Jerry Andrew Active, 24, is accused of breaking into a home in Anchorage, Alaska this past weekend. He allegedly sexually assaulted an elderly woman, killing her and her husband, and sexually assaulting their 2-year-old great-granddaughter before fleeing the scene. Police...
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
24-year-old commits random murders and sexual assault to child
↧
↧
Former lawyer sentenced to 24 years in prison for foiled kidnap plot
Calling Michael Melillo a liar, a federal judge sentenced the former lawyer to more than 24 years in federal prison Tuesday for his thwarted plan to kidnap a wealthy, elderly Palm Beach County businessman for a $20 million ransom. Read more..
↧
Two Men Charged with Gross Vehicular Manslaughter in Street Racing Death
Two Canyon Country residents accused of participating in a street race that led to the death of a passenger in one of the vehicles involved have pleaded not guilty to a number of charges handed down in a grand jury indictment.
![LA Vehicular Manslaughter Charge]( "Vehicular Manslaughter Charge")
During the alleged street race, one of the participants reportedly slammed his Mustang into a tree on Sand Road. A 19-year-old passenger in that vehicle was killed. Along with a litany of California Vehicle Code charges lodged against them, the pair also faces gross vehicular manslaughter charges.
The man believed to have been the driver of the car in which the passenger was killed was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
The indictment alleges that the two men were racing at speeds in excess of 100 mph, were making dangerous lane changes, and had been driving on the wrong side of the roadway. They were also charged with reckless driving, participating in a speed contest causing injuries, and driving at an unsafe speed.
The man who allegedly drove the car in which the passenger died saw his bail go up from $1 million to $2.23 million. The other driver, who had lesser bond, has been out on bail since the accident.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
During the alleged street race, one of the participants reportedly slammed his Mustang into a tree on Sand Road. A 19-year-old passenger in that vehicle was killed. Along with a litany of California Vehicle Code charges lodged against them, the pair also faces gross vehicular manslaughter charges.
The man believed to have been the driver of the car in which the passenger was killed was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
The indictment alleges that the two men were racing at speeds in excess of 100 mph, were making dangerous lane changes, and had been driving on the wrong side of the roadway. They were also charged with reckless driving, participating in a speed contest causing injuries, and driving at an unsafe speed.
The man who allegedly drove the car in which the passenger died saw his bail go up from $1 million to $2.23 million. The other driver, who had lesser bond, has been out on bail since the accident.
↧
Studying how to whittle away at solitary, prison suicides
Eric Dexheimer at the Austin Statesman has a pair of stories related to solitary confinement, one of which ("Do prisons need so many inmates in maximum custody," May 25) begins,While all prison systems typically have some form of administrative segregation, Texas relies on its maximum custody status more than others. Direct comparisons are difficult; however, the most recent national count, in 2005, showed 2.7 percent of state inmates were on administrative segregation. Although the number in Texas prisons has been dropping slowly since 2006, the percentage here has been about 5.5 percent.Last week, largely in response to concerns raised by mental health advocates, legislators ordered a detailed analysis of Texas’s use of administrative segregation, including recommendations on reducing its use and the amount of time offenders stay. “Very little is known about conditions in administrative segregation and how these conditions affect its population,” said state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, the bill’s author.Several state prison systems recently have begun dramatically reducing their use of isolation. In some cases, the reforms were compelled by court order; in others, they were self-initiated.Economics is one reason. As state prison systems struggle to meet budgets, they are taking a harder look at expensive programs such as administrative segregation, which can be double the cost of regular prison units. (A Texas corrections spokesman said the state doesn’t break out costs by custody level.)Public safety is another. Many maximum security residents — about 900 in Texas last year — complete their sentences in isolation and are released directly back into civilian life without re-acclimation or supervision. A 2007 study of similar inmates in Washington state found they had “significantly higher felony recidivism rates” and committed new crimes sooner than other offenders.Depending on the study's results, perhaps Texas in 2015 can follow the lead of other states described in the story: "In recent years, Ohio has dropped its administrative segregation population from 800 to 90. Mississippi reduced its from 1,300 to about 300, whittling the percentage of total inmates held in maximum custody from more than 5 percent to 1.4 percent." Another piece, "Texas prison suicide rate high among inmates in isolation" (May 27) revealed the disturbing fact that though just more than 5% of Texas prison inmates are in solitary at any given time, their number make up to 40% of prison suicides. I had no idea it was that disproportionate. Reported Dexheimer:Most Texans are unlikely to shed many tears over criminals who decide to end their own lives, particularly those convicted of serious offenses. Yet deaths like [Casey] Myers’ raise questions about how well the state is attending to its duty to care for its inmates.The deaths also add to the debate over confining mentally ill inmates for long periods in relative isolation. About a quarter of Texas inmates held in administrative segregation have a diagnosis of mental illness or mental retardation.That isn’t dramatically disproportionate from the overall prison population. Yet experts say evidence suggests that, more than in the general population, prolonged periods of isolation can worsen psychiatric symptoms in some and initiate them in others. Of the 56 Texas inmates who killed themselves in administrative segregation cells between 2007 and 2012, 28 — exactly half — had a mental health diagnosis.With luck, the passage of SB 1003 by Carona will give us a lot more Texas-specific data and detail about these questions. That's the idea, anyway.
↧
Victimless Hit and Run in South Salt Lake
A non-existent hit and run in South Salt Lake on Memorial Day was followed by a warning from the police to the public to enjoy the holiday weekend, drive safely and not do anything dumb. Not Everyone Enjoyed Their Holiday Police received a call Monday morning reporting a hit and run at a convenience store [...]
↧
↧
Why deferred sentences should not be eliminated on DUI cases
Recently I wrote a blog post giving an update on what is currently happening with the DUI bill that is in the Washington State legislature. I wrote a few sentences about some of the major overhauls this bill contains when it comes to DUI cases in Washington State. At the end of one of the descriptions of the bill I wrote that I was not in favor of eliminating deferred sentences on DUI cases (
↧
Mortgage Store Owners Charged with Ponzi Scheme
George Lindell, 65, and Holly Hoaeae, 39, Honolulu, Hawaii, are the subjects of a 17-count indictment for allegedly operating a pyramid or Ponzi scheme between January 2005 and November 2010. The indictment charges Lindell and Hoaeae, who were Maui residents at the time of the alleged offenses, with 13 mail fraud and three wire fraud [...]
↧
SB 250 Signed by the Governor
Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition shared a photo.
SB
250 the Drug Sentencing Reform Act was signed into law by Governor
Hickenlooper this morning at 11:40. It's the most incredible thing I've
seen happen .. we fought this battle for over a decade.
Thank you Senator
Pat Steadman, Jessie Ulibarri, Irene Aguilar, Lucia Guzman, Steve King,
Linda Newell, John Kefalas,
↧
CCJRC News..
Come by and visit CCJRC at the Captiol Hill People's
Fair on June 1 & 2! We will be located on the northeast side of
14th and Bannock. We look forward to seeing you there!
CHUN Capitol Hill People's Fair
June 1 and 2, 2013
Civic Center Park
Denver, Colorado
Saturday - 10am to 9pm
↧
↧
Senior VP Indicted for Mortgage Scam Involving 1,100 Homes
Dennis Wayne Parris, Senior Vice President of Phoenix Housing Group (PHG), has been indicted in the Western District of North Carolina and charged with conspiracy to commit mortgage fraud. According to the Indictment, the defendant, along with Roger Bailey, a PHG sales manager, Marina McCuen and other mortgage loan officers, including certain PHG salespersons, employees [...]
↧
Texas first state to require warrants for old email if bill survives veto period
Very nice story from Cyrus Farivar from Ars Technica about state Rep. Jon Stickland's email bill which was amended on to legislation currently headed to the governor. The article, titled "Unprecedented email privacy bill sent to Texas Governor's desk" (May 28), concluded thusly:“Privacy is a special thing in Texas—it goes to the core values of Texas,” Chris Soghoian, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union, told Ars.“It's always good to see states passing pro-privacy legislation because it sends a signal to Congress. It sends a signal to conservative members who might not yet be on board that this is something being supported in their own states and it helps the courts to see that this is a safe space to venture into. When cities and states start protecting e-mail, then judges may feel like there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.”Hanni Fakhoury, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, agreed.“It is the first state legislature I'm aware of to change the law this way,” he also told Ars. “Other states are currently considering similar legislation, including California—where EFF sponsored SB 467 recently passed the Senate 33-1 and is now being considered in the Assembly.”“It's significant as proof that privacy reform is not only needed, but also politically-feasible with broad bipartisan support. And hopefully that will impact federal ECPA reform efforts by getting people on both of sides of the political aisle to work together to make meaningful electronic privacy reform a reality. The more states that pass similar legislation, the more pressure it will put on Congress to keep up with the changing legal landscape.”I couldn't be prouder of the Texas Electronic Privacy Coalition, a group of mostly volunteers who brought Rep. Stickland the bill and helped promote it. And it should be mentioned that while Jon Stickland's reputation may be taking a beating among the capitol cognoscenti, this legislation was a significant achievement for a freshman. He was bold to file it and bolder still to amend it to a passing bill when the filed version got gummed up in the process. In my book he deserves a lot of credit for that.
↧
UK - Even sex offenders need friends
Original Article
05/29/2013
Most of us have a network of family and friends that we can depend on – they’re the ones we call on in times of need.
We turn to them for advice, but they’re also...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
↧
Drunk Driving Accident Victim Speaks Out in Favor of Tougher DUI Laws
With the recent NTSB proposal to change the drunk driving limit from .08 to .05, many people are getting caught up in political arguments. These arguments are between advocates in favor of the recommendation and opponents who argue that a lower limit is an infringement on personal rights and freedoms. With the questions raging about whether lower BAC laws are a good option or not, it is important not to forget the very real costs of drunk driving. ![347929_drinking_beer.jpg]()
Recently, a reporter wrote a powerful article that serves as a reminder about what is really important when it comes to drunk driving laws: protecting accident victims. The reporter herself was a victim of a drunk driving accident and she has told the story of how the accident changed her life. Our Boston drunk driving accident attorneys know that there are countless more stories of lives shattered by drunk drivers. It is stories like these that should urge every single driver to avoid driving if there is any chance that he is too impaired to be safe behind the wheel.
Accident Victim Shares Personal Drunk Driving Story
According to her article in the New York Daily News, Beth Stebner was hit head on in 2004 by an intoxicated driver. The driver was in her lane in the middle of a thunderstorm with no headlights on and slammed her jeep iinto Stebner's small Dodge Neon.
Stebner describes hearing the crash and the screams of her friends who were in the car with her, and she indicates that it is a memory that will stay with her for the rest of her life. She was seriously hurt in the car accident and had to be rushed into emergency surgery. A hole was drilled the entire length of her femur and a titanium rod was inserted into her hip. A metal pin was then surgically implanted through her right knee in order to keep the rod in place as her bones recovered from the injuries sustained in the impact.
In addition to the broken femur that necessitated her emergency surgery, Stebner also suffered cuts and scrapes and a bad concussion. While she was able to recover from her injury, she missed her high school graduation and she still has the scars to remind her of the terrifying drunk driving accident.
Unfortunately, the driver who hit Stebner had been at a local Mexican restaurant with her mother prior to the accident and had consumed so many margaritas that she lost count. The driver who hit Stebner was just 20 years old and the offense was already her second DUI offense.
Victims Support Tougher Drunk Driving Laws
Stebner indicates that she was forever changed by her accident and that she has to think about it every day because of her scars. She believes that more people can be spared the pain and the fear that she endured by having the blood alcohol content limit lowered to .05. She is not the only victim of a drunk driving accident who supports tougher laws to prevent accidents that should never happen and that can have devastating consequences.
So, while the debate rages about whether to lower the BAC limits or not, it is important to keep the victims in mind and to think about the real human cost of drunk driving crashes.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Recently, a reporter wrote a powerful article that serves as a reminder about what is really important when it comes to drunk driving laws: protecting accident victims. The reporter herself was a victim of a drunk driving accident and she has told the story of how the accident changed her life. Our Boston drunk driving accident attorneys know that there are countless more stories of lives shattered by drunk drivers. It is stories like these that should urge every single driver to avoid driving if there is any chance that he is too impaired to be safe behind the wheel.
Accident Victim Shares Personal Drunk Driving Story
According to her article in the New York Daily News, Beth Stebner was hit head on in 2004 by an intoxicated driver. The driver was in her lane in the middle of a thunderstorm with no headlights on and slammed her jeep iinto Stebner's small Dodge Neon.
Stebner describes hearing the crash and the screams of her friends who were in the car with her, and she indicates that it is a memory that will stay with her for the rest of her life. She was seriously hurt in the car accident and had to be rushed into emergency surgery. A hole was drilled the entire length of her femur and a titanium rod was inserted into her hip. A metal pin was then surgically implanted through her right knee in order to keep the rod in place as her bones recovered from the injuries sustained in the impact.
In addition to the broken femur that necessitated her emergency surgery, Stebner also suffered cuts and scrapes and a bad concussion. While she was able to recover from her injury, she missed her high school graduation and she still has the scars to remind her of the terrifying drunk driving accident.
Unfortunately, the driver who hit Stebner had been at a local Mexican restaurant with her mother prior to the accident and had consumed so many margaritas that she lost count. The driver who hit Stebner was just 20 years old and the offense was already her second DUI offense.
Victims Support Tougher Drunk Driving Laws
Stebner indicates that she was forever changed by her accident and that she has to think about it every day because of her scars. She believes that more people can be spared the pain and the fear that she endured by having the blood alcohol content limit lowered to .05. She is not the only victim of a drunk driving accident who supports tougher laws to prevent accidents that should never happen and that can have devastating consequences.
So, while the debate rages about whether to lower the BAC limits or not, it is important to keep the victims in mind and to think about the real human cost of drunk driving crashes.
↧
↧
Crash on US20 Near Rexburg Injures One
IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE - generated by our News Release ListServer
DO NOT REPLY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Idaho State Police
District 6 1540 Foote Dr.
Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402-1828
(208) 525-7377 FAX: (208) 525-7294
For Immediate Release: 05/28/2013 at 9:45 p.m.
Please direct questions to the District Office
On May 28, 2013, at approximately 5:00 p.m., the Idaho State Police investigated a two vehicle injury crash that occurred southbound on US20 at milepost 332, near Rexburg. Jose Alba Aguilar, age 59 of Idaho Falls, was traveling south in a 1996 Peterbilt commercial vehicle pulling a grain trailer. Efren Serrano, age 29 of Idaho Falls, was also traveling south in a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado. Traffic proceeded to slow and Serrano struck Alba Aguilar's trailer. Serrano was transported by ground ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.
The occupants of both vehicles were wearing their seatbelts. The southbound lane of travel was blocked for approximately two hours. Idaho State Police was assisted by Madison County Sheriff's Office, Madison County Fire and EMS, and Rexburg Police Department. The crash is under investigation by the Idaho State Police.
-------------
↧
"Judge in Trayvon Martin Case Puts Limits on Defense"
From the New York Times: MIAMI — Lawyers for George Zimmerman, who is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Trayvon Martin, will be barred from mentioning Mr. Martin’s marijuana use, history of fights or high school suspension during...
↧
We Used To Live In The Steinberg House
Having sold our house in Virginia, we are now renting it back from the new owners. We will do this until we move to Baltimore in July. No longer an owner of this house, I step out of the shower this morning to find a tree guy poking around in our back yard. I stick [...]
↧
Trial De Novo
Two cases this month from the Court of Appeals, one published and one not, offer different perspectives on the meaning of an appeal for a “trial de novo” in superior court. Neither of the cases speaks directly to what a trial de novo is, but they offer an opportunity to think about the difference between [...]
↧
↧
Child Porn Task Force Nets Two More Arrests
The Oklahoma Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force has two more notches in its gun belt this week after an Oklahoma City man and a Norman man were arrested for allegedly distributing child pornography to an undercover Guthrie police officer. On Monday, investigators with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office arrested David Edward Kennedy, 26, of [...]
↧
Bench slap: SCOTUS says Texas capital habeas process could 'create significant unfairness'
Grits doesn't usually follow death-penalty topics but I can never resist a good bench slapping, particularly when SCOTUS decides to show the back of its hand to our friends on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, who rival the federal 9th Circuit as a favorite US Supreme Court whipping boy. This week, SCOTUSBlog has the story of another US Supreme Court bench slapping of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Trevino vs. Thaler, which ruled that Texas' bifurcated death penalty review procedure - where direct appeals and habeas corpus process occur simultaneously - “makes it ‘virtually impossible for appellate counsel to adequately present an ineffective assistance [of trial counsel] claim’ on direct review.” The Texas system, said the majority, "would create significant unfairness." SCOTUSBlog said the case is "Texas- (and capital-) specific." For judges, that's the equivalent of a student being singled out in class for low marks and being ordered to "shape up!" Again.From the New York Times report you would think the dissenters objected on grammatical or perhaps laundry-related grounds. "In dissent, Chief Justice Roberts said the Martinez decision had announced a 'crisp limit.' 'But today,' he added, 'the court takes all the starch out of its rule with an assortment of adjectives, adverbs and modifying clauses.' Chief Justice Roberts had voted with the majority in Martinez, as had Justice Alito, who joined the chief justice’s dissent Tuesday."The SCOTUS majority essentially accused the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals of sophistry, opining that “a distinction between (1) a State that denies permission to raise [a] claim on direct appeal and (2) a State that in theory grants permission but, as a matter of procedural design and systemic operation, denies a meaningful opportunity to do so is a distinction without a difference.” Ouch!
↧
Train Vs Vehicle Incident
IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE - generated by our News Release ListServer
DO NOT REPLY
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Idaho State Police
Regional Communication Center - North
615 W Wilbur Ave
Suite A
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83815
Please direct questions to the appropriate District Offices
District 1 (208) 209-8620 Fax (208) 209- 8618
District 2 (208) 799-5150
CASE # C13000993
--------------------- PRESS RELEASE -----------------------------
DATE: 05/30/2013 TIME: 02:59 AM LOCATION: Pine Island Road Burlington Northern Crossing
ASSISTING AGENCIES: Boundary County
VEHICLE #1
-------------
DRIVER Maas, Kyle G AGE 27
ADDRESS Bonners Ferry, ID
INJURIES? - Yes
HOSPITAL/LOCATION TAKEN Boundary Community Hospital
VEHICLE YEAR 2008 VEHICLE MAKE Dodge VEHICLE MODEL Quad cab PK
WRECKER Panhandle Towing
SEATBELTS/HELMET WORN? NO
INCIDENT NARRATIVE: Maas was stopped on the Railroad tracks at County Road Pine Island (nearest US95 milepost 505.2) and was hit by a Southbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe train. Maas was transported to Boundary Community Hospital.
DSP INITIALS AHR
-----------------------------------
↧
More Pages to Explore .....
