Motorcyclist flees KCK police, dies in wreck

From Tony Rizzo: A motorcyclist killed Saturday while attempting to flee from police has been identified as Thomas Maurice Ozborne of Kansas City, Kan.

Ozborne, 31, died when his motorcycle popped a wheelie and collided with a van at 31st Street and Southwest Boulevard, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. A 38-year-old woman who was driving the van was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

Football coach stands trial in teenager's heat-related death

In Louisville, a man named Jason Stinson, a former high-school football coach, is facing charges of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment. One of his student, 15-year-old Max Gilpin, died in August 2008 from heat stroke-related complications, days after he collapsed while running wind sprints. The Courier-Journal interviewed a series of legal experts, and the consensus is that it'll be very hard to convict the coach.

“The classic example of reckless homicide is firing a gun into a crowded building and killing somebody,” said defense lawyer Steve Romines of Louisville. “Having kids run wind sprints doesn't equate to that.”

In this photo provided by the Gilpin family, Max Gilpin is shown during his 15th birthday party, in July, 2008, in Louisville, Ky. After two-plus hours of practice, Pleasure Ridge Park football coach David Jason Stinson had enough goofing off. The first-year head coach ordered the 100 or so players to run sprints until someone quit the team. Five got sick, two eventually quit and 15-year-old offensive lineman Max Gilpin collapsed, dying three days later at a hospital. A year later, as Stinson prepares for a closely watched criminal trial. (AP Photo/Family Photo via The Courier-Journal)

3 MO women, convicted of killing their husbands, seek parole

And each says they were victims of abuse and had no option but to kill their husbands. The state's parole board will be considering their cases over the next couple of weeks, though prosecutors and victims' families plan to strongly object, the Post-Dispatch reports. There's been an effort over the past few years to get leniency for women in these cases, who were convicted but never got the chance to show that domestic abuse played a part in their crimes.

Is Scott Roeder going to present a "justifiable homicide" defense?

Hmm, still sounds pretty iffy, if you read the AP's story. Roeder, accused of murdering abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, has been talking to a prominent defense attorney who's represented others accused of attacking doctors and clinics. Michael Hirsh has said justifiable homicide should be a possible defense in these kinds of cases.

ALSO: Judy Thomas has a story about the FBI interviewing members of a Bible study group that Roeder attended.

Among the topics: The Old Testament, their Hebrew roots and the “secret societies” attempting to control government and culture.

In this July 28, 2009 file photo, Scott Roeder speaks with his attorney Mark Rudy during Roeder's preliminary hearing in court in Wichita, Kan. Roeder, 51, is charged in the death of Dr. George Tiller. (AP Photo/Jaime Oppenheimer, Pool)

Woman catches husband licking strange woman's face, FL cops say

Which caused the wife to smack her husband and physically drag him from the nightclub. Sadly, she was the one who got arrested.

52-year-old poses as high-school student, CT police say

The suspect is a former cop who says he's working on a book about how easy it is to get around typical security, police say. He allegedly used forged documents to enroll. He was arrested the same day that he sat in on a class -- it's not clear if he made it the whole day before being busted.

Parents charged after NJ woman, 25, starves herself to death

The woman was named Emily Errico, and she actually died about three years ago. She weighed 97 pounds and was wearing a plastic bag for a halter top when police found her. Prosecutors have brought charges against both parents because they didn't get her help. Dad pleaded guilty and got five years of probation. Mom is still facing trial and could potentially go away for five years.

You really need to read the story to understand the conditions this woman was living in -- and had lived in since she was a girl.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Keith G in PV!

Soldier at Fort Leonard Wood pleads guilty to murdering woman

Spc. Jermaine Johnson pleaded guilty to the murder of Myria Silva, the wife of another soldier who was deployed in Iraq. Johnson and Silva had reportedly been having an affair, and he killed her last October, then hid her body in an abandoned farmhouse. Johnson was sentenced to 30 years in a military prison.

Death of Fort Worth man, Tasered by police, ruled a homicide

The dead man was named Michael Jacobs Jr., and he suffered from schizophrenia. He was apparently off his meds and having an episode when Fort Worth police Tasered him back in April. The first burst lasted 49 seconds, followed a moment later by a 5-second burst. Though the medical examiner has ruled it a homicide, it's not clear what kind of charges, if any, will be brought. The case is going to a grand jury.

And he didn't even call her the next day

A Detroit man is accused of leaving his date before the bill for their dinner was paid -- oh, and stealing her car.

Burglar returns to steal TV ... while cops are still there

And he STILL got away with the TV!

TX dispatcher accused of setting fire in deputy boyfriend's house

On the same day they broke up. Snip:

A friend told police after Gilliam shared the news about the break-up over the phone three hours before the fire, Gilliam said "she wished something bad would happen, because when something bad happened in the past, her and Scott would get back together."

Car hits KCFD truck, killing 2

From Christine Vendel: A car slammed into a fire truck that was heading back to its fire station early today, killing two passengers in the car.

The driver, a 24-year-old man, suffered critical injuries in the 4:15 a.m. crash in the 3200 block of Indiana Avenue. The mother of the driver, 47-year-old Crystal Lewis, was riding in the front seat and died at the scene. Malinda Reliford, 32, was in the back seat and also died.

14 DUI arrests during OP sobriety checkpoint

From OPPD: The Overland Park, Kansas Police Department and several Kansas police agencies conducted a DUI Check Lane on Friday, August 28, 2009. The DUI Check Lane was conducted with the intent to reduce alcohol related auto accidents and discourage impaired driving.

Please review the statistical results:

354 - Vehicles entered the Check Lane

56 - Drivers tested for DUI

14 - Drivers arrested for DUI

2 - Drug arrest

3 - Transporting Open Containers (Alcohol)

2 - Fleeing and Eluding

1 man shot and killed near 70th and Olive

From KCPD: On 8/28/2009, at approximatley 10:43 pm, officers were called to a shooting at 70th Terr and Olive. The caller advised someone had been shot and was being driven to a local hospital. The victim arrived at the hospital and died a short time later of an apparent gunshot wound.

During the investigation, it was learned several males were involved in an outside disturbance at 70th Terr and Olive. The victim was apparently shot during the confrontation. Three black male suspects left the scene on foot. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816.474.8477.

8 DUI arrests during KCPD sobriety checkpoint

From KCPD: The Kansas City Missouri Police Department conducted a Sobriety Checkpoint on August 28, 2009 from 2300 hours to 0400 hours at 56th & Ward Parkway. Southbound traffic was checked with total of 494 vehicles stopped. A total number of 8 DUI arrests were made, along with 1 Possession of Marijuana, 2 Hazardous Moving Violations, 3 Other Traffic Violations, and 6 KC Warrants.

Arkansas father had toddler in one hand, knife in the other

Story is from Arkansas. He was reportedly upset because his dad had sold his car. The good news is that everybody got out OK, though Dad did suffer a Tasering.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, silverside!

Should the feds have a "kill switch" for the Internet?

That proposal is included in an early version of a new cybersecurity act. The federal government would be able to shut down private networks if there were some kind of emergency, though the exact extent isn't specified.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, gee!

Tim McGraw is sick and tired of your crap

Lovely piece here about the country singer and his penchant for giving the hook to people who cause trouble at his concerts, especially if they're harassing women. Snip from AP:

At one concert, McGraw stops in the middle of singing "Indian Outlaw," calls for security and pulls a guy on stage by his shirt so that guards can haul him away.

"Look, I'm the one with the microphone, so if there's something that needs to be done, and I'm the one who can see it because of where I'm at, then I'm probably the only person who can ask somebody to do something about it, because other people may not be able to see it, security especially," said McGraw.

Molestation suspect kills himself -- jury finds him not guilty

But largely on a technicality -- it wasn't clear how old the girl was when she was assaulted. So the jury had to conclude the statute of limitations had expired and cleared the defendant. Not that it mattered. Story is from Florida.

Open Thread ... Weekend Edition

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 an email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Image via icanhascheezburger.com!

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 an email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Image via icanhascheezburger.com!

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 an email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Image via icanhascheezburger.com!

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 an email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Image via icanhascheezburger.com!

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 an email to jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Image via icanhascheezburger.com!

Fire causes stir (and lots of smoke) downtown Friday afternoon

 

TV newscasts ran with this story far too long on the evening news considering there were no injuries and the building was vacant, but it did provide good visuals.

|Meredith Rodriguez

Former Blue Springs South quarterback kicked off MU football team for DWI

Blaine Dalton, 18, was arrested by University of Missouri police shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Friday and was charged with DWI, not driving within the proper lane and with driving an unregistered vehicle, writes The Star's Mike DeArmond.

This was the second time he had been arrested for similar charges in four months.

|Meredith Rodriguez

Jaycee Dugard suspect speaks to CNN

Phillip Garrido, the convicted sex offender who kidnapped Dugard, says that his is a "heartwarming story" about how he turned his life around. 

|Meredith Rodriguez

Nine-foot marijuana plant in backyard leads to arrest

Police arrested the woman after they obtained a search warrant.

|Meredith Rodriguez