, a court heard yesterday.

Cameron Brown, 47, allegedly took Lauren to an isolated spot where they could not be seen.

He is then said to have grabbed her and hurled her 120ft into the sea.

It is the second time Brown has been on trial for the alleged murder after the jury failed to reach a decision three years ago.

The American was said to have been trying to dodge his £608-a-month child support to Sarah KeyMarer, a British woman who emigrated to the US.

Deputy district attorney Craig Hum told Los Angeles superior court: "This man picked up Lauren, whom he fathered but was never a father to, and threw her off a cliff into the waters."

Brown said the death at Rancho Palos Verdes, near LA, in 2000 was an accident. The trial continues.

This is a sad day in bed rock when a man choose to kill his own child to avoid paying child support. I think that this low life deserves the death penalty. The premeditated act that was committed by this father shows that he not only did not care about himself or his child. Although I do have a problem with the Court system putting children on men who are not a participating member of the child's life. If their is never any contact with the child, why should anyone have to pay child support? If a man says that he does not want the child and the woman decides to keep that child, it should be her responsibility and only hers! Until their is some continuity and equality in making choices in custody and the amount of money paid, their will remain confusion and men representing decision that are very unorthodox. Maybe with more news exposure of how unfair the child support system are, it can help to remedy several problems within the child support system.

Nas ordered to pay Kelis $44,000 a month in child support for baby born Wednesday

LOS ANGELES – A judge has ordered Nas to pay Kelis nearly $40,000 in monthly support for the near future, a day after the "Milkshake" singer gave birth to the divorcing couple's baby boy.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Louis Meisinger issued the order at a Thursday hearing. Neither Nas, whose full name is Nasir Jones, nor Kelis, whose full name is Kelis Rogers, attended Thursday's hearing.

Rogers will receive $30,471 in spousal support per month; the couple's son will receive $9,027, according to the court records.

Rogers gave birth to the boy, named Knight, at a New York hospital Wednesday. The 29-year-old filed for divorce from the rapper in April. The couple was married in July 2003.

The two have been sparring over support payments for several months, with Rogers contending that Jones hasn't paid many of the costs of her pregnancy and her expenses. His attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told the judge that the rapper has paid $30,000 in expenses and the former couple's health insurance has been maintained.

A hearing on whether the payments should be altered will be heard on Sept. 8.

Kaplan proposed paying Rogers a one-time payment of $20,000 until the judge could settle on an appropriate spousal and child support amount at a later hearing.

Meisinger rejected that offer, saying more money per month would be needed to accommodate Rogers' lifestyle and was warranted based on income declarations filed with the court.

Meisinger told Rogers' attorney, Laura Wasser, that the singer has 30 days to decide whether to return to the couple's Los Angeles home. Jones is paying to maintain the property in the meantime.

The judge also ordered Jones to pay $45,000 to pay Rogers' attorney fees and for a forensic accountant.

That is a large sum of money for a baby just born, $528, 000 dollars a year. I can see she is smiling now and she does have a good reason. The one thing that you must understand is that Nas makes about 2 million a year and the income that he is paying is a lot. I personally think that is entirely to much, don't get me wrong but $20,000 a month for a new born is more in line with what he should pay for now. As the child gets older then gradually increase the child support. The ideal is to allow the child to continue to live in a lifestyle that he is used to. So if the child knows not what to expect then why give his mother that much money? Child support is suppose to help the child not increase the mothers financial status.

Ex-pro baseball player faces sentencing for child support evasion

A sentencing hearing was scheduled Friday for one of the state's most wanted child support evaders.

Former pro baseball player Troy Neel was arrested in December for not paying child support.

He owes more than $725,000 for more than eight years of missed payments.

Neel used to play baseball for the Oakland A's and professionally in Japan.

He's charged with fleeing the country to avoid paying.

He could serve up to two years in prison.

Hixson Man Who Owes Over $116,000 In Child Support Faces Federal Charges

A Hixson man who owes almost $117,000 in child support is facing federal charges in Federal Court in Chattanooga. The criminal complaint was brought against Shaun M. Martin after a special agent of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said he had worked regularly, but made few payments to his wife and son in Indiana since first ordered to do so in 1995. Agent David R. White of Indianapolis said Martin was ordered to pay $169 per week for the support of his son, who was born in 1994. He said Martin left his wife and moved with a girlfriend to either Switzerland and Taiwan when his son was very young. The agent said Martin has maintained jobs while moving frequently, but only made a few child support payments when his wages were garnisheed. He said Martin's wife two years ago came to the residence of Martin's father on Cove Ridge Drive in Hixson and spoke in person with Martin about the back child support payments. She said she told him she was willing to go to court with him and get the amount owed reduced if he would just start paying something. She said he told her that was a great idea, but he never appeared with her in court. The agent said Martin now lives with a girlfriend in an apartment on S. Dent Road in Hixson and works at the Sears Outlet Store on Highway 153.

Akon Served Child Support Papers At Michael Jackson's Memorial?

Singer/producer Akon may be stacking millions of dollars, but according to reports, he is not sharing the wealth with one of his children. TMZ reported that the mother of one of Akon's children, has been trying to serve him child support papers but with no luck. The site also stated that she even went so far as to attempt to serve him during Michael Jackson's public memorial srevice, which he attended last week.

Sarah Coleman, the mother of the 6-month old child in question, claims that Akon has yet to respond to her petition after taking a paternity test. Despite going public, Coleman's lawyer, Patrick Baghdaserians, stated that her goal is to keep the matter private.

"My client does not wish to comment on the paternity matter," said Baghdaserians said in a statement. "Ms. Coleman wants to ensure privacy and a amicable resolution. My client's goal is to resolve this matter forthwith without media intervention."

Akon refuted Coleman's claims that he has been uncooperative, and released a separate statement. "Akon has taken responsibility and has been extremely cooperative and proactive in handling this private matter," said his rep. "Paternity was only established just over 30 days ago. Since the case was filed outside of Georgia jurisdiction, where he is a legal resident, Akon is currently in the process of engaging counsel in California and will continue to handle this matter in a timely manner."

A native of Senegal, a country in West Africa, Akon built his fortune as a solo artist and producer. He is responsible for signing mega-acts T-Pain and Lady Gaga to his Konvict Music Label, and raked in a reported $20 million last year. He also has five other children from previous relationships.

'Amnesty day' offered for those behind in paying child support

ST. JOSEPH - It's not a get out of jail free card.But parents who owe child support and are wanted on civil bench warrants in Berrien County will soon have a chance to avoid arrest and make a clean start.A one-day amnesty program June 26 will allow parents who are delinquent in support payments and sought on civil warrants to talk to the Friend of the Court staff without fear of arrest.Parents who show up for the event at the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph can freely discuss case status, their employment situation and related matters.
= 1227852000) && (nAdsysTime
"This is an amnesty day. This is a freebee. Come on in," said FOC Director Thomas Watson.The FOC has lined up community organizations to help parents find work or get job training and other services. They include Michigan Works!, the Opportunity Center and the STRIVE program.Parents whose income has dropped because of job loss, work hour reduction or other factors can get help about petitioning the court to reduce or otherwise change child support orders.Those who attend the amnesty event will be asked to pay something toward their arrearage and work out a payment plan. For those who work out arrangements, bench warrants will not be enforced for 90 days and progress will be monitored by the FOC staff."It gives them that time frame where they don't have us looking down on them," said Mike Slater, FOC chief enforcement officer. read more

Former NBA star in NW Ohio fighting lien for child support

TOLEDO -- James “Jimmy” Jackson's a beloved Toledo basketball star. He’s a graduate of Macomber High School, an Ohio State stand-out, and his talents took him to several teams in the NBA.

The star may appear to be fading for this former hoops hero. His local business ventures have been struggling in the ailing economy, and now Jackson has become entangled in a child support triangle.
A document from Franklin County says the 38-year-old owes almost $300-thousand dollars to the mother of his child.
”He's the opposite of a dead beat dad,” says his attorney Chris Harbold. “He just wants this cleared up and wants to do what's right."
His Columbus based attorney says Jackson paid the woman directly, writing checks, instead of going through the system. He says this essentially created such the astronomical number. He says he was paid in full up until a few months ago, when Jackson filed a motion to have the payments lowered.
”It's an issue of him asking for a reduction in child support simply because of income differentials because he is no longer a professional athlete,” said Harbold.
A lien has been placed on Jackson's million dollar Holland home. To make matters worse the courts mixed up two other Ohio men, named James Jackson, with Jimmy. read more

Former Basketball star having child support problems

TOLEDO -- James “Jimmy” Jackson's a beloved Toledo basketball star. He’s a graduate of Macomber High School, an Ohio State stand-out, and his talents took him to several teams in the NBA.
The star may appear to be fading for this former hoops hero. His local business ventures have been struggling in the ailing economy, and now Jackson has become entangled in a child support triangle.
A document from Franklin County says the 38-year-old owes almost $300-thousand dollars to the mother of his child.
”He's the opposite of a dead beat dad,” says his attorney Chris Harbold. “He just wants this cleared up and wants to do what's right."
His Columbus based attorney says Jackson paid the woman directly, writing checks, instead of going through the system. He says this essentially created such the astronomical number. He says he was paid in full up until a few months ago, when Jackson filed a motion to have the payments lowered.
”It's an issue of him asking for a reduction in child support simply because of income differentials because he is no longer a professional athlete,” said Harbold.
A lien has been placed on Jackson's million dollar Holland home. To make matters worse the courts mixed up two other Ohio men, named James Jackson, with Jimmy. read more

Diploma Denied to Student Who Blew Kiss to Family, Pointed at Friends

A Maine high school senior was denied his diploma at graduation after he took a bow when his name was called, pointed to friends and blew a kiss to his family.
Justin Denney was graduating from Bonny Eagle High School June 12 and had gotten up on stage to receive his diploma when he gestured to his friends and relatives.
School Superintendent Suzanne Lukas abruptly told Denney to return to his seat, according to WMTW TV in Maine. He didn't get his diploma.
His mother, Mary Denney, is livid. Her son told her that the superintendent warned, "There's no fooling around up here."
"He just kind of looked at her because he wasn't fooling around. He didn't consider that fooling around or misbehaving in any sense of the word," Mary Denney told WMTW.
Lukas reportedly asked the soon-to-be graduate why he thought he deserved a diploma.
"He goes, 'Because I worked hard and I earned it,' and she goes, 'No, go take your seat,'" his mother told the station.
Other students also walked away empty-handed because of various disruptions during the ceremony. Some started playing with beach balls and others were separated from their friends, according to WMTW.
Mary Denney doesn't believe her son violated any code of conduct. read more

Ohio teen who killed mother over video game gets 23 years

ELYRIA, Ohio (AP) — A northeast Ohio teen who shot and killed his mother and wounded his minister father was sentenced Tuesday to 23 years to life in prison for crimes rooted in his obsession with video games with violent themes.
Daniel Petric, 17, who could have gotten life without parole, shook his head slightly, sniffled and held back tears but sat down without saying a word when given the chance by Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge.
Petric's eyes were red from crying when his father, Mark Petric, asked the judge to be lenient and said his son regrets killing his mother and reminds his father often that he is glad his father survived.
As for his mother, Daniel Petric's frequent comment is "Dad, I miss mom. I miss mom," the father said.
"He still does not understand why he did something so terrible," Mark Petric told the judge.
The prosecution disputed the contention that Petric had shown remorse for the crimes and asked for the maximum sentence.
Besides his father, Petric's sister, grandfather and other family members attended the hearing in Elyria, about 20 miles southwest of Cleveland. Some wiped away tears.
Petric was convicted of shooting his parents in October 2007 after they took the game "Halo 3" away from him. The judge, who heard the case without a jury, said at the time of the verdict that the teen was so obsessed over a video game that he may have believed that, like the characters in the game, death wasn't real.
The defense claimed his age and addiction to the game made him less responsible.
In the video game "Halo 3," players shoot alien monsters that have taken over the Earth.
Mark Petric, speaking for the family, said a sentence short of life without parole would give his son a second chance. read more

Queens baby dies after falling into mop bucket at day care center

Police were investigating the death of a Queens baby who perished Monday when he fell headfirst into a mop bucket at his baby-sitter's house.
James Farrior, who would have been 1 year old next month, was declared dead at Jamaica Hospital at 11:25 a.m.
"What can I say, he was my baby? We're trying to cope," said his devastated mom, Chrisann Josiah. "We don't know what happened yet."
It was not immediately clear if James drowned or broke his neck. An autopsy will be performed today.
"I saw the firefighters bring the boy out. He was gasping for air," said neighbor Billy Casares, 41. "It's heartbreaking."
Baby-sitter Kristal Khan, 28, who normally took care of two neighborhood kids along with her small son and daughter in an informal but legal day care arrangement, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, police said.
Police sources said Khan told cops James and her two kids, ages 3 and 4, were in the living room with the bucket when she went to fetch a mop.
When she came back, she found James had fallen headfirst into the blue 7-gallon mop bucket that was three-quarters full of water.
Neighbor Liz Rivero, 31, a mother of three, said she began to pray when she saw a firefighter running Monday morning with the baby, limp and faceup, to an ambulance waiting a block away.
"I started to cry when I saw that. I am a mom," Rivero said.
Khan and a man neighbors said was her brother were taken away for questioning.Read more:

Maine Mom Nabbed in International Child Porn Sting

A mother of four young children in Maine was charged Monday with gross sexual assault after British investigators more than 3,000 miles away used the Internet to allegedly catch her in the act of Webcasting a sexual assault of her young child.
Julie M. Carr, 30, of Mars Hill, Maine, was arrested at about 11 p.m. Friday. Her four children — believed to range from 18 months to 5 years old — were taken into protective custody.
The Child Exploitation Investigation Team of England's West Midlands Police said their unit received information late Thursday that a local man was using the Internet to show inappropriate material of children. An unidentified 18-year-old man was later arrested in Walsall, England.
A day later, on Friday, additional information was obtained by investigators, prompting the West Midland Police to contact officials at the Child Exploitation Online Protection and the U.S. Embassy.
"Our officers worked through the night on Thursday and Friday to ensure the identification and safety of these children across the other side of the world," West Midlands Police Detective Chief Inspector Dave McCrone said in a statement obtained by FOXNews.com. "Many people use the Internet safely and securely; however, there are a small minority who choose to use it to commit criminality."

"We work to make people safer, sooner. The very same technology used to commit the crime enables us to work quickly to protect those who may be vulnerable."
Carr, who is being held on $50,000 bail on charges of gross sexual assault and felony exploitation of a child, was arraigned by videoconference before a judge on Monday. She did not enter a plea, Maine State Police Det. Sgt. John Cote told FOXNews.com.
Cote declined to identify the victim seen during the assault but said one recording was taken as recently as Wednesday.
"That's kind of what facilitated us acting quickly on this information as we received it," he told FOXNews.com.
Cote said it was impossible to immediately determine how many individuals viewed the material allegedly posted by Carr. He declined to discuss statements Carr may have given to investigators, but said "this type of crime" is increasingly common. more

County begins new crack down on delinquent child support payments

CASS COUNTY — It's a problem that's plagued single parents for years, but with the economy sinking, payments are shrinking. Cass County's court system has a new message for parents who refuse to pay child support: pay up or pay the price.


Parents who don't pay their child support got a harsh warning Tuesday in the form of a letter from Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz.
It reads simply: "The Cass County Friend of the Court has submitted a warrant request for criminal prosecution due to your non-compliance in paying child support...I have determined there may be sufficient facts to prosecute you."
It came as a breath of fresh air to one Cass County woman. She's asked WSBT to hide her identity because of a pending court case, but that didn't stop "Jessica" from telling her story, rich with the financial struggles of a single mother over the past five years.
"It has been difficult," she said "My daughter is 8 and my son is 10, and it's hard when you're trying to feed them and pay the bills and that money's not coming in."
That lack of money isn't because she has lost her job, her house or her car.
Instead, she's lost opportunity for her children because the child support payments she depends on for their well-being have been, in her word, "sporadic."
"It usually will come in for a few months here or there, when he's working and I am getting the income. But then we'll take long breaks without it where I don't get any money. It's hard for the kids to understand that they can't do everything they want to because you're not getting that money," she said.
It's not just "treats" that suffer the consequences in the absence of a check.
"They may not get to play the sports. They may not get to go to the movies or do those fun things that kids do. Because you have to pay the bills first, and then you do the extras," she said.

more

Cooper, in-laws agree to suspend child support

Attorneys for Brad Cooper and his in-laws went to court Monday to legally suspend his obligation to pay child support.
Cooper is being held in the Wake County jail under a $2 million bond for the death of his wife, Nancy, last July.
Nancy Cooper's parents and sister were awarded permanent custody of the couple's two daughters May 15.
The children are living in Canada with their grandparents and aunt, and Brad Cooper asked the court last month to keep in place the temporary order until after his criminal trial, saying it would be in the best interest of the children.
Deborah Sandlin, who represents Brad Cooper, said her client felt like it was the right thing to do at the time for "the consistency of the girls' care."

Child support evader makes top ten list for Beaumont child

Dean Greer is wanted by the Texas Attorney General's Office for back due child support for his daughter in Beaumont.
Greer, whose last known address is in Nacogdoches, owes more than $39,000 for seven years of unpaid child support, according to the Attorney General's Office.
In 1990, Greer was ordered to make monthly child support payments of $120 and he did not follow that order.
Missed payments and accrued interest makes the total owed by Greer about $39,962, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Last month Greer was named to the top ten most wanted child support evaders list.

29-year-old father of 21 ordered to pay child support with minimum-wage salary

The Volunteer State has a baby-making monster on its hands.
Desmond Hatchett, a minimum-wage earner from Knoxville, Tenn., has heard “Desmond you are the father” 21 times.

‘Desmond Hatchett Plus Baby Mamas Plus 21”
He appeared in a juvenile court last week for 11 cases involving 15 of his children. Eleven seems to be his lucky number.
Hatchett’s children range in age from 11 years old to 11 months old.
Keith Pope, Hatchett’s attorney, said there is no way Hatchett can support that many children.
“The state of Tennessee has had to step in,” he told KCAL 9.
Some of the Hatchett’s baby mamas only receive $1.98 a month in child support.
For his part, the Hatchett said all of his baby mamas knew what they were getting into.
He said he didn’t intend to have 21 children and has had his fill of reproducing.
“It just happened,” he told KCAL 9.

>

Eddie Murphy has to pay Spice girl $51,000 a month

Comedian ends legal dispute with former Spice Girl Melanie Brown

Eddie Murphy has been ordered by a judge to pay $51,000 a month in child support for his 22-month-old child Angel Iris until she turns 18…totaling in $10 million. According to The Daily Telegraph, Murphy has also agreed to start seeing the child he has with former Spice Girl, Melanie Brown. Murphy first questioned whether the child was his until paternity tests proved he was the father. “I don't know whose child that is,” Murphy said on Dutch TV show RTL Boulevard in 2006, “until it comes out and has a blood test.” Both Brown and Murphy were embroiled in a 15-month long legal dispute. “Mel is delighted that the case is over,” a friend of Brown said. “She just wanted what was right for the girl.” To see more child support stories click here

13-year-old has had 75 run-ins with police in Metro Vancouver

METRO VANCOUVER — A 13-year-old boy who slashed a man with a knife because he wouldn’t give him a cigarette has been in court and involved with police 75 times in the past year.
The youth, who has been in and out of foster care, was on probation when the latest attack occurred aboard SkyTrain near Columbia Station, according to the Transit Police Service.
He was charged Tuesday with assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon in connection with the attack, which left a 23-year-old Ontario man with severe cuts to his left hand. The man was heading home after watching a Canucks game at a Vancouver restaurant when he refused to give the boy a cigarette and was slashed.
People on the train who witnessed the attack pushed the emergency intercom and requested immediate assistance. As the train came into Columbia Station, people from the train pointed out the youth to a SkyTrain attendant, who got the boy off the train and then called for police. Another SkyTrain attendant began first aid on the victim and then took him to hospital.
Transit police spokesman Tom Seaman said the youth needs help.
“What’s happened in his life to have him blow up so easily and so quickly in anger?” he asked.
The youth, who was being held at the Burnaby Youth Detention Centre, cannot be named because he’s a young offender.
But police say he’s no stranger to them.
At the time of his arrest, the youth was breaching curfew and other probation restrictions, including possessing and owning a weapon, police said. He was convicted on six charges in 2008 and was scheduled to to court on four outstanding issues in Surrey.
Most of the incidents involved violent offences with weapons such as knives, or were alcohol-related, transit police said.
“This young man has been in foster care for a good period of his life,” said Police Chief Ward Clapham.
“It just breaks my heart. On the one hand this is not acceptable, this type of behaviour is a very serious crime. On the other, wow, here’s a 13-year-old, look at his record and the level of violence ... and he continues to slip through the cracks.”
Clapham said the incident underscored the need for the community to pull together. He said he was calling on the 21 municipalities in Metro Vancouver to help people like this boy — either through treatment or jail — before the situation gets any worse.
“This is real, it’s happening more and more often,” Clapham said. “We as police can only do so much. ... No blame, let’s get our heads together and deal with it.”
Ministry of Children and Family Development spokesman Kelly Gleeson would not give details of the youth’s past, or even confirm that he was in foster care, due to privacy concerns.
“That being said, any youth — in care or not — that has repeated dealings with the youth justice system is obviously of concern,” Gleeson said in an e-mail. more

Brooks County teen arrested for burning 3 cats

Authorities charged a Brooks County teen with aggravated cruelty to animals following the burning death of two cats and the disfiguration of a third.
Brooks County Sheriff Mike Dewey announced on Monday that 17-year-old Cory Ward has been charged with three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.
Ward is accused in the death of two cats and the disfiguration of a third cat in the area of Eagle Run Trailer Park.
On December 20, 2008, area resident Jim Ragan found two cats that were severely burned.
Both cats were taken to Baytree Animal Hospital.
On December 22, 2008, Mr. Ragan found a third cat that had also been burned and had two broken legs.
Two of the cats were taken to the University of Florida Veterinary Hospital where they later died.
The third cat continues to improve at home with surgery scheduled in the next few weeks.
"After extensive investigation and follow-up on leads provided to us by concerned citizens we were able to solve this case," said Sheriff Mike Dewey. "We appreciate the many individuals who came forward with information and offers to help with the medical costs and the reward money."
Sheriff Dewey quickly condemned cruelty against animals.
"Individuals who commit such heinous acts as the burning of these innocent animals, if not caught and held accountable for these acts may go on to commit more serious crimes in the future," he said.
Aggravated animal cruelty is a felony and carries a penalty of one to five years in prisonand a maximum fine of $15,000 plus restitution.
Currently, medical costs for the treatment of the three cats have totalled almost $16,000.

Hearing begins for teacher in Alex Barton case

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Teacher Wendy Portillo's attorney said Monday his client admits to making a lapse in judgment, but thinks the loss of an exemplary career is far too great a penalty.
Portillo is appealing her one-year unpaid suspension she got in November for allegedly holding a class poll to see whether then-5-year-old Alex Barton could stay in class. Alex was being tested for a type of autism at the time.
St. Lucie County Schools Superintendent Michael Lannon testified briefly before the lunch break that he considered firing Portillo for the incident, but took into account her 12-year career in the district.
“The younger the child, the more this issue becomes an impressionable one. The learning environment was broken in this particular action,” Lannon said.
Sue Ranew, assistant superintendent of human resources for the district, said she and Lannon had lost respect and confidence for Portillo, along with other students, parents and members of the community. She said parents had requested their children not be placed in Portillo's classroom should Portillo be returned to class.
The hearing is expected to take several days to conclude. Both Lannon and Ranew said they believe Portillo violated the code of ethics several times because of the incident.
“The incident of May 21 was very egregious on the part of Ms. Portillo,” Ranew said. “The amount of notoriety has reduced her effectiveness as an educator in the classroom at this time.”

Woman accused of having sex with 12-year-old boy

DAYTON - The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s office has approved a rape charge against a 55-year-old woman who allegedly had sex with a neighborhood 12-year-old boy on her birthday.
Gloria J. Murphy, 55, of 5440 Rawlings Drive, was arrested at 8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, by Dayton police after the boy notified an adult he had sex with Murphy, according to police.

Gloria Murphy, 55
The encounter happened late Wednesday, Jan. 28 — Murphy’s birthday — and lasted into the early hours the next day, Patrick Welsh said.
Murphy did not force the boy to have sex, but since the he is younger than 13, it is considered rape, Welsh said.
Police are not releasing any more details to protect the child, Welsh said. Murphy is in jail on $25,000 bond and is expected to appear in court on Feb. 9 at 3:30 p.m.
A background check found Murphy has no previous arrests or criminal conviction in Montgomery County.

Arrest Warrant Issued for Jason Caffey Over Unpaid Child Support Claims

Chicago Bulls forward, stands accused of failing to pay child support. The child support payment battle for Caffey has been going on since 2007. Jason Caffey is said to have ten children, with eight different women. Caffey attempted to seek a court order from a bankruptcy judge, to protect him from child support lawsuits from mothers. Per reports, it is alleged that Caffey owes more than $200,000 in unpaid child support.Jason Caffey, a former basketball player, has played for Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks. During his basketball career, it is reported that Caffey had multi-million dollar playing contracts.Lorunda Brown is a mother of Jason Caffey's six year old son, the arrest warrant is in direct connection with her lawsuit against Caffey for unpaid child support and unpaid legal fees.Unpaid child support woes are not news in the sports world.

In recent months, several high profile athletes and former multi-million contract holders have been accused of failing to pay child support.Evander Holyfield, former heavyweight boxing champion, has been accused of failing to pay child support. This claim came after reports that Holyfield Atlanta mansion was in risk of foreclosure. The $10 million Atlanta mansion Holyfield owned was on the auction block due to non-payments and his child's mother accused him of failing to pay two months of child support.

Matt Leinart, an Arizona Cardinal's quarterback, has also had child support battles in recent past. July of 2007, Leinart and his ex-girlfriend went to court to battle out child support payments and accusations over who does more of parenting for the former couples son.Brynn Cameron originally claimed to require $30,000 a month for her son with Leinart. Matt Leinart however challenged her claims and a judge ordered him to pay $15,000 a month instead. The former couple has also had additional court visits in order to hash out a custody agreement. Leinart wanted a judge to permit him more time with his son and custody arrangements. more

State cracks down on late payments

A new central database could allow the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office to more effectively pursue enforcement measures for outstanding child support debts, including the suspension of hunting, fishing and driver’s licenses.As part of a new pilot program unfolding in eight Indiana counties, the Child Support Division of the Prosecutor’s Office will cooperate with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, using the database to enforce suspensions of recreational licenses.The License Suspension Statute, which allows the Child Support Division to suspend driver’s licenses to enforce payments, has been on Indiana’s books for years. The statute also permits the suspension of recreational licenses, but until recently there was no way to enforce the suspensions in an organized fashion, said Bill Welch, deputy prosecutor and supervisor for the Child Support Division.Before, if the court suspended a hunting or fishing license, nothing could prevent the offender from simply getting a new one, Welch said. The new database allows the Department of Natural Resources to keep track of license suspensions statewide.Gov. Mitch Daniels announced Phase I of the pilot program in October 2008. Modeled after successful efforts in Maine, Washington, Tennessee and Mississippi, the goal of the program is to increase the state’s child support collections, according to a press release from the governor’s office. The first phase used the statewide child support computer system to target the most extreme cases, in which non-custodial parents owed at least $25,000 and hadn’t made payments for a year or more. The governor’s office estimated this applied to about 4,000 cases in the eight participating counties.The implementation of Phase I made little difference in child support payments in Monroe County, Welch said, because almost all of the offenders were either already facing felony charges, were incarcerated for other reasons or already had their licenses suspended. Of the 50 Monroe County cases extracted in Phase I, only five didn’t involve these issues. Four out of five reached an agreement with the Prosecutor’s Office.“The actual effectiveness of that program in getting child support paid was very limited, but what it did allow us to do was work out the bugs,” Welch said.By the end of January, the Child Support Division was scheduled to proceed to Phase II, which targets cases with lower debts. Welch said the computer singled out about 175 cases for Phase II.The Child Support Division has reviewed each case and will soon send out letters advising offenders that their driver’s and recreational licenses could be suspended if they do not contact the Prosecutor’s Office.“If they contact us at any point in that process, the license suspension stops because we would much rather have the child support than suspend anybody’s license,” Welch said. “The person has lots of chances.”Welch said suspending driver’s licenses could be counterproductive if it prevents the offender from getting to work, but the suspension of recreational licenses provides incentive to start making payments. “It does work. There have been occasions where we have threatened to take the license and get a court order and they have, in fact, come up with the money to pay their child support,” Welch said.The Department of Child Services estimated that in 2008, Indiana collected $580 million in current and overdue child support payments, a $45 million increase from 2007. more

Columbus man headed to prison for not paying child support

Failure to pay child support will send a Columbus man to prison.
Andre B. Phillips, 31, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal non-support Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court. Assistant Lawrence County Prosecutor Mack Anderson said at one point Phillips owed $4,900 for the care of one child.
Judge Charles Cooper sentenced him to eight months in prison and ordered him to pay the arrearage. Phillips told Cooper he wanted to go prison and get his sentence “over and done with” even though it would create a hardship for him.
“The situation is, it got me messed up,” he said. “My wife is disabled. I was her caretaker. I know I have a son. I have eight children and I do the best to take care of all eight children,” Phillips said. “I feel like I’m being shafted but I got to do what I got to do to be home with my wife.”
Also Wednesday, Curtis Adkins, 31, of 411 Rear Third Ave., Chesapeake, pleaded guilty to one count of deception to obtain a dangerous drug.
Adkins is accused of getting one prescription for oxycodone and then going back a second time and telling the doctor the first prescription had been destroyed in a fire when in fact that was not the case.
Cooper sentenced him to four years community controlled sanctions under intensive supervised probation (CCS/ISP), also known as probation, and ordered him to successfully complete a rehabilitation program at the STAR Criminal Justice Center.
Brandi Beckleheimer, 21, of Ashland, Ky., was sentenced to four years CCS/ISP after a recent guilty plea to a theft from the elderly charge.
Judge D. Scott Bowling also ordered her to pay $2,200 restitution within the next two months. Beckleheimer was a home health care worker who was accused of stealing from an elderly client.
John R. Lindbeck, 66, of 503 Third St., South Point, admitted he violated his probation after he was caught drinking. Bowling sentenced him to four years in prison. Lindbeck was on probation for an earlier domestic violence conviction.
Ernest S. Stapleton, 28, of 3032 S. Fourth St., Ironton, admitted he violated his probation by failing to report to his probation officer as requested. Cooper sentenced him to nine months in prison.
Stapleton’s attorney, Derick Fisher, said Stapleton was not going to make excuses for violating his parole but pointed out part of the problem was that Stapleton was homeless for a period of time and had been ill.
“He wants to face the music,” Fisher said. He asked that Stapleton be allowed a brief furlough so he could spend time with his infant son before being sent to prison.
But Assistant Lawrence County Prosecutor Mack Anderson pointed out that while he has sympathy for a new father wanting to spend time with his child, Stapleton got into trouble by not cooperating with authorities.
Cooper denied the furlough request but said a family visit at the courthouse could be arranged.
Stapleton was on probation for earlier arson and vandalism convictions.

County suspends all bench warrants

Indianapolis - Arrest warrants have vanished for thousands of deadbeat parents as a result of a new court policy.
Vicki Sadler and her daughter are awaiting $9,000 in back child support. But last week, the bench warrant for the father's arrest was wiped off the books - along with 4,000 others.
In Marion County, deadbeat parents who skip court no longer face the threat of jail.
"It's more than frustrating. The system itself is frustrating. It's unbelievable," Sadler said. "And then to find out they're untouchable."
"It's going to make it more difficult, there's no question about that," said John Owens, Chief Deputy Prosecutor for Child Support.
Owens' office deals with 72,000 open cases in any given month. Back in 2005, his office rolled out it's "Top Ten Most Wanted" on outstanding warrants. But now, even the worst of the worst can walk free because of a new policy.
"There could be some improvements," said Marion County Court Administrator Glenn Lawrence.
He said the warrants were suspended to allow no-shows the chance to explain why. He also said the county recently settled a case in which a defendant was denied due process.
"They might put them in jail and not bring them immediately before the court," Lawrence said. "So we felt it best to go ahead and do a blanket expungement [sic] of those outstanding - whatever they were - bench warrants."
Marion County's Civil Division says it would typically get between 12 and 15 bench warrants a day for delinquent parents failing to show up in court. But that all stopped abruptly about a week ago.
"Immediately, we had to recall and do away with all of the warrants we had in file and try to run them up around the state of Indiana to notify the sheriffs not to serve our warrants, because they were no longer active," said Marion County Sheriff's Department Capt. Norman Buckner.
Now, the courts can only order what's called a "body attachment".
"It's not really an arrest. It's a notice to bring them before the court," Lawrence said.
The challenge is finding the deadbeats during court hours. With the warrants erased, traffic stops will no longer show police the individual is wanted. more

Mom Arrives at Day Care to Find Infant Son Alone, Locked Inside

A woman broke the window of a Darwin, Australia, childcare center with a brick when she arrived to find the building locked, the lights out and her tiny son trapped inside.
Yula Williams, 30, said she could hear her eight-month-old baby Xavier "screaming and crying," the Northern Territory News reported.
"It made me terrified to know that my son was inside the center, locked and in the dark," she said.
Williams had dropped her son off at the center in the Darwin suburb of Wagaman on Tuesday morning and went to work.
She had dropped her car off at a local mechanic and arranged for one of her cousins to collect her son from the center before it closed at 6 p.m.
But the arrangements fell through close to the day care's closing time, so she tried to call, but the phone kept going to voicemail
"We got here at 10 minutes to six, everything was locked up," she said.
After scanning all the security screens the frantic mother climbed the back of the building to call Xavier's name.
"I couldn't hear him from the outside but when I walked around and called through the vents to the bedrooms I heard him scream," she told ABC radio in Darwin.
Desperate to get to her tiny son, Williams then picked up a brick from the garden bed and smashed it through a window.
Police said they were continuing to conduct investigations into the incident.

17 year old male student wears female clothes to Central High School

(Memphis 1/26/2009) - At Central High School students wear the usual school uniform, changing a little week because of homecoming.
But what one 17 year old male student has been wearing to class caught the principal's attention last week.
"Female bloomers, leggings underneath with some type of straight leg jeans and a shirt that wasn't quite uniform either." says Central High's Principal Greg McCullough.
It wasn't the first time.
"He was wearing pink tops, pink flat slip on shoes, carrying a purse. Normal girl stuff he would wear." says Central High Senior Trayton Guy.
Principal McCullough says the boy's choice of feminine clothes was disrupting class.
"There were complaints from students, parents and teachers that it was a distraction in their classroom that it was causing conversations in their classroom that were not about education." says McCullough.
"They would talk about him and pick on him everyday." says Trayton Guy.
When the 17 year old was told to change his dress, he wasn't happy saying it was his right.
Some agree.
"As long as he is abiding by the rules, doing what he is suppose to in school, nobody should bother him. He isn't messing with nobody else in the school." says Central High Senior Lawrence Goolsby.
"They come to school every year. Plenty of people come to the school every year. They just now wanting to say something." says Chiquita Maxwell, a Central High Student.
The school dress code doesn't permit attire that disrupts learning.
Parents say rules are rules. more

Jurors weep at details of 'Baby Grace' torture

GALVESTON, Texas -- Jurors wept Tuesday watching a woman describe how teaching her 2-year-old daughter proper manners turned into a daylong torture session in which the toddler was beaten with belts, dunked in cold water and flung across a room so violently that she died.
Kimberly Trenor, 20, detailed the abuse in a videotaped statement played for jurors during the first day of her capital murder trial.
Trenor, 20, told investigators in the statement that she hit her daughter with a thick leather belt to teach her to say "please" and "yes, sir."


This undated file photo released by Sheryl Ann Sawyers shows her granddaughter Riley Ann Sawyers, 2, whose body washed ashore in a storage bin in Galveston Bay, Texas, on Oct. 29, 2007. Jurors wept Tuesday Jan. 27, 2009 watching Kimberly Trenor, 20, describe how teaching Riley Ann Sawyers, her 2-year-old daughter, proper manners turned into a daylong torture session in which the toddler was beaten with belts, dunked in cold water and flung across a room so violently that she died. - AP Photo


The little victim was dubbed "Baby Grace" by investigators who worked to identify her decomposed remains after the body was found in a plastic container in October 2007 on a tiny island in Galveston Bay.
Trenor's 25-year-old husband, Royce Zeigler II, is to be tried separately on murder charges. His attorney argues that Trenor is responsible for the child's death.
But Trenor insisted it was her husband who became so enraged when the toddler didn't behave better that he hurled her several times across a room, ultimately fracturing her skull and killing her. more

Fooftball coach pleas not guilt after high school player dies

Ky. Coach Pleads Not Guilty in Player's Death
Louisville community tries to buoy football coach charged in 15-year-old player's heat death

At a church where he's a deacon and the high school where he coaches football, David Jason Stinson is well-liked enough to find himself surrounded by supporters despite prosecutors charging him in a player's death.
On Monday, Stinson pleaded not guilty to reckless homicide in the death of 15-year-old Pleasure Ridge Park High School offensive lineman Max Gilpin, who collapsed at a sweltering Aug. 20 practice after running sprints, sometimes in pads and helmet.
"They're dragging a very good man through the mud and I don't understand why," football booster Rodney Daugherty said of the coach.
A judge released Stinson without bond at the courthouse that attracted at least a dozen community members voicing their support for the first-year head coach. Gilpin's family also was at the hearing, but did not speak to reporters.

However, Jeff Gilpin and Michele Crockett, the player's divorced parents, have jointly sued the school's coaching staff, accusing them of negligence and "reckless disregard," with details of their son's health made part of the lawsuit.
It includes statements by Crockett, who disclosed that her son had taken the dietary supplement Creatine for a time but stopped in July when football practice started.

Creatine is an over-the-counter supplement and among the side effects listed by the National Institute of Health are cramps or muscle breakdown, heat intolerance and electrolyte imbalances, although it is unclear if any of those came into play in Gilpin's death. more

Maryland Teacher arrested for sex acts with 15 year old student

A 24-year-old Maryland woman has become the latest high school teacher to be arrested and charged with having sexual activity with an underage student.

Police say teacher Autumn Leathers had a sexual relationship with a teenage student.(Courtesy Allegany County Criminal Investigation Unit )More Photos
Autumn Leathers, of Frostburg, Md., was charged Thursday with child abuse, fourth-degree sex offense, perverted practice and second-degree assault. She is alleged to have been having sexual relations regularly this summer with a 16-year-old boy from Mountain Ride High School in Frostburg. Leathers taught at the school, but it was unclear whether the boy was one of her students.
An administrative supervisor with the Allegany County Criminal Investigation Unit, who asked not to be named, said Leathers' alleged trysts with the student took place in her home and began this spring.

"The sexual acts took place when he was 15 years old," the supervisor said, noting that the couple was still together when Leathers was arrested.
"It was a continuous course of contact that began in May 2008," the supervisor said.
Police said they were tipped off Wednesday by an adult, though the supervisor declined to say how the tipster knew of the alleged affair.

The Criminal Investigation Unit supervisor wouldn't disclose what type of sex acts Leathers was accused of participating in with the teen but said police, as a matter of procedure in cases like this, were investigating whether there were other students involved.
School officials said Leathers has been placed on leave and faces termination proceedings. She is now free after having posted a $10,000 bond. more

Ex-pastor gets prison for having sex with 10 year old 'wife,'

MONTREAL: A Canadian man who described himself as a pastor was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl he claims was his wife.
Daniel Cormier, 57, was convicted in October after members of the now-defunct Church of Downtown Montreal became suspicious of his relationship with the girl.
Cormier, who led the church, has maintained he did nothing wrong when he married the girl, then 10 years old, in 1999 during a ceremony at his church.
"I would say that there's no remorse," prosecutor Anne-Andree Charette said outside the courtroom. "He just tried to find justifications."
The girl, now 19, testified she was too young to grasp the concept of marriage but said she remembered the sexual abuse in vivid detail.

The Associated Press generally does not name the possible victims of sexual abuse.
Cormier is currently on trial in another case where he is accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl — also during his time as a pastor. He denies the accusation.

woman took four children shoplifting at Wal-Mart.

But instead of a lesson in good deals, authorities say Bradley taught them the basics of shoplifting and then left the four to try it themselves.
When they were caught, Latoya Bradley, 24 of Lehigh Acres, fled and abandoned the children there, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said.
Bradley remained in custody Monday at the Lee County Jail on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, child cruelty and larceny petit theft.
Lazzaro Danielson, who tracks shoplifters at the Lehigh Acres store, saw Bradley come in wheeling a shopping cart that carried three children. Another girl, a 12-year-old, walked beside her.
They walked over to the infant clothing section, and Danielson said he saw Bradley show the 12-year-old how to discreetly take baby clothes off the rack and place them underneath the three children in the cart. Bradley then left the children in the section to take more clothes, but watched from afar, he said.
Danielson followed the children, and when they tried to leave the store he confronted them.
"When (Bradley) saw me take the kids, she took off," Danielson said.
He took the children, two of whom were Bradley's, into his office to wait for Lee sheriff's deputies to arrive. Danielson uncovered 17 items in the cart with a total value of about $49.
After taking statements from the children, deputies tracked the red car Bradley had been driving to a home on Quentin Avenue South and arrested her.
"When we told deputies her name, they already knew who she was," Danielson said.
The Department of Children and Families opened an investigation Monday. Bradley is slated to go before a judge today in the case. more

Prep School Student Admits to Killing Mother in Argument Over Grades

TOWSON, Md. — A Maryland teenager calmly admitted in court Monday that he beat his mother to death with a baseball bat after an argument over his grades at a prestigious private school.

Lewin C. Powell III, 16, wore a dark suit and showed no emotion as he answered questions from Baltimore County Circuit Judge Kathleen G. Cox about whether he understood the significance of his guilty plea to first-degree murder.

Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence with the possibility of parole when he is sentenced April 3. Powell's attorneys plan to ask for all but 15 years of the sentence to be suspended and to have their client sent to the Patuxent Institute, a maximum-security psychiatric facility with a program for young offenders.

Powell did not stir when a prosecutor read a statement of facts that detailed the prolonged attack on his mother and a similar beating of his father, who survived.

"He's always taken responsibility for what he's done," Shanell Kathleen Harleston, one of Powell's attorneys, said after the hearing. "He never wanted to prolong it."

Powell killed his mother, Donna R. Campbell-Powell, in May after an argument about his grades at McDonogh School, a prestigious private school in Owings Mill where he was a sophomore. But Harleston said the initial subject of the dispute with his mother was immaterial.

"This is a lifetime of problems that he's been dealing with that suddenly came to a head," Harleston said. "This particular day was the first time he had ever argued back. ... He just snapped that day."

Harleston would not specify what led to Powell's emotional difficulties, but the teen told police after he was arrested that his parents had pushed him too hard and he couldn't take it anymore, according to a statement of facts read in court Monday by Assistant State's Attorney Charles R. Gayle.

Harleston said Powell was not abused by his parents.

In exchange for Powell's guilty plea, prosecutors dropped all other charges, including a count of attempted murder for the attack on his father, who suffered two skull fractures when his son beat him with the same aluminum bat.

State's Attorney Scott D. Shellenberger said after the hearing that he did not believe Patuxent was an appropriate placement for Powell. Prosecutors will argue that Powell should serve his sentence in a state prison.

If he receives a life sentence, Powell could be eligible for parole after 12 years with good behavior. Parole for an offender serving a life sentence in Maryland requires the approval of the governor, which hasn't happened since 1994.

The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell lived with his parents in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in the Baltimore suburb of Towson. He had no history of violent behavior and took honors-level classes at McDonogh, where annual tuition exceeds $20,000. more

9-year-old motorist injures elderly woman

A 9-year-old girl was behind the wheel of a car that ran into an 80-year-old woman and broke both her legs in a Walgreens parking lot Friday night on the South Side.

At 7 p.m. a woman parked her car in the lot of a Walgreens on the 6330 block of South King Drive, leaving her young daughter and the girl’s aunt inside, according to Grand Crossing District police Lt. Timothy Bickham.

While the aunt was talking on a cell phone inside the car, the child jumped into the driver’s seat and put the car into gear, the lieutenant said.

The car moved and struck an 80-year-old woman who was in the parking lot, pinning her under the vehicle and breaking both her legs, according to Bickham, who said the vehicle also struck another car.

The 80-year-old woman was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where she was in “stable” condition, according to police News Affairs Officer JoAnn Taylor.

Bickham said no one else was injured and the aunt told police the girl accidentally put the car into gear.

The aunt inside the 2000 Dodge Intrepid, Cynthia Harris, 23, of the 7800 block of South Laflin, was charged with endangering the life of a child and cited with the traffic violation of permitting an unauthorized person to drive, according to Taylor.

The mother of the 9-year-old, 26-year-old Elnora Moody, of the 6400 block of South King Drive, was charged with driving on a suspended license, no insurance and parking in a fire lane, according to Taylor, who said both Moody and Harris are scheduled to appear in traffic court on March 12.

A video camera captured an image of the child getting out of the driver’s seat, Bickham said.

Bickham said the police Major Accidents Investigation Unit is investigating.

3 year old girl was found alone in Chuck Cheese

Authorities say the girl told them her name is Keyshanna. She was found without an adult in the restaurant at the Festival Shopping Center shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday.

The sheriff's office says in a news release it has not concluded its investigation and will release more details once investigators determine exactly what happened.

The sheriff's office said earlier the girl was brought to the restaurant Sunday afternoon, possibly by someone the girl called "Uncle Damon."

Teen pleads not guilty to impersonating officer

CHICAGO - A 14-year-old boy accused of impersonating a police officer and going on patrol for five hours has pleaded not guilty.

The teenager appeared in a Chicago juvenile courtroom on Monday in a purple sweater with his hands cuffed behind his back.

A judge ordered that he be held at the juvenile center because he could pose a danger to himself.

On Saturday the teen, wearing an officer's uniform, walked into a police station and was assigned to go on patrol in a squad car. Police say he did not have a gun, never issued any tickets and didn't drive the car.

The Rev. Roosevelt Watkins said, until recently, the boy lived with him for nearly a year. Watkins says the teen is fascinated with everything to do with police work and that his favorite television shows are police dramas.

Teens charged with stealing pizzas, wings from delivery man

BOYNTON BEACH — Police say two female teenagers were arrested on charges of beating a Papa John's delivery man and stealing dinner they allegedly ordered: pizza, wings and a cheese steak that cost $55.

Boynton Beach police officers arrested the teenagers Thursday and found the still-warm pizzas in a closet. Arrested were Valerie Blanc and Michelle Turner, both 19.

A witness told detectives she saw the two suspects leave the house and attack the pizza delivery man. He had been trying to deliver three pizzas - extra cheese, pepperoni and ham - in addition to a 10-piece order of buffalo wings with blue-cheese dressing and a 2-liter bottle of Coke when he was attacked.

Both teens were charged with armed robbery and aggravated battery.