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.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
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
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
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
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Fooftball coach pleas not guilt after high school player dies
Ky. Coach Pleads Not Guilty in Player's DeathLouisville 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.
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
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
Monday, January 26, 2009
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
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Baby found wandering,mother arrested
HAMMOND, LA (WPRI) - Police in Louisiana arrested a 22-year-old East Providence, Rhode Island woman after her 18-month-old baby was found wandering in the parking lot of motel.
An eyewitness told Hammond Police that she found the child walking alone in 35-degree weather late Monday night wearing " a thin nightie and a pair of socks".
Police say around 10 pm, they found the empty second-floor room used by the mother, Kimberly Briggs and her boyfriend, who is the father of the child, with the door open. According to police, the playpen and baby bed were empty, and there was a daiquiri on one of the tables.
While inside, officers left a note for the two parents telling them to call police once they got back.
Briggs called police a couple of hours later asking where her child was. She originally told police she had asked someone to watch the baby while she went to pick up her boyfriend from work. But, later admitted to police that the story was not true, and that she had left her baby alone in a playpen in the room.
Police believe the baby went down the stairs and into the parking by itself. They also say Briggs admitted she had been drinking and taking medicine before the incident.
The father was not arrested because he was working at the time. Kimberly Briggs, now faces a charge of one count of criminal abandonment.
Meanwhile, her child was taken to a foster home by the Louisiana state Office of Community Service.
An eyewitness told Hammond Police that she found the child walking alone in 35-degree weather late Monday night wearing " a thin nightie and a pair of socks".
Police say around 10 pm, they found the empty second-floor room used by the mother, Kimberly Briggs and her boyfriend, who is the father of the child, with the door open. According to police, the playpen and baby bed were empty, and there was a daiquiri on one of the tables.
While inside, officers left a note for the two parents telling them to call police once they got back.
Briggs called police a couple of hours later asking where her child was. She originally told police she had asked someone to watch the baby while she went to pick up her boyfriend from work. But, later admitted to police that the story was not true, and that she had left her baby alone in a playpen in the room.
Police believe the baby went down the stairs and into the parking by itself. They also say Briggs admitted she had been drinking and taking medicine before the incident.
The father was not arrested because he was working at the time. Kimberly Briggs, now faces a charge of one count of criminal abandonment.
Meanwhile, her child was taken to a foster home by the Louisiana state Office of Community Service.
Friday, January 23, 2009
High school coach charged in player's death
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky high school football coach has been charged with reckless homicide in the death of a player who collapsed at practice on a hot day.
Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Stengel says a grand jury indicted Pleasure Ridge Park head football coach David Jason Stinson on Thursday. The school is in Louisville.
Pleasure Ridge sophomore Max Gilpin collapsed on Aug. 20 and died three days later at a hospital.
A call to Stinson's attorney, Alex Dathorne, was not immediately returned.
Stengel says Stinson is expected to appear at an arraignment Monday in Louisville.
Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Stengel says a grand jury indicted Pleasure Ridge Park head football coach David Jason Stinson on Thursday. The school is in Louisville.
Pleasure Ridge sophomore Max Gilpin collapsed on Aug. 20 and died three days later at a hospital.
A call to Stinson's attorney, Alex Dathorne, was not immediately returned.
Stengel says Stinson is expected to appear at an arraignment Monday in Louisville.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Teacher charged with two counts os statutory rape
PURVIS, Miss. — Authorities say Zachary Riley, who had been contracted to coach cheerleaders at local schools, was booked into the Lamar County Jail on two counts of statutory rape and one count of child molestation.
The 23-year-old Riley, of Sumrall, had taught routines to units at Purvis High and Presbyterian Christian School.
After an investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol's Bureau of Investigation, Riley was taken into custody on Wednesday.
Sheriff Danny Rigel said Riley had been placed in his jail because the incident had taken place in Lamar County.
The 23-year-old Riley, of Sumrall, had taught routines to units at Purvis High and Presbyterian Christian School.
After an investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol's Bureau of Investigation, Riley was taken into custody on Wednesday.
Sheriff Danny Rigel said Riley had been placed in his jail because the incident had taken place in Lamar County.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Bus driver guilty of braking hard to throw kids
HUNTLEY, Ill. (AP) - An Illinois school bus driver has been found guilty of intentionally slamming on the brakes to throw misbehaving children from their seats.
A judge in Huntley, Ill., found Julieta Clinton guilty on Tuesday of reckless conduct and child endangerment as part of a plea deal in which Clinton did not admit guilt.
McHenry County prosecutors say Clinton was driving 54 youngsters to school last April when she became frustrated with their unruly behavior and braked hard twice.
Her attorney says it was an accident.
One youngster was treated at a hospital and 18 others were treated at the scene.
The children ranged in age from 5 to 10.
Clinton is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3. She could face up to a year in prison.
A judge in Huntley, Ill., found Julieta Clinton guilty on Tuesday of reckless conduct and child endangerment as part of a plea deal in which Clinton did not admit guilt.
McHenry County prosecutors say Clinton was driving 54 youngsters to school last April when she became frustrated with their unruly behavior and braked hard twice.
Her attorney says it was an accident.
One youngster was treated at a hospital and 18 others were treated at the scene.
The children ranged in age from 5 to 10.
Clinton is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3. She could face up to a year in prison.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Baby Found Safe After Being Left In Stolen Car
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- An 18-month-old boy was found safe Sunday morning after deputies said his mother let a man borrow her car with her son inside.
Investigators said 24-year-old Julinia Moreno let her friend, Joshua Barnes, 24, borrow her car with Moreno's son in the back seat. Deputies said Barnes drove to a known drug house on Pine Street in Altamonte Springs.
While he was inside investigators said another man, 36-year-old David Carver, stole the car then abandoned the baby in someone's front yard.
The toddler, Jamir Worg, was found wandering in 40-degree weather outside a home on Cornwall Court in Longwood .
"He was just sitting there and when he saw me he just got up and walked toward me and he just gave me his arms and I was like, 'Where's your mommy?'" said lupita Jimenez, the woman who found the boy.
"Well actually I'm at my house, I opened my door and there's a kid right here dropped off," said Jimenez to the 911 operator.
"We've been looking for him. You still have him right? "asked the operator.
"Yes, yes right here," she responded.
According to investigators, Carver traded the car for drugs. Deputies found the car at a Wal-Mart parking lot in Sanford.
Officers said they found two drug dealers inside and they admitted they traded Carver drugs for the car. They revealed his location and Carver was arrested.
"It says a lot about the drug. If it's that powerful it would make a human being abandon a one-year-old child. That's a very scary thing," said James Clark of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
The child was taken to South Seminole Hospital and was in DCF custody.
The three suspects, David Carver, Joshua Barnes and the child's mother, Julinia Moreno, were being held at the Seminole County jail and faced a judge Monday morning.
Moreno is expected to be released some time Monday. Carver and Barnes have bonds set at $5,000.
Investigators said 24-year-old Julinia Moreno let her friend, Joshua Barnes, 24, borrow her car with Moreno's son in the back seat. Deputies said Barnes drove to a known drug house on Pine Street in Altamonte Springs.
While he was inside investigators said another man, 36-year-old David Carver, stole the car then abandoned the baby in someone's front yard.
The toddler, Jamir Worg, was found wandering in 40-degree weather outside a home on Cornwall Court in Longwood .
"He was just sitting there and when he saw me he just got up and walked toward me and he just gave me his arms and I was like, 'Where's your mommy?'" said lupita Jimenez, the woman who found the boy.
"Well actually I'm at my house, I opened my door and there's a kid right here dropped off," said Jimenez to the 911 operator.
"We've been looking for him. You still have him right? "asked the operator.
"Yes, yes right here," she responded.
According to investigators, Carver traded the car for drugs. Deputies found the car at a Wal-Mart parking lot in Sanford.
Officers said they found two drug dealers inside and they admitted they traded Carver drugs for the car. They revealed his location and Carver was arrested.
"It says a lot about the drug. If it's that powerful it would make a human being abandon a one-year-old child. That's a very scary thing," said James Clark of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
The child was taken to South Seminole Hospital and was in DCF custody.
The three suspects, David Carver, Joshua Barnes and the child's mother, Julinia Moreno, were being held at the Seminole County jail and faced a judge Monday morning.
Moreno is expected to be released some time Monday. Carver and Barnes have bonds set at $5,000.
6 year old boy left sleeping on school bus for 2 hours in sub zero temperatures
CHICAGO — A Catholic school in Chicago is investigating how a 6-year-old boy was left sleeping on a school bus for more than two hours in subzero temperatures. St. Malachy School officials say Kinjari Penson fell asleep Thursday on the way to an after-school program at a Chicago church. The first-grader didn't wake up until the other children returned to the bus. The temperatures had dropped to 11 below zero. The boy complained that his feet hurt from the cold and was treated for hypothermia at a hospital. He has been released. His parents say they're outraged. Principal Bridgid Miller says the school is working on new safeguards. Experts have said they are aware of up to 75 such incidents nationwide every year.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Debris Kills Boy, 6, at Monster Truck Show in Washington
TACOMA, Wash. — Debris flew into the grandstands at a monster truck show in Washington state, killing a 6-year-old boy and injuring another spectator, witnesses and city officials said Saturday.
A red truck came apart while doing doughnuts during the freestyle competition of Friday night's Monster Jam show, the witnesses said. Debris from the truck flew 30 to 50 feet over a safety barrier into the stands.
"Parts were falling off and a piece flew up and hit a little boy," Christine Moe told King Television of Seattle.
Police Officer Mark Fulghum said officers serving as security at the Tacoma Dome investigated the accident.
"At this point, there's nothing to indicate that there's anything criminal," Fulghum told The Associated Press on Saturday night. "Right now it looks like a tragic accident."
The Pierce County medical examiner's office identified the boy killed as Sebastin Hizey of Puyallup.
The boy's father, Jessie Hizey, issued a statement to KIRO-TV on Saturday that said his son was hit in the head by a Frisbee-sized piece of metal, weighing between 7 and 12 pounds.
/**/
"I cannot get the images" out of my head, the father said.
The man who was injured was taken to a hospital Friday night, but Robert McNair-Huff, community relations manager for the city, said the man's identity was not available Saturday.
Some spectators told the TV station they had to throw cups off the stands to get the attention of medics. The show continued after the two were hurt, and many spectators left.
"They just kept going," Moe said. "We grabbed our kids and just bee-lined out of there."
Laurie Deranleau, 32, a nurse from Westport, told The News Tribune, "Everybody sitting around thought they should have dropped the show and gave the family some respect. Nobody was paying attention to the show."more
A red truck came apart while doing doughnuts during the freestyle competition of Friday night's Monster Jam show, the witnesses said. Debris from the truck flew 30 to 50 feet over a safety barrier into the stands.
"Parts were falling off and a piece flew up and hit a little boy," Christine Moe told King Television of Seattle.
Police Officer Mark Fulghum said officers serving as security at the Tacoma Dome investigated the accident.
"At this point, there's nothing to indicate that there's anything criminal," Fulghum told The Associated Press on Saturday night. "Right now it looks like a tragic accident."
The Pierce County medical examiner's office identified the boy killed as Sebastin Hizey of Puyallup.
The boy's father, Jessie Hizey, issued a statement to KIRO-TV on Saturday that said his son was hit in the head by a Frisbee-sized piece of metal, weighing between 7 and 12 pounds.
/**/
"I cannot get the images" out of my head, the father said.
The man who was injured was taken to a hospital Friday night, but Robert McNair-Huff, community relations manager for the city, said the man's identity was not available Saturday.
Some spectators told the TV station they had to throw cups off the stands to get the attention of medics. The show continued after the two were hurt, and many spectators left.
"They just kept going," Moe said. "We grabbed our kids and just bee-lined out of there."
Laurie Deranleau, 32, a nurse from Westport, told The News Tribune, "Everybody sitting around thought they should have dropped the show and gave the family some respect. Nobody was paying attention to the show."more
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Mystery Surrounds Removal of Young 'Adolf Hitler' and Nazi-Named Sisters
Exactly why the state of New Jersey removed 3-year-old Adolf Hitler Campbell and his two younger sisters from their parents' home last week remains a mystery.A state official was adamant Friday that a child would never be removed from his parents based solely on his name. But a First Amendment expert said that the boy's name might have had something to do with it.
Young Adolf Hitler was removed one week ago — along with his sisters JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, 23 months, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, 9 months — by the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services. A family court hearing for the children's parents, Heath and Deborah Campbell, was postponed Thursday.
Although privacy laws prevent authorities from discussing specifics of the case, DYFS spokeswoman Kate Bernyk reiterated Friday that the agency "would never remove a child simply based on that child's name."
But a name like Adolf Hitler could have contributed to their removal, said Rod Smolla, dean of the Washington and Lee Law School.
"I doubt that the name alone would be enough to trump the First Amendment interests that the parents have, but if it were coupled with other things, it could be a factor that tells us that society has a legitimate reason to intervene with regard to the children," Smolla said.
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Bernyk, speaking generally, told FOXNews.com Friday that the agency removes children from their parents only when "there's an imminent danger to the child's safety or well-being."
The children were taken on Jan. 9 without incident from the family's home, Sgt. John Harris of the Holland Township Police Department told FOXNews.com on Wednesday.
"I’ve dealt with the family for years and as far as the children are concerned, I have never had any reports of any abuse with the children," Harris said. Speaking of the children's father, he said, "As far as I know, he's always been very good with the children."
He said the DYFS did not tell police why the children were taken from their parents.
"They’re very confidential when it comes to their dealings because people make accusations and they have to follow up on them and, God forbid, an accusation’s not true," Harris said Wednesday. "You don’t need to parade people through the media and stuff."
The police department referred all inquiries about the case to the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office, which did not return phone calls Friday.
more
'Indiana Teacher Fired for Duct Taping Kid'''s Mouth Shut'
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A school board in Indiana has fired a middle school teacher who placed duct tape over a special-needs student's mouth to keep him from talking in class.
The board of Tippecanoe School Corp. voted Wednesday to cancel Pamela Dahnke's contract. She was an eighth-grade health and nutrition teacher at Battle Ground Middle School in West Lafayette.
Superintendent Scott Hanback says the September taping incident "cannot be tolerated."
The board also says Dahnke failed to implement the student's program for special needs and that she returned to the school after being told to leave.
The Journal & Courier of Lafayette reported Wednesday that Dahnke said she was unaware the board had made a decision. A call to a listing for Dahnke was not answered Friday.
The board of Tippecanoe School Corp. voted Wednesday to cancel Pamela Dahnke's contract. She was an eighth-grade health and nutrition teacher at Battle Ground Middle School in West Lafayette.
Superintendent Scott Hanback says the September taping incident "cannot be tolerated."
The board also says Dahnke failed to implement the student's program for special needs and that she returned to the school after being told to leave.
The Journal & Courier of Lafayette reported Wednesday that Dahnke said she was unaware the board had made a decision. A call to a listing for Dahnke was not answered Friday.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Man took gun to elementary school was arrested for
Louis Marcelle told a deputy that he and two friends went to Sunrise Elementary School to inquire about GED classes, which the school offers. He said he saw several students while he was in the front office and they told him they were in trouble.
When told he needed identification to sign up for the classes, Marcelle told deputies he left and saw the students in the hallway. He said he showed them the weapon and was “trying to teach them a lesson,” the report noted. Marcelle said he did not threaten the students.
Two students told deputies Marcelle showed them the weapon and allegedly said, “violence is not the answer” and walked away. The students told officials Marcelle did not threatened them.
Deputies recovered the weapon, along with ammunition hidden in some bushes. Officials later discovered the gun was stolen from Levy County in 2007. Marcelle was taken to the Marion County Jail.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Father who killed his three-month-old son by throwing him down the stairs is jailed for life
Craig Goddard was sentenced to life for the murder of his baby son Alfie Goddard
An angry father was sentenced to life today for the murder of his baby son, whom he squeezed and dropped from a height after becoming frustrated with him.
Craig Goddard was told he must serve a minimum of 11 years in jail for the murder of his three-month-old son Alfie.
Goddard, 24, was appearing at Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing along with his former partner Lindsay Harris, 19, who has admitted perverting the course of justice.
Sentencing Goddard, Mr Justice Beatson described Alfie's death as 'truly tragic'.
He said: 'A young life has been lost and the two of you marked by the consequences of what has occurred for the rest of your lives.'
The judge told Goddard: 'Alfie wouldn't settle and you became upset.
'You shook him, rocking him from side to side, and grabbed and squeezed him too hard - hard enough to fracture three ribs.
'Then, in a moment of anger, you dropped him from a height of five feet.'
Mr Justice Beatson said social services could not be blamed.
He said: 'You accept, as does Miss Harris, that what happened was the responsibility of those who were present in that house.'
As the judge explained his sentencing, spiky-haired Goddard, wearing a checked shirt and blue jeans, nodded and looked close to tears.
He had earlier sat with his head bowed as the details of the case were revealed to the court.
The court heard Goddard had dropped baby Alfie down the stairs, causing fatal head injuries.
Lindsay Harris, 19, mother of three-month-old Alfie Goddard, admitted perverting the course of justice
He died at Sheffield Children's Hospital in May, last year.
Alfie had suffered head injuries consistent with 'squeezing by vigorous shaking followed by the child impacting on the floor'.
The court was told Craig Goddard suffered from anger management issues.
Details of the child's death were outlined by prosecuting barrister Simon Jackson QC.
He said Goddard gave varying accounts to police officers about how his son had died.
In one interview he said: 'Alfie must have fallen down the stairs when I had blacked out at the top of the stairs and Alfie must have gone down the stairs.'
In another interview, Goddard said he did not mean to do anything and the youngster would not settle.
'I just got frustrated, I didn't mean to hurt him. I've just got this anger thing, I didn't mean to hurt him. I just lost my temper.'more
An angry father was sentenced to life today for the murder of his baby son, whom he squeezed and dropped from a height after becoming frustrated with him.
Craig Goddard was told he must serve a minimum of 11 years in jail for the murder of his three-month-old son Alfie.
Goddard, 24, was appearing at Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing along with his former partner Lindsay Harris, 19, who has admitted perverting the course of justice.
Sentencing Goddard, Mr Justice Beatson described Alfie's death as 'truly tragic'.
He said: 'A young life has been lost and the two of you marked by the consequences of what has occurred for the rest of your lives.'
The judge told Goddard: 'Alfie wouldn't settle and you became upset.
'You shook him, rocking him from side to side, and grabbed and squeezed him too hard - hard enough to fracture three ribs.
'Then, in a moment of anger, you dropped him from a height of five feet.'
Mr Justice Beatson said social services could not be blamed.
He said: 'You accept, as does Miss Harris, that what happened was the responsibility of those who were present in that house.'
As the judge explained his sentencing, spiky-haired Goddard, wearing a checked shirt and blue jeans, nodded and looked close to tears.
He had earlier sat with his head bowed as the details of the case were revealed to the court.
The court heard Goddard had dropped baby Alfie down the stairs, causing fatal head injuries.
Lindsay Harris, 19, mother of three-month-old Alfie Goddard, admitted perverting the course of justice
He died at Sheffield Children's Hospital in May, last year.
Alfie had suffered head injuries consistent with 'squeezing by vigorous shaking followed by the child impacting on the floor'.
The court was told Craig Goddard suffered from anger management issues.
Details of the child's death were outlined by prosecuting barrister Simon Jackson QC.
He said Goddard gave varying accounts to police officers about how his son had died.
In one interview he said: 'Alfie must have fallen down the stairs when I had blacked out at the top of the stairs and Alfie must have gone down the stairs.'
In another interview, Goddard said he did not mean to do anything and the youngster would not settle.
'I just got frustrated, I didn't mean to hurt him. I've just got this anger thing, I didn't mean to hurt him. I just lost my temper.'more
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Little Adolf Hitler Campbell and his sister JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell have been removed from their home
Authorities removed Adolf Hilter Campbell and his sisters from their parents' Hunterdon County home, Holland Township police chief David Van Gilson said Tuesday.
New Jersey's Division of Youth and Family Services took the 3-year-old as well as JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, 1, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, who turns 1 in April, the chief said.
Van Gilson said he didn't know why the children were taken or who had custody. He said his department received no reports of abuse or negligence.
The children's father, Heath Campbell, reached Tuesday evening at a relative's home, first declined comment and later said the children were not removed.
The Division of Youth and Family Services would not confirm or deny the report.
A spokeswoman said the division doesn't comment on specific families.
The chief said the children were removed last week. He said a township officer was present.
"Whatever children were at the home were taken," the chief said.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday before Superior Court Judge Peter A. Buschbaum at the Hunterdon County Justice Center, the chief said. He said a hearing on Tuesday was postponed when Campbell indicated he wanted a private attorney. more
New Jersey's Division of Youth and Family Services took the 3-year-old as well as JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, 1, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, who turns 1 in April, the chief said.
Van Gilson said he didn't know why the children were taken or who had custody. He said his department received no reports of abuse or negligence.
The children's father, Heath Campbell, reached Tuesday evening at a relative's home, first declined comment and later said the children were not removed.
The Division of Youth and Family Services would not confirm or deny the report.
A spokeswoman said the division doesn't comment on specific families.
The chief said the children were removed last week. He said a township officer was present.
"Whatever children were at the home were taken," the chief said.
A hearing is scheduled for Thursday before Superior Court Judge Peter A. Buschbaum at the Hunterdon County Justice Center, the chief said. He said a hearing on Tuesday was postponed when Campbell indicated he wanted a private attorney. more
Friday, January 9, 2009
Former Police Officer Arrested for Not Paying Child Support
On January 8, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. the defendant walked into the Road Town Police Station to conduct business in the Administration Office, when he was spotted by the Senior Court Officer.
The defendant had not paid for a period of over six (6) months.
He had informed local court marshals that he would have paid the money in December, 2008, but he did not pay as promised.
If the defendant does not pay the sum of $2,717.50 by 3p.m. on 8th January, 2009, he will be transported to Her Majesty’s Prison where he will be detained for six (6) months until the monies are paid.
If the monies are not paid after six (6) months period, he will spend a further six (6) months in prison.
The defendant had not paid for a period of over six (6) months.
He had informed local court marshals that he would have paid the money in December, 2008, but he did not pay as promised.
If the defendant does not pay the sum of $2,717.50 by 3p.m. on 8th January, 2009, he will be transported to Her Majesty’s Prison where he will be detained for six (6) months until the monies are paid.
If the monies are not paid after six (6) months period, he will spend a further six (6) months in prison.
Supreme Court overturns child custody ruling
The high court’s 3-2 ruling overturned the decision of a circuit judge who had given Michael W. Schroeder primary custody of his 5-year-old son, Thomas.The Supreme Court majority said Circuit Judge Timothy Bjorkman erred when he found it would be in the child’s best interests to live with his father. Schroeder failed to provide for his son’s basic needs when he refused to pay the full amount of court-ordered support for more than two years, the justices said.The two dissenting justices said they believe the circuit judge’s decision should be upheld because the decision focused on which parent was most responsible for alienating the boy from the other parent.Schroeder and the boy’s mother, Joleen Pietrzak, already had broken up after a brief relationship when the child was born in 2001, according to court records. The two fought for several years over custody, visitation and child support payments.Pietrzak was awarded custody of the child, and Schroeder initially was ordered to pay child support of $150 a month until a permanent determination was made. He was eventually ordered to pay $363 a month in child support, but he continued to pay only $150, according to court records.The Supreme Court in an earlier ruling upheld the $363-a-month order.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
T.I. cuts $8,000 check for overdue lawyer fees
ATLANTA -- Rapper T.I. went to court and promptly paid an $8,000 overdue lawyer bill for the mother of two of his sons, telling a judge the debt was an oversight.
Lawyers for LaShon Dixon asked a Fulton County judge to intervene after the 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, failed to pay in November. He had agreed to the payment as part of an ongoing child support case.
T.I. had a check for the money owed, effectively settling the matter. During the Tuesday hearing, which lasted more than four hours, he told the judge the order to pay got lost when he changed assistants.
"It was just a clerical error, totally innocent," he said. "I will accept full responsibility for that."
The two-time Grammy winner was ordered in September to pay more than $3,000 a month to Dixon _ to whom he had been paying about $2,000 per month _ as well as the boys' private school tuition, uninsured medical bills and expenses related to their extracurricular activities.
T.I. and Dixon are still negotiating child support and custody of the boys, ages 7 and 8. He also has two sons with his fiancee, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, of the defunct R&B group Xscape. more
A Toronto-area man must continue paying child support of twins that are not his
A Toronto-area man must continue paying child support to his former wife despite DNA tests proving he is not the biological father of her 16-year-old twins, an Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled.
Pasqualino Cornelio will also not recoup any of the child-support money he paid out since the couple separated a decade ago, Justice Katherine van Rensburg wrote in her decision.
In making her recent ruling, the judge referred to a 1999 Supreme Court of Canada decision that said if someone acts as a parent and provides support for a child during a marriage, they are obliged to continue that financial support after separation or divorce -- even if the child is not biologically theirs.
"While the failure of Ms. Cornelio to disclose to her husband the fact that she had an extramarital affair and that the twins might not be his biological children may well have been a moral wrong against Mr. Cornelio, it is a wrong that does not afford him a legal remedy to recover child support he has already paid, and that does not permit him to stop paying child support," Judge van Rensburg wrote.
Mr. Cornelio had argued his former spouse, Anciolina Cornelio, provided him with "incomplete and misleading information" that led him to believe he was the biological father of the twins.
He told the court his ex-wife failed to disclose an extramarital affair before the twins' birth, concealing the fact that he may not be their father.
Mr. Cornelio was seeking repayment of the child support he paid out since the couple separated in 1998, or at least from May of 2002, when the pair agreed to joint custody and child support.
But the judge pointed out that Mr. Cornelio knew at the time of separation that his wife had an extramarital affair with someone named Tony, who may have fathered the twins -- but he sought joint custody regardless. He only began pursuing the issue after Ms. Cornelio began seeking increased child-support payments.
more
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Cornered, suspect in 3 slayings kills self
CANDLER – By all accounts, Richard Heatwole just snapped.
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New Year's Eve marked the end of a long, bitter divorce that left him with rights to see the kids on the weekends and a court order to be out of the family home by 5 p.m. that day.
His golf driving range business was losing money, according to court papers, and two months before he was threatened with jail time for not paying child support.
Investigators on Friday were still sorting out the details of what happened from the time Heatwole was to hand his former wife the keys to their Candler home and his apparent suicide in a police standoff 100 miles away.
Deputies found Angie Heatwole, 49, dead about noon Thursday morning in a downstairs bedroom of the house at 272 Old U.S. 19-23 in Candler.
Divina Gracia Agulto, 43, who had been renting a room there, was dead upstairs. Next door, Lesley Curtis Moore Keogh was dead on her front porch.
Agulto lived in Buncombe County since at least 2005, when she had a Fairview address, records show. She listed a Bronx, N.Y., address in 2003. Family members could not be reached Friday.
Before moving to Candler, records show Keogh lived in Asheville, Pennsylvania and Florida. A woman who identified herself as related to Keogh declined comment when reached by phone Friday.
Charles Rice rented the house at 264 Old U.S. 19-23 to Keogh for about five years. Rice said Keogh lived at the home by herself.
“She was a very pleasant lady, who always paid her rent on time and fed the birds,” Rice said. “She didn't work. She had another means of support.”
Authorities would not divulge Friday how the three people died.
About the time investigators found their bodies, Heatwole was seen arriving with his 6-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter at his cousin's house in Taylorsville.
He said nothing about the three people investigators say he had just killed.
“We know that they were going through a divorce, we know that they had some disagreements over some different property that was to change hands between the two,” said Lt. Ross Dillingham of the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office “We know that may have precipitated this incident, but for a definite on what happened, I don't know.”
Richard Heatwole married Angela Neilson on Sept. 4, 1997.
Their first child, Hailey, was born the next year. Their second, Hayes Alexander, was born in 2002.
A year later, Richard Heatwole adopted Chelsea Ann Heatwole, according to court papers.
Richard Heatwole operated a driving range called Big D's. Angie Heatwole worked at her family's fabric shop in Asheville.
They sent their kids to Evergreen Community Charter School and bought a house at the end of a long gravel drive in Candler. It had a trailer on the front of the property that Richard Heatwole used as his business office.
“I'd see him in passing, and he threw his hand up,” said neighbor Clyde Curtis, who lived across the highway. “He seemed friendly enough.”
The inch-thick court file on the Heatwole divorce doesn't say exactly what went wrong in the marriage.
The couple went through mediation in September 2006 and a month later reached a child-custody agreement.
Hailey and Hayes would see their father on the weekends and they would split holidays between the two parents.
Chelsea, who was 10 years older than her little brother, would be allowed to visit her father any time she wanted.
But the Heatwoles couldn't agree on what to do with the house.
She offered to sell him her share for $57,000. He didn't take it.
She wanted to put the property on the market but he wouldn't clean up trash and a junked truck to make it presentable to a buyer, according to the court papers. He continued to live there, refused to cut the grass and rented out a room.
The two sides and their attorneys fought for two years.
In November, a judge ordered Richard Heatwole to be out of the house by Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. He had to have his tenant out as well and leave the place in marketable condition.
On top of that, Heatwole was $1,759 behind in child support payments.
The court in September had threatened him with jail sentence, according to records. He paid his bill in full on Nov. 10, the day before a scheduled court hearing on the matter.
Deputies arrived at the Candler home looking for Angie Heatwole at 11:45 a.m. Thursday.
The deputies issued an Amber Alert for her two youngest children after finding her dead.
The alert sent to TV stations and newspapers caught the attention of a couple who had seen Heatwole drive up to a cousin's house in Taylorsville.
Authorities in Buncombe County had arrest warrants for kidnapping issued in the middle of the night, Dillingham said. Heatwole was charged with kidnapping because he had violated the terms of his custody agreement.
Meanwhile, the SWAT teams at the Alexander County Sheriff's Office and the neighboring Catawba County Sheriff's Office were assembling for a raid on the home of Michael Daniels, Heatwole's cousin. The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation was on the way.
Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan and his detectives headed for Taylorsville with the warrants in hand.
At 1 a.m., an officer used a patrol car loudspeaker to tell Heatwole he was surrounded and demand that he surrender.
It would be five hours before the Heatwole children were safe and out of the house.
Dillingham, the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office lieutenant, estimates as many as 60 officers were outside Daniels' mobile home on Ode Kerley Lane when the call to surrender went out.
At 2 a.m. officers heard a gunshot inside the mobile home.
Heatwole had apparently killed himself with a .410 shotgun, Alexander sheriff's Capt. Keith Warren said.
Daniels shouted to police from his back door that his cousin had killed himself. But officers couldn't be sure they weren't walking into a trap. And Daniels was afraid he would be shot if he came out, Sheriff Hayden Bentley said.
So officers continued the standoff for nearly four more hours, talking to Daniels first by loudspeaker, then by a phone they dropped on his doorstep.
They tried to talk Heatwole's daughter into coming out when she stuck her head out the door.
Officers shot out some outdoor lights to keep themselves out of sight of those inside.
To prove Heatwole was dead, Daniels agreed to take an SBI camera into his house. It transmitted video to officers of Heatwole's body on the floor.
They entered the house without incident at about 5:30 a.m., arresting Daniels and ushering the children into a patrol car. more
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New Year's Eve marked the end of a long, bitter divorce that left him with rights to see the kids on the weekends and a court order to be out of the family home by 5 p.m. that day.
His golf driving range business was losing money, according to court papers, and two months before he was threatened with jail time for not paying child support.
Investigators on Friday were still sorting out the details of what happened from the time Heatwole was to hand his former wife the keys to their Candler home and his apparent suicide in a police standoff 100 miles away.
Deputies found Angie Heatwole, 49, dead about noon Thursday morning in a downstairs bedroom of the house at 272 Old U.S. 19-23 in Candler.
Divina Gracia Agulto, 43, who had been renting a room there, was dead upstairs. Next door, Lesley Curtis Moore Keogh was dead on her front porch.
Agulto lived in Buncombe County since at least 2005, when she had a Fairview address, records show. She listed a Bronx, N.Y., address in 2003. Family members could not be reached Friday.
Before moving to Candler, records show Keogh lived in Asheville, Pennsylvania and Florida. A woman who identified herself as related to Keogh declined comment when reached by phone Friday.
Charles Rice rented the house at 264 Old U.S. 19-23 to Keogh for about five years. Rice said Keogh lived at the home by herself.
“She was a very pleasant lady, who always paid her rent on time and fed the birds,” Rice said. “She didn't work. She had another means of support.”
Authorities would not divulge Friday how the three people died.
About the time investigators found their bodies, Heatwole was seen arriving with his 6-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter at his cousin's house in Taylorsville.
He said nothing about the three people investigators say he had just killed.
“We know that they were going through a divorce, we know that they had some disagreements over some different property that was to change hands between the two,” said Lt. Ross Dillingham of the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office “We know that may have precipitated this incident, but for a definite on what happened, I don't know.”
Richard Heatwole married Angela Neilson on Sept. 4, 1997.
Their first child, Hailey, was born the next year. Their second, Hayes Alexander, was born in 2002.
A year later, Richard Heatwole adopted Chelsea Ann Heatwole, according to court papers.
Richard Heatwole operated a driving range called Big D's. Angie Heatwole worked at her family's fabric shop in Asheville.
They sent their kids to Evergreen Community Charter School and bought a house at the end of a long gravel drive in Candler. It had a trailer on the front of the property that Richard Heatwole used as his business office.
“I'd see him in passing, and he threw his hand up,” said neighbor Clyde Curtis, who lived across the highway. “He seemed friendly enough.”
The inch-thick court file on the Heatwole divorce doesn't say exactly what went wrong in the marriage.
The couple went through mediation in September 2006 and a month later reached a child-custody agreement.
Hailey and Hayes would see their father on the weekends and they would split holidays between the two parents.
Chelsea, who was 10 years older than her little brother, would be allowed to visit her father any time she wanted.
But the Heatwoles couldn't agree on what to do with the house.
She offered to sell him her share for $57,000. He didn't take it.
She wanted to put the property on the market but he wouldn't clean up trash and a junked truck to make it presentable to a buyer, according to the court papers. He continued to live there, refused to cut the grass and rented out a room.
The two sides and their attorneys fought for two years.
In November, a judge ordered Richard Heatwole to be out of the house by Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. He had to have his tenant out as well and leave the place in marketable condition.
On top of that, Heatwole was $1,759 behind in child support payments.
The court in September had threatened him with jail sentence, according to records. He paid his bill in full on Nov. 10, the day before a scheduled court hearing on the matter.
Deputies arrived at the Candler home looking for Angie Heatwole at 11:45 a.m. Thursday.
The deputies issued an Amber Alert for her two youngest children after finding her dead.
The alert sent to TV stations and newspapers caught the attention of a couple who had seen Heatwole drive up to a cousin's house in Taylorsville.
Authorities in Buncombe County had arrest warrants for kidnapping issued in the middle of the night, Dillingham said. Heatwole was charged with kidnapping because he had violated the terms of his custody agreement.
Meanwhile, the SWAT teams at the Alexander County Sheriff's Office and the neighboring Catawba County Sheriff's Office were assembling for a raid on the home of Michael Daniels, Heatwole's cousin. The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation was on the way.
Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan and his detectives headed for Taylorsville with the warrants in hand.
At 1 a.m., an officer used a patrol car loudspeaker to tell Heatwole he was surrounded and demand that he surrender.
It would be five hours before the Heatwole children were safe and out of the house.
Dillingham, the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office lieutenant, estimates as many as 60 officers were outside Daniels' mobile home on Ode Kerley Lane when the call to surrender went out.
At 2 a.m. officers heard a gunshot inside the mobile home.
Heatwole had apparently killed himself with a .410 shotgun, Alexander sheriff's Capt. Keith Warren said.
Daniels shouted to police from his back door that his cousin had killed himself. But officers couldn't be sure they weren't walking into a trap. And Daniels was afraid he would be shot if he came out, Sheriff Hayden Bentley said.
So officers continued the standoff for nearly four more hours, talking to Daniels first by loudspeaker, then by a phone they dropped on his doorstep.
They tried to talk Heatwole's daughter into coming out when she stuck her head out the door.
Officers shot out some outdoor lights to keep themselves out of sight of those inside.
To prove Heatwole was dead, Daniels agreed to take an SBI camera into his house. It transmitted video to officers of Heatwole's body on the floor.
They entered the house without incident at about 5:30 a.m., arresting Daniels and ushering the children into a patrol car. more
DNA test doesn’t stop Oklahoma man's child support liability
When an Oklahoma man’s ex-wife told him she was pregnant, he asked if he was the father.
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"She said, ‘Yeah, 100 percent sure you’re the dad,’ so I didn’t question it past that,” the man said.
But that man, who asked to remain anonymous because of pending litigation, says testing shows otherwise. He provided The Oklahoman with a copy of genetic test results dated Nov. 10 from Identigene showing he is not the father. State law, though, compels him to continue paying child support even though he’s not a biological parent — and there are more like him.
Nearly 25 percent of about 3,000 paternity tests conducted by the state Department of Human Services from July 2007 through June ruled out the supposed father as the biological parent. Nationally, that number reaches nearly 30 percent, according to the American Association of Blood Banks.
State limitsDHS only performs genetic testing within the first two years of a child’s life, which is the state limit on contesting paternity.
After the two years, "it comes into the best interests of the child and protecting the child to ensure that there’s a source of reliable support,” said Jeff Wagner, spokesman for the DHS Child Support Enforcement Division.
The child the Oklahoma man pays child support for is nearly 5 years old. more
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"She said, ‘Yeah, 100 percent sure you’re the dad,’ so I didn’t question it past that,” the man said.
But that man, who asked to remain anonymous because of pending litigation, says testing shows otherwise. He provided The Oklahoman with a copy of genetic test results dated Nov. 10 from Identigene showing he is not the father. State law, though, compels him to continue paying child support even though he’s not a biological parent — and there are more like him.
Nearly 25 percent of about 3,000 paternity tests conducted by the state Department of Human Services from July 2007 through June ruled out the supposed father as the biological parent. Nationally, that number reaches nearly 30 percent, according to the American Association of Blood Banks.
State limitsDHS only performs genetic testing within the first two years of a child’s life, which is the state limit on contesting paternity.
After the two years, "it comes into the best interests of the child and protecting the child to ensure that there’s a source of reliable support,” said Jeff Wagner, spokesman for the DHS Child Support Enforcement Division.
The child the Oklahoma man pays child support for is nearly 5 years old. more
N.Y. lawmakers: No more taxes on child support
TROY — Rensselaer County legislators on both sides of the aisle have sponsored resolutions asking Congress to once again fund programs that support child support collection enforcement.
Such programs used to be funded by the federal government, but as part of the Deficit Reduction Act, signed into law in 2006 by President George W. Bush, funding was cut. To use the programs, child support recipients have to pay a $25 fee after $500 in child support is collected.
"The child support enforcement program has proven to be an effective program, assisting families in obtaining the money they need for basic necessities," said Democratic Minority Leader Ginny O'Brian, who sponsored the minority's resolution. "Child support accounts for up to 30 percent of the total income for some poverty-level families, and to take a fee out of that money is just not right."
Republican Legislator Martin Reid, sponsor of the majority's resolution said, "The majority has introduced a resolution calling for the child support fee to be rescinded. We feel the fee is unfair and unnecessary, and Congress should act immediately to end the practice."
Many who oppose the fee cite the impact it has on needy families. "The child support fee unfairly takes money away from families who are already facing challenges," said Republican Legislator Lester Goodermote. "Our residents pay enough in taxes and fees and this is one governmental
surcharge that should be junked as soon as possible." more
Such programs used to be funded by the federal government, but as part of the Deficit Reduction Act, signed into law in 2006 by President George W. Bush, funding was cut. To use the programs, child support recipients have to pay a $25 fee after $500 in child support is collected.
"The child support enforcement program has proven to be an effective program, assisting families in obtaining the money they need for basic necessities," said Democratic Minority Leader Ginny O'Brian, who sponsored the minority's resolution. "Child support accounts for up to 30 percent of the total income for some poverty-level families, and to take a fee out of that money is just not right."
Republican Legislator Martin Reid, sponsor of the majority's resolution said, "The majority has introduced a resolution calling for the child support fee to be rescinded. We feel the fee is unfair and unnecessary, and Congress should act immediately to end the practice."
Many who oppose the fee cite the impact it has on needy families. "The child support fee unfairly takes money away from families who are already facing challenges," said Republican Legislator Lester Goodermote. "Our residents pay enough in taxes and fees and this is one governmental
surcharge that should be junked as soon as possible." more
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
I was laid off my job, can I get a break on child support?
Q I was one of hundreds of people laid off from my job recently. I’ve been looking for a new job, but I haven’t found anything yet. With no income, I haven’t been able to make any child support payments to my ex-wife. I’m not a deadbeat dad; I’m just out of work. Can I get my payments lowered or suspended until I find work?
A. Maybe. You can hire a lawyer and seek court approval for a modification of your court-ordered child support payments. However, by the time your case gets heard, you may already have a new job or you may be impossibly far behind on your payments.
Another option is to talk to your ex-wife to see if she would let you pay less than you owe, or perhaps nothing, until you find a new job, with the understanding that you will attempt to make up the missed payments when you are able.
Even if your ex-wife is not agreeable to your plan, you should still try to pay as much as you can each month. Later, if you find yourself in court defending your lack of payments, you will be able to demonstrate that you paid all you could afford, even though you were out of work.
But don’t forget: Interest adds up quickly on unpaid and underpaid amounts. Plus, the law does allow a judge to send you to jail for failing to make the child support payments.
A. Maybe. You can hire a lawyer and seek court approval for a modification of your court-ordered child support payments. However, by the time your case gets heard, you may already have a new job or you may be impossibly far behind on your payments.
Another option is to talk to your ex-wife to see if she would let you pay less than you owe, or perhaps nothing, until you find a new job, with the understanding that you will attempt to make up the missed payments when you are able.
Even if your ex-wife is not agreeable to your plan, you should still try to pay as much as you can each month. Later, if you find yourself in court defending your lack of payments, you will be able to demonstrate that you paid all you could afford, even though you were out of work.
But don’t forget: Interest adds up quickly on unpaid and underpaid amounts. Plus, the law does allow a judge to send you to jail for failing to make the child support payments.
federal judge has rejected a lawsuit to stop Massachusetts from imposing new child support guidelines.
BOSTON — A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit that sought to stop Massachusetts from imposing new child support guidelines.
Fathers and Families, a Boston-based group that pushes for reform of child custody and support policies, last month sued Judge Robert Mulligan, the state’s chief administrative judge over new guidelines that went into effect Jan. 1. The group claims the new guidelines are unfair and do not take into account the costs of raising children.
Judge Douglas Woodlock on Monday denied the group’s request for an injunction to stop the new guidelines from being used in family court. The judge said it would be inappropriate for the federal courts to get involved in a battle over state regulations. more
Fathers and Families, a Boston-based group that pushes for reform of child custody and support policies, last month sued Judge Robert Mulligan, the state’s chief administrative judge over new guidelines that went into effect Jan. 1. The group claims the new guidelines are unfair and do not take into account the costs of raising children.
Judge Douglas Woodlock on Monday denied the group’s request for an injunction to stop the new guidelines from being used in family court. The judge said it would be inappropriate for the federal courts to get involved in a battle over state regulations. more
Fathers’ group sues to stop new child support rules
A nonprofit organization opposing revisions to the Massachusetts child support guidelines that took effect on Jan. 1 appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock in Boston this morning to ask for a halt to their implementation.
Fathers & Families, a Boston-based group that advocates for “children’s right to the love and care of both parents after separation or divorce,” filed suit against Chief Justice for Administration and Management Robert A. Mulligan and other trial court judges on Dec. 23. That same day, the group filed a request for a preliminary injunction in hopes of preventing judges in Massachusetts from applying the new guidelines to cases involving child support after Jan. 1, 2009.
Ned Holstein, executive director of Fathers & Families, served on the 12-member task force convened by Mulligan in 2006 to rework the guidelines. He told Lawyers Weekly in an interview for a story last November about the new guidelines that he tried in vain to convince the task force that the revisions would prove too expensive for many non-custodial parents. When the task force unveiled the new guidelines in November, Holstein wrote a dissenting report that characterized them as flawed and unfair.
In its lawsuit, Fathers & Families argues that Mulligan and the Trial Court violated the federal equal protection clause by implementing discriminatory rules, the federal due process clause by passing a law by “judicial fiat,” and the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights by passing a law without the participation of the other two branches of state government.
The group also argues that the new guidelines are “arbitrary and capricious” where the Trial Court did not consider, as statutorily required, any “data on the cost of raising children.”more
Fathers & Families, a Boston-based group that advocates for “children’s right to the love and care of both parents after separation or divorce,” filed suit against Chief Justice for Administration and Management Robert A. Mulligan and other trial court judges on Dec. 23. That same day, the group filed a request for a preliminary injunction in hopes of preventing judges in Massachusetts from applying the new guidelines to cases involving child support after Jan. 1, 2009.
Ned Holstein, executive director of Fathers & Families, served on the 12-member task force convened by Mulligan in 2006 to rework the guidelines. He told Lawyers Weekly in an interview for a story last November about the new guidelines that he tried in vain to convince the task force that the revisions would prove too expensive for many non-custodial parents. When the task force unveiled the new guidelines in November, Holstein wrote a dissenting report that characterized them as flawed and unfair.
In its lawsuit, Fathers & Families argues that Mulligan and the Trial Court violated the federal equal protection clause by implementing discriminatory rules, the federal due process clause by passing a law by “judicial fiat,” and the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights by passing a law without the participation of the other two branches of state government.
The group also argues that the new guidelines are “arbitrary and capricious” where the Trial Court did not consider, as statutorily required, any “data on the cost of raising children.”more
Monday, January 5, 2009
Dad Ordered to Pay Child Support Kills Son
NEW ORLEANS — A man who initially told police gunmen kidnapped his 2 1/2-year-old son was arrested Saturday, accused of committing an "extremely hideous" murder because he was ordered to pay child support, Police Superintendent Warren Riley said.
Danny Platt confessed, told police where to find the child's body and will be booked with first-degree murder of Ja' Shawn Powell, Riley said at a news conference.
"He had said he would kill either his wife or his child before he paid child support," which he recently had been ordered to do, Riley said.
Riley said he did not know the amount of child support and would not describe how the boy was killed, saying the coroner would do that after the autopsy was complete. The coroner's spokesman did not immediately return a call.
"The mother is in a safe place," Riley said.
Although he had visiting rights, Platt, 22, of New Orleans, had never visited the boy until he picked him up Friday, Riley said.
Police put out a notice Saturday asking people to look for the boy and saying his father had told them three men with dreadlocks and AK-47 rifles had piled out of an SUV and kidnapped Ja' Shawn shortly before midnight Friday. more
Danny Platt confessed, told police where to find the child's body and will be booked with first-degree murder of Ja' Shawn Powell, Riley said at a news conference.
"He had said he would kill either his wife or his child before he paid child support," which he recently had been ordered to do, Riley said.
Riley said he did not know the amount of child support and would not describe how the boy was killed, saying the coroner would do that after the autopsy was complete. The coroner's spokesman did not immediately return a call.
"The mother is in a safe place," Riley said.
Although he had visiting rights, Platt, 22, of New Orleans, had never visited the boy until he picked him up Friday, Riley said.
Police put out a notice Saturday asking people to look for the boy and saying his father had told them three men with dreadlocks and AK-47 rifles had piled out of an SUV and kidnapped Ja' Shawn shortly before midnight Friday. more
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Ex-colonel gets prison in Cumberland County paternity scam
Former Army Col. Scott Carlson was sentenced to 4 to 23 months in Cumberland County Prison this afternoon for convincing a fellow Army War College student to take a paternity test for him.
President Judge Edgar B. Bayley imposed the penalty after Carlson's lawyer, Dennis Boyle, urged that the retired officer be given probation instead.
Boyle said Carlson, 53, of Swansea, Ill., will appeal the sentence.
Bayley said he sent Carlson to prison because the crime "struck at the heart" of the county Domestic Relations Office's efforts to ensure children receive support.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Derek Clepper said the prison term was exactly what he was seeking.
A county jury convicted Carlson in September on charges including theft by deception, obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
Authorities said that in April 2007 Carlson persuaded fellow war college student Bruce Adkins to go to the Domestic Relations office in his stead and provide a DNA sample for a paternity test.
Investigators said Carlson, who retired from the Army this past summer, was trying to avoid paying child support for a 10-year-old daughter he had fathered through an extramarital affair with an enlisted soldier.
Carlson had been paying support for the girl without a court order, but in late 2006 the mother asked for a higher amount of court-ordered support.
Adkins testified against Carlson and is scheduled for trial in January. Clepper didn't rule out the possibility that Adkins might be offered a plea deal. more
President Judge Edgar B. Bayley imposed the penalty after Carlson's lawyer, Dennis Boyle, urged that the retired officer be given probation instead.
Boyle said Carlson, 53, of Swansea, Ill., will appeal the sentence.
Bayley said he sent Carlson to prison because the crime "struck at the heart" of the county Domestic Relations Office's efforts to ensure children receive support.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Derek Clepper said the prison term was exactly what he was seeking.
A county jury convicted Carlson in September on charges including theft by deception, obstruction of justice and conspiracy.
Authorities said that in April 2007 Carlson persuaded fellow war college student Bruce Adkins to go to the Domestic Relations office in his stead and provide a DNA sample for a paternity test.
Investigators said Carlson, who retired from the Army this past summer, was trying to avoid paying child support for a 10-year-old daughter he had fathered through an extramarital affair with an enlisted soldier.
Carlson had been paying support for the girl without a court order, but in late 2006 the mother asked for a higher amount of court-ordered support.
Adkins testified against Carlson and is scheduled for trial in January. Clepper didn't rule out the possibility that Adkins might be offered a plea deal. more
Domestic matters before courts steadily increasing
The number of domestic matters before the courts are steadily increasing each year and as of late child support cases are also on the rise, Deputy Magistrate Helen Jones revealed.
Noting that a total of 698 domestic matters were filed for the year in Grand Bahama alone, Jones said that number is up 19 from last year, which saw 679 cases.
Within five years, the case load of domestic matters increased by 216.
In 2003, 482 cases were filed; 536 in 2004; 598 in 2005 and in 2006, there were 621 cases.
"The majority of cases that have come to my court lately have been child support," Magistrate Jones said, pointing out that usually most of the domestic matters would be binding over orders and legal separations. more
Noting that a total of 698 domestic matters were filed for the year in Grand Bahama alone, Jones said that number is up 19 from last year, which saw 679 cases.
Within five years, the case load of domestic matters increased by 216.
In 2003, 482 cases were filed; 536 in 2004; 598 in 2005 and in 2006, there were 621 cases.
"The majority of cases that have come to my court lately have been child support," Magistrate Jones said, pointing out that usually most of the domestic matters would be binding over orders and legal separations. more
Andre Rison former WR for the Chiefs , is facing court-ordered bankruptcy
Andre Rison, who played WR for the Chiefs from 1997 to 1999, is facing court-ordered bankruptcy.
Former NFL and Michigan State receiver Andre Rison faces a court-ordered bankruptcy to pay more than $105,000 in back child support and other claims.
Terese Dear, a courtroom deputy for U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Flint, said an order was entered June 6 to put Rison into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Rison, a Flint native, has until June 25 to respond before the court proceeds with efforts to recover his assets, Dear said.
Rison owes child support, attorney fees and court administrative costs, according to a bankruptcy court petition.
Rison's ex-wife, Tonja Rison of Southfield, is listed as one of the creditors. Her claim is for more than $58,000 in child support. An Atlanta law office is claiming another $46,000 in unpaid legal fees for seeking child support from Rison for two children by a girlfriend. more
Former NFL and Michigan State receiver Andre Rison faces a court-ordered bankruptcy to pay more than $105,000 in back child support and other claims.
Terese Dear, a courtroom deputy for U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Flint, said an order was entered June 6 to put Rison into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Rison, a Flint native, has until June 25 to respond before the court proceeds with efforts to recover his assets, Dear said.
Rison owes child support, attorney fees and court administrative costs, according to a bankruptcy court petition.
Rison's ex-wife, Tonja Rison of Southfield, is listed as one of the creditors. Her claim is for more than $58,000 in child support. An Atlanta law office is claiming another $46,000 in unpaid legal fees for seeking child support from Rison for two children by a girlfriend. more
Parents Say Beware of Bogus Child Support Collection Companies
MEMPHIS, TN -- If you are paying child support in Tennessee, you may want to make sure it is going to the proper location. If not, you might not get credit for the payment and you could end up in jail. Mitch Morgan is the director of the Child Support Services division at the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County. Morgan says many times, parents are sending money to a private collection agency, but they think they are sending money to the state.Morgan says a company operating in the Memphis area is called “Child Support Services.” Morgan says the name is deceiving. Many parents think when they call that agency; they are calling the Juvenile Court. Morgan says the paperwork the company sends out looks like the official state paperwork. Morgan says the company illegally issues wage garnishments. That means the money is taken directly from the person’s paycheck. The company lists an address of 111 S. Highland, Suite 415. When Eyewitness News went to that location, we found a UPS Store. “Suite 415” is really a post office box. If you call information, you are told the company is located at 202 S. Court. However, when we went to that address it was a downtown parking lot.Anthony Strong has had child support taken out of his paycheck since April. Strong says even though the money is being garnished, his ex-wife is not getting the money. “Right now I feel taken advantage of “says Strong. He added “I feel sorry for my daughter because she is not getting the support I thought I was giving her.” more
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
DNA test doesn’t stop Oklahoma man's child support liability
"She said, ‘Yeah, 100 percent sure you’re the dad,’ so I didn’t question it past that,” the man said.
But that man, who asked to remain anonymous because of pending litigation, says testing shows otherwise. He provided The Oklahoman with a copy of genetic test results dated Nov. 10 from Identigene showing he is not the father. State law, though, compels him to continue paying child support even though he’s not a biological parent — and there are more like him.
Nearly 25 percent of about 3,000 paternity tests conducted by the state Department of Human Services from July 2007 through June ruled out the supposed father as the biological parent. Nationally, that number reaches nearly 30 percent, according to the American Association of Blood Banks.
State limitsDHS only performs genetic testing within the first two years of a child’s life, which is the state limit on contesting paternity.
After the two years, "it comes into the best interests of the child and protecting the child to ensure that there’s a source of reliable support,” said Jeff Wagner, spokesman for the DHS Child Support Enforcement Division.
The child the Oklahoma man pays child support for is nearly 5 years old. more
But that man, who asked to remain anonymous because of pending litigation, says testing shows otherwise. He provided The Oklahoman with a copy of genetic test results dated Nov. 10 from Identigene showing he is not the father. State law, though, compels him to continue paying child support even though he’s not a biological parent — and there are more like him.
Nearly 25 percent of about 3,000 paternity tests conducted by the state Department of Human Services from July 2007 through June ruled out the supposed father as the biological parent. Nationally, that number reaches nearly 30 percent, according to the American Association of Blood Banks.
State limitsDHS only performs genetic testing within the first two years of a child’s life, which is the state limit on contesting paternity.
After the two years, "it comes into the best interests of the child and protecting the child to ensure that there’s a source of reliable support,” said Jeff Wagner, spokesman for the DHS Child Support Enforcement Division.
The child the Oklahoma man pays child support for is nearly 5 years old. more
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Charges filed for over $67,000 in child support
The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office filed more charges last week against two men who reportedly owe over $67,000 in child support and interest. One man owes money to two different women.
Brian K. Gulbronson, 37, Black River Falls, faces 16 failure to support charges in two separate cases while Darrell J. Towne, 38, Holmen, was charged with six similar offenses.
According to the criminal complaints, Gulbronson owes $40,372 in child support and $20,365 in interest as of Sept. 30. In one case, Gulbronson was to pay $84 a week beginning in July 2002, and his last payment of $165 was last March. In another case, he was supposed to pay $71 a week beginning July 2002, and his last payment of $135 was last March.
According to the complaints, Gulbronson has been found in contempt of court on at least two occasions. He last served 60 days in jail this summer but has not been in contact with the child support agency since his release. more
Brian K. Gulbronson, 37, Black River Falls, faces 16 failure to support charges in two separate cases while Darrell J. Towne, 38, Holmen, was charged with six similar offenses.
According to the criminal complaints, Gulbronson owes $40,372 in child support and $20,365 in interest as of Sept. 30. In one case, Gulbronson was to pay $84 a week beginning in July 2002, and his last payment of $165 was last March. In another case, he was supposed to pay $71 a week beginning July 2002, and his last payment of $135 was last March.
According to the complaints, Gulbronson has been found in contempt of court on at least two occasions. He last served 60 days in jail this summer but has not been in contact with the child support agency since his release. more
Delinquent support pay earns man prison time
COLUMBUS -- A 44-year-old Columbus man who “pathetically failed” in his last chance to catch up on a stack of unpaid child support bills was sentenced to 18 months to four years in prison in Platte County District Court.
District Judge Robert Steinke told Richard Delancey Wednesday he had “pathetically failed to comply with the terms of his probation” while sentencing the defendant to prison for his summer 2007 convictions on four counts of criminal nonsupport.
Steinke on Wednesday revoked the four-year probation sentence he imposed last summer against Delancey in what the judge at the time promised would be the defendant’s last chance to avoid a prison cell.
“While you don’t take the terms of your probation seriously, I do,’’ Steinke told Delancey, standing before him in front of the bench. “I gave you the opportunity to change your life ... it simply has not worked. The court is without any option. You have to be held accountable.”
Criminal nonsupport is a Class IV felony, punishable by a maximum of five years imprisonment, $10,000 fine or both and no minimum sentence. more
Monday, November 24, 2008
Dozens gather to remember child who was fatally beaten
The light of dozens of candles shines outside the former home of 20-month-old Imani Jennings.Police say the toddler was viciously beaten to death by her mother's boyfriend Friday, after she had a potty training accident. Both the mother, 20-year-old Cherron Patterson, and her boyfriend 15-year old Anthony Weakfall, were arrested Saturday.Dozens gather to remember child who was fatally beaten The murder of a young girl has drawn sympathy from across the Syracuse community. Sunday night, dozens of people came out to show their support for Imani Jennings at a candle light vigil. Allison Lazarz has more on the tribute and the message the little girl's biological father had for the community."I'm just disturbed. Every vigil that we do is hard it's frustrating, it's painful. This victim, from what I understand, people knew she was being left alone, people knew she was being abused and no one said anything. This is what needs to stop this is how we can bring our community together," said Rachel Titus, a member of the group Mothers Against Gun Violence. Imani's biological father came to the vigil to tell neighbors they need to keep an eye on one another."Make sure that we're looking out for the young people today and making sure we're involved in their lives so stuff like this won't happen," said Lee Jennings Jr., Imani's biological father.Even though some of baby Imani's relatives say this has been incredibly difficult, they say all the community support is helping them stay strong. "It takes a lot for somebody who doesn't know you to come out and support you in your time of need. It's soothing to know that there are people that will support me. That there are people who are hurting with me and that people are praying with me and that is why I smile," said Rohnda Wright-Jamison, Imani's grandmother.And she and neighbors at the vigil know Imani is now at peace.An exact time hasn't been set for her funeral.Related Stories
Monday, November 10, 2008
Make non-custodial parent pay $25 fee
Right here in New York state. Effective Oct. 1, a federally required annual service fee of $25 is being charged to the custodial parent who is receiving child support. This is starting to sound like a racket on how they are charging fees to collect money... DPHS charge interest on arrearage, charge a fee for collecting the money. I suppose DPHS makes millions of dollars each year, simply by relying on mothers to file for child support. A bill should pass to elminate how much money DPHS should actually make in a year...
Child-support laws need to be changed
I think that the new changes in child support has made some major improvements for the man, but the way they calculate needs work. How can a woman who makes more money than the man and still get tax free money as if she did not work?
The point should be made if a woman can terminate a childs life in 1 simple payment, a man should be able to terminate his rights to a child with 1 low payment. equality for all. Also, it is my belief that Court ordered support is re[*#@!]ulous. Maybe if the way support was calculated was better examined, there'd be less 'dead beat dads'. Just a thought.
The point should be made if a woman can terminate a childs life in 1 simple payment, a man should be able to terminate his rights to a child with 1 low payment. equality for all. Also, it is my belief that Court ordered support is re[*#@!]ulous. Maybe if the way support was calculated was better examined, there'd be less 'dead beat dads'. Just a thought.
Rounding Up Deadbeat Parents
Why is it so easy to find deadbeat fathers and moms but can not collect a dime? I think that in some case trying to squeeze blood from a turnip, is just not going to happen. The ideal to impose child support on a person who is living with his mom and then put him in jail, what is that really going to accomplish... In my mind repeat offenders usually have a hard time finding work. So even if its only 50 dollars a month, something is better than nothing. To impose a fine and take half of a mans check is not fair to the man or his family. You see until the judges start looking at what they do to the common man, they will never know how to be fair and impartial. So in 6 months they will have another round up.
Paternity tests prove hundreds are not the father
The Daily Telegraph can reveal 18 men, cleared by DNA testing, have made use of changes permitting them to claw back funds paid through the Child Support Agency. More than 300 men have been cleared by DNA of being fathers. Documents obtained under Freedom of Information show orders for $171,567 to be returned have so far been made against the mothers.
The money that was paid to them is being garnisheed from mothers' incomes by the Child Support Agency in the same way that payments are taken from the wages of non-custodial fathers. In each case the duped men were able to prove beyond doubt in the courts they were not the fathers based on DNA paternity testing. The new law, section 143 of the Child Support (Assessment) Act, requires the Family Court to consider issuing orders for repayment where paternity is successfully challenged and child support has been paid.
The law allowing such repayment debts to be collected by the Child Support Agency became effective on January 1 last year. In the biggest case, Queensland man Ken Rodgers obtained orders for the repayment of $60,000 after making child support contributions over a decade to a woman who refused to even send him a photograph of his alleged child.
The happy note is that some fathers are being reimbursed for their payments for a child that was not his, although what about the fathers who have proved the child is not theirs and can not get his money back...
Is that really justice?
The money that was paid to them is being garnisheed from mothers' incomes by the Child Support Agency in the same way that payments are taken from the wages of non-custodial fathers. In each case the duped men were able to prove beyond doubt in the courts they were not the fathers based on DNA paternity testing. The new law, section 143 of the Child Support (Assessment) Act, requires the Family Court to consider issuing orders for repayment where paternity is successfully challenged and child support has been paid.
The law allowing such repayment debts to be collected by the Child Support Agency became effective on January 1 last year. In the biggest case, Queensland man Ken Rodgers obtained orders for the repayment of $60,000 after making child support contributions over a decade to a woman who refused to even send him a photograph of his alleged child.
The happy note is that some fathers are being reimbursed for their payments for a child that was not his, although what about the fathers who have proved the child is not theirs and can not get his money back...
Is that really justice?
Indiana man gets four years in prison for not paying child support
ZANESVILLE — An Indiana man received four years in prison Monday in a Muskingum County Common Pleas court for not paying child support, according to the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office.
Adonis Brooks, or Kenneth T. Brooks, 48, was sentenced to the prison term by Judge Mark Fleegle and ordered to pay $51,260.83 in back child support for six children. This is the worse thing that the Courts could do to a man. When they lock him up they not only punish him but punish the childern as well. If the Courts would spend as much time trying to work with the person behind on support as they do trying to lock them up maybe, just maybe they could get something accomoplished other than locking them up. The worse thing that can happen to this man is interest on arrearage! You see after child support reaches a certain limit, it becomes impossible to pay back!
Adonis Brooks, or Kenneth T. Brooks, 48, was sentenced to the prison term by Judge Mark Fleegle and ordered to pay $51,260.83 in back child support for six children. This is the worse thing that the Courts could do to a man. When they lock him up they not only punish him but punish the childern as well. If the Courts would spend as much time trying to work with the person behind on support as they do trying to lock them up maybe, just maybe they could get something accomoplished other than locking them up. The worse thing that can happen to this man is interest on arrearage! You see after child support reaches a certain limit, it becomes impossible to pay back!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Dead Man can pay no Child Support...
This is about Scott Peterson who keeps receiving a letter to pay his child support. Although DHS is probably wondering how Peterson manages to evade the police for the past 10 years. Well I thought I would help the Jacksonville DHS out... Forget the countless letters that has been sent, or unlimited phone calls that has been attempted. I sure hope that what I am going say will help you out. Scott Peterson is dead! As a matter of fact he has been dead for 10 years now...As a matter of fact it made the news when he was murdered! Maybe you morons in that town could read your mail or even answer the phone? I can only imagine how much interest that has accrued during this 10 year period?
Sunday, October 12, 2008
State of Tennessee sued for seeking child support from wrong man
By Ann KnefIllinois resident Joshua Brown is suing the state of Tennessee for sending him a notice indicating he had a child in Tennessee with a female other than his wife.Brown claims the state sent him a non-custodial parent delinquency notice on March 26 indicating he was responsible for past due child support. "The Notice was discovered by his wife," states the complaint filed Oct. 7 in St. Clair County Circuit Court. "Mr. Brown's parents and in-laws learned of the Notice from his wife and also inquired."Brown claims he "reassured all" that he was not having an extra marital affair that produced a child.He claims he informed the state that it had the wrong person by pointing out the difference in middle initial and social security number, but the state persisted by notifying his employer. He claims he also received a notice that his income would be withheld for child support."Plaintiff's wife again saw these various documents again causing turmoil and strife in the home," the complaint states. "Plaintiff again tried to assuage his family's fears. Brown claims he contacted an attorney after the state sent him a notice that his employer was being directed to add the Tennessee child to his health care plan.He claims the correspondence eventually ceased when the state was "apparently satisfied" that it had the wrong man.His suit seeks damages for defamation."This publication caused his pregnant wife and himself severe hardship, caused plaintiff to lose sleep, have constant anxiety, suffer humiliation, embarrassment, nervousness and mental pain and suffering," the complaint states. "That Defendant knew or should have known of the falsity of such statements considering the different middle names and different social security numbers."Brown is represented by Jarrod Beasly of the Kuehn Law Firm in Belleville. He is seeking "an amount in excess of $50,000 for the damage to his reputation at work, at home and within his family, punitive damages and cost of this suit."
Child support appeal rejected
PIERRE - A Stanley County man failed to show a substantial change in financial circumstances in his bid to have child-support payments lowered, the state Supreme Court says.Three months after agreeing to $1,350 monthly support payments for two children following a divorce, Andrew Heiss asked to have his obligation dropped to $100 a month. He said his income had been cut and he had the children half the time. He said his position as assistant manager in a company that operated a farm for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe had been changed to ranch hand.The Supreme Court unanimously sent the case back with direction that the requested cut in payments be denied.
The high court said Heiss had the burden of proving that he had experienced a substantial change in financial conditions because he had agreed to the original support order. He didn't do that, the court said.
Heiss :I would like to know where you get the information you print, the truth is the obligation to pay child support is $703 dollars a month. And I do have the kids half time , and My income had changed I already proved that in court .
No pay, no drive
Parents may lose licenses if they don't pay their child support...
Morethan 15,000 parents who are not paying child support are facing, losing their driver’s, professional and/or recreational licenses if they don’t payup soon. Letters from the Department of Human Services warning delinquent parents are arriving in mailboxes across Tennessee. The notices inform parents that if they are behind at least $500 in their child support and haven't made a payment in more than 90 days, they could lose their license(s). "We are absolutely committed to making sure children in this state receive their court-ordered support,” said Human Services Commissioner Gina Lodge. “Having a child means taking responsibility for that child, and it is appalling that so many parents men and womenare walking out on that duty. License revocation is awake-up call that works for thousands of parents who have been ordered,but are not paying their support.”There are more than 20,000 licenses currently at risk. Parents who face the loss of their driver’s, professional or recreational licenses include registered nurses, real estate agents, security guards, and teachers. How can you stop a income, then expect a person to pay? Right ot wrong, 2rongs don't make a right!
Revocation letters have been sent to non-paying mothers and fathers in every county in Tennessee, covering more than 4,500 cases in Shelby County,2,250 in Davidson County, 1,350 in Knox County and 1,150 in HamiltonCounty.State and federal law allows DHS, which administers theChild Support Program, to revoke the licenses of parents who fail topay their child support. The notices inform parents that they can prevent revocation if they contact their local child support office and set up payment plans, or repay the past due amount. Traditionally, halfof the parents who receive notices end up working with DHS to pay offtheir child support obligation. However, last year more than 7,000 licenses were revoked due to failure to pay.This year, data matches between DHS and the Department of Safety identified more than 18,000 driver's licenses of persons meeting the requirements forrevocation of their licenses. More than 400 professional licenses issued by the Departments of Commerce and Insurance, Health andEducation are also at risk. Approximately 1,200 hunting and fishing licenses will also be subject to revocation. In addition to the license revocation program, the Child Support division and its partners use enforcement tools such as administrative wage assignmentor garnishment, liens and federal intercept programs to collectsupport. In recent months, DHS intercepted 41,000 federal economic stimulus checks, totaling more than $24 million. There are currently 260,000 child support cases under court order in Tennessee. Of these, roughly 55 percent pay their court ordered support in atimely manner. For more information on the Child Support Program, visit the DHS Web site at state.tn.us/humanserv/cs/cs_main.htm
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