‘Softball, drunken orgies and a prison system run like the mafia. That’s what Florida’s former prison secretary says he inherited when he took over one of the nation’s largest prison systems two years ago.
In fact, on his first day on the job, James McDonough says he walked into his office — the same one his predecessor used — and there was crime scene tape preventing anyone from entering.
“That was an indication we had a problem in the department,” McDonough told CNN in an exclusive interview before he stepped down last Thursday. [..]
“Corruption had gone to an extreme,” McDonough said, saying it all began at the top. “They seemed to be drunk half the time and had orgies the other half, when they weren’t taking money and beating each other up.” [..]
McDonough described a bizarre prison culture among those that ran the system — one that he says seemed obsessed with inter-department softball games and the orgies after games.’
They earn more than I do.
‘A jogger was injured after being hit by a frozen Mars bar hurled from a passing car.
The man was running along Sunderland Road, South Shields, when the rock-hard chocolate bar was thrown at him.
Police said the car – a black Nissan or Toyota – then turned round, drove back past the shocked man, and its occupants threw another object at him before driving off.
The bizarre incident, which resulted in the man suffering a swollen ankle, happened at about 10.30am yesterday.’
‘A troubled schoolgirl who filmed herself as she tried to strangle her mother and then stab her father was today cleared of attempted murder. [..]
The girl was remanded to a secure psychiatric unit for teenagers until her sentence. [..]
It was following an argument with her father last February that the girl, then 15, came into the living room from her bedroom at the family’s home.
She had with her a video recorder which she set up on the arm of a chair so that it was trained on her mum who was sitting at a computer.
The girl, described as highly intelligent and theatrical, with a keen interest in film making, drama and writing, had dressed herself especially for the occasion.
She was wearing a seductive strappy silk nightdress for what the prosecution was to describe in court as “the performance of her life.”
She had brushed out her long brown hair and applied make up to make herself look glamorous film star.’
‘Drugs and guns don’t mix as a 51-year-old Langley man found out the hard way.
The local man, who was known to police, is dead after accidentally shooting himself in the head while mishandling an Uzi-type gun at a well-known drug house on Thursday morning.
Around 2:10 a.m., Langley RCMP were called to 20217 82 Ave. in Willoughby.
The 51-year-old victim is a resident of the home along with a 33-year-old man and 56-year-old Langley woman. Police say the three had been using drugs and handling a pistol similar to an Uzi. The weapon is illegal in Canada.’
‘Tucson porn-proprietor Tyrone Henry wants you to know that blowing your load on the faces of blindfolded, underage girls who think they’re participating in a facial cream marketing study is not fraud or any other crime, no matter what the Arizona Court of Appeals said last month. He also wants you to know he was framed. [..]
In the summer of 2000, Roach was assigned to prosecute Tyrone Henry after two teenage girls said he lured them to his home to try out a product called “White Dew” facial cream he was developing. Instead of exfoliation, they said they got ejaculation.
The girls, 15 and 16 years old at the time, said Henry showed them examples of women with “clumpy” white cream on their faces and then blindfolded them. The girls said they heard heavy breathing and Henry say, “It’s coming,” and then felt a thick, warm substance applied to their faces. They said he took photos, paid them $10 a piece and convinced them to make follow-up appointments. Thinking about it later, they realized they’d been hoodwinked and called the police.
Roach admits the hardest part of the case was figuring out what charge he could hang on Henry. It wasn’t sexual assault because he didn’t touch the girls sexually, and they didn’t touch him. And it wasn’t indecent exposure because the girls were blindfolded. [..]
In the end, the only charge Roach could get to stick was “fraudulent scheme and artifice.” [..]’
‘Officials say two officers were shot in Gwinnett County Friday afternoon. One officer is accused of trying to assault a woman and then opening fire on another officer who tried to stop it.
Investigators from the Gwinnett, Fulton and Duluth Police Departments are all involved and looking into the circumstances around what appears to be a gun battle between two police officers. [..]
Sheldt came back around to see if he could help. “Her car window was busted out and she was screaming at the top of her lungs. She said she just needed help and that the gentleman tried to rape her,” said Sheldt. [..]
“This male we do now know and confirm he is a Duluth PD officer. At the time he was wearing civilian clothing. Other than that, we do not have any other information to give,” said Cpl. Illana Spellman with the Gwinnett County Police Department.’
‘The world’s most notorious BitTorrent tracking site, The Pirate Bay, won’t be going to Davy Jones’ Locker, even if its four operators are convicted of facilitating copyright infringement, one of the defendants said in an interview Friday with THREAT LEVEL.
Peter Sunde Kolmisoppi, one of the four Swedes charged in Sweden on Thursday, said in a telephone interview that the site has set up a clandestine, double-blind operation with its servers spread throughout the world — and out of reach of the Swedish authorities.
“The Pirate Bay is not in Sweden,” the 29-year-old Kolmisoppi said.
Where are the servers?
“It’s a distributed system. We don’t know where the servers are. We gave them to people we trust and they don’t know it’s The Pirate Bay,” Kolmisoppi said. “They then rent locations and space for them somewhere else. It could be three countries. It could be six countries. We don’t want to know because then you’ll have a problem shutting them down.”‘
‘An overweight man who crushed his wife by sitting on her during an argument so severely that she later died has received a five-year jail sentence from a court in the central German city of Hildesheim.
The court found the 50-year-old bus driver, who weighed 128kg at the time of the incident, guilty of causing injury resulting in the death of his 46-year-old wife, who weighed 63kg.
In evidence the man acknowledged arguing with his wife but claimed he had fallen on her by mistake.
Expert evidence was heard that he must have sat on her for at least two minutes.’
‘A 21-year-old German man has been convicted of sending a photograph of his penis to an unknown woman via mobile phone, authorities said on Wednesday.
“We all had a bit of a laugh when we saw the thing,” said Christian Kropp, presiding judge at the court in the eastern town of Sondershausen.’
‘A decapitated body has been found wrapped in a blood-stained duvet in a back street in north-west London.
A member of the public made the gruesome find behind a row of shops at Kingsgate Place in Kilburn.
The semi-naked body had been left in a gold coloured cage similar to the type used by supermarkets to move stock.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the dead person is an adult male, but no head has been found and the victim has not been identified.’
‘The State Attorney’s Office will decide whether to charge two teens who admit they robbed a 9-year-old Girl Scout selling cookies outside of a Boynton Beach supermarket. [..]
Authorities said that a 17-year-old girl in a hot-pink sweatshirt approached Smith outside of a Winn-Dixie supermarket at Hypoluxo and Jog roads in Boynton Beach Wednesday evening and asked the girl what her favorite cookies were. Police told WPBF that, while Smith was telling the teen about her favorite Cinna-Spins, the teen snatched an envelope containing about $167 off of Smith’s table, hopped into another teen’s car and drove away. [..]
The girls, whose names are not being released because they are minors, told WPBF that they were not remorseful for the crime, and that they did it because they “needed money.”
“We went through all that effort to get it, we got all these charges and we had to give the money back. I’m kind of pissed,” one of the girls told WPBF. [..]
“I’m not sorry, I’m just pissed that I got caught,” the girl said.’
‘The French paramilitary police force said Wednesday it is ditching Microsoft for the free Linux operating system, becoming one of the biggest administrations in the world to make the break.
The move completes the gendarmerie’s severance from Microsoft which began in 2005 when it moved to open sourcing for office applications such as word processing. It switched to open source Internet browsers in 2006.
Linux is an open-source operating system, which used to be the reserve of computer geeks but is now an easy-to-use system aimed at average users.
The gendarmerie’s 70,000 desktops currently use Microsoft’s Windows XP operating system. But these will progressively change over to the Linux system distributed by Ubuntu, explained Colonel Nicolas Geraud, deputy director of the gendarmerie’s IT department.’
‘As the anesthetic wore off, Naseem Mohammed said, he felt an acute pain in the lower left side of his abdomen. Fighting drowsiness, he fumbled beneath the unfamiliar folds of a green medical gown and traced his fingers over a bandage attached with surgical tape. An armed guard by the door told him that his kidney had been removed.
Mr. Mohammed was the last of about 500 Indians whose kidneys were removed by a team of doctors running an illegal transplant operation, supplying kidneys to rich Indians and foreigners, police officials said. A few hours after his operation last Thursday, the police raided the clinic and moved him to a government hospital.
Many of the donors were day laborers, like Mr. Mohammed, picked up from the streets with the offer of work, driven to a well-equipped private clinic, and duped or forced at gunpoint to undergo operations. Others were bicycle rickshaw drivers and impoverished farmers who were persuaded to sell their organs, which is illegal in India.’
‘A former Albany man has been sentenced to 46 months in prison for using a high-voltage stun gun on his 18-month-old son.
Rian Wittman was arrested in February and agreed to a plea bargain last year. The sentence was imposed Friday.
Prosecutor Reed Dinsmore said the stun gun delivered 30,000 volts during testing.
“This is a case of a father torturing his 18-month-old son,” prosecutor Reed Dinsmore said. “Why? We can’t tell.”
He said it’s not yet known whether the child will suffer long-term nerve or neurological damage. [..]
“He described to her that he used the stun gun to play peekaboo with the child,” Dinsmore said. “The mother did not report the incident, and that was a mistake on her part.”‘
‘When the victim of a break-in jumped in her closet to hide from burglars, the last thing she expected was company.
But that’s exactly what happened.
As the 21-year-old woman whispered on the phone with dispatchers, one of the panicked would-be robbers slipped into the closet to hide from police. [..]
“He was just standing right next to me. I could have put my arms around him,” says Brittany.
She waited until she heard police and then she screamed; He’s in here!
Police rushed in and arrested all three men. They now face several charges, including aggravated robbery.’
‘Gangs of criminals are hiding dwarves in sports bags and smuggling them onto buses to steal luggage.
The tiny terrors are placed in the luggage hold where they are free to rummage through personal belongings.
Travellers in Sweden are now being advised not to leave valuables in their bags.’
‘The DVD ripper aXXo is without a doubt one of the most popular DVD-rippers. Even though he hasn’t been active since November 2007, his rips are still widely used, even by commercial outlets such as the John Lewis store. They must have thought, “Why use a real DVD if we can use a pirated movie for free?”
The aXXo rip was shown on an iMac displayed on an Apple stand at a John Lewis store. A member of the Hexus forums discovered this remarkable promotional material, and writes:
“So I was in my local John Lewis store a week or so back, and I was checking out their new little Apple mac area, which had lots of Macs on display, with some desks setup and other accessories. They also had some wall mounted iMacs. Imagine my surprise when getting closer to one of them to see ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’ – ripped by Axxo playing.”‘
‘A teenager hacked into the outfit charged with protecting companies like Sony, Universal, and Activision from online piracy–the most daring exploit yet in the escalating war between fans and corporate giants. Guess which side is winning.’
This is a long article, but interesting. Kinda ties together a few interesting things that happened on the interwebs in the past year or so.
‘Like a man on a mission, perennial cannabis protester Peter Till arrived at court in Brisbane yesterday with a large, green, leafy plant sticking out of his backpack.
His mission, he told anyone who would listen, was to campaign for the decriminalisation of cannabis in Queensland and show authorities the plant should not be classed as a ‘dangerous drug’.
As he strode through the doors of the Brisbane Magistrates Court, security guards calmly passed his bag and the plant, complete with roots and long stalks of pointed leaves, through the X-ray machine.
Mr Till, barefooted and wearing another one of his many colourful sarongs, walked through the gate shortly afterwards as security guards were familiar with his game.
The plant was then taken into a secure room while Mr Till, who lives in his car at Nimbin, made his way to the courtroom where he was facing a breech of community service order charge.
It is not the first time the stunt has played out in court with Mr Till already convicted and sentenced to two months’ jail, wholly suspended, for bringing a 90cm cannabis plant into court last year.’
‘A group of registered sex offenders and convicted felons who were told by the Department of Corrections to live under a bridge in Fort Lauderdale have been chased away by neighbors, police and the Department of Transportation.
On Friday night, police officers posted “No Trespassing” signs underneath the Oakland Park Boulevard Bridge over the intracoastal and told the former felons that if they didn’t leave they’d be arrested. The group packed up their things and headed west.
They set up a camp on the edge of the Everglades, far away from schools, parks and civilization. [..]
“Hopefully nobody’s going to complain about it and we can be left alone for a while,” said Mark DaCosta, an ex-convict who is not a sex offender but was ordered to live by the same rules as a condition of his parole.
The Department of Corrections had the men reporting to the bridge every night because they couldn’t find a place for them to live that wasn’t too close to school or park. State law prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of anyplace children congregate. [..]’
‘A jilted boyfriend wreaked revenge on his former lover by showing his mates a secret film of her performing oral sex on a dog.
Kenneth Morris, 54, was left furious when his former girlfriend ditched him for someone else – and left him footing the rent bill.
When he found a DVD of her performing oral sex on a dog in an obscene homemade film, he decided to get his own back.
Morris copied the DVD then gave it to one unsuspecting friend saying: “Watch this – it’s gross.”
The shocked pal was so disgusted by what he saw he immediately alerted the RSPCA and police.’
‘Two Australians have been jailed for a failed heist which left one of them with a bag of bread rolls and the other with a bullet in the backside.
Benjamin Jorgensen, 38, and Donna Hayes, 36, were sentenced to seven and eight years respectively for the robbery in a Melbourne restaurant.
During the robbery, Jorgensen grabbed what he thought was a bag of money – only to find it contained bread rolls.
He also accidentally fired his gun, hitting Hayes in the buttock.
Judge Roland Williams described the two, who had expected to steal takings worth about A$30,000 ($26,000, £13,000), as a “pair of fools”.’
‘A Canadian prostitute says she bared her cleavage and hiked up her skirt as she drove through the border at Blaine, where her “sure thing” always waved her through with a smile, even though her car was packed full of marijuana.
Minutes later, she’d fool around with the guard at a gas station down the road.
The border guard, Desmone Bastian, says it never happened.
“I’ve never failed to perform my duties,” Bastian told a federal jury Friday in Seattle. “I did my job with a lot of integrity, and a lot of pride.”
Bastian, 31, a U.S. citizen who lives in Surrey, B.C., worked as a U.S. immigration inspector for eight years before being charged in 2006 with taking a bribe — free sexual contact, and sometimes money — in exchange for turning a blind eye when the prostitute, Sandra Maas, would cross the border in his lane.’
‘A police siren that can’t be ignored.
Police in Oklahoma are excited over a new piece of equipment called the “Rumbler.” It is a very loud siren – so noisy that drivers will be able to feel their seats vibrate from the sound.
The low tone is also surprising many drivers – making them look up and pull over.
“It’s a deeper tone than the normal,” says driver Abby Ross.
And you don’t just hear the Rumbler, you feel it.
“A little bit, just a little bit. A little vibration in the seat and the car, not a big difference but enough to know they’re back there,” adds driver Don Balente.
And that’s exactly why Tulsa Police bought them. Officers say, even with their lights on and sirens blaring, drivers don’t notice their patrol cars.’
‘A Boyce man has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for burning a young relative with hot food.
Robert Eston Larrick Jr., 40, was sentenced on Tuesday in Winchester Circuit Court.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jason Caccamo said Larrick shoved a “smoldering” Hot Pocket sandwich in the 11-year-old victim’s face.
Caccamo said the child suffered first- and second-degree burns around her eye. Larrick did not take the child to the hospital for medical treatment after the incident.
Last month, Larrick entered Alford pleas to charges of malicious bodily injury and felony child abuse. An Alford plea means he did not admit guilt, but acknowledged sufficient evidence exists for a conviction.’
‘A woman arrested for causing a scene at a Valley restaurant spat at an officer and on the drive to the police station threatened to hunt down the officer’s wife and children, investigators said. [..]
As Barnes was being led to the patrol car, she spat at one of the officers and struggled with them, officers said. The woman claimed she was a lawyer and kickboxer, according to authorities.
Once inside a patrol car, she began hitting her head against the window and threatening to kill herself, according to police.
She told one of the officers on the drive to the police station, “I will come after you with a vengeance. I will come to your station. I will never let you rest. I will hunt your wife. I will hunt your kids.”‘
‘A man wielding a chain saw and a knife attacked residents at a homeless shelter where he was staying, leaving two people in critical condition and injuring two others, police said Sunday.
Matthew Watkins, 28, was charged with four counts each of first-degree assault and armed criminal action for the attack Saturday at the Mid-America Care Center, the Callaway County sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff Dennis Crane said two victims were cut by a chain saw and two others by a knife. Authorities said the victims injured by the chain saw were in critical condition, while the other two were treated and released.’
‘A Berlin burglar’s break-in took an unexpected turn when he stumbled upon a corpse and felt compelled to call the police.
“He called to say he’d just broken into a flat and found a dead body,” said a spokeswoman for Berlin police Thursday. “He gave the address of the place and then hung up.”
Officers discovered the 64-year-old resident of the flat dead in his bedroom. The man had passed away about two weeks ago, and authorities are not treating the death as suspicious.
The burglar has not been heard of since. Local media said he fled the apartment empty-handed, but police could not confirm this.’
‘A former warlord known as General Butt Naked has confessed to Liberia’s post-conflict reconciliation commission that his men killed 20,000 people during the country’s civil war.
The commander earned his nom de guerre for charging into battle dressed only in his boots
The feared rebel commander earned his nom de guerre for charging into battle dressed only in his boots, at the head of a gang of fighters known as the Butt Naked Battalion.
The nude gunmen became known for terrorising villagers and sacrificing children whose hearts they would eat before going into battle during Liberia’s 14-year on-off civil war which ended in 2003. [..]
Mr Blayee returned from exile in Ghana, where he is now an evangelical Christian preacher, to face Liberia’s truth and reconciliation commission last week.’
