Mo. man pleads guilty in sex-slave case

From Tony Rizzo: A Missouri man’s “perverted curiosity” led him to take part in the abuse and torture of a young woman kept as a sexual slave.

On Thursday it also led him in shackles to a federal courtroom, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

KFC accidentally gives bag of money to drive-through customer

From Joe Lambe: A man drove through an Overland Park KFC and paid for his bag of food but drove away with something else entirely.

When the 21-year-old man got home Sunday, all he had to eat was a bank deposit bag full of cash.

19-year-old accused of murdering KC community advocate

From Christine Vendel: Jackson County prosecutors today accused a 19-year-old man of fatally beating and stabbing a community advocate in her home in a gated retirement community last year.

Prosecutors charged Rashod L. James of Kansas City with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action in the death of Delia C. Young, 67, who was found in her home in the 1200 block of Michigan Avenue Nov. 1.

Westboro Baptist site shut down

The hacktivist group Anonymous has taken down Westboro Baptist Church's website, the Washington Post reports. (It appear they deny being responsible for an open letter posted a few days ago, warning Westboro to generally shut up.)

25 years for threatening 'South Park'

A Virginia man who posted threats against the creators of "South Park" has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. The threats came after the episode where the Prophet Muhammad was portrayed in a bear suit.

Appeals court considers Helmig case

The legal battle over Dale Helmig isn't over yet. Helmig is a Missouri man who, after serving several years for the murder of his mother, was freed by a judge who said the original trial was unfair. Not just that -- the judge said there was "clear and convincing" evidence that Helmig didn't commit the crime.

The Missouri Attorney General's office doesn't agree, which is why the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City heard arguments about the case on Thursday:

Assistant Attorney General Stephen Hawke, however, argued that the evidence actually was not new and that the judge who ordered Helmig’s conviction thrown out exceeded his legal authority.

We've written about Helmig's case here, here and here.

Mo. legislator who wants to ban red-light cameras gets a ticket from one

This time it's personal: A Missouri legislator who's championing a bill against red-light cameras recently got a ticket from one himself, the AP reports.

Bath salts are a hell of a drug

Story is from Ohio. The suspect, who is accused of snorting bath salts and was eventually Tasered, told police that 30 home invaders were in his house.

“He said (the intruders) were trying to make it seem like they were not there, and they would try to blend into their surroundings, like chairs and trees,” Starcher said.

Hat Tip: Saw this via Fark!

KCPD plans sobriety checkpoint

KCPD is planning a DUI checkpoint sometime next weekend, between March 4 and 6.

Deputy stops 'clothing-optional' pickup

Story is from Nebraska. The deputy said all of the occupants -- two guys, two girls -- were naked, but that's technically not a crime. You do, however, have to wear a seatbelt, though. (Also, the guy in the mugshot looks sort of proud of this accomplishment.)

Hat Tip: Many thanks, Jay Tee!

Friday's Open Thread

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

It's the only religion that considers Merle Haggard a prophet

From the Smoking Gun: "Suspect lists religion as 'redneck.'"

FBI arrests Saudi student, accuses him of plotting bomb attacks

In Texas, FBI agents have arrested an exchange student from Saudi Arabia, accusing him of planning to build an explosive device. They alleged that he research possible targets, including President George W. Bush's home in Dallas, the Houston Chronicle reports.

KCPD officers help single mom who had lost almost everything

Five KCPD officers have been recognized for helping a single mother and her children get back on their feet, Christine Vendel reports. The woman's husband had left her and took almost everything they owned. The woman had four children, ages 2, 4, 5 and 7, and was pregnant with a fifth one.

The officers enlisted the help of officers James Green and Doug Hopper and they organized clothing and furniture donations from the Hillcrest Thrift shop. (Linda) Walker and her neighbors donated sacks of groceries and hygiene products. (J.D.) Pettey and his wife, Officer Tina Conner-Pettey, donated a day bed and mattress.

Green worked with his church to buy a $200 gift card to buy school supplies, underwear, shoes, sheets, towels and one toy for each child. The officers also arranged for Wal-Mart to give the family a 10-percent discount.

Suspect in Penn Valley stabbing to have competency hearing

From Tony Rizzo: A community college student charged with stabbing a school official will have a competency hearing on Monday.

Casey Brezik, 23, is charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action in the September attack at Metropolitan Community College’s Penn Valley campus.

According to court records and witness accounts, he allegedly stabbed a college dean in the neck shortly before Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon was to arrive at the campus at 3201 Southwest Trafficway.

FBI releases pix of Fairway bank robber

From Joe Lambe: An armed man robbed a bank in Fairway this morning. The man robbed the 1st National Bank at 2828 Shawnee Mission Parkway at about 9:50 a.m., the FBI said.

He was described as black, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a stocky build, and in his mid 20s to early 30s. He wore a blue and black hooded jacket with New York on the back and covered the lower half of his face with a blue scarf. He wore khaki pants and glasses.

She ain't heavy, she's my sister ... OK, yeah, she's a little heavy

Just a quick update: Jamie and Gladys Scott are the sisters who were paroled from a Mississippi prison so Gladys could donate a kidney to Jamie. How's that going? Not so good. They need to lose a combined 160 pounds, and Gladys has to stop smoking before doctors will even consider such a procedure.

So, has Mississippi, which made the organ transplant a condition of their release, considered putting them back behind bars?

Barbour hasn't responded directly to numerous questions from The Associated Press about whether he'll send the sisters back to prison if the transplant doesn't happen. He's called questions about such a scenario "purely hypothetical."

When asked Wednesday about the sisters having to lose weight for the surgery, Barbour spokesman Dan Turner said: "That's a medical call, not something imposed as a condition of their release."

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

British judge orders extradition of WikiLeaks' Assange

A judge in London has ruled that Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, must be extradited to Sweden, where he'll face a series of sex-crime charges. Assange plans to appeal.

Hat Tip: Many thanks, JUNGLE JIM!

File photo via AP

Report: Violent crime in KCMO dropped 15 percent in 2010

From Christine Vendel: Violent crime reported to Kansas City police fell 15 percent last year while property crimes decreased 2 percent, according to year-end statistics expected to be released today.

The drop in violent crime is more than double the national average, according to preliminary data from the FBI for the first six months of 2010. All categories of violent crime decreased in Kansas City, including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

Property crimes, burglaries and auto thefts decreased, while stealing and arson increased. The overall decline in property crimes roughly matches the national average for the first half of 2010.

Paroled sex offender posed as cop to rape woman, pleads guilty

From Joe Lambe:

Paroled Kansas sex offender Wesley Earl Watson was determined to do it again.

He was still wearing a GPS monitoring device in December, when he pretended to be a police officer and sexually assaulted a woman in Kansas City, Kan. He pleaded guilty today to attempted rape, kidnapping and aggravated sexual battery.

Now he faces a possible sentence of more than 28 years, to be served after another sentence — up to life in prison — for sex convictions in Sedgwick County, Kan.

KC School District says it knows who started school fires

From Joe Robertson:

Kansas City School District officials believe they have identified four students responsible for recent fires at Southwest and Northeast high schools.

The two students at each school will face expulsion hearings, and the district has delivered information from its investigation to the Kansas City Police Department’s bomb and arson unit, the district announced at its school board meeting tonight.

Tulsa cop in hot water for refusing to send officers to mosque event

A Tulsa police captain is being investigated by his department because he reportedly refused to require his officers to attend a law-enforcement-appreciation day at a local mosque, the Tulsa World reports. The captain has filed a federal lawsuit against the department, saying that his civil rights were being violated.

Fields stated that he sought the advice of legal counsel and believes that "forcing me to enter a Mosque when it is not directly related to a police call for service is a violation of my Civil Rights," according to a memo to his supervisor dated Feb. 17.

Should Missouri ban smoking in prisons?

A Missouri legislator has proposed a ban on tobacco use at the state's prisons and correctional facilities, the AP reports. The hope is that it will lead to lower health-care costs for inmates, though the ban would also apply to prison staff. If it passes, the ban could be phased in over years so people would have time to wean themselves off tobacoo.

Frozen meat in O.D. victim's pants fails to save his life

A man from East St. Louis has been convicted on a series of federal drug charges, but the kicker is this anecdote from the Post-Dispatch: One of the man's clients overdosed in the man's crackhouse, but -- instead of calling for help -- he allegedly tried to revive the client by sticking frozen meat in his pants.

Sadly, the frozen meat did not work.

The Thin Man goes home?

Authorities in Falls City, Neb., say a prisoner escaped from jail by squeezing through the bars to his cell. (He's very skinny, and the bars were loose.) A jailer accidentally discovered the attempt, but the sheriff's office says the prisoner -- Michael R. Thompson, 37 -- managed to handcuff the jailer to the cell.