This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Jonn Lilyea

  • Tuesday morning feel good stories

    Tuesday morning feel good stories

    From Fresno, California;

    Two burglars were at the wrong house when they tried stealing from a retired Fresno Police officer Sunday afternoon.

    Authorities say it happened at a northwest Fresno at a home on Hughes and Emerson Avenues.

    According to police, the retired officer was coming home from church and had just pulled into his driveway as the two suspects were leaving with a laptop and gardening tools.

    The homeowner then got out of his car to confront one of the men, which quickly led to a physical altercation.

    “At that point, the husband retrieved a firearm that he carried on his person and fired two rounds from his handgun into the ground,” said Fresno Police Lt. David Ramsey.

    Both suspects immediately dropped all of the property and took off towards a canal bank north of Ashlan.

    Police later caught up with one of them.

    Nicholas Orona, 32, was arrested for residential burglary, possession of burglary tools and strong-armed robbery.

    An update to the Bakersfield, California story yesterday;

    An alleged burglar is recovering after he was shot by an elderly man inside a Northeast Bakersfield home over the weekend.

    On Saturday at 12:20 p.m., Bakersfield police responded to reports of shots fired, according to police. Officers arrived to the 2800 block of Mount Vernon Ave, where they found Joshua Zorilla, 29, suffering from a non-life threatening gunshot wound, police said.

    Officers determined Zorilla was shot by an elderly resident during a burglary a few blocks away in the 2400 block of San Pablo Ave.

    Zorilla was transported to a hospital, where his condition is unknown.

    Once he’s released from the hospital, he will be arrested on burglary, parole violation and gang charges, police said.

  • Brett Watson; phony Green Beret

    Brett Watson; phony Green Beret

    Our partners at Guardians of the Green Beret share their work with us on this Brett Watson fellow who claims that he was a Special Forces soldier in Vietnam.

    Of course, he scrubbed his Facebook presence, but not soon enough. Yep, tattoos and a vest;

    We see his units as:

    Co. B 4th Bn 1st BCT Bnd USATCI, Ft Bragg N.C. (Basic Training) 1968

    Co. C 7th Bn 3d AIT BDE Ft Gordon Ga, (AIT) 1969

    48th Co 4th Stu Bn, Ft Benning Ga, (Basic Airborne Training) 1969

    HHC 2d Bn 508th Inf, Co. A 4th Bn 503rd Inf, Co. A 2d Bn 509th Inf (RVN 1969-1970)

    Co. A 2d Bn 8th Inf Germany 1970-77

    Never did he complete or even attempt the SF Course which was called SFTG back in his era, Special Forces Training Group. He was not assigned to an SF Unit his entire time spent in the service.

    His records below show what was earned and what are his lies:

    Row 1) Silver Star False

    Row 2) Bronze Star True

    Purple heart w/ Oak Leaf False

    Air Medal False

    Row 3) Army Commendation Medal True

    Army Good Conduct Medal True

    National Defense Service Medal True

    4) Air Force Outstanding Unit Award False

    Vietnam Service Medal True

    Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal True

    5) Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal False

    Need This one??? False

    Multi-National Force and Observers Medal False

    CIB True

    SF Tab False

    Ranger Tab False

    SF SSI False

    Leadership tabs False

    5th Group flash. Depending on the picture he wears both the RVN era and the Solid black one. False

    Master Parachutist False

    Pathfinder False

    Military Freefall False

    SFC False

    4 Service Stripes False (He does have 2)

    Vietnamese Jumpmaster Wings False

  • Darryl Touchstone; phony National Guard major

    Darryl Touchstone; phony National Guard major

    WKRG tells the story of Darryl Touchstone in Escambia County, Florida who worked for a cabinet-maker, Cabinets Direct. He told his employer that he was a major in the National Guard and that he’d have to take off from work to fulfill his military obligations. Being patriotic, his boss continued to pay him while he reported for duty.

    Finally, Touchstone bit off more than he could chew – he told his employer that the Guard was increasing his responsibilities and that he didn’t have time to work for Cabinets Direct;

    That’s when his supervisor found out that the alleged deception went much further. According to court documents, Cabinets Direct discovered several incomplete sales contracts. Customers were complaining. Court documents indicate that Touchstone was running a side-gig, selling Cabinets Direct to customers, but then installing his own cheaper cabinets.

    That’s when the issue of stolen valor finally came to light. Cabinets Direct contacted the unit Touchstone said he was serving in the guard to complain about his behavior. That’s when they learned he wasn’t a major, and he wasn’t even in the military. Those court documents indicate he was thrown out of the guard for going AWOL, absent without leave, a year earlier. He was never a major, but a low-level enlisted specialist.

    He had bilked his employer out of $12,000. Touchstone was arrested for larceny and fraud last Thursday. It looks like he’s still on probation for an insurance fraud conviction.

  • Michael Lewis Arthur Meyer arrested again

    Michael Lewis Arthur Meyer arrested again

    We talked about Michael Lewis Arthur Meyer last month when the founder of Veterans on Patrol claimed to have discovered a campsite in Tucson, Arizona that was used to traffic in child-sex.

    For the second time this month, the founder of Veterans on Patrol, Michael Lewis Arthur Meyer, was arrested on suspicion of trespassing Sunday afternoon, according to Sgt. Kimberly Bay with the Tucson Police Department.

    Meyer, also known as Lewis Arthur, gained national attention after claiming through social media that his group discovered an abandoned homeless camp that was used for child sex trafficking, near West Valencia Road and Interstate 19. Local law enforcement officials said those claims were investigated and found no such evidence.

    This latest arrest was facilitated by videos that Meyer posted on YouTube which law enforcement discovered and used as evidence to arrest him for trespassing once again.

    From KGUN;

    Meyer has a history of similar actions and violations dating back to 2014 at the Bundy Ranch in Nevada and others in Arizona.

    In Surprise, Arizona, he was arrested for criminal trespassing, had an established homeless encampment in Phoenix and another in Mesa, and he more recently became associated with a homeless encampment on private property behind Santa Rita Park in Tucson.

    Several weeks ago, Meyer agreed to leave the Cemex property, but he returned and illegally occupied a tower.

    From Tucson.com;

    Meyer has persisted in making the claims on numerous Facebook posts in which he claims a massive cover up while soliciting donations and asking for volunteers to look for cartel activity in the desert around Tucson.

    Meyer, 39, was arrested Sunday at the Cemex property, where he had been living in a tower for nine days prior and had been returning to since finding the abandoned camp, the news release said.

    Despite the name of his organization, Michael Lewis Arthur Meyer is not a veteran of the US military.

    Thanks to Martin for the tip.

  • Iran threatens US with “Mother of all wars”

    According to Reuters, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani threatened the US with words, claiming that the US is facing the mother of all wars. Isn’t that the phrase that Saddam Hussein used prior to Desert Storm, just before his army became the third largest in his own country?

    Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said: “Mr Trump, don’t play with the lion’s tail, this would only lead to regret,” the state new agency IRNA reported.

    “America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars,” Rouhani said, leaving open the possibility of peace between the two countries, at odds since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

    “You are not in a position to incite the Iranian nation against Iran’s security and interests,” Rouhani said, in an apparent reference to reported efforts by Washington to destabilize Iran’s Islamic government.

    I guess “the mother of all peace” is what happened when Iran helped Hezbollah bomb the Marine barracks in Beirut, and held US embassy workers hostages for 444 days. The mother of all peace means that Iran can take US sailors hostage. The mother of all peace means creating IEDs for use against US troops in Iraq. The mother of all peace is a proxy war with Saudi Arabia in Yemen. The mother of all peace means threatening the existence of Israel while manufacturing nuclear weapons.

    The President answered the threats from Iran;

    Iran wants to facilitate terrorism around the world without consequences.

  • Israel rescues 422 “White Helmets”

    Israel rescues 422 “White Helmets”

    The Associated Press reports that Israeli Defense Forces rescued 422 Syrian Civil Defense workers known as “White Helmets” when the Syrians were trapped between Syrian government troops and ISIS. The rescue came at the urging of the United States and Canada.

    This was the first such Israeli intervention in Syria’s lengthy civil war, now in its eighth year. Although it has sent aid into Syria and has provided medical treatment to thousands of Syrians who reached the Golan Heights frontier, the Israeli military said its actions did not reflect a change to Israel’s non-intervention policy in Syria’s war, where all the warring parties are considered hostile.

    It was an unprecedented operation to provide protection and asylum to allies of Western nations in Syria’s complex battlefield.

    The White Helmets have enjoyed backing and received finances and training from the United States and other Western nations for years. Because of their work in opposition areas, where they were almost exclusively the only ones to offer rescue services in the face of the government military advances, they were considered public enemy number one by the Syrian government.

    The Syrian government and the Russians have designated the White Helmets as terrorists. The Israeli rescue has been used by the Syrian government media as proof of the White Helmets’ collaboration with Western powers;

    The State News Agency SANA said “the secret” of the group had been revealed and their “role as an agent ended.”

    Syrian lawmaker Khaled Abboud said that “foreign powers are pulling their agents out of the battlefield” because of the Syrian military victories that have quashed the “aggression” against Syria.

  • Mass shooting in Toronto

    Mass shooting in Toronto

    The Associated Press reports that a gunman shot 14 people, killing one, on the streets of Toronto, Canada before cops put the mad man down.

    Police Chief Mark Saunders said the shooting in the city’s Greektown neighborhood was not random and he did not rule out terrorism as a motive.

    “Other than the shooter we have a young lady that is deceased,” the police chief said.

    Saunders also said a 9-year-old was in critical condition.

    He said the suspect used a handgun.

    ABC News reports that two have died, excluding the gun man himself.

    Police responded quickly and engaged in a shootout with the suspect, who used a handgun, authorities said of the incident that began at about 10 p.m.

    “I’m not calling it random,” Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters overnight. “I don’t know why he did what he did. He won’t be able to tell us because he is deceased.”

    Apparently, even though Canada has strict gun laws, Toronto is having problems with illegal guns;

    This past weekend Toronto police deployed dozens of additional officers to deal with a recent spike in gun violence in the city. Tory said the city has a gun problem.

    “Guns are too readily available to too many people,” Tory said.

    Odd. I thought that Canada was peaceful country free of gun violence because of the laws which make gun owners register with the government and all firearms must be registered with the federal government – you know, like the gun grabbers want to do in the US.

  • Monday morning feel good stories

    Monday morning feel good stories

    From Bakersfield, California;

    BPD says they got the call at about 12:19 p.m. and responded to the area of San Pablo Ave. and Vassar St. Police say it appears a homeowner in the area shot a man who was allegedly attempting to break into his home.

    Police say the man was struck at least once and was transported to a local hospital. His condition is unknown. It’s unknown if the homeowner suffered any injuries. More details were not immediately available, check back for updates.

    From Elk River, West Virginia;

    According to Police Chief Ron Nierenhausen, upon arrival, officers learned two unknown males had forced entry into the residence and assaulted the occupants inside. A struggle ensued between a resident and one of the intruders, armed with a firearm, which was discharged during the struggle, causing the two intruders to flee the residence prior to police arriving.

    No life-threatening injuries were suffered during the assault. Police are investigating and there is no immediate threat to the public, Nierenhausen said.

    From Haiku, Hawaii;

    Police responded to a report of shots fired at a Haiku home at about 10:35 p.m. Thursday and found three adult victims who said three males wearing hooded sweatshirts entered their home with one of them brandishing a shiny handgun.

    The bandits forced one victim into a bathroom, then walked through the house. A second victim armed himself with an AR-15 rifle and fired a round at the robbers, nearly striking one.

    The three suspects fled, firing four gunshots on the way out.

    No one was hurt during the robbery, police said. One victim reported the suspects took $3,000.

    From San Antonio, Texas;

    Edgar Ramon, 34, was fatally shot while allegedly trying to rob a West Side home, a spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office said.

    Ramon was armed with a rifle when he broke into a home on the 3600 block of West Houston Street before a resident confronted him and shots rang out.

    Ramon died from gunshot wounds at the scene, the medical examiners office said.

    From Lubbock, Texas;

    Police were called to a U-Haul neighborhood dealership at 2520 East 50th St. at around 10:50 a.m. to assist in removing a man from the business premises, according to a Lubbock Police Department news release.

    After the call came in, while police were responding, the man attempted to assault an employee. The man was then shot by that employee.

    Police found out, from the employee, the suspect was causing problems at the business and was acting erratically, according to an LPD report. The suspect then picked up a large rock and threatened to throw it at the employee.

    The employee, fearing for his life, drew his gun from a holster and fired one round into the suspect’s stomach.

    Police arrived to find the suspect still acting erratically. The suspect also told police he was high on meth, according to the report.