Women With Troubles - November 2007

Reported in the news during November 2007, here is the compilation of women with troubles. Each name is linked to a blog entry displaying details. For a more comprehensive listing, check the Women With Troubles category link.

(AL) Lisa Webster Banholzer, 43,
neighbor - Indicted for rape of boy between 12 and 15. Sentenced to treatment,

(AL) Charlene Schmitz, 54,
teacher - Arrested by FBI for using computer to entice a child,

(AL) Ashley Stokes, 24,
neighbor - Guilty of sodomizing boy under age 16. Sentencing in January 2008,

(AR) Sheila Blair, 42,
neighbor - Gets 10 years prison for DWI, her tenth,

(AR) Tonya Reaves, 23,
neighbor - Arrested for attempted murder of 12-day-old son,

(AZ) Rebecca Lee Kelley, 24,
teacher - Sentenced to probation for sex with male student, 17,

(AZ) Jacquelyn M. Pearson, 25,
neighbor - Arrested for trespassing after being found naked in a stranger's house,

(CA) Toni Allexy, 39,
cheerleading mom - Accused of molesting boy, 14,

(CA) Kelli Jo Camp, 29,
teacher, cheerleading coach - Gets one year jail for sex with male student, 17,

(CA) Mary R. Hamilton, 47,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 14, a friend of the family,

(CA) Michelle Antoinette Rossi,
teacher - Gets 180 days jail for lewd acts on girl, 14,

(CO) Meredith Hollen, 40,
teacher - Arrested for sex assault of student,

(CT) Jamura Davis,
juvenile center worker - Accused of sex with troubled boy, 17,

(FL) Jacqueline Addison, 25,
neighbor - Arrested for felony child neglect,

(FL) Robin Adkins, 43,
neighbor - Arrested for muling dope into prison,

(FL) Priscilla A. Bellcase, 40,
soccer mom - Arrested for stealing $79,000 from soccer league,

(FL) Katherine Pauline Brown, 30,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 15,

(FL) Maria Mateo, 24,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(FL) Harriet Moore, 26,
neighbor - Arrested for neglecting five children,

(FL) Deborah Ann Reeder, 46,
teacher - Sentenced to house arrest for sex with son's best friend, 17,

(FL) Rachel Von Hagen, 32,
teacher - Arrested for possession of Oxycodone and marijuana,

(FL) Jennifer Tarkenton, 34,
teacher - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(FL) Catharine Wind, 40,
teacher - Arrested for DUI with child in car,

(GA) Jeanette Hawes, 22,
neighbor - Accused of murdering her two children, ages 1 and 3,

(IA) Shelbie Ann Zimmerman, 22,
neighbor - Arrested for getting drunk, naked and wild in a tavern,

(ID) Alanna Hair-Martin, 28,
neighbor - Accused of sex with runaway boy, 14,

(IL) Dorothy J. Arndt, 26,
neighbor - Charged with having sex with stepson, 15, and birthing child,

(IN) Michelle VanMeter, 35,
teacher - Arrested for molesting boy, 12.

(KY) Noelle N'Diaye, 35,
college professor - Arrested for child endangerment,

(LA) Amanda Elizabeth Key, 29,
teacher - Arrested for indecent behavior with deaf girl, 16,

(LA) Kesha Denna Manuel, 27,
teacher - Accused for sex with male student, 15,

(MD) Jenna Ashley Herrmann, 23,
teacher - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(MD) Kirsten Ann Kinley, 27,
teacher - Gets 18 months prison for sex with male student, 15,

(ME) Jennifer Hawes, 22,
neighbor - Arrested for smuggling heroin into jail,

(MO) Tara Shenell Ivory, 26,
neighbor - Accused of raping boys, ages 6 and 7,

(MO) Amanda Miner, 28,
teacher - Arrested for sex with boy, 16,

(ND) Renae Hofstad, 34,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 14,

(NE) Kelsey Peterson, 25,
teacher - Charged with kidnapping and having sex with male student, 13,

(NH) Holly Spreen, 34,
teacher - Gets 30 days for child endangerment,

(NV) Shajuan Ashley Bush, 24,
family services worker - Arrested for child neglect,

(NV) Mamie Hubbard-Washington, 64,
special ed teacher - Accused of felony child abuse,

(NV) Kymberly Tamburello, 44,
teacher - Sentenced to one to four years prison for meth trafficking,

(NY) Melissa L. Brady, 46,
neighbor - Arrested for meth manufacturing operation,

(NY) Kathryn Brauch, 22,
neighbor - Charged with rape of boy, 13, she met on Internet,

(NY) Jennifer Hastings, 32,
child psychologist - Arrested for raping boy, 14,

(NY) Mamie Manneh, 39,
neighbor - Faces trial for meat smuggling,

(NY) Anna M. Schworm, 43,
neighbor - Accused of raping boy, 15,

(OH) Melissa Bare, 35,
teacher - Sentenced to treatment for sexual battery of boy, 16,

(OH) Yvonne Hardin,
babysitter - Arrested for child endangering,

(OH) Donna R. Hoffman, 42,
school employee - Arrested for sex with male student, 16,

(OH) Victoria Schattauer, 19,
cheerleading coach - Fired after topless picture of herself and girl, 15, posted on Internet,

(OH) Crystal Smith, 30,
neighbor - Arrested for sex with boy, 15. Child resulted, born in March 2007,

(OH) Jennifer Whitson, 20,
neighbor - Gets four years prison for sex with boy, 12,

(OR) Elizabeth Lucinda Logan, 42,
teacher - Gets probation, community service and fine for stealing child's coat,

(PA) Erica L. Baker (aka Erica L. McEldowney), 24,
teacher - Arrested for sex with female student, 16,

(SC) Janet R. Fackovec, 25,
teacher - Accused of contributing to delinquency for helping and boffing runaway boy, 16,

(SC) Amanda Reagan Smith, 27,
neighbor - Arrested for murder of son, 7,

(TN) Robyn J. Casey, 31,
neighbor - Charged with rape of boy, 16,

(TN) Dianne Dubay Dieterich, 36,
teacher - Pregnant by male student, 17,

(TN) Katrina S. Kinzle, 22,
neighbor - Arrested for stealing charity donations,

(TN) Heather Thorsby, 34,
teacher - Indicted for rape of female student,

(TX) Khaliliha Baucom, 24,
jail guard - Arrested for abuse of corpse,

(TX) Patricia Rush, 34,
teacher - Charged with improper relationship between educator and male student, 13,

(VA) Tammie Fleming, 37,
cheerleading coach - Gets one month jail for contributing to delinquency of male student, 17,

(VA) Mary Ann Livoti, 56,
teacher - Arrested drunk at school,

(WA) Maureen Elizabeth Wear, 47, and Lee William Giles Jr., 62,
perverts - Guilty of child molestation, rape and assault. Sentencing in January 2008,

(WI) Brenda Baillargeon, 39,
teacher - Charges with sex assault of boy, 16,

(WI) Cindy A. Bartoshevich, 31,
jail guard - Accused of sex with inmate,

(WI) Norma Giannini, 78,
nun, teacher - Guilty of indecent behavior with schoolboys. Sentencing in Feb. 2008,

(WI) Anne Knopf, 39,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 13,

(WI) Amy J. Smalley, 36,
neighbor mom - Gets probation for exposing sons to harmful material,

(WV) Shawna Denise Burdette, 27,
neighbor - Arrested for dognapping,

(WV) Janis Cain, 26,
neighbor - Charged with attempt to manufacture methamphetamine,

(WV) Tiffany Casebolt, 24,
neighbor - Arrested for burglary,

(WV) Cynthia Ann Flores, 25,
neighbor - Gets two to 10 years prison for sex with boy, 15,

(WV) Stephanie Louise Ours, 23,
neighbor - Arrested for felony child neglect of daughter, 3,


* * * * *

(IT) Anna Ciriani (aka Porn Prof),
teacher - Suspended for doing hardcore pornography,

(UK) Claire Lyte, 29,
tennis coach - Gets two years and nine months jail for sex with girl, 13,

(UK) Samina Malik, 22,
shop assistant - Convicted of terrorist support,

(UK) Kiran Sohanpaul, 39,
teacher - Investigated for nude pics on cell phone given to student.

For their tips throughout the month, thanks go to Don Morgenstern, slwlion, greggmkay, Mr. Anonymous, Barry, Travis Evans, WW, Richard G., The Toronto Kid, Lloyd D., Stilgar and others.

Please know that your help in finding interesting news and troubled teacher stories is much appreciated. To show my appreciation, I will be offering a 50 percent discount to all tipsters who purchase carbon offset certificates through Interested-Participant.

Terrorist Nuradin Abdi Gets 10 Years Prison

(Columbus, Ohio) In August 2007, a 35-year-old Somali immigrant, Nuradin Mahamoud Abdi, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda. Abdi was initially implicated in a plot to bomb a mall in Columbus.

As a reminder, Abdi, Pakistani immigrant Iyman Faris and Columbus native Christopher Paul conspired to blow up a shopping mall during a meeting in 2002. Faris was previously convicted of plotting to blow up the Brooklyn Bridge and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Paul faces trial, scheduled for January 2009, for plotting to bomb European tourist resorts and American military bases overseas.

This week, Abdi was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison to be followed by deportation to Somalia.

In a 20-minute statement to the court, Abdi's attorney Mahir Sherif said his client apologized to the people of the United States, the people of Ohio and the Muslim community. He said Abdi regretted that his conviction might lead to problems for other Muslims.

"He apologizes for the things he thought about and the things he talked about and the crimes he pleaded guilty to," Sherif said. "He wants to make it very, very clear that he does not hate America."

Frankly, I don't believe that Abdi said those things, through his lawyer or otherwise. A 35-year-old person doesn't plot to kill innocent strangers and wantonly destroy property without a modicum of hatred in his soul.

Agreed, since being caught he's trying to minimize future negative impact but, once released back in Somalia, mark my words, he'll be locking and loading an AK-47 for the terrorist cause.

Evel Knievel 1938 - 2007

(Clearwater, Florida) Born in Butte, Montana, in October 1938, Evel (Robert Craig) Knievel died today at the age of 69.

LATimes:

Knievel, who survived at least 38 broken bones, multiple concussions and countless abrasions acquired in daring jumps that ended in unplanned crashes, had been in failing health for years, including suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.

Longtime friend and promoter Billy Rundel told the Associated Press today that Knievel had difficulty breathing at his Clearwater condominium and died before an ambulance could get him to a hospital.

"It's been coming for years, but you just don't expect it," said Rundel. "Superman just doesn't die, right?"

Rest in peace.

Naked Woman Sleeping

(Chandler, Arizona) A local person arrived home to find a naked woman sleeping in a bedroom. The resident called the police.

The naked woman, Jacquelyn M. Pearson, 25, told police she did not remember entering the apartment and that her last memory was that of getting ready for work, according to a police report. Her boyfriend told police Pearson dropped him off at work, said she felt ill and needed to head home.

Pearson told police she was not intoxicated, injured or using any type of drug, and that she had no legitimate reason for being in the apartment - but could not explain how she ended up there, the report stated.

Pearson was arrested for first-degree trespassing.

Offhand, I'd suggest that the local person reporting the offense is a woman. I can't imagine that a man would call the police in a similar circumstance.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Alabama Woman Guilty of Sex Act with Boy

(Phenix City, Alabama) A 24-year-old local woman, Ashley Stokes, pleaded guilty yesterday to orally sodomizing a boy who was under the age of 16.

Stokes, wearing a white jail jumpsuit and orange slippers, stood before the judge and answered a series of questions about the June 23 incident. The victim lived down the road from her father's Phenix City home, and she performed the sex act on the boy in that home, she said.

Assistant District Attorney Max Smith has said Stokes wrote the boy letters and had his younger brother deliver them. Landreau said the letters discussed her feelings for the victim, the sex act she performed and her desire to repeat the act. The boy's mother intercepted the letters, leading to charges against Stokes.

Stokes initially faced charges of sexual misconduct and enticing a child into a house for immoral purposes. Landreau said the grand jury decided a more appropriate charge would be second- degree sodomy after it considered the evidence.

According to the plea agreement accepted by Russell County Circuit Judge George Greene, for the crime of second-degree sodomy Stokes will receive three years in prison and a $2,000 fine when she is sentenced in January.


[Update 01/23/08]

Yesterday, 24-year-old Stokes was sentenced to three years in prison.

Ashley Stokes sat with several other prisoners in front of a jury box in the Russell County Courthouse. It was the same courtroom where she pleaded guilty to second-degree sodomy before Circuit Court Judge George Greene on Nov. 29.

Maybe next time she'll think twice before mixing it up with a 14-year-old boy.

Woman Fatally Stabs Her Two Children

(Augusta, Georgia) A 22-year-old mother, Jeanette Hawes, has been arrested for repeatedly stabbing her two young children in their chests and killing them.

An employee at the Texaco Food Mart on Lumpkin Road in south Augusta told police that she heard screams coming from the restroom after the woman walked inside with her two children, ages 3 and 1, about 2:30 p.m.

The employee knocked several times, asking if everything was okay and if the woman needed to come out and talk to her.

"Then all of a sudden, everything was quiet," said Richmond County Deputy Coroner Mark Bowen.

The employee called police. They forced their way in and found the woman, Jeanette Hawes, on the floor. She was holding a steak knife and was covered in blood, authorities said.

One-year-old Jordon Hawes was dead at the scene. Shakayla Hawes, 3, was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Hawes faces two counts of murder.

Mothers killing their children is not uncommon and I'd suggest that part of the reason is that treatment of the crime by the justice system is way too lenient. As I understand, both Andrea Yates and Lashuan Harris are not in jail and will be celebrating Christmas this year without their eight murdered children.

"Just A Traffic Stop, Miss. Let's See Your Breasts."

(Columbus, Ohio) It appears that some officers exercise on-the-spot plea deals with alleged offenders.

Two Columbus police officers were fired yesterday for misconduct, after authorities say they asked a 22-year-old woman to bare her breasts during a traffic stop.

In firing both Officer Scott Shepard and Officer Donny Smith, city Safety Director Mitchell J. Brown "went above and beyond" the recommendation of Chief James G. Jackson, Police Division spokeswoman Amanda Ford said.

Jackson had recommended that only Shepard be fired in connection with the March 11 traffic stop in the Arena District. Jackson said Smith should serve a 30-day suspension.

The officers were accused of coercing the woman into showing them her breasts to keep her boyfriend from getting arrested on an outstanding traffic warrant.

So, it works out that the woman, an Ohio State coed named Stephanie Baker, was willing to trade flashing her breasts for a pass on a traffic ticket.

Baker admitted that she was "freaked out" over the possibility of going to jail, so she offered the two officers money, the station reported.

The officers declined the cash, but Baker said Smith then showed her a cell phone photo of a woman exposing her breasts. Baker claims she asked the officers if they wanted her to flash them, and Smith allegedly said, "Well, yeah. I think that's a totally fair deal."

Baker said she did show the officers her breasts before returning to her car.

Then she complained.

Heh, if it were legal, I think a lot of people would make that trade.

Convicted Tennessee Teacher Now Pregnant by Student

(Knoxville, Tennessee) In September 2007, a business teacher at Knoxville Catholic High School, Dianne Dubay Dieterich, pleaded guilty in Knox County Criminal Court to statutory rape of a 17-year-old male student.

According to the plea deal, the 36-year-old married mother-of-two receives four years probation with the chance of clearing her record if she stays out of trouble.

In the latest development, court documents indicate that Dieterich is more than 10 weeks pregnant with the student's child and is suffering from severe depression. Dieterich's husband has been supportive even though the child she is carrying is not his.

With the judicial diversion sentence, Dieterich can have her record expunged but it won't reinstate her teaching credentials. In fact, Board of Education Official Rich Haglun has vowed to make sure that Dieterich never teaches again.

Dieterich's diagnosed depression is understandable given the pot of troubles she created for herself.

Maryland Teacher and Boy, 14

(Salisbury, Maryland) A 23-year-old teacher's assistant for Pittsville Elementary and Middle School, Jenna Ashley Herrmann, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sex with a 14-year-old boy.

According to Wicomico County state attorney Davis Ruark, the alleged sex occurred with only one student over a two-month period starting October 1st.

Herrmann was charged with multiple counts of second-degree custody child abuse, third-degree sex offense, sex abuse of a minor and fourth-degree sex offense.

Herrmann was booked into custody at the Wicomico County Detention Center with bond set at $100,000. She has been suspended from her teaching position.

Another Endorsement for Kucinich

Adding to his stable of supporters, presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich has been endorsed by Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt.

So, along with the dope-smokers, the homosexuals and the UFO-chasers, Kucinich has a pornographer backing him. There doesn't seem to be a lot of mainstream America represented there.

Maybe things will turn around when Flynt issues a Kucinich fold-out spread in Hustler.

Saginaw Christmas Festival Renamed

(Saginaw, Michigan) Check this out.

The traditional Dickens Christmas Festival has been re-named the Dickens Holiday Festival so the city can advertise in local schools.

In order to get more bang for their buck out of a thinning advertisement budget, the organization wants to put fliers in schools. For that to happen, the word "Christmas" had to be removed.

Downtown Development Coordinator Michelle Sponseller said many people are unhappy with the change.

"We changed the name this year for the schools because we wanted to advertise in the school brochures and the schools have a list of words you can't use like Santa, Christmas and Nativity. So did a brochure for the schools and we took those words out."

The school system is obviously run by a bunch of PC picklewads.

Just wondering -- could the words "AntaSay" and "IstmasChray" be used? I bet the kids wouldn't mind.

Ohio School Employee Accused of Sex with Boy

(Union Township, Ohio) A 42-year-old employee of the West Clermont School District, Donna R. Hoffman, has been indicted on charges resulting from allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old Glen Este High School student.

The alleged month-long affair is not believed to have happened on school grounds. Hoffman faces one count of felony sexual battery.

Hoffman resigned her position when police notified the district that she was under investigation.

Chaos in Manila - Call for President Arroyo to Resign

(Manila, Philippines) About eight hours ago (11 AM Manila time), chaos erupted in a courtroom of the Makati City Hall after guards of Sen. Antonio Trillanes brandished guns at his court hearing and called for President Arroyo's resignation. Sen. Trillanes and a group of soldiers were on trial for an alleged 2003 coup plot.

Subsequently, ABS-CBN News reported the following sequence of events. Pretty exciting night, I'd say. All times are approximate.

11:30 AM - Brandishing guns, Sen. Trillanes, Army Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and his soldiers walked out of court and proceeded to storm the luxury Manila Peninsula Hotel while calling for the ouster of President Arroyo.

11:50 AM - National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales denounced Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and his renegade group of soldiers.

12:10 PM - Philippine National Police (PNP) placed on full alert.

12:50 PM - Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz joins the rebellion in support of Trillanes.

2:00 PM - Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said the government will end the crisis before day's end. Philippine Senate calls for a peaceful resolution.

2:40 PM - President Arroyo ordered the PNP to arrest rebel soldiers.

2:45 PM - Philippine military rushes 1,500 troops to Manila. Guests start evacuating the Manila Peninsula Hotel.

3:00 PM - Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said President Arroyo will not declare a state of emergency.

3:15 PM - Security forces of the military and police set to storm the Manila Peninsula Hotel to arrest renegade soldiers.

3:35 PM - Rebel soldiers refuse to accept arrest warrants. Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said he expects the worst to happen.

3:50 PM - Commanding General of the Philippine Army said his chain of command in intact and President Arroyo is the Armed Forces Commander in Chief.

3:58 PM - At least 50 Special Weapons and Tactics Commandos (SWAT) are poised to enter the Manila Peninsula Hotel.

4:06 PM - Warning shots fired by police in full-battle gear.

4:45 PM - United States reaffirms support for President Arroyo's government.

4:53 PM - Tear gas canisters fired into the Manila Peninsula Hotel lobby. Gunfire commences.

5:00 PM - Government troops scale hotel, lob tear gas.

5:05 PM - Full scale assault by government troops, volleys of gunfire heard.

5:11 PM - Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) rams through the main entrance to the hotel.

5:20 PM - Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Army Brig. Gen. Danny Lim decide to surrender.

6:20 PM - Sen. Trillanes was dragged out of the Manila Peninsula Hotel in handcuffs after surrendering to government troops. He was put on a waiting bus of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

"I will face [the charges]," the senator said, adding that his group decided to surrender out of concern of the safety of civilians and mediamen trapped with them in the hotel.

"Like I said before we are going out for the sake of the safety .... for your sake," he said referring to members of the media, civilians and employees of the hotel.

After Trillanes, former vice-president Teofisto Guingona and Army Brig. Gen. Danny Lim were also hauled into the same bus.

Notably and it's not clear why, some members of the media were also arrested.

In the category of government takeovers, I think this one pretty much sucked.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Nevada Teacher Tamburello Sentenced

(Fernley, Nevada) In March 2007, a former special-education teacher at Fernley Intermediate School, Kymberly Tamburello, was arraigned on charges of methamphetamine and marijuana possession and trafficking.

Tamburello was originally charged in October 2006 after a search by authorities found significant quantities of drugs in her home.

In a related case, Kymberly's husband, Charles Tamburello, pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine. In January 2007, he was sentenced to one to four years in the Nevada State Prison.

In October 2007, Tamburello pleaded guilty in the Third Judicial District Court in Yerington to trafficking methamphetamine. This week, she was sentenced.

Kymberly Tamburello, 44, appeared before the Third Judicial District Court in Yerington Monday where she received a sentence of one to four years in the Nevada State Prison.

She originally pleaded not guilty to four charges including use of meth and marijuana, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and trafficking meth. Following a plea agreement, she changed her plea and was arraigned solely on the trafficking charge in October.

Along with her sentence, which also includes court fees and a $2,000 fine, Tamburello also received a rare occurrence of probation not to exceed five years. Typically, trafficking in a controlled substance is a non-probation offense.

Third Judicial District Judge Robert Estes wished her luck.

Trial and Error at Rhode Island Hospital

(Providence, Rhode Island) Doctors at Rhode Island Hospital are having a run of bad luck. On three occasions in the past year, they have operated on the wrong side of a patient's head.

The most recent incident occurred Friday, Nov. 23. An 82-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, required an operation to stop bleeding between her brain and her skull.

"They started the operation on the wrong side [and] figured out that they were operating on the wrong side before they got too far into the operation," Dr. David Gifford of the Rhode Island Department of Health told "Good Morning America" today.

I'd suggest that the medical staff obtain a supply of magic markers and receive training in the proper scribbling of "Don't Cut Here" and "Cut Here."

Tip: slwlion

Cell Phone Explodes, Kills Man

(Cheongwon, South Korea) It's believed that a man found dead was killed by an exploding lithium-ion polymer battery in his cell phone.

A 33-year-old excavator driver was found dead on Wednesday in Cheongwon, North Chungcheong Province, after a suspected cell phone battery explosion, police said.

The man, identified only with his surname Seo, was found lying dead beside his excavator in a stone quarry in Cheongwon at 8:40 a.m. by his colleagues. His cell phone was found in his shirt pocket with its battery severely melted and his chest burned and fractured, the police said. [ ... ]

Doctors said that an explosion killed the man. "He arrived dead at the emergency room," Kim Hun, a doctor of Chungbuk National University Hospital, was quoted as saying by Kookmin Ilbo.

"There were burns on his left chest, and fractures of his ribs and spine as well as hemorrhaging in the lungs. Considering all these factors, it seems that high pressure from an explosion damaged his lungs and heart, leading to his death."

The manufacturers of the phone and the battery have not been named pending further investigation. Reportedly, they dispute that it was a battery explosion that caused the death.

Save the Mississippi Gopher Frog

(Jackson, Mississippi) Once plentiful on the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi gopher frog now resides only in three south Mississippi ponds.

Considered endangered, the frog is black, brown or gray in color and about three inches long. The dwindling population of frogs is being blamed partly on political corruption in the Bush administration.

According to a lawsuit filed by The Center for Biological Diversity, the Bush administration has failed to provide protection for the slimy, little amphibians. Biodiversity advocate Will Hodges accused the Interior Department of being "downright hostile to wildlife" while policy director Kieran Suckling said the government has no plan to save the gopher frog.

Also included in the lawsuit are the Santa Ana Sucker, the Mexican garter snake, the Spikedace, loach minnows and the fluvial arctic grayling.

Tennessee Woman Accused of Raping Boy

(Johnson City, Tennessee) A 31-year-old local woman, Robyn J. Casey, was arrested yesterday for allegedly engaging in sex with a 16-year-old boy who is an acquaintance of Casey's family.

Casey has been charged with 13 counts of aggravated statutory rape and five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Investigators say Casey admitted having sexual intercourse with the 16 year old boy at least seven times from October 27th to November 18th. Casey also told authorities she gave the minor cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Mrs. Casey was booked into custody at the Washington County Detention Center with bond set at $655,000.

Florida Teacher Popped for Oxycodone, Marijuana

(Coral Springs, Florida) A 32-year-old eighth-grade teacher at Westglades Middle School, Rachel Von Hagen, was arrested Saturday on drug charges after police were called to the Camilla Day Spa to investigate a possible theft attempt.

Von Hagen's purse was open and several hair products were "in plain view," according to the report. She told police she planned on paying for them.

But when police went into the bag to fetch the hair products they found, "floating around in her sunglass case," four blue pills they identified as the narcotic painkiller Oxycodone, 11 grams of marijuana and a pipe, the report said.

Von Hagen did not have a prescription for Oxycodone, according to the report.

Police arrested Von Hagen on charges of possession of a controlled substance, a felony, and misdemeanor marijuana and drug paraphernalia offenses.

Von Hagen was booked and released Sunday on $1,000 bond. The Broward County School District has reassigned Von Hagen away from students pending the outcome of the investigation.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Florida Teacher Sentenced in Sex Case

(Coral Springs, Florida) In December 2006, a substitute teacher at Country Hills Elementary School, Deborah Ann Reeder, was arrested by Coral Springs Police for engaging in sex with a 17-year-old boy, her son's best friend. Reeder was charged with four counts of unlawful sex with an underage youth.

On Monday, 46-year-old Reeder pleaded no contest to three counts of felony child abuse in accordance with an agreement with the prosecution. The mother-of-three was sentenced to 30 months house arrest and 12 years probation.

In a negotiated plea deal, Reeder agreed to plead to the reduced charges, third-degree felonies which each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

She will not be deemed a sexual offender but must complete a sex-offender treatment program.

During her first 18 months of house arrest, Reeder must wear an electronic ankle bracelet. She also must complete 150 hours of community service and is not allowed unsupervised contact with boyes (sic) between the ages of 14 and 17.

The son's best friend, eh?

Tip: Don Morgenstern

California Teacher Guilty of Sex with Boy

(Cuyama, California) In May 2007, a 29-year-old teacher and cheerleading coach, Kelli Jo Camp, was arrested for allegedly engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a 17-year-old male student. Investigators found evidence of the relationship in love letters, emails and photos.

In the latest development,

A former local substitute teacher and cheerleading coach will not fight the allegation that she had unlawful sexual intercourse with one of her students, a 17-year-old boy.

Kelli Jo Camp, 29, pleaded no contest Wednesday, said Deputy District Attorney Brandon Jebens, the prosecutor on the case, and is due back in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria for sentencing Friday.

She will be sentenced to 365 days in county jail and five years probation, Jebens said.

A grand theft charge which alleged that Camp stole $400 from the Orcutt School District was dismissed on the condition that restitution is paid.

Camp admitted to having engaged in sex with the boy at her home. Camp's status regarding sex offender registration will be addressed at the sentencing hearing.

Tacoma Man, Woman Guilty of Child Rape

(Tacoma, Washington) Back in 2006, retired police officer Lee William Giles Jr. and his girlfriend, Maureen Elizabeth "Mo" Wear, were charged with multiple counts of child rape for sexually abusing three children, one a relative, over a period of years. The abuse was described as systematic.

 
Lee William Giles Jr. & Maureen Elizabeth Wear
Yesterday, Giles and Wear each pleaded guilty to child rape, child molestation and assault of a child.

Lee William Giles Jr., 62, and Maureen Elizabeth Wear, 47, face more than 19 years in prison under the pleas they entered before Pierce County Superior Court Judge Bryan E. Chushcoff.

Each pleaded guilty to first-degree child rape, second-degree child rape, first-degree child molestation and third-degree assault of a child. Giles is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 4 and Wear a week earlier.

Under their plea agreements, neither may be released from prison until a sentencing review board determines that he or she is no longer a threat to society, Deputy Prosecutor John M. Sheeran said.

Giles, who frequently visited schools and appeared on television and radio during a 30-year police career that ended in 2000, was arrested in August 2006 after a young relative of Wear told authorities the officer had raped and molested him for years.

Detectives also wrote in court documents that they found videotapes showing Giles and Wear raping and molesting the boy, described as developmentally disabled, and molesting two girls related to Giles. The three ranged in age from 3 to 16 at the time of the abuse, according to the court filings.

Sick.


[Update 01/28/08]

Both Giles and Wear were sentenced to 20 years in prison.

NY Woman Accused of Sex with Boy

(Ballston Spa, New York) A 43-year-old local woman, Anna M. Schworm, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy. According to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Department, Schworm was charged with third-degree rape.

If convicted of the charge, Schworm faces a possible four years in prison, according to the news report.

I don't think so. She'll likely get no more than probation.

Of course, if she were residing in Saudi Arabia, Schworm would likely get 10 years in prison and 500 lashes.

Mom Gets Probation for Explicit Sex Talk to Sons

(Portage, Wisconsin) A 36-year-old Pardeeville mother, Amy J. Smalley, pleaded no contest this past week to a misdemeanor charge of exposing a child to harmful material in accordance with a plea agreement.

In exchange, a felony charge of exposing a child to harmful descriptions was dropped.

According to the charges filed against her, Smalley last year told her sons about several sexual experiences she had. She also allegedly described performing oral sex and also showed the two a sex toy.

"That is what I'm being charged with, but that is not what I did," Smalley said. "I believe I'm not guilty."

Charges were initially filed against Smalley when one of her boys told authorities that he did not think her sex discussions were appropriate.

Despite her denials, Smalley took the plea deal to avoid a possible felony conviction in a trial. The deal also spared her sons, ages 12 and 16, from testifying.

Columbia County Circuit Court Judge James Miller sentenced Smalley to a year of probation and counseling per the recommendations of Prosecutor Crystal Long.

Tip: Mr. Anonymous

Female Sex Tourists in Africa

(Mombasa, Kenya) No need to call Interpol. The thriving sex tourism business operating in East Africa is legal. Rich, older white women are being served, serviced and pampered by young black men.

"It's not evil," said Jake Grieves-Cook, chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board, when asked about the practice of older rich women traveling for sex with young Kenyan men.

"But it's certainly something we frown upon."

Also, the health risks are stark in a country with an AIDS prevalence of 6.9 percent. Although condom use can only be guessed at, Julia Davidson, an academic at Nottingham University who writes on sex tourism, said that in the course of her research she had met women who shunned condoms -- finding them too "businesslike" for their exotic fantasies.

Despite the risk, the trade continues. And the practice in East Africa is not uncommon since the female sex tourism business is established in many locations throughout the world.

The primary destinations for female sex tourism are Southern Europe (mainly Italy, Greece, Turkey, Croatia and Spain), the Caribbean (led by Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic), Southeast Asia (Bali in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand), Ghana and Kenya in Africa. Lesser destinations include Nepal, Morocco, Fiji, Ecuador and Costa Rica.

Although exact figures are unknown, it's estimated that hundreds of thousands of North American and European female sex tourists are spending millions of dollars to fill their gaping vacation desires.

Tip: slwlion

Ghost Youths Burn French Burbs

(Paris, France) There has been a spike in violence by the troublesome generic, nondescript youths in France. Reportedly, two unnamed youths were killed in a crash between a motorbike and a police car. The deaths sparked a flare-up of violence by gangs of youths.

A police station, two garages, a petrol pump, two shops and a railway station were torched. At least 30 cars were set ablaze and 25 policemen and one firefighter were injured. The youths were using guns against the police.

Suspects in the criminal activity are being sought. They are described as youths. No names, no identifiable features, no recognizable clothing, they are just youths. They show up from nowhere, destroy property and attack people, then disappear back to nowhere.

Anyone with information about the youths is asked to call Sgt. Schulz at 01-999-ISEE-NOTHING.

India Bombings - "This Is War for Civilization"

(New Delhi, India) Last week's near simultaneous bombings of three courthouses in the state of Uttar Pradesh was followed by an email minutes afterward to several national television stations.

The email was sent by a newly named or formed group called the Indian Mujahideen and mailed from an address (guru_alHindi@yahoo.fr) that was created for the purpose of the message alone. The message was a listing of complaints which "forced us to take strong stand against this injustice and all other wounds given by the idol worshipers of India."

Even more interesting are the concluding statements in the email.

"This is not the war between two communities, but this is war for civilisation. We want to empower the society from injustice, corruption etc. which is prevailing in the society nowadays. Only Islam has the power to establish a civilised society and this could be only possible in Islamic rule, which could be achieved by only one path JIHAD [sic.]."

In summary, Islam's terrorists bomb three courthouses, killing at least 13 and wounding scores, and send out an email saying that jihad is the only path to civilized society.

What's much more interesting, though, is that the bombings and the message afterward are not in any manner related to the U.S. nor Israel nor Britain nor Australia. In fact, the terrorist acts don't appear to have been even remotely linked to any Christians nor Jews nor George Bush nor Iraq. The terrorism was directed toward the Hindu population of Uttar Pradesh.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Woman Gets Prison for "Illegally" Claiming Christianity

(Cairo, Egypt) Here's a sad, but unsurprising, religion of peace news story. An Egyptian Christian woman has been sentenced to three years in prison for "illegally" stating that she is a Christian.

Shadia Nagui Ibrahim, 47, was charged with "fraud" because her father's brief conversion to Islam 45 years ago made her legally a Muslim. However her official papers claim she is Christian, said her lawyer Michael Maurice.

In a statement released by French news agency AFP he said she wrote Christianity as her religion on her marriage certificate in 1982, because she was "unaware" that her father's conversion to Islam two decades earlier had made her "a Muslim".

Her father, Nagui Ibrahim, left home in 1962 when daughter Shadia was two years old, converted to Islam and took on the Muslim name Mustafa. Three years later he reconciled with his wife and re-converted to Christianity. In the process, he reportedly got someone to forge his documents back to say he was Christian. [ ... ]

In 1996, the man who forged Ibrahim's documents was reportedly detained for falsifying dozens of documents and confessed to changing Ibrahim's papers. Authorities detained Ibrahim and also informed his daughter that on paper, Ibrahim was still a Muslim and therefore so was she, AFP said.

Since Egyptian children automatically take their father's religion, Shadia Nagui Ibrahim was charged with "providing false information on official documents" for stating she was Christian on her marriage certificate in 1982 even though she apparently didn't even know until 1996 that she wasn't supposed to do that.

In a nutshell, Shadia Nagui Ibrahim is prosecuted in 2007 for her entry on a piece of paper in 1982 indicating that she is a Christian and, as a result, she was sentenced to three years in prison.

Purse-Snatcher Gets Finger in Drive-By

(Lawrenceville, Georgia) A 21-year-old suspected dirtbag, Caesare R. Pinkins, was arrested last Wednesday for allegedly doing a drive-by purse-snatching which ripped a lady's finger clean off.

Police said that on Wednesday afternoon, the woman was in the parking lot of a Kroger's grocery store in Lilburn, Ga. Lilburn is about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Police said Pinkins drove past up to the woman, grabbed the purse, and stepped on the gas.

Gwinnett police Cpl. Illana Spellman said, "As the suspect drove away, one of the victim's fingers was pulled off."

Doctors were unable to reattach the woman's finger.

Pinkins faces multiple counts of robbery and aggravated battery. He also faces charges from a previous purse-snatching.

Chinese Automaker Outsources to Mexico

(Mexico City) One must wonder whether the average Chinese autoworker is upset about the outsourcing of manufacturing to Mexico.

Leading car-maker, China First Automobile Works Group, has announced plans to build a factory in Mexico. FAW is hoping the new plant will help them profit from a growing middle-class market in the country. Mexico is one of the world's most prolific vehicle producers, and is already home to plants set up by major auto makers from all over the world.

China First Automobile Works Group is working with Mexico's GrupoSalinas to build a factory in the city of Morelia. It's the first Chinese auto plant in Mexico. On Friday, representatives from both companies attended a foundation stone laying ceremony.

It's estimated that the plant will produce 100,000 cars annually by 2010 with a retail price as low as $6,280. Presumably, coordinated Chinese/Mexican requirements for emissions controls and CAFE standards were deep-sixed worked out beforehand.

Mexican Kids to Get Fortified Coffee

I have no idea what to make of this report.

Next year, children in Chiapas will be able to get the popular drink fortified with iron and folic acid. Working with the local government, Houston-based Voyava Republic and Mexican coffee cooperative La Selva are marketing fortified organic coffee to combat anemia and aid women's health.

They plan to hand out the drink to elementary school students.

My question is how do you know if the kid has ADHD if he's hopped up on caffeine?

Monkey Meat Case

(New York City) A 39-year-old female immigrant from West Africa, Mamie Manneh, faces charges of meat smuggling.

Apparently, Manneh was found to be the recipient of 12 boxes from Guinea identified on flight manifests as containing dresses and smoked fish. However,

[S]tashed underneath the smoked fish, the inspectors found what West Africans refer to as bushmeat: "skulls, limbs and torsos of non-human primate species" plus the hoof and leg of a small antelope, according to court papers.

Also, a search of Manneh's home found "a tiny, hairy arm hidden in her garage."

"Monkey," she explained, claiming the arm was sent to her out of the blue "as a gift from God in heaven."

West African immigrants reportedly associate consumption of monkey meat with religious occasions. Baptisms, Easter, Christmas are all celebrated by eating monkey. The immigrants claim, "We eat bushmeat for our souls."

Unfortunately, it's against the law in the United States for a variety of reasons. Harvesting bushmeat kills protected species and there are potential health risks from "diseases like Lassa fever, Ebola, HIV, SARS and monkeypox."

Manneh's case is pending in federal court and, if convicted, she faces a possible five years in prison and deportation.

By the way, how come the PETA crowd isn't loudly on this case? Eating monkey has got to be breaking all the animal rights rules.

Tip: slwlion

Naughty Photos on Teacher's Phone

(Upper Norwood, England) A 39-year-old teacher at the Roman Catholic St. Joseph's College, Kiran Sohanpaul, loaned her cell phone, containing explicit pictures, to a student.

The boy found the nude pictures after the teacher lent him her phone to listen to a song.

The picture apparently shows the 39-year-old lying naked on a bed.

Astonished pupils also found a full-frontal photo of the sixth-form deputy head Peter Cook.

The photo of the 38-year-old dad-of-two, who is believed to have a long-term partner, shows him naked and is thought to have been taken on a school trip.

Notably, the picture of Peter Cook is identifiable by "a tattoo above his crotch."

The school is investigating the situation and will handle the matter through "normal procedures."

Companion post at Conservative Thinking.

Woman Stuffs Baby in Toilet Tank

(Marlin, Texas) A 24-year-old guard at the Falls County Jail, Khaliliha Baucom, was arrested for abuse of a corpse after police learned that she had given birth in a motel and stuffed the baby's body in the tank of a toilet.

Marlin police Detective Sgt. Michael Baker said he hopes to increase the charges against Khaliliha Baucom to capital murder for the April incident.

Baker said Baucom, of Lott, gave birth to the child by herself in the bathtub of the Relax Inn in Marlin. Baker said "she had run her boyfriend off" that night. He has fathered some of her other children, he said.

Baucom, he said, was taken by ambulance that night from the motel to Falls County Community Hospital after she was complaining of bleeding and stomach pain.

She was airlifted to a Waco hospital for an emergency C-section, but no baby was found, he said.

Baucom was booked into custody at the Falls County Jail and released on $2,500 bond.

Italian Porn Star Teacher Suspended

(Rome, Italy) Known as the "Porno Prof" in Italy, Anna Ciriani has been suspended from her teaching position.

An Italian teacher has been suspended from school because of her extra-curricular activities as a porn star, local authorities announced Thursday.

The out-of-hours behavior of Anna Ciriani, who calls herself "Madameweb" in hard-core videos on the Internet and at erotic shows, was "not compatible with educational activity," the head of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia education authority said.

Ciriani, dubbed the "porno-prof" by Italy's main newspapers, said she never let her hobby get in the way of her teaching.

"My behavior at school has always been professional and irreproachable," she was quoted as saying by the AGI agency.

"I am a normal woman, with my family and my work as a teacher. I am (also) looking for transgression and sex."

Just a normal woman who teaches school and performs in hardcore porn movies. Ciriani wasn't mixing it up with the students, she was simply moonlighting. For that, she's suspended.

China Orders Hotels to Stock Condoms

(Beijing, China) The Chinese State Council last year "urged" local governments to provide condoms in all public places. Today, the city of Beijing ordered all hotel rooms to be stocked with condoms.

Beijing, preparing to host the 2008 Olympics, has ordered hotels to provide condoms in all bedrooms in a bid to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS after cases of infection soared 54 per cent in the first 10 months of this year.

For the ChiComs to admit a problem with HIV/AIDS is significant since one can reasonably assume that the infection problem is likely much larger than reported. Remember, the information is being provided by communists.

On a related subject, I'm curious about whether Chinese hotels have bedbugs. Long considered eradicated in the U.S., a resurgence of bedbugs is now being experienced in American hotels after being introduced by international travelers.

The intriguing mystery to me is whether the blood-sucking insects can feast on an HIV-infected person one night and transmit the virus to a new host on a subsequent night. If so, condoms won't help.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Babysitter Arrested for Child Endangering

(Cincinnati, Ohio) A local woman, Yvonne Hardin, abandoned three children for at least 30 minutes when she was supposed to be babysitting and was arrested for child endangering.

Police arrested Yvonne Hardin on Tuesday after a maintenance manager doing inspections found two 4-year-old children and a 1-year-old child alone in an apartment.

Hardin has been charged with three counts of child endangerment.

Cocaine Use in Europe Rising

(Brussels, Belgium) According to a report issued yesterday, cocaine use by Europeans has increased dramatically and more users are seeking treatment.

An estimated 4.5 million Europeans are likely to have used cocaine in the last year -- up from 3.5 million a year ago -- while seizures of the drug have soared by almost half over 12 months.

Almost a quarter of demands for treatment among Europeans who use illicit drugs do so for problems caused by the white powder.

Four hundred cocaine-related deaths were recorded in 2005.

"The new data confirms cocaine's place as Europe's stimulant drug of choice and as its second most commonly used illicit drug after cannabis," the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction said.

The coke enters Europe primarily through Spain and Portugal from South America, sometimes via West Africa. Drug seizures have increased significantly in Spain and Portugal even while the street price has dropped. A gram currently sells for about 60 euros, half of what it used to be.

Woman Arrested for Stealing Donations

(Sevierville, Tennessee) A 22-year-old Knoxville woman, Katrina S. Kinzle, has been arrested for allegedly stealing donation jars from various businesses in the area.

Kinzle faces charges of criminal impersonation and misdemeanor theft. She was arrested after the public assisted in identifying her from a surveillance tape.

Kinzle was booked into custody at the Sevier County Jail.

EU Census to Ask Sex Questions

Besides gathering data about population and housing, the European Commission plans to ask all women who they have sex with. Some people are outraged.

The information the Commission wants to be allowed to gather includes information on the "consensual unions" of all women in the EU.

The contentious question, set out in a draft of what would go to each household every ten years, demands "Date(s) of the beginning of the consensual union(s) of women having ever been in consensual union: (i) first consensual union and (ii) current consensual union."

I imagine most women would be reluctant to document who they boffed, especially since men aren't asked the same question.

Teacher Pinched for DUI with Child in Car

(Tampa, Florida) A 40-year-old 5th-grade teacher at Yates Elementary School, Catharine Wind, was arrested last Sunday for driving under the influence with her three-year-old son in the car.

According to an arrest affidavit, deputies arrested Wind about 4:45 p.m. Sunday after noticing her "swerving all over Falkenburg Road." When she stopped, she drove up onto a sidewalk, the affidavit states.

The level of alcohol in Wind's breath registered at .20, the affidavit states.Under Florida law, a person is presumed intoxicated at a level of .08.

Wind was booked and released on $500 bail.

Atlanta Megachurch Sex Scandal

(Decatur, Georgia) In suburban Atlanta a few Sundays ago, Archbishop Earl Pearly Paulk, Jr. of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church revealed to the flock that he slept with his brother's wife and fathered a child by her.

Additionally, the child born didn't know that Earl Paulk was his true father until 34 years had elapsed. Donnie Earl (D.E.) Paulk thought Earl was his uncle and so did everyone else.

"I am so very sorry for the collateral damage it's caused our family and the families hurt by the removing of the veil that hid our humanity and our sinfulness," said D.E. Paulk, who received the mantle of head pastor a year and a half ago.

D.E. Paulk said he did not learn the secret of his parentage until the paternity test. "I was disappointed, and I was surprised," he said.

The paternity test was ordered by a judge at the request of the Cobb County DA and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in a case alleging perjury and false-swearing by Earl Paulk. A former church worker sued the archbishop for manipulating her to have sex with him to achieve her salvation. Paulk admitted to the sex but also said under oath that it was the only time he had sex outside his marriage. The paternity test proved otherwise.

Started in 1960 in an Atlanta neighborhood, the church grew to 10,000 members in the 1990s worshipping on a 100-acre estate with "a collection of buildings surrounding a neo-Gothic cathedral." The membership paid for a worldwide television ministry, a Bible college and two schools.

However, the sex scandals and lawsuits, involving most prominently Cindy Hall, Mona Brewer, Tricia Weeks and Jessica Battle, have taken a mighty toll on the congregation and members now number about 1,500. Gone are the Bible college and the TV ministry.

Most blame rests on the shoulders of Archbishop Earl Pearly Paulk, Jr. for repeatedly not being able to resist the temptations of the flesh. In that regard, this lofty man of God is pretty much just the average Joe.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

Missouri Teacher Accused of Sex with Boy

(Jefferson County, Missouri) A 28-year-old substitute teacher at the Northwest R-1 School District, Amanda Miner, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with a 16-year-old male student.

Miner is charged with one count each of statutory sodomy and statutory rape.

The male high school student, 16, alleged he had sex with Miner on three occasions at her home earlier this fall. He said Miner invited him over to play video games, and that the two later would have sex.

Miner was not the boy's teacher, school officials said. They believe the two met outside school grounds.

Miner was booked and released on $25,000.

Tip: greggmkay


[Update 06/03/08]

Jefferson County prosecutors have dismissed charges against Amanda Miner. Inconsistencies in information provided by witnesses in the case were cited.

Tax Money Shell Game

Follow me through on this. It's an exercise in following the money regarding a report in the Seattle Times.

1) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a part of the Bush administration, oversees the operation of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford nuclear facility, also part of the Bush administration, and finds some violations of landfill requirements.

2) The EPA fines the DOE $285,000 plus the cost of emergency-response boats for Benton County and a greenhouse and nursery to aid habitat restoration.

3) The DOE pays the fine and buys boats, a greenhouse and a nursery with funds from its budget out of taxpayer funds authorized by Congress.

4) The EPA deposits the $285,000 fine payment into general funds of the U.S. Treasury.

5) The DOE submits future budget with increases sufficient to cover costs of the $285,000 fine assessed plus the boats, greenhouse and nursery.

6) Congress authorizes disbursement of new DOE budget funds from the U.S. Treasury.

7) DOE gets $285,000 back from the U.S. Treasury plus it get funds to cover the cost of the boats, greenhouse and nursery.

8) In summary, EPA tells DOE to surrender funds and buy stuff for the local community. DOE complies. EPA deposits funds in Treasury. DOE gets approved to take funds from Treasury. DOE gets money returned plus the cost of stuff for the local community.

9) To wrap up, the EPA is out no money and the DOE is out no money, however, the taxpayer picked up the tab for new boats, a greenhouse and a nursery.

If in error, please correct my logic.

All in all, it appears that there are no losers in the mix except for the taxpayers. Undoubtedly, the winners in the whole episode are the folks cruising in new boats and enjoying the flowers, ornamental shrubbery, medicinal herbs and other plants grown in the greenhouse and nursery.

Frankly, the next time the EPA has a hard spot with the DOE, considerable hassle would be eliminated if the Benton County Boats and Plants Department was paid directly from the U.S. Treasury.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.

Infant Raped and Killed

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) A 10-month-old baby, Daniyah Jackson, died last Saturday after allegedly being beaten and sexually assaulted by her mother's live-in boyfriend, Clinton Smith. Abdominal injuries were the primary cause of death which has been ruled a homicide.

Clinton Smith, 30, is in the Allegheny County Jail without bond on charges including aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, rape and endangering a child, according to a court documents.

On Monday, Smith was also charged with homicide.

Notably, Smith has a history of being abusive. He awaits trial on a June 2007 charge for assault. In a September 2006 case, Smith was accused of attacking a former lover and her daughter by him.

Teacher Rossi Sentenced to Jail

(San Bernardino, California) In March 2007, a former middle school teacher, Michelle Antoinette Rossi, was arrested for allegedly engaging in a year-long inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old female student.

The molestation occurred between September 1998 and August 1999, when Rossi was an Arrowview Middle School math teacher and the student was 14 and 15, according to court records.

The former student alerted San Bernardino investigators of the inappropriate relationship and Orange County deputies made the arrest. Rossi was charged with 12 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

Last month, Rossi pleaded no contest to two counts of lewd acts on a child in accordance with a plea deal. In exchange, the prosecution dropped 10 other counts of lewd and lascivious acts.

Yesterday in San Bernardino Superior Court, the victim (name withheld) tearfully made a statement during which she called Rossi a pervert.

"You lied to me because I'm so meaningless to you," the woman sobbed. "I will never, ever be rid of you."

Subsequently, Rossi was formally sentenced to 180 days in the county jail and five years probation by Judge James Dorr. She loses her teaching credentials and must register as a sex offender for life.

According to the sentencing report, Rossi has moved on with her life after leaving teaching and now works as a housekeeper for $400 per month.

Tip: Don Morgenstern

People vs. Endangered Species in Georgia

With the drought in the southeast U.S., a competition for the available water in Georgia has emerged among endangered wildlife, nuclear power plants and the people of Atlanta.

Much of the drinking water for greater Atlanta's 3.8 million residents comes from Lake Lanier, a huge reservoir north of Atlanta and one of five built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers along the Chattahoochee River system.

As it flows south, the Chattahoochee feeds into the Apalachicola River in North Florida, home of the fat threeridge and purple bankclimber mussels, the former of which is "endangered," and the latter "threatened."

In recent months, despite Atlanta's dwindling water supplies, the corps has had to release enormous amounts of water into the Chattahoochee-Apalachicola system to protect the mussels. But at the end of last week, on 16 November, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled that the Army can cut back on the amount of Lake Lanier water it's diverting to save the small-fry, in effect preserving water for Atlanta.

Georgians are elated but Floridians are upset. Atlanta is guaranteed to have drinking water for a while but Florida's seafood industry is at risk since it depends on Chattahoochee River water. So far, the power plants on the river haven't been impacted but they may have to power down if river flow decreases too low.

I've been pondering the question of what would happen if the drought continues. Specifically, how many people are willing to sacrifice human lives in Atlanta for the sake of the endangered fat threeridge mussel? Or the threatened purple bankclimber mussel? Being somewhat familiar with the fanaticism of animal rights advocates, I'd say quite a few.

Of course, this whole subject becomes moot if it rains, a lot. And although you wouldn't want to wish it on anyone, what Georgia could use is a hurricane.

Ohio Man Nabbed for Raping Woman, 94

(Newark, Ohio) A 49-year-old local man, Fred C. Hottinger, was arrested early Saturday morning for assaulting and raping a 94-year-old woman.

The victim told police that a man knocked on the front door of her Thomas Avenue residence and asked to use the phone because he had car trouble.

The victim was taken to Licking Memorial Hospital after the incident. The police report describes the victim's injury as a severe laceration.

Hottinger faces counts of felonious assault, attempted rape, gross sexual imposition and aggravated burglary. He was booked into custody at the Licking County Justice Center with bond set at $250,000.

In my opinion, the rape of a 94-year-old woman could reasonably be considered a life-threatening assault and, logically, attempted homicide.

Florida Mom Arrested for Neglect

(Sanford, Florida) A 26-year-old local mother, Harriet Moore, has been arrested on five counts of child neglect after Sanford Police found unsupervised children in her home.

The home was found to be filthy, "filled with dirty diapers, crab shells, knives, propane tanks and cannabis."

Police were alerted to the situation after a 911 hang-up call from the Moore household. A representative from the Sanford Housing Authority let officers inside the home. They discovered trash and items inappropriate for children strewn throughout.

The children, who ranged in age from 1 to 11, were left alone for at least 40 minutes before Moore returned home, police said.

Moore told police that she was absent from the home for about 10 minutes to look at a new house she is planning to move into, the report said. Moore said her mother had been watching the children, according to police.

The Department of Children and Families took custody of the children.

Forced Foreigner Fingerprinting

Far from fine say the protesters inflating a 10-foot high extended forefinger aimed at the Japanese Justice Ministry offices in Tokyo.

New immigration law requires all foreigners to be fingerprinted and photographed to gain entry into Japan and the policy has prompted human rights groups, labor unions and foreigners' representatives to demonstrate.

"It's an expression of Japanese xenophobia. Japan is using this system as a tool to control foreigners. For the past few years, the government has been associating foreigners with things like crime and terrorism," said Sonoko Kawakami, campaign coordinator for Amnesty International Japan, which organized Tuesday's demonstration.

Officials of the Justice Ministry and Immigration Bureau are unfazed by the protests, asserting that Japan's lawmakers approved the law based on necessity.

The new system is aimed at fighting terrorism and the information collected will be handled in accordance with the Private Information Protection Law, officials say.

According to MDN, Japan is the second country in the world to institute blanket fingerprinting of foreigners entering the country, following the United States.

The inflatable finger is interesting but, as a symbol of protest, I'm curious about why they didn't use a different finger.

San Francisco Bans Plastic Bags

According to a new city ordinance, grocery stores and pharmacies in San Francisco are required to only offer bags made of corn, potato starch or recycled paper. Plastic bags have been banned by the San Francisco Board of Social Engineers Supervisors.

Now wait a minute! Didn't plastic bags get shoved down the public's throat because paper bags were made from trees? So, everyone was forced to use plastic bags and here we are, a few years later, with an "Oops!" Shouldn't some jello-brained eco-know-it-all come out with a public apology? "I'm sorry for being an arrogant glute," would be nice to hear.

But I'm not holding my breath because the previous eco-know-it-all social engineer is likely a guy who authored other "Oops!" and maybe the most recent scheme.

It would be nice if the public learned that liberal social engineering schemes are frequently followed by an unspoken "Oops!"

By the way, my favorite "Oops!" story is the time Congress passed a steal-from-the-rich tax on boats and airplanes. As I recall, it was a 20 percent luxury sales tax. As a result, airplane and boat manufacturing in the United States came to a halt. Congress got the word quick and, in a late-night session, the luxury tax on boats and airplanes was removed. An "Oops!" for sure.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't give an honorable mention to eco-know-it-all Sheryl "Single-Square" Crow for her grand scheme on the use of toilet tissue. How's that working out for you, Sheryl?

With regard to the bags made of corn or potatoes, who knows what kind of unforeseen circumstances will result? One thing is certain, though, tinkering in the marketplace with unnecessary government regulation always results in increased prices.

Companion post at Conservative Thinking.

Jawa Report Exposes Bad Guy

Some readers may recall the name Bilal Hussein, a stringer photojournalist for the Associated Press, who was able to get up close and personal with al Qaeda in Iraq fighters even though those same fighters routinely murdered reporters and photographers. The AP ultimately won a Pulitzer Prize with the war reports featuring Hussein's photos.

In the latest development, Hussein now faces criminal charges for being too "up close and personal" with a terrorist organization. And, The Jawa Report played a part. According to Rusty Shackleford:

Apparently Bilal Hussein had been picked up in a raid in which he wasn't the target. That target was a known al Qaeda operative, Hamid Hamad Motib, and bomb making materials were found in the house.

Hussein was arrested and taken to Abu Ghraib, but no one knew who he was. Just another low-level insurgent, I'm guessing.

He had been sitting in Abu Ghraib for a month, and nobody realized that he was the AP photog who had snapped dozens of staged photos with al Qaeda fighters. The reader was in Abu Ghraib as an investigator working on an unrelated case when he saw Bilal Hussein and recognized him from the extensive coverage we had on The Jawa Report.

He reported it up the chain of command and within days Bilal Hussein was transferred to a different facility, NCIS got involved, and eventually a criminal investigation opened on him.

Congratulations to The Jawa Report! By extension, the entire anti-jihadist blogosphere should share the warmth of success.

Acting predictably, the AP is hunkering down and defending its implicated propagandist photographer. An AP attorney said yesterday that the U.S. military plans a "sham on due process."

As an aside, I can't help but recall Jordan Eason's admission that, as CNN Baghdad bureau chief, he couldn't tell the truth because then Saddam Hussein wouldn't have allowed any stories at all to be reported.

In summary, by doing the job the regular American mainstream media don't do, a blog has helped expose a terrorist sympathizer working for the AP. As a result, don't expect the MSM to provide accurate coverage of the story, at least not in the short run.

Lastly, kudos to Rusty Shackleford and The Jawa Report. Go visit for the entire story.

Muslim Marries Own Daughter per Allah's Instructions

(Jalpaiguri, India) A 36-year-old man, Afazuddin Ali, claims he was carrying out divine instructions from Allah when he impregnated and married his 15-year-old daughter.

Time of India:

Villagers of Kasiajhora found out about Afazuddin Ali's wedding when one of them found the girl showing pregnancy's swelling signs.

The sordid drama of what happened, however, unfolded on Monday when Ali was produced in court. When Ali, a daily labourer who has three daughters and two sons moved to marry his eldest girl child, his wife naturally was aghast and protested madly.

To placate Sakina, he told her he was only carrying out Allah's instructions and the family would be rewarded. The poor, illiterate woman saw no reason to doubt her husband's heinous act.

"He is a religious person and will never lie taking Allah's name," she said on Monday.

Villagers mobbed his house when the news got out and Ali had to be rescued by the police. He appeared in court and was released because the "police had filed the wrong charges."

Police said they would try to bring new charges against him.

"This is a very strange case as no one in the family has complained, but we will conduct medical tests to verify the girl's exact age, before filing a strong case against her father," said Ravinder Jit Singh Nalwa, a senior police officer.

I was feeling extra tolerant today until I read this story. Where are my diversity pills?

New Media vs. Old Media

With flair, Tom Blumer of BizzyBlog takes the Cleveland PD's Dick Feagler to the woodshed and nails him.

It's well worth any reader's time to visit.

Rude Golfer Faces Deportation

It's illuminating to learn what nations, other than the U.S., consider to be acceptable behavior by foreign nationals in their borders. The Philippines are quite different from the United States. A foreign national faces deportation for being rude in a golf game.

(Kidapawan City, Philippines) A South Korean golfer, Young Youn Yun, became upset with slow play by the group ahead of him at the Davao City Golf Club, so he hit a ball at them. The ball landed close to Filipino golfer Gary Santiago who was the target of Young's angry shouting.

When confronted by Santiago amid several people that included Vice Governor Pinol, the South Korean arrogantly shouted at the Filipino golfer and later vented his ire on Pinol when he was reminded not to shout at Filipinos.

Apparently, it's extremely bad manners for a foreigner to shout at a Filipino so Vice Governor Pinol whacked Young with his putter as several other Filipinos pinned him to the ground.

As a result, Young filed charges against Vice Governor Manny Pinol and Gary Santiago but there's little chance of prosecution since everyone has been insulted by him.

Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte expressed support for his buddies, Pinol and Santiago, and called for Young's deportation because of his arrogance and for insulting Philippine citizens.

"No foreigner has the right to insult a Filipino in his own country," Duterte said.

Mayor Duterte ordered Young to be kicked out of Davao City and called the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) seeking immediate summary deportation proceedings against the South Korean.

Companion post at Diggers Realm.

Three Young Boys Accused of Raping Girl, 11

(Acworth, Georgia) Three boys, ages 8, 9 and 9, have been charged with rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment and sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl.

The alleged attack happened Thursday and the girl's mother reported it to authorities Sunday, Acworth police Capt. Wayne Dennard said.

"The juvenile victim stated that an 8-year-old boy and two 9-year-old boys that she had been playing with earlier pulled her into a wooded area, where one of the boys raped her," Dennard said.

The boys are in a youth detention center. The father of one of the boys said he believes the girl made up the story. The girl was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, checked by doctors and allowed to return home.

Sickening!

Tip: slwlion

UK Lesbian Soldier Sent Topless Photos

(Leeds, England) As reported previously, lesbian Lance Bombadier Kerry Fletcher, 31, is suing the Ministry of Defense at an employment tribunal claiming discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Much of last week's testimony covered the details of Fletcher's lesbian relationship with 29-year-old Sergeant Louise Ashman. Fletcher and Ashman are accused of engaging in a sexual encounter in the Army stable.

Gunner Ashley Yates testified that he arrived with his wheelbarrow to see Fletcher kissing Ashman.

"Fletcher was stood with her back to the wall facing me.

"They were both wearing combat uniform and I could clearly see that L/Bdr Fletcher had her trousers open.

"Cpl Ashman had her hand inside the front of Fletcher's trousers, in the groin area. I dropped the barrow and left. I was so embarrassed, I put my head down not to look." [sic all]

WTF! Just what kind of soldiers do they have in the British Army?

Gunner Yates apparently didn't have even a speck of curiosity as he watched two hot lesbians doing kissy-kissy and rubby-rubby. A furtive glance and he drops his wheelbarrow and flees in embarrassment? What's that all about?

I'm real skeptical of Gunner Yates' testimony.

Nonetheless, Fletcher denies ever having any sexual contact with Ashman, maintaining that they just cuddle, but her case has likely been weakened since it became known that she sent topless pictures of herself to male soldiers.

During her tribunal in Leeds, the Equal Opportunities Inquiry Team issued a statement based on an earlier hearing which said it had learned, "that soldiers in the unit had received photo messages on their mobile telephones from Fletcher and in the photos she was exposing her breasts."

"Fletcher stated that she had sent the photo of her to a male friend, at his request, of her in the gymnasium after a workout. The photo depicted her toned muscles, but also included her breasts."

But the statement added that she had more racy photos on the phone, which were seen by Staff Sergeant Michael Chalk. "Staff Sergeant Chalk explained that she has shown him photos of herself," it said.

"He stated that some of the photos were ones of her on holiday wearing a bikini, but some were photos of her exposing her breasts."

Readers can decide who to believe in this case. It seems that Fletcher's claim of harassment and discrimination may or may not be true but there is no doubt that she helped set the stage. Word of cuddling lesbians and topless photos probably blazed through the Royal Artillery faster than a California brush fire. Surely, the entire regiment viewed Fletcher in that context.

The tribunal continues.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.