Man hosed down wife for smoking in the house -- gets arrested, police say

He says he was watering the lawn and that she merely got hit by "overspray," tcpalm.com reports. At some point, they started wrestling over the phone, and he allegedly elbowed her in the mouth, authorities say.

Missouri AG wants to stop puppy mills

Fun Fact: Not only is Missouri a hotspot for meth labs, we're also considered Ground Zero for puppy mills. (Puppy mills are large-scale breeding operations where puppies are produced with little or no regard for the animals' health.) Yesterday, Missouri AG Chris Koster promised new prosecution against breeders who fail to get licenses and follow the state's standards.

The project, which includes the state's ag department, got started back in February. (It's officially called "Operation Bark Alert.")

Here's a form to report breeders who aren't following the law.
And a release from the AG's office.
A link to the Stop Puppy Mills site, produced by the Humane Society.
A previous CSKC post on Missouri being King of the Puppy Mills.
Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation.

KS mayor to stand trial for killing resident's dogs

The case is from McCune, Kan., which we've written about before. Mayor Don Call has entered pleas of innocent in the February incident, the Joplin Globe reports. He says he shot the two dogs after receiving reports they had been chasing a child. Snip:

Crawford County Attorney Michael Gayoso said felony charges were filed because he believes the dogs were killed maliciously.

McCune’s dog ordinance, adopted in 2006, states that dogs running at large are subject to impoundment, and that no dogs may be “disposed of until after a minimum of three business days of custody.”

Thief steals security camera from Operation Rescue

It's not funny that Operation Rescue, the abortion-opposition group based in Wichita, has been receiving threats, and it's not OK that someone should steal their property or damage their headquarters. But losing your security camera, something that is ostensibly supposed to prevent crime, in broad daylight? That's a little amusing.

File photo of an Operation Rescue protest

Sex offender wanted money or sex to return missing dog, CA police say

This is creepy, if true: A registered sex offender is accused of calling a 17-year-old girl and demanding either $70 or sex in exchange for her missing dog, Pineapple. That, or he would torture the toy poodle-cocker spaniel mix. (There is some question of how the dog "disappeared," too.)

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Searching!

Are KS adult businesses going to win the legal fight over highway signs?

A while back, Kansas passed a law restricting highway signs for strip clubs, adult bookstores and other erotically-inclined businesses.

Now? A federal judge has blocked the law from taking effect. And the Kansas AG is seriously considering whether to push forward, considering that similar laws in Missouri, Georgia and South Carolina have been knocked down.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!

Do "scent lineups" help police find the right suspect?

I'd never heard of this before, but scent lineups are pretty much what they sound like. Instead of asking a victim to identify a suspect from a lineup, police use a K9 to sniff a piece of evidence and then pick the suspect from a group of people, USA Today reports. One practitioner -- Keith Pikett, a lawman from Texas -- has worked hundreds of cases with his dogs.

He's also involved in a pair of federal lawsuits arguing the scent lineups don't work. Defense lawyers have found a couple of cases where the suspects were singled out by the dogs, but later cleared by other methods.

Here's a piece on scent lineups from forensic-evidence.com ...
An older piece from Fortune, which says that K9s are wrong 30 to 40 percent of the time ...
A post from the awesomely named "Grits For Breakfast" blog about the case ...

KC shooting victim dies in the hospital

From Christine: A 15-year-old Kansas City boy shot in the head by a friend June 16 has died, police said Monday. D’Shawn Clayton died Thursday. He was with several teens in the basement of a house in the 4200 block of Park Avenue when he was shot in an argument over a chair, police said.

Authorities charged David L. Smith, 17, with second-degree assault and armed criminal action. The charges could be upgraded in light of D’Shawn’s death.

Bystanders help save elderly motorist from Brush Creek

Christine has a great story about the men who jumped into Brush Creek and rescued a driver whose car had careened into the water. (That woman was still in critical condition on Monday.)

KC homicide victim was shot, shoved from vehicle, then run over

This all happened about 4:45 yesterday afternoon. Police found the victim -- a man in his 20s or 30s -- lying in the street near 20th and Kensington. Authorities would declare him dead at the scene. Christine and Meredith's initial report is here.

Boy critically hurt in KCK shooting

From KCK PD: On Monday June 29, 2009 at about 1838 hours, officers from the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department responded to the 400 Block of North 10th Street on a shooting call. Upon arrival officers found a Hispanic male juvenile victim, suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an area hospital, were he is listed in critical condition. The identity of the victim will not be released pending positive identification and family notification.

The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department’s Major Case Unit is encouraging anyone with information regarding the incident to please call 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Some headlines just write themselves

"Homeowner assaulted by defecating man"

MO plans statewide DUI crackdown over the Fourth

Starting on the 3rd and through the 5th, actually. KCPD, which has a DUI checkpoint on the schedule, also plans to be part of the increased enforcement.

Kids say the most incriminating things

When Florida authorities arrested two fishermen for keeping a pair of undersize fish, they gave false names to the officers. Luckily, the child who was fishing with them gave the correct information to the authorities. Coincidentally -- or maybe NOT coincidentally -- one of the men has an outstanding warrant for failure to pay child support.

Government asks people not to use old TVs for target practice

They had a public-service announcement and everything ...

Hat Tip: Saw this via Fark!

Ohio women swapped baby, police say

Weird case from Marysville, Ohio, where a woman is accused of signing her best friend's name to her child's birth certificate. The best friend then raised the child as her own -- and collected welfare benefits, police say. Both women have pleaded not guilty.

NJ might limit residents to one gun per month

If the governor signs the bill, New Jersey will become the fourth state to limit its citizens to one gun purchase per month. The bill doesn't apply to antique collectors, dealers or law enforcement.

FL men broke into cars, then asked deputy for a ride home, authorities say

One of the men did a dance, trying to convince the deputy that he was a promising rap star. Instead, authorities say, he accidentally showed off some of the stolen merchandise.

Firefighters win reverse-discrimination case at Supreme Court

The case is from New Haven, Conn., where 20 firefighters say they were denied a chance for promotion because of race-based reasons. Each did well enough on a special test to earn a promotion, but no black candidates did. The city, fearing the test discriminated against blacks, threw out the results. The Supreme Court sided with the firefighters, overturning a lower court's decision.

Here's a copy of the opinion.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Jewwells P!

NY woman stole from churchgoer's purse while she prayed, police say

Not only did God see her, so did the usher.

Couple shot by same bullet while "trying to figure out ... their new gun"

Story is from the Pittsburgh area ...

Quote of the day

"We're not exactly sure why he decided to take his clothes off and run through the woods and try and break into a neighbor's house. That part is still under investigation."

Who was Tyrus Johnson?

From KCKPD: The victim from the homicide that occurred on Saturday, June 27, 2009 in the 2300 Block of North 18th Street has been identified. Tyrus C. Johnson, black male, DOB 01/16/1977 was a Kansas City, Kansas resident. The family has been notified.

The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department’s Major Case Unit is encouraging anyone with information regarding the incident to please call 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Dear Criminals: Thank you for stealing GPS-enabled cars

It makes finding you ever-so-easy. Joe Lambe has a great story here.

10 DUI arrests during Independence checkpoint

From Independence PD: The Independence Police Traffic Safety Unit along with officers from the Jackson County Traffic Safety Task Force conducted a sobriety checkpoint along northbound Noland Road at Lynn Court in Independence. The operation began on Friday 06/26/09 at 11:00 PM and ended on Saturday 06/27/09 at 3:30 AM.

The checkpoint was staffed by (21) Independence Officers, (8) Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputies, (4) Grain Valley Officers and (2) Sugar Creek Officers. During the hours of operation (692) cars were checked with the following arrests:

(10) DWI
(3) No Valid Driver License
(10) Warrant Arrests
(3) Liquor Violations
(1) Possession of Narcotics
(1) Endangering the Welfare of a Child
(4) Other Traffic Violations