The Duct Tape Bandit Rides Again

To prison, it seems. Kasey G. Kazee, who was accused of wrapping his head in duct tape before robbing a Kentucky liquor store, has pleaded guilty. Here's a link to our original story, which includes this gem:

Another employee tackled the suspect in the parking lot: "Miller said the thief also had a t-shirt pulled up around his head, which he said reminded him of the Cornholio character from the Beavis and Butthead cartoon."

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

KMBC: Man upset because police shot his dog

Pregnant teen assaults baby daddy with waffle iron, police say

Story is from Sheboygan. According to Baby Daddy, he and the pregnant teen's sisters were laughing at a joke, but she thought they were laughing at her. Baby Mama and Baby Daddy reportedly traded slaps, which led Baby Mama to throw a waffle iron at him. He'll live.

Should sex offenders be tracked with GPS for the rest of their lives?

There's a debate happening right now in North Carolina on whether the state can force registered sex offenders to wear GPS tracking devices, even after their sentences are up. The state has typically reserved this for its more serious cases -- plus, it costs $3K per inmate annually. Defense attorneys, though, argue it's a form of punishment, and some judges are starting to agree with them.

Dear RIAA: It probably isn't as much fun when people sue you, huh?

BusinessWeek has a great story about a single mother who beat the Recording Industry Association of America, which accused her of stealing music over the Internet. Now? She's suing them, accusing the music industry of conspiracy.

Saw this via QuizLaw!

LAPD: Wallet saves man from driveby shooting

Two bicyclists were fired upon during a driveby early Tuesday. One died, but the other -- who was shot in the buttocks -- didn't suffer a serious injury because his wallet stopped the bullet, the Los Angeles Times reports.

School-plot suspect wanted to go to Heaven ... and kill Jesus, police say

They think he might need a psychological evaluation. You think?

IL college student dies in fireworks prank

Three college students got six-month sentences for shoving Roman candles under another student's door -- causing a fire that killed him.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, FanDanGo!

MO man tried to steal T-shirts from store while lovah applied for job, police say

Story is from Springfield. Police say the suspect was also holding his girlfriend's 8-month-old -- whom he promptly dropped when the store staff tried to grab him.

Elderly IL woman was trapped under husband's dead body at least 2 days

Luckily, her newspaper carrier checked on her and rescued her.

K9 officer fights to get job back -- kicking the dog was part of training, he says

This is the first I've heard of anything like this, but I don't have any experience training police dogs, either ...

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM

No. 18

Meet James Lee Woodard, who spent 27 years in prison for a murder that he never committed. He is the 18th person in his county -- not in his state, in his county -- to be exonerated, thanks to DNA. Sort of makes you wonder about the quality of justice in Dallas County, Texas. He was freed today.

Wisconsin thieves hate the elderly

First, we had a story about a thief stealing a 52-inch TV from a veterans hospital in Milwaukee. The same thing's happened again, only at a senior-housing complex.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, goshel!

Shooting victim, age 5, gets to go home

Katherine Cook, 5, was shot in the head while playing outside her home in Oswego back in February. (Leavenworth authorities aren't sure who fired or why.) After several weeks in the hospital, Cook is back home, KMBC reports.

Shopper pulls gun on grocery-store managers, who PULL their guns, police say

Story is from Florida. Nobody got shot, which is the good news. Really liked the Sun-Sentinel's lead:

Memo to shoppers: Next time Mr. Whipple tells you to stop squeezing the Charmin, pay attention. He might be packing heat.

Open Thread ... Tuesday

Thanks again for spending time on the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. Or if you've seen an interesting story elsewhere, feel free to post a link below!

Please sign your comments, and please avoid profanity, as well as racially and sexually abusive language. And when you sign your comments, please use only one nickname. I read the OT, but if you need to contact me directly, my email is jhart@kcstar.com.

Thanks, and have a great Tuesday!

KC man used toy gun to hold up auto-parts store, police say

Jordan D. Hoffman, 21, is accused of stealing almost $300 from a CarQuest Auto Parts store at 36th and Main, using a toy gun to threaten the clerk, Jackson County prosecutors say. According to the probable cause, police found Hoffman with the clerk's "lucky" $20 bill from 1950.

NM man uses sword to steal tequila from Sam's Club, police say

To be specific, it was two bottles of Patron. He attracted the attention of store management after he initially tried hiding them in his pants, police say.

Local bloggers talk about the FLDS case

Midtown Miscreant wants prosecutors to drop the hammer:

So much for calls of religious tolerance and allegations that outsiders "Just don't understand" the religious beliefs of the Pedophile band of scumbags at the Yearning for Zion ranch. Half of the girls between the ages of 14 and 17 either have had children or are currently pregnant.

There really isn't much left to say on this subject, other than every adult over the age of 21 should be looked at for prosecution. The other compounds spread across the country, yes there are more, should be raided and the children removed. Seem harsh? Violation of religious freedom? Tell that to the 14-year-old girl who is getting raped in the name of Gawd.

RDM thinks the lady who reportedly made the hotline call is getting a bad rap:

The authorities made it rain on the sex compound and snatched up all those kids. What they found was what Swinton told them. Wouldn’t you think that she should be applauded for making that call? Isn’t it the same call that you would make to tell the authorities that a neighbor is abusing their kid?

A child's letters to vicious killers ...

Great piece from Radar magazine, which had one of its writers pose as a 10-year-old boy named Billy and write letters to famous murderers ... the vast majority of whom wrote back. Specifically, Billy wanted to know if he should drop out of school. Here are the results. Probably the creepiest response is from the Night Stalker. (The bad one, not the good Darren McGavin one.)

Billy,
Greetings. Got your letter. What school do you go to? Who's your friend? You should stay in school. Send pictures.
Richard

Saw this via BoingBoing!

Wife cried rape -- but she was actually with her secret lover, authorities say

Texas authorities accuse Tracy Roberson of involuntary manslaughter because, after her husband caught her with another man, she allegedly cried rape. Which led her husband to fire four shots at Devin LaSalle, killing him. Roberson's husband has already been cleared of criminal charges. Her attorney has denied the charges.

One of the worst things about this case? The star witness is the couple's daughter, who's still in elementary school, the Star-Telegram reports.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

MO bill would make sex offenders renew their drivers licenses every year

Which would be a pretty handy way to keep track of where they're abiding -- though I'm sure it'd be fairly easy to outwit. The Missouri Senate's judiciary committee approved the bill yesterday, but they stripped out a measure that would put a special RSO code on their driver's licenses. (That way, police would have an easy way to see if they'd pulled over an RSO.)

"The dude died slow"

Mark Morris has an update here on the murder trial of Gary Eye, 21, and Steven Sandstrom, 22, who are accused of killing William D. McCay back in 2005. Prosecutors allege that McCay was killed because he was black. (The defendants are both white.) Both men maintain their innocence. If found guilty, Eye and Sandstrom could face the death penalty.

Sandstorm is on the left, Eye is on the right.

MO man pleads guilty to murdering son, age 9

Awful story from the Jeff City paper. Douglas D. Lueckenotte also wanted to kill his 16-year-old son, who grabbed Lueckenotte's rifle and broke it before going and getting his own gun.

IL man accused of attacking neighbors with shovel, then bow and arrow

Alcohol might have been a factor ... From the P-D:

A 27-year-old man reported that Yount appeared to be intoxicated when he arrived home shortly after midnight and he helped him into his house. He said five minutes later Yount was in his front yard swinging a shovel at his 31-year-old girlfriend, who was on the porch smoking a cigarette.