Four Corners Friday

Note: I’ve decided to start a new feature every Friday called “Four Corners Friday”. I will feature a crime from each of the Four Corners states. If you come across a crime in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, or Utah that you would be interested in being featured here, please feel free to contact me via the “Contact” link at the top of the page. Please write “Four Corners Friday” in the subject line of your form. Also, please make sure the submission is a crime committed or connected to the Four Corners states!!

 

 

ARIZONA– A MAN WITH A PLAN

David L. Santy, Jr.-accused of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder [Pima County Sheriff's Dept.

 

When David Lee Santy, Jr. was accused of child molestation, rather than let his side be heard in a court of law, he decided it would be a better idea to attempt to off the witnesses.  A major wrench was thrown into his plan when it was revealed that Santy’s alleged hitman was actually an undercover police officer. Oops. The intended victims of the plot were none other than his 11-year-old alleged victim, and her mother. Of course, the question needs to be asked: Why would you need to kill witnesses if you did nothing wrong? Santy allegedly offered the hitman undercover officer between $1500 to $2500 for the job, and a vending machine. What the heck kind of hitman takes a vending machine for payment for a hit?  Now in addition to the child molestation charges, Santy faces 2 counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Way to go, Einstein.

 

 

 COLORADO-GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS

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Kim Lucero, accused of attempted murder and felony car theft, [Converse County (Wyoming) Sheriff's Dept.]

Ryan Calles was just enjoying some lunch with some friends at a Subway sandwich shop when he noticed a woman with a small child getting in his 14-year-old Nissan Maxima. Apparently, Calles left the keys in the car and the door unlocked. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but still, it’s no excuse for someone to just take your property. When Calles noticed the woman trying to take off in his car, he attempted to stop the woman by banging on the windows. This determined woman then started the car and Calles jumped on the hood, probably thinking the woman would stop if a human life was at stake. But she didn’t stop. In fact, she allegedly put the pedal to the medal and reached some pretty high speed for a residental area. She then allegedly turned a sharp corner, in which sent Calles flying off the hood, his body smacking the pavement. Calles was taken to the hospital, where he remains in serious condition.

The perpetrator made it to Wyoming, where the car broke down and left her and her 3-year-old daughter stranded. The authorities identified her as 26-year-old Kim Lucero, a woman with a history of run-ins with the law and mentally ill. And now she is facing a number of charges, including  felony car theft and attempted murder.  She awaits extradition back to Colorado.

 

 

NEW MEXICO-IT’S LIKE TAKING CANDY FROM A BABY

 

Kathy Borrego has been accused of dipping her paws in the proverbial cookie jar during her employment as business manager at Jemez Mountain School District in Gallina, NM. Although she has yet to be charged with a crime in connection with the $3.3 million she is accused of taking, school auditors have apparently traced the activity as going back to as far as 2001, with some of the money ending up in her personal bank account.  Borrego has been given a pink slip for her alleged behavior. How anyone can steal from children in an already struggling school district is beyond me.

 

 

 UTAH- IT’S JUST SO FRUSTRATING

 

 

Having a new baby in the house can be a frustrating experience, even for the best of us. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been pissed on, barfed on, crapped on, and yes, even kicked in the face during a diaper change-well, I could probably put in my notice at work, because I’d be a pretty rich woman. And crying? Don’t even get me started. I can’t even count how many times I’ve handed my children over to my husband with a quivering lip after I’ve tried EVERYTHING to get them to stop crying. The sleepless nights, the late night feedings, the round the clock crying–I’ve been there, done that. Yet, even in my 22 hour stints of wakefulness, I’ve never picked up my child and found it useful to shake the life out of them. Seems a little counterproductive to me. But apparently for Cleotis Shipman, shaking his  1- month-old daughter seemed like a viable solution to stop her from crying. Shipman was sentenced to 5  years in prison after taking a plea deal in the death of his baby girl, Qiana Shipman. Charges that were dropped include murder and aggravated sexual abuse charges. His mother blames his inexperience and frustration for the tragedy.

Excuse me, but aren’t we ALL inexperienced when it comes to having a child for the first time?  Yes, but we don’t all go around killing our children though. And it really makes no difference whether he was 17 or 27, or 47—–shaking a baby will not stop him/her from crying.  

I Was Just A Baby

Note from the author of this post:

So many times I read about the horrific suffering of defenseless children at the hands of their mother’s boyfriends. We hear so often how a woman goes from being a single mom to a mom with a live-in boyfriend. While not all situations where a new boyfriend enters the picture turns into tragedy, it is an increasing problem. I can understand and appreciate the fact that it’s hard being a single parent, but no matter how hard, no matter how young or old you are, you have a responsibility to your child(ren) to make choices with them in mind.  Part of being a responsible parent means making wise choices that are in the best interest of your child(ren), not yourself. So if you find yourself chomping at the bit for love and that happily ever after, please be choosy.  Your choices could affect you and your child in ways you never imagined.

Now, the following scenerio is fiction, but it has some basis in fact, given that this happens all too often. And yes, often times the roles are reversed.

My name is Baby.  I’m 1 year and 2 months old. A few months ago, my mommy met Johnny. Johnny is not my daddy, but he seems okay and he seems to make my mommy happy, so that makes me laugh and smile a lot. Anyway, mommy was really angry with my daddy and Johnny was there to comfort her–she was so lonely, she told Johnny.

Johnny doesn’t have a whole lot of things. He doesn’t have a job, he doesn’t have kids, and he doesn’t have a place to live. So mommy said Johnny could come live with us and that was great because now my mommy isn’t lonely. After all, she only had me and I am just a helpless baby. Plus mommy said it was really stressful trying to find time to take care of me and work to pay the bills. I think I heard her tell Johnny that she needed a man around the house to keep her satisfied. She told me that someday Johnny could be my daddy! That sounded great because I have heard my real daddy tell my mommy that he didn’t even think I was his! He also told her that he wanted nothing to do with me. If the mommy of his other kids found out, he would be in big trouble! That sounded horrible, so my mommy just said she would have another man, a real man, take care of me. So here we are– me, mommy, and Johnny–one big happy family.

One day, mommy went to work and Johnny was taking care of me. Johnny was sitting on the couch watching TV and I walked over to him. I tried to get his drink so I could tell him I needed something to drink, too. He dropped the drink and it spilled everywhere! Boy, was he mad! He pushed me backwards and I hit the back of my head on the coffee table. That really hurt a lot!!  I started crying and he picked me up. He looked at the back of my head and saw blood and a small gash. He washed it off with a washcloth. He hugged me and said he was sorry. It hurt, but I was okay. Mommy came home from work and Johnny showed  mommy my “owie”. He told mommy that I fell backwards and hit my head on the table. I wanted to tell my mommy he was lying, but I couldn’t. I can’t talk. I could say a couple things, but mommy didn’t understand me.

The next time Johnny hurt me, mommy was there, but she didn’t help me! We were having dinner and Johnny was feeding me. I was still mad at Johnny for hurting me and lying to my mommy about it. I was starting to not like him at all! He was feeding me food that was too hot and I started crying! It was burning my tongue! I couldn’t tell them it was hurting, I’m only a baby! So I screamed and cried! Johnny got mad and pulled my out of my highchair by only one arm. That hurt my arm! It felt like it came out of my arm socket. He let go of my arm and I fell to the ground. Then he picked me up by the waist and started shaking me! This gave me such a headache! My mommy finally got up and started yelling at Johnny. Yay, my mommy was going to save me! She went over to pick up the phone and Johnny put me down. He told my mommy to put the phone down. She told him to get out of her house. So, Johnny left for a little while. My mommy picked me up and told me how sorry she was that Johnny hurt me. My head still hurt and my arm felt limp. Mommy knew my arm was hurt really bad, so she took me to the hospital. All the doctors and nurses were so nice and fixed me up real good! They asked my mommy what happened to my arm. I thought she would tell them that Johnny hurt me, but she didn’t. She told them I was playing on the couch, fell off, and landed with my arm above my head. I don’t know why my mommy didn’t tell the truth. It hurt my feelings a lot. But, I’m just a baby, so I couldn’t say anything.

A couple weeks passed by and my mommy got a call from Johnny. Johnny was very sorry for what he did and he wanted a second chance. My mommy didn’t know if she should trust Johnny, but she told me she was in a bind and really needed someone she could depend on to watch me while she was at work. She didn’t have the extra money for daycare and no one else had time to help out. And she loved Johnny, even though he hurt me.

Things went okay with Johnny for the first couple days. I was very upset with him still and would always cry when my mommy would leave for work. I was trying to trust Johnny, but I was scared. Then, one day, Johnny was getting ready to give me a bath. My mommy was just about to leave and I was naked, upset, and crying for her. She said she was sorry, but she had to go to work. Johnny would give me a bath and I could play with all my toys in the tub. When mommy left, Johnny started putting some water in the tub. He was calling me names and telling me to shut up and stop crying already! I was really upset. He went to the kitchen and put some pots and pans on the stove. He went to the bathroom and shut off the water in the tub. Funny, he didn’t put as much water as mommy usually does. He never even looked at me as he went back into the kitchen and removed the pots and pans from the stove. Whatever was in there, it was steaming and looked really hot. Johnny took the pots and pans and dumped them in the bathtub. He looked mad. He looked so mad it was like he was looking right through me. He picked me up and tried to put me in the tub, but I could tell it was really hot. The steam was hot, and I could feel it. With all his strength, he put me in the tub. Man, was that hot! It burned so much and I screamed and struggled, but he didn’t care. I kept squirming and he pushed me down on my back. The pain was so horrible and I could see my skin was starting to peel immediately. I screamed so loud, I think we woke up the neighbors. I heard them pounding on the walls and then heard someone knocking on the front door. The next thing I know, there are police there and paramedics. The police gave Johnny some bracelets, but I think they call them handcuffs. The paramedics were trying to comfort me, but I was in so much pain and was crying for my mommy. The police asked Johnny where my mommy was and he told them she was at work. 

The paramedics put me in the ambulance and the police took Johnny away. I was so alone, except for the paramedics. They were trying to fix my skin, but I felt very tired. I could see that one of the paramedics was crying. When we got to the hospital, I saw mommy waiting there. She was crying and saying something about not understanding how this could have happened. She tried to kiss me but I had so many bandages on me. The nurses told her it would probably be best not to touch me so I didn’t get bacteria or infection or something like that. I also heard the doctor tell her that he didn’t think I would make it because my burns were so severe. That was the last time I saw my mommy on Earth.

When I got to Heaven, God wrapped me in His arms and told me how sorry He was for what Johnny did to me. He told me I would never have to worry about anyone hurting me ever again. His angels were now taking care of me and the only emotion they know in Heaven is love. I was very grateful to be in Heaven. God was right, I never felt the pain again.

I watched from above as my mommy held my body, now safe in the heavens. She told me how sorry she was for everything that happened. She told me how much she loved Johnny and how sad she was that he was in so much trouble. She said she wanted to see him and ask him “Why?” . I didn’t really understand why she would ever want to speak to him again.

I watched my mommy as the police spoke to her. She told the policeman that she never thought Johnny would hurt me and that she was heartbroken to have lost her only baby to a man she loved so much. The policeman asked her if she was sure she had never seen Johnny hurt me before and she said she hadn’t. Why was my mommy lying? I didn’t understand. The policeman told her that Johnny was telling them he hurt me before and she knew it.  Johnny also told them that she had hurt me as well. That’s when my mommy got angry. She told the policeman everything and then they gave her the bracelets, too.

I don’t know why it was more important for my mommy to have a man in her life, rather than protect me. I have heard that love can make you do strange things, but I’m just a little baby. My mommy ignored what happened to me because she loved Johnny. Even after I  made my way to the heavens above, she still was more concerned with what was going to happen to him. The only thing that made her turn around was to save herself. I loved my mommy and depended on her for everything. Why did she fail me?

I was only a baby.

Ryan Patrick Nichols Is (Allegedly) A Backstabber [Updated]

Please Note: *This post has been updated at the bottom*

ORIGINAL POST

 Westminster, COLORADO

Ryan Nichols, 26, alleged backstabber

Dean Withers, 80, was just minding his own business and working at a Westminster King Soopers grocery store. The blob to the right allegedly said “Hi” to Mr. Withers and proceeded to stab him in the back for no apparent reason.

Thankfully, the whole incident was caught on surveillance and Ryan Patrick Nichols, the alleged perpetrator was caught soon after. The public helped to identify him.

Judging by the booking photo of Nichols, he appears to be a couple bricks short of a full load. What kind of freak has a cheeseball smile on his face after stabbing an elderly man? Wouldn’t you just love to pull his bottom lip up over his head and kick him where the sun doesn’t shine?

I hope and pray for a speedy recovery for Mr. Withers. The Denver Post quoted his daughter-in-law as saying:

“He’s probably one of the most caring, helpful individuals that I know. He would give the shirt off of his back to a complete stranger to help them out.”

 

Nichols was arrested on assault and crimes against at-risk adults charges.

Source/Source

 

UPDATE:

 

New reports reveal that Ryan Nichols is a diagnosed schizophrenic. While I am somewhat ashamed of my remarks in the original post (see above), I have to say our treatment of the mentally ill is extremely skewed in this country. I have sympathy for both Ryan Nichols and his family, you see. When an illness gets out of hand, many times-through no fault of their own-a family is left to pick up the pieces. Sure, the mentally ill person may get treatment, medication and even be put in a safe place for a short time. Many times they are let loose with little or no supervision, or sent out to the streets. Many times, their actions and illness are so misunderstood that even the ones that love them can’t deal with it and leave them to their own devices. I can say this is not the case with the Nichols family, as from the reports I have read they appear to love their son with all their heart. I truly believe they are heartbroken, not only for their son, but for the Withers family as well.

 

So what is my point?

 

It is this. Too many times we make snap judgements about people. Like I did with Ryan, quoting myself as saying “he appears to be a few bricks shy of a full load”. Although I didn’t know he had a mental illness at the time of the original posting, I should have handled it a little differently. I’m not making excuses for myself, but I was doing what just about everyone does–prejudging a situation. I’m not going to beat myself up over it, but I will say that I am sorry. Does that mean that I believe Ryan Nichols should be absolved of his responsibility in this crime? Absolutely not. He should be held responsible to some extent. I will say that when a person gets to the level of being considered a danger to themselves or others, and they have been diagnosed by a medical professional as having a mental illness, there should be some type of intervention. I could be wrong, but it seems like Ryan’s parents were left to deal with their son’s mental illness with nothing more than a prescription, and probably some counseling sessions. There is only so much a family can do. Some of them struggle to deal with this until it gets to this point, some of them don’t deal with it at all and kick the family member to the curb. Some of them don’t believe there is mental illness at all.

 

I don’t know what the solution is to help people like Ryan, who are obviously beyond their parents help, despite their best efforts. More mental illness facilities? More group homes? Live-in mental health professionals? The problem with all these solutions I have proposed is money. It makes the world go ’round. It can also tear it down. What we need is for the government to take mental illness more seriously, in my opinion. Most of us are guilty of judging the mentally ill without really understanding what happens with them. We just figure they pop some pills or go to an institution. The truth is they are all around us and they look just like any other person. They look like Ryan Nichols. They look like the lady walking down the street. They look like your son or daughter. They look like the weird man or woman that asks you for some change on the street. They look like you……or me.

 

I will close by saying I hope for a speedy recovery for Mr. Withers. My prayers go out to him, his family and the Nichols family.

 

 

Source

Moses Earl Ingram Made A Promise…And Didn’t Keep It

Moses Earl Ingram is a fugitive wanted for domestic violence in New Mexico

Tucumcari, NEW MEXICO

 

Moses Earl Ingram was released from a New Mexico jail for what was supposed to be a two week furlough. He just wanted to see his kids he whimpered in a letter to the judge. It seems as though Moses Earl Ingram can be a crying, whiny bitch when it serves his purpose, but when it comes to the way he treats the ladies, Moses is anything but a kind, crying, wuss. He’s a tough guy that likes to beat his ladies.

  You see, Moses Earl Ingram- or Earl as I’ve heard he prefers to be called-apparently has a long career of violence towards women. His latest victim, his girlfriend Amber Simpson, was brutally beaten in April and sent to jail. The next month he posted bond and was out on the streets. You would think Earl would steer clear of his victim and at least attempt to keep his nose clean. But, Noooooooo.  The next day, he allegedly started calling her and harassing her at work. He allegedly told Amber that if he was going to go to jail, he was “gonna make it worth it”. Sounds like a death threat to me. Authorities agreed and promptly threw his butt back in the slammer. At least someone is doing their job and trying to keep the victim safe, right?

Well, in early July, the pathetic woman beater wrote to the judge and begged to be released to see his kids. I don’t know what was in the letter, but I’m sure it had to be pretty convincing for Judge Albert Mitchell to allow Ingram a two week furlough on nothing more than a Scout’s Honor. That’s right, a promise.

It didn’t take long for old Earl to start harassing Amber again, though. Way to play the old “I really just want to be with my kids” card. Very clever. Two days after his release, he found her, beat her, broke multiple bones in face, and nearly killed her. And that’s not all.

Not only is Earl on the run now, apparently Amber was never even notified that he had a hearing or was being released on this furlough.  If that is the case, that’s one colossal mistake that could have (and nearly did) cost this woman her life. As for Judge Mitchell, it seems he has a lot of explaining to do as to why he would let loose a violent creature such as Ingram who was clearly a danger. This is a man (and I use the term loosely) who is determined to end this woman’s life. He has a rap sheet full of violence toward women and has uttered death threats toward Amber. Yet he was released on a “promise” to behave . Oh yes, and house arrest. Otherwise, there was nothing stopping Earl from carrying out his threats.

Luckily, Amber is still alive, but is left at the moment to live in fear. At the moment it is Amber who is the prisoner, and Ingram who is free to do what he chooses. Kind of messed up, huh? It should be the other way around. While I’m sure the judge regrets his decision, there is a whole bunch of people to blame here. According to various reports, Amber recieved the notice of Ingram’s release the day he was actually released. Not much time for a victim of a crime to prepare herself from a man hellbent on killing her.

I’m sure we can all agree with this whole “innocent until proven guilty” jazz. That’s not the problem here. The problem is as usual the alleged criminal’s rights are more important than the victim’s. The threats to the victim’s life were all there. The signs were neon-colored. I can understand that judges have rules and certain things they have to consider before releasing a suspect, but clearly this guy was a threat to this woman. Given his past release and his failure to follow orders, you would think that would be enough for the judge to say no to this guy. 

And for now, Moses Earl Ingram is free. Free to endanger many lives. Free to keep Amber Simpson fearing for her life.

 Source/Source

Perry Bigley Stopped A Robber

Glendale, ARIZONA

It’s always hard to decide when it’s a good idea to take the law into your own hands. People who are in extraordinary situations sometimes make the right decision, sometimes they make a decision that costs them their lives.

Luckily, the decision Perry Bigley made was a good one. The Glendale, Arizona resident had just arrived home to find a group of people robbing his house. All the suspects ran, except for one. Yeah, he tried to flee-twice, but Mr. Bigley caught him and called authorities.  As Mr. Bigley held him down, the suspect who was rifling through his DVD collection cried and moaned that he couldn’t breathe. Poor little robber.

The authorities arrived and the suspect was taken into custody. Perry Bigley lost about $11,000 worth of electronic equipment. Hopefully, the would-be-robber will rat out his cohorts and Mr. Bigley will get his property back.

Source(Video included)

8-Year-Old Girl Lured By 4 Boys and Allegedly Gang-Raped

I don’t know what’s more disgusting- the fact that an 8-year-old is allegedly gang raped by 4 boys, or the fact that her parents apparently have no compassion for their own child.  

In Phoenix, Arizona, an 8-year-old girl was lured by 4 boys, ages 9, 10, 13, and 14 with promises of chewing gum and then gang-raped by those boys.  The boys allegedly admitted to police that they lured her and “took turns” sexually assaulting her. A video posted on the MyFox Phoenix website leads one to believe that both the family of the victim and the families of the suspects don’t believe that this even happened the way the little girl says it happened. You really have to watch the video to witness the indifference and mind-blowing things that these people believe. I’m pretty sure smoke was emitting from my ears due to the sheer anger I was feeling.

This whole “she’s too little” and “he’s too little” crap is really pissing me off.  Allow me to enlighten their ignorant asses. First of all, when a child or any person, for that matter, is running from a shed crying with only their underpants on, it’s not a good thing. An 8-year-old doesn’t have the presence of mind for feigning an incident such as this. Besides, as mentioned above, the boys admitted  doing this. Also, when your child is allegedly raped and traumatized in such a way, you need to stand by your child. Not leave them and show such disgraceful indifference. I don’t give a crap if you believe her or not at this point, but to walk away from your child and -if the reports are true-claim that your child has shamed your family and disown her, it’s just absolutely disgusting!! And what’s with the “I don’t know” crap when the reporter asks you if you believe your daughter is telling the truth. You know what? If my daughter is witnessed running and crying in her underwear and claims to have been sexually assaulted-I’m going to believe her until I find out different. That’s how I roll.

As for this “she’s too young and little”  to have sex bullshit, I have news for you. Maybe she was too young and little to actually KNOW what sex is about, but to be forcibly raped is something that has no age boundaries. As for a 9 or 10 year old being “too little” to rape someone, they may be too little in the traditional penile/vaginal penetration sense, but as most normal human beings who have even the slightest sense of what some of these nutjob pedophiles and the like do-there are other ways to sexually assault a person than the traditional way. Don’t tell me it’s not possible. I’ve read the cases where grown men rape day-old babies, with their penis, by the way.  So, if it’s true that you don’t believe this child, and if it’s true she has brought “shame” to your family and you have disowned her, get your head out of your ass and start believing your kid until you get evidence that proves otherwise. If you can’t do that, then I hope to God that she can find a family that does. 

The crimes that all the boys have been charged with include kidnapping and sexual assault. The 14-year-old is being charged as an adult. The victim is in the custody of Child Protective Services.   

UPDATED: In case the video at the link above wasn’t enough to bring your blood to a rolling boil, check out this gem of a quote from the 23-year-old sister of the victim:

“The sister, who was not identified by name by the station, expressed mixed feelings about her sister’s attack. “I came to her and said it’s not good for you to be following guys because you are still little,” the sister told KTVK. She also said that she wanted the suspects to be released from jail because “we are the same people.”"When she comes back I’m going to tell her don’t ever do that again because all of us, we are the same family, we are from the same place. Now she is just bringing confusion among us. Now the other people, they don’t want to see her,” the sister told KTVK.”

 Here are couple sources for this case:

4 boys accused in rape of 8-year-old girl [azcentral]

8-Year-Old Gang-Raped by 4 Boys [MyFox Phoenix]

Prosecutor: Juvenile sexual assault is “heartrending” [CNN] 

//

One Dead In Albuquerque Denny’s Shooting

PLEASE NOTE: This entry will be updated at the bottom of the orignal post.

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO 6/20/2009

A young woman is dead after  reports say as many as 4 armed gunmen allegedly robbed an Albuquerque, NM Denny’s restaurant. The robbery took place during a busy Saturday morning for the popular breakfast stop in which several news outlets report that at least 100 customers and employees were in the building. The young woman who died was apparently shot by one of the gunmen and efforts to save her life were unsuccessful. Reports describe the woman as a 19-year-old employee of the restaurant. 

Two suspects have been arrested in the robbery/murder. Police are still looking for more suspects. So far, Marvin Aguilar-Lopez, 22 and Pablo Ortiz, 32 have been arrested. They have been charged with several crimes. They are also suspected in a string of unsolved robberies in the Albuquerque area. Aguilar-Lopez and Ortiz are apparently from El Salvador.

As an employee of another popular restaurant, I can only imagine the chaos and fear of  the employees and customers. This is truly one of my biggest fears in working in the public service industry. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of this young woman. I pray that law enforcement and prosecutors are able to build a solid case and bring all these cowards to justice.

UPDATE: 10:28 AM MST

KRQE is reporting that the victim in the deadly shooting at the Albuquerque Denny’s is 34-year-old Stephanie Anderson, a cook at the restaurant.

Police are also naming a third suspect that they are seeking. His name is Francisco Melgar, 25. It also appears that at least one of the suspects had gang ties to the MS-13  (Mara Salvatrucha) gang.

For a great article detailing the background of the MS-13 gang, click here.
Source(s): KRQE News 13, Albuquerque, NM; Know Gangs 

 

The Not-So-Fast and the Furious

Many people have differing opinions on what constitutes an emergency. I’ve called 9-1-1 a few times in my life. The most recent times were twice because someone busted my son’s bedroom window. The first time, we were out at the drive-in movie theater, came home to put the kids to bed and found my son’s large bedroom window with a hole with glass scattered in the room. The object that caused the damage did not seem to exist. The incident upset me so much because of the fact that it was my son’s bedroom and my mind went over the possibilities of my son being injured if we had been home at the time. So, I called 9-1-1. The person on the line informed me that they usually don’t consider a broken window an emergency, but given the fact that it was a 5-year-old child’s bedroom, they would send someone out.

Three months later, same type of incident, my son’s bedroom window once again busted-no apparent object was found that caused the damage. This time, my son was at his grandparents, and again thankfully not injured. My husband and I had just settled in for the night when the noise erupted. What the heck was going on? We didn’t know anyone, didn’t have any enemies that we were aware of. We had no idea why anyone would target our window. Again, I called 9-1-1 and an officer came out. He was very kind, even apologizing that it took them longer to get there than expected. No one’s life was in danger here, so of course I understood. I would never want my broken window to stand in the way of someone getting help if their life was in danger.

Looking back, I don’t believe anyone deliberately targeted our home. The house has a fence running out behind it with a side street on the other side. The house is close enough that someone could throw an object out the window of their car and hit the house if they were so inclined. After the last incident, we fixed the window at an expense of about $300.00 and covered it as to avoid another incident. It may be coincidental, but the covering we have on the window has been hit a couple times, but luckily no broken window. The only other time I called 9-1-1 was one day when I was walking with my kids to school and we witnessed a terrible car accident. The accident occurred right in front of the school. It was in front of an elementary school and many of the children were watching what was happening in the fenced in schoolyard. I saw many teachers and monitors motioning for the children to get away from the fences.

While at the time, I thought my son’s broken window was an emergency, I now realize it was probably something that could have waited. It was something that, at the very least, I could have called the non-emergency number. My only defense I can offer is that I was in panic mode. The adrenaline was pumping.  The thought of what could have happened outweighed what actually happened.   

While some people may scoff at my belief that a broken window was an emergency, it’s nothing compared to what some people think passes for an emergency these days. I’m talking about the recent rash of fast food “emergencies”. Some of these stories you may know already. First, there was Latreasa Goodman, the Florida woman who called 9-1-1 because McDonald’s ran out of her beloved Chicken McNuggets. Citing company policy, the manager apparently refused to give her a refund, but offered to replace the little boneless delights with something Latreasa had no intention of eating. Citing her dissatisfaction with the offer, Latreasa called the emergency number three times.Who would have thought a trip for McNuggets would lead to a day in court? I worked for McDonald’s for many years-the McNuggets are hardly worth a court date- unless, of course, you use the hot mustard sauce.

Our next example of misuse of the 9-1-1 system comes from Ohio. Andrew Mizsak called 9-1-1 on his grown son, who refused to clean his room.  A food fight ensued and the aspiring politician son, refused to clean up his basement digs. The son was living there rent-free, but seemingly didn’t feel he had to follow the rules of the house. Perhaps dad should have been more specific and told him clean the basement.

Yet another call yields a court appearance for Jean Fortune  in Florida. This time, the staff at Burger King were unable to fill Mr. Fortune’s request for lemonade. It’s unclear if they were simply out that day or if the beverage was discontinued. Either way, Mr. Fortune had the unfortunate experience of having no lemonade. His misfortune continued as he called the emergency number to somehow resolve the matter. Personally, I don’t understand why people get so irate over a place that is clearly out of the item they ordered. Did he think the employees were refusing to serve him lemonade to hoard it all for themselves?  Maybe he thought his temper tantrum would somehow make lemonade magically appear.

This last case of 9-1-1 abuse takes us to the other side of the country to Oregon. Raibin Raof Osman ordered some food at a McDonald’s drive-thru. They forgot his orange juice, he claimed. Osman refused to leave the window, and accused the employee of being rude, because she was apparently making fun of his brother, who lacked English skills. So Osman did what any sensible consumer would do and called 9-1-1. The incident further escalated due to Osman’s refusal to understand what the emergency number was meant to be used for. The incident landed Osman in jail.

I knew there was a reason why I don’t drink orange juice…..

 

  Have you ever had to call 9-1-1? What was the strangest 9-1-1 call you ever made?

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Featured Book: Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing

[book cover image courtesy of University of Michigan Press]

Decades before Columbine and Virginia Tech became household names, there was a school called Bath Consolidated School in Bath, Michigan. On May 18, 1927, the Bath Consolidated School fell victim to a tragedy that would leave a toll of 46 victims, most of them young children. In the center of the tragedy was the perpetrator, Andrew Kehoe, who reportedly committed the crime because of a school tax that sent his farm into foreclosure. Kehoe spared no one in this tragedy, including his wife, Nellie. In the end, as happens in most of these mass murders, Kehoe took his own life as well.

[top, Bath Consolidated School; bottom, the aftermath of the north wing. Photos courtesy of Bath School Museum]

I would like to take the opportunity to share with my readers a fascinating book by Arnie Bernstein called “Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing”. The decades old tragedy in Bath has many of the same aspects we still see in more modern tragedies. I believe it would lend some insight to how we see these massacres today.

For more information about the book and how to purchase it, please visit Arnie Bernstein’s website, www.arniebernstein.com

There is also a Wikipedia page that chronicles the Bath School massacre and provides a lot of information.

Sources: www.arniebernstein.com; Wikipedia.org (Bath School disaster)

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Drew Peterson Indicted (Commentary)

Yes, it’s true.

Captain Smirkypants, AKA Drew Peterson has been arrested and indicted in connection with the murder of his 3rd wife Kathleen Savio. Peterson is also a person of interest in the disappearance of his 4th wife, Stacy Peterson. The former Bollingbrook, Ill. police officer has given several reasons for the disappearance of Stacy and claims his former wife had a bad accident in a dry bathtub that led to her death.

For more on the history of the case against Drew Peterson and an awesome opinion article on the case, please visit Michelle Simonsen’s true crime blog, Michelle Says So.
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