Mother of boy who died while drinking and driving holds alcohol party for teens

Belleville, IL: 18 months after her 15 year-old son and another teenager died while drinking and driving, Andrea Sharos decided to share the wealth. Sheriff's deputies stopped a car stocked with underage teens and beer leaving Sharos's home last week. When questioned, the teens said that they had been drinking at Sharos's house with her consent. Officers found FOUR OTHER teenage boys, aged 16-18, at the home, and they all tested positive for alcohol.

"(Mary) did not think anything was wrong with this because the kids do not have anything else to do in St. Libory," an investigator's report said.

Source: The Associated Press

11th Circuit--warrant requirement coughs once, dies.

The 11th Circuit has just rubber stamped officer-created exigent circumstances in the case of Glover v. Eight Unknown DEA Agents, 06-13061 (11th Cir., Feb. 23, 2007. Here are the facts of the case, straight from the court's opinion:

__________
[T]he agents attempted to secure a search warrant for Glover’s residence on the suspicion that he was operating a clandestine methamphetamine lab there. The magistrate judge determined that the agents lacked sufficient evidence to merit a warrant. So the agents arranged to have a confidential source enter Glover’s house on the pretense of delivering a tank of anhydrous ammonia he had ordered.

. . .

The source was wired and agents were monitoring the situation, ready to raid the alleged lab if necessary. In their affidavits, the agents state that after entering Glover’s residence, the source started coughing and complaining of chemical fumes over the wire. Glover claims that he never heard any coughing but admits that the source went upstairs to use the bathroom. Fearing the source was being exposed to noxious chemicals, the agents entered Glover’s house and made the arrest.
_________

After pleading guilty to drug charges, Glover filed a section 1983 civil suit, claiming that his 4th Amendment rights were violated in the raid. The trial court gave summary judgment to the defendant agents and the 11th Circuit affirmed the decision, explaining that the agents’ entry into the home was justified by the exigent circumstances doctrine, since they feared that their source’s life was in danger due to the noxious chemicals inside the house.

So: all government agents need to do to justify a search now is cough once into the microphone. Source: Decision of the Day

Judge Judy threatens IRS inquiry, child-protective services inquiry over eBay scam.

Sorry for the lack of postings this week. I've been laid up with the flu, couch-ridden all week, and forced to watch daytime TV. In honor of that special hell, I bring you this clip.

Dayton cop uses pepper spray instead of brain

Speeding cop charges whistle-blowers with "stalking"

Bartow County, GA: Here is another story from outside of our coverage area, but one that we just couldn't let slide. Lee and Teresa Sipple, concerned about how speeding traffic in their neighborhood was endangering their son, set up $1,200 worth of camera equipment and a radar gun outside their home. They were hoping to convince their neighbors to drive more slowly (somewhere in the vicinity of the speed limit, for instance).

When they caught Kennesaw police officer Richard Perrone speeding 17 miles an hour over the speed limit, the cop was not happy. Rather than obey the laws that Perrone is sworn to uphold, the officer decided to press charges against the Sipples for stalking.

This family set up equipment to monitor traffic on a PUBLIC street in their neighborhood, because officers like Perrone were apparently too busy pursuing vendettas to enforce the traffic laws, let alone obey them.
What was the big rush, Perrone? Were you on the way to the courthouse to sue somebody for writing down your license plates?

In case you want to let Perrone's supervisors know what you think of his actions (and exercise your constitutional right to seek redress from your government for greivances), here is the contact information for the Kennesaw Police Department:
Kennesaw Police Department
2539 J O Stephenson Ave NW
Kennesaw, GA 30144
(770) 422-2505.

I guess it could be worse. Cops in many parts of the country would use a nightstick rather than a stalking charge. But police intimidation in any form should not be tolerated.

Source: The Daily Tribune News

More felons granted waivers to enlist

Still scrambling to meet recruiting goals since the beginning of the war in Iraq, the Department of Defense is granting many more morals waivers to men and women who want to join the military but have criminal records. The Army granted more than double the number of waivers for felonies and misdemeanors in 2006 than it did in 2003. Some recruits may get more than one waiver.

The number of felony waivers granted by the Army grew from 411 in 2003 to 901 in 2006, according to the
Pentagon, or about one in 10 of the moral waivers approved that year. Other misdemeanors, which could be petty theft, writing a bad check or some assaults, jumped from about 2,700 to more than 6,000 in 2006. The minor crimes represented more than three-quarters of the moral waivers granted by the Army in 2006, up from more than half in 2003.

Source: The Associated Press

Paging Chris Rock: Bullet-Control proposed in Cook County

“Gun control? We need bullet control! I think every bullet should cost 5,000 dollars. Because if a bullet cost five thousand dollar, we wouldn't have any innocent bystander .” -- Chris Rock

Cook County is taking its first small steps along the path to Rock's plan. A measure introduced by Cook County Board Commissioner Roberto Maldonado would institute a 10 cent per bullet tax on all ammunition sold in the county.

THE BULLET POINTS
A look at how much of an effect a fee on bullets would have - from small fries to big shots:

10 cents: Deputy Barney Fife, if he bought his own police-issued bullet and was able to join the Cook County Sheriff's Department.

$50: Terry "Tank" Johnson, if the Bears defensive tackle made the trip across the county line for the 500 rounds of ammunition allegedly found in his Lake County home.

$530,368: If every person in Cook County, 5,303,683 according to 2005 U.S. Census estimates, were to do his or her part and buy one bullet.

$600,000,000: From the U.S. military, if Cook County could get its 10-cent fee for the average 1.5 billion rounds of small arms ammunition used each year of the nearly four years of the Iraq war.

Source: The Chicago Sun Times

Muskegon woman giving Hamm a run for her money in Mother-of-the-Year contest.

Muskegon, MI: The mother of a 15 year old girl signed a written agreement with Michael Fitzgibbon, agreeing to let him have sex with the girl while the mother recuperated from surger. She was afraid of losing Fitzgibbon and so gave up her teenage daughter to the man. He faces up to 17 years in prison, and she will go to trial on February 21.

Source: NewsNet5

Hamm may only serve 14 months for killing her three children

Clinton, IL: Amanda Hamm, who was convicted in December for the role she played in the drowning deaths of her three young children, may only serve another 14 months in jail.

Having avoided first-degree murder charges, Hamm was only sentenced to 10 years, with time served for the three years she has already been in custody. She could be out in just over a year.

"I cannot change what has occurred but I can, and will, try to live my life in a way which will be pleasing to them ... ," Hamm said.

That's very nice. It's too bad you took that opportunity away from your babies, you monster.

Source: The Associated Press.

Cleveland Traffic Cameras bring in $6.5 MILLION / year.

In news that is sure to make other cities more eager to put ticket-writing cameras at every intersection, Cleveland officials announced that its camera program brought in over six million dollars last year alone. And that is with a collection rate of only 50%-70%.

The profit margin for the city is huge, as well; Cleveland keeps half of that money and half of it goes back to the private company that installed and maintains the cameras.

Source: The Plain Dealer