Victim's loved ones thank Alonzo Washington

Alonzo has a post here about a case where his MySpace page generated a tip that helped solve the Jeffrey Dunham homicide from a few years ago. Good work!

KCPD staffer accused of check forgery

Melissa Wayne, who works in KCPD's accounting unit, is charged with one count of forgery, Jackson County prosecutors say. Wayne is accused of creating a duplicate check, identical to a real one that she got for tuition reimbursement. The fake one was written for more than $2,300. According to court records, Wayne allegedly forged the fake check because she was getting evicted and needed extra money.

Shoplifter stuffs ribs down his pants, then wets his pants, OH cops say

Maybe you should try another line of work, son.

Stripper arrested for leaving kiddos home alone, FL cops say

Mom was late for work, but the kiddos were only 4 and 5 years old, police say. Also: I can't tell if her mugshot is "sultry" or "angry."

Heartless monster steals puppy from 5-year-old's arms

Amazingly, the police tracked the puppy down, and she's been reunited with her owners.

KC man accused of robbing Leawood bank

From the U.S. Attorney's Office: David Brown, 36, Kansas City, Mo., has been charged with one count of bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.

According to a federal criminal complaint, on July 24, 2009, Brown robbed the Country Club Bank at 13451 Briar Street in Leawood, Kan. He entered the bank about 9:15 a.m. wearing a ski mask or bandana. He vaulted the counter and told a teller to open the drawer, removed the money and placed it in a bag. Then he vaulted the counter again and fled. Bank employees recognized him as a customer of Country Club Bank, which led investigators to a silver Mercury Sable that Brown was driving during the robbery.

Where is Jossette Beeks?

From KCPD: JOSSETTE J. BEEKS, B/F, 40 YOA, 5’6”tall, 156#, black hair, brown eyes, last seen wearing lite blue T- shirt, blue and white checkered shorts and flip flop shoes. She left 12th and Woodland on 7-29-2009 about 2025 hours in a gold 1997, Jeep Grand Cherokee, temp tags, to go to Speedy’s at 9th and Prospect and hasn’t been seen since. Banks is reported to suffer the effects of several strokes and may appear confused or dazed. If located, notify Missing persons at 816-234-5136 or relatives at 314-243-3695.

Not remotely crime-related

Diet Pepsi fan determined to keep drinking Diet Pepsi, despite allegedly finding a mouse in a can of Diet Pepsi. Pepsi says this could NOT have happened during their production process.

Wichita woman stabs guy after her crack pipe gets taken, police say

She ended up stabbing a guy who DID not take her crack pipe, the authorities allege.

Bartender won't serve man, so he tries to burn her truck, VT cops say

The bartender stopped him before anything caught fire, police say.

Judge lowers Shon Pernice's bond from $250K to $100K

This regards the July Fourth incident where he's accused of threatening his neighbors. So he'll have to find $10K instead of $25K. The judge also placed some strict conditions on his release, if he does make bond.

AZ cops find 97 illegal immigrants in chilled trailer

They were riding in a trailer carrying fruits and vegetables, so the temperature was only 34 degrees.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Searching!

Officer, I sprayed that man with gasoline in self-defense

A likely story ...

Police chiefs accused of burgling home of celebrities' surrogate mom

In Ohio, two police chiefs are accused of a scheme involving a surrogate mom working for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. One of them allegedly stole items from the woman's house, proving she was the surrogate for the stars. Prosecutors say they planned to sell the goods to celebrity photogaphers.

Newlywed, 81, disappears in California

Police are searching for Robert Harrod, who married his childhood sweetheart a few weeks ago. (They'd been apart for 59 years.)

Who killed Jeffrey Rogers?

From Mark Wiebe: Gov. Mark Parkinson has offered a $5,000 reward to help solve a nearly 14-month-old murder case in Kansas City, Kan.

The amount is the maximum allowed by a Kansas statute that gives the governor the authority to issue a reward “whenever a heinous crime has been committed in the state,” a release from Parkinson’s office said this morning.

The case dates to April 9, 2008, when Kansas City, Kan., resident Jeffrey Rogers was found shortly after midnight suffering from multiple gunshot and stab wounds in the 8400 block of Tauromee Avenue.

Rogers, 25, had called 911 for help, and when officers arrived he told them that three to five men had broken into his house. A struggle ensued, and the men fled.

Previous CSKC post about the case.

Driver hit lady in wheelchair, kept going, prosecutors say

Gary G. Blackmon, 35, is accused of leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a revoked license and operating a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner. Jackson County prosecutors say he hit an elderly woman in a wheelchair back in February near 63rd and Woodland, but didn't stop. She was trying to cross the street.

It's not clear why the woman was in the wheelchair in the first place, but she is now a paraplegic.

Blackmon wasn't arrested until yesterday. He said he thought he'd hit a grocery basket, court records state. When he realized the truth, he was too scared to turn himself in, he reportedly told police.

Open Thread ... Sweet Merciful Friday

Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.

As always, please follow our standard rules: 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. If you need to reach me, send email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.

As always, please follow our standard rules: 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. If you need to reach me, send email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.

As always, please follow our standard rules: 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. If you need to reach me, send email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.

As always, please follow our standard rules: 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. If you need to reach me, send email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.

As always, please follow our standard rules: 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. If you need to reach me, send email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Robber found napping in grass about 1 block from crime scene

Story is from Utah. Criminals: Remember, your getaway is just as crucial, if not more so, than your actual criminal activity.

Escaped steers cow Olathe residents, stay on the moooove

Great piece here from Joe Lambe, and yet another reminder of the odd things that police get to handle on the job.

Dog sends innocent man to prison for 26 years

John Preston and his scent-tracking dog were supposed to be "infallible." I guess "untrustworthy" might have been a better adjective. More here from Reason's Hit & Run blog.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!

Restaurant owner killed for enforcing "no smoking" law

Story is from Turkey. The owner tried to tell some customers they couldn't smoke inside because of a new law. He was shot four times after taking away their cigarettes, Reuters reports.

Sex offenders want to keep living under Miami bridge

We've written about this before: Because Miami-Dade has some of the strictest rules in the country on sex-offenders and where they can live, a group of RSOs has started their own tent city under a bridge. The state even grudgingly went along with things because, well, there was nowhere else for the RSOs to go, and at least they knew where all of their "charges" were.

Critics went on about something called "basic human dignity." Now, the authorities have almost got things fixed so the sex offenders can live indoors again. The campers say they're very happy where they are, though, the Miami Herald reports.

Some headlines just write themselves

From the Leavenworth Times:

Deputies arrest intoxicated man lying in ditch

Cops allegedly ran criminal background check on Obama

Which could be counted as a misuse of government computers or an official invasion of privacy. The cops, who work for DeKalb County, Ga., were put on paid administrative leave while the matter is investigated.