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

Category: Crime

  • This Week’s Friday Feel-Good

    This one’s a triple-goodie: a criminal takes a hit, a dog is saved, and a gun-owner uses his gun to protect his abode.  It actually happened a bit over a week ago, but I missed writing an article about it then.

    Seems a naked guy climbed up onto the front porch of a house at about 5AM in the “Little Haiti” section of the greater Miami area.  The intruder then tried to choke one of the homeowner’s dogs – a Rottweiler.  When the homeowner came to the scene to see what was going on, the intruder – who was totally naked at the time – then attacked the homeowner and began choking and biting him.

    Unfortunately for the naked guy, the homeowner was packing heat.  He fired twice, hitting the suspect in the foot once.  This did not deter the intruder, who continued to assault the homeowner.  The homeowner attempted to fire a third time, but his gun jammed.

    The homeowner was finally able to pin down his naked attacker and hold him while members of his family called police.  He continued to restrain the guy until police arrived.

    When the police arrived, the naked guy tried to bite them too.

    No, I’m not making this stuff up – I’m completely serious.  And yes, other accounts of the incident do indeed indicate that police believe the intruder may have been “under the influence of drugs”.

    Drugs involved.  Gee – ya think?

    The naked guy – identified as Jeffery Delice, 20 – is expected to recover fully.  So are the homeowner and the dog.

    However, Delice has a few little legal problems at present.  He’s currently charged with  assault, resisting arrest with violence, lewd and lascivious behavior, and animal cruelty.  Delice also has prior arrests – but no convictions – for possession of marijuana, armed robbery, and assault.

    I guess this is just another case of “overreaction” by one of those gun nuts and their scary, evil guns.

  • Well, This Is New

    A suspect is in custody in Florida today after attempting – unsuccessfully – to rob a convenience store.

    Of course, someone trying to rob a convenience store is nothing new.  What was novel was the would-be robber’s choice of weapon – a cattle prod. 

    Seriously.

    The would-be robber, 26-year-old Lance Tomberlin, actually used his cattle prod on the clerk more than once.  And it looks like that ended up being his undoing.

    You see, the store clerk was exercising his right to “concealed carry” – and decided enough was enough.  The clerk produced his pistol.  (No word on whether or not the clerk also produced his rapier, or told the would-be robber to “stand and deliver”.  [smile])

    Tomberlin then left the store pronto and was later apprehended by Leon County, FL, sheriff’s deputies.  He is now in custody, awaiting trial on charges of armed robbery and aggravated battery.

    Chalk up another crime prevented by those “gun nuts” with their “evil guns”.

     

    And no, MCPO NYC – you don’t get a prize if you can ID the musical reference.  (smile)

  • MT woman ends thief’s flight from police

    Green Thumb sends us a link from Montana’s Flathead County about 26-year-old Jordan Elliot who was joy riding in a stolen Honda Accord when police spotted him and gave pursuit. Elliot avoided the police until he crashed into a deputy’s patrol car. Elliot then fled the scene until he ran into Michael Stephens who had been listening to the police chase on his radio and left his house to help in the pursuit. Elliot encountered Stephens and hit him Stephens with his own flashlight several times, and then;

    Stephens’ wife, Amy, arrived on the scene with a hunting rifle and held Elliot at gunpoint until deputies arrived.

    Elliot was arrested and taken to the Flathead County Detention Center, while Stephens was treated for injuries and released from the hospital.

    Sometimes the arrival of a gun on the scene ends violence. That’s what happens when level-headed, legal gun owners use their rights in the pursuit of justice.

  • Second arrest in New York ambush

    Dawn Nguyen

    Ex-PH2 sends us a link from NBC which reports that William Spengler, the jackwagon who ambushed firefighters in Webster, NY on Christmas Eve, had convinced 24-year-old Dawn Nguyen to purchase the weapons he used because he was a convicted felon and unable to buy the weapons himself.

    The complaint alleges that Nguyen acted as a “straw purchaser” for Spengler, who, as a convicted felon, could not legally own, acquire or purchase any firearm, Hochul said. The charges are related to an AR-15-type semiautomatic rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun — two of the three weapons found near Spengler’s body Monday, according to State Police Investigator James Sewell.

    Hochul said that a suicide note left by Spengler “includes information about obtaining the guns” from Nguyen.

    So, I guess this proves that criminals will always break laws, and that’s probably why we call them criminals. Of course, Nguyen claims the guns were stolen from her car, according to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.

    Earlier Friday, Nguyen’s brother said the weapons were stolen from Nguyen’s car.

    “They think they sold him the guns, but he stole them,” said Steven Nguyen, 18, in the doorway of the family’s Seneca County home.

    Either way, there were enough laws in this case to prevent Spengler from legally acquiring a gun, but he circumvented the laws. The fact remains that after he was convicted of beating his grandmother to death with a hammer, he shouldn’t have been out of prison. But I guess it’s easier to punish legal gun owners in New York than to make criminals pay for their behavior in a meaningful way.

  • A Sinclair Update

    For those who’ve forgotten:  Sinclair is the former 82nd Airborne Divison’s Assistant Commander for Logistics and Support. He was relieved while deployed to Afghanistan and sent back to CONUS after serious charges were levied against him.

    Sinclair’s Article 32 hearing is set for 5 November 2012 at Fort Bragg.

    Sinclair is reportedly facing some combination of charges including forcible sodomy; multiple counts of adultery; having inappropriate relationships with several female subordinates; forced sex; wrongful sexual conduct; violating an order; possessing pornography and alcohol while deployed; misusing a government travel charge card; and filing fraudulent claims.  The precise charges are unclear, as the Army has not yet released the formal charge sheets showing the specific charges against him.

    Sinclair deserves his day in court, of course.  But if he’s guilty, let’s hope the courts-martial panel decides to show no mercy – unlike the courts-martial panel for James “Bigamist” Johnson.

  • “Green” Business As Usual

    Lying to prospective investors to get funding.  Intentional sale of defective products.  Apparent political influence used to get Federal loan guarantees.  Business failure followed by bankruptcy.

    Allow me to present Solyndra, Part III – AKA Abound Solar of Longmont, Colorado.

    They received $400M in loan guarantees from the Federal government in December 2010.  They received – and appear to have spent – $70M in taxpayer funds.  And they started producing solar panels.

    The panels didn’t work worth a damn, but the sold them anyway.  Otherwise, they’d miss required benchmarks necessary to get more guaranteed loans.

    They still went belly-up.  They filed for bankruptcy in June of this year.

    And now they’re under investigation by local authorities for investment fraud.  Deliberately misleading prospective investors is considered a crime in Colorado.

    More details can be found here.  They ain’t pretty.

    We’ve seen a number of cases similar to this already in the “green energy” sector.  So I think we can say this one looks like just another example “business as usual” for one of this Administration’s pet “green energy” firms.

    Given their track record to date, I think  it’s time for the Federal government to quit meddling in this field.  They should quit trying to pick winners and losers and leave that type of business to those who know what the hell they’re doing.

  • Re-Creation mugged

    There’s a group of entertainers out of Chicago called Re-Creation which claims to have as it’s main purpose entertaining at VA Medical Centers. Ex-PH2 writes to tell us that they’ve had all of their equipment stolen after a gig in a San Antonio VA Center;

    “We lost every costume, every piece of equipment, every tool, every light, every backdrop,” [Jay Muller, director of Re-Creation] said. “We’re putting preliminary estimates at $120,000 (lost).”

    The group, which performs for veterans all across the country, had finished a performance at a VA hospital in San Antonio and was staying at a nearby hotel before their next performance when their Ford F-250 and attached trailer were stolen, Muller said. No one was injured in the theft.

    Some of the group’s members lost personal items that were in the truck, Muller said. San Antonio law enforcement has told the group that the vehicle was most likely taken by drug smugglers that target F-250s for their operations.

    So, those of you in the area, be on the lookout for the white Ford F-250 and trailer. If you have a couple of bucks rattling around loose, there’s a “Donate” button on their website link above. They’ve had to cancel their tour and they want to get back on the road.

  • Wedding scheme lands private in jail

    Joshua Priest probably thought that he was the first private to ever think that he could put something over on the Army by having a sham marriage and milking them for those big BAQ bucks. It looks like it back-fired once he was caught and even cooperating with the prosecutor didn’t help him out. The sentence started out with 10 months in prison, but the judge didn’t stop there;

    In a rare move, U.S. District Judge Monti Belot rejected the prosecution’s request for leniency for Joshua Priest, saying it was not justified in this case. The former Fort Riley private pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and wire fraud, and testified against his wife, Shannakay Hunter.

    ‘‘The fact you came in and cooperated is fine, but it doesn’t excuse what you did,’’ Belot told the crestfallen defendant during the sentencing hearing.

    Belot also ordered Priest to pay nearly $30,000 in restitution for the fraudulently obtained housing and subsistence benefits given married soldiers.

    He also admitted to the court that he never met his Jamaican wife before the wedding and that their marriage was never consummated. Don’t feel bad, Joshua, some of our real marriages never get consummated the way we’d hoped.

    Brushing aside prosecution’s pleas for leniency, Belot told Priest, “the ‘‘only benefit’’ he would get from the government’s motion was the chance to voluntarily surrender at the prison and not be taken into immediate custody.”

    Thanks to Tman for the link.