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Friday, July 31, 2009
Victim's loved ones thank Alonzo Washington
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 05:08 PM in Homicides - Kansas City | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 05:00 PM in Burglaries, thefts, embezzlements | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)
Shoplifter stuffs ribs down his pants, then wets his pants, OH cops say
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 04:49 PM in Burglaries, thefts, embezzlements | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
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."
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 04:45 PM in Child abuse | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Heartless monster steals puppy from 5-year-old's arms
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 04:36 PM in Burglaries, thefts, embezzlements | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 04:31 PM in Robberies | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 04:12 PM in Missing persons | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 04:08 PM in Not remotely crime-related | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Wichita woman stabs guy after her crack pipe gets taken, police say
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 03:36 PM in Assaults | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Bartender won't serve man, so he tries to burn her truck, VT cops say
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 03:12 PM in Arsons | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 02:23 PM in Links to crime stories | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
AZ cops find 97 illegal immigrants in chilled trailer
Hat Tip: Many thanks, Searching!
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 02:17 PM in Immigration and crime | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Officer, I sprayed that man with gasoline in self-defense
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 01:54 PM in Assaults | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 01:27 PM in Burglaries, thefts, embezzlements | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)
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.)
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 01:18 PM in Missing persons | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 12:37 PM in Homicides - Kansas | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 12:17 PM in Traffic accidents/safety | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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!
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:55 AM in Meta - Reactions to this blog | Permalink | Comments (132) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:52 AM in Robberies | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:42 AM in Uncategorizable | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
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!
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:30 AM in Wrongly Convicted | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:13 AM in Homicides - Other | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:01 AM in Sex offenses | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBack (0)
Some headlines just write themselves
From the Leavenworth Times:
Deputies arrest intoxicated man lying in ditch
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 10:42 AM in Links to crime stories | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
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.
Posted by James Hart on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 10:37 AM in Police administration | Permalink | Comments (51) | TrackBack (0)

