Bishop, monsignor appear before grand jury in Clay County

From Mark Morris and Glenn E. Rice:

The landscape of the diocese’s legal issues broadened significantly Tuesday as its two top clerics testified before a Clay County grand jury focusing on child sexual abuse issues.

Bishop Robert Finn and Monsignor Robert Murphy spent more than six hours before a grand jury in Liberty. Both also have testified before a similar panel in Jackson County in recent weeks.

7 years for teen who stole, crashed Mo. lieutenant governor's car

The suspect, age 18, says he was high on Ecstasy and booze when he rammed Peter Kinder's vehicle into a gun store, the AP reports.

Should Michael Jackson's doctor go to prison for singer's death?

The trial of Conrad Murray, the doctor accused of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death, is now under way.

The defense is arguing that Jackson is to blame for his own death -- that he took a mix of drugs on his own, when Murray wasn't around. The prosecutors, meanwhile, point to Murray's monthly fee of $150,000 and claim that he didn't really act in the singer's best interests.

What do you think? Is one side primarily to blame here? Does Murray deserve prison time over Jackson's death?

AP Photo/Al Seib, Pool

Police: Copper thieves were trying to pay for wedding

A young couple from Pennsylvania is accused of tearing copper off utility poles because, police allege, they were trying to raise money for their wedding.

Suspect in KCI scare will get mental evaluation, judge rules

From Tony Rizzo:

A federal magistrate judge made the order despite the attorney for Anthony Falco Jr. asking to withdraw her earlier motion for a competency hearing.

Prosecutors, however, said they thought the evaluation was needed, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Hays agreed.

“This is clearly a case where the defendant needs to be evaluated,” Hays said during a hearing Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City.

Kan. cops threatened with sword while investigating snake abuse

A man in Manhattan, Kan., is accused of repeatedly throwing his boa constrictor to the ground and -- when police tried to intervene -- threatening them with a sword, KSNT-TV reports.

Wednesday'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!

Arkansas arrests alleged 'Toe Suck Fairy'

I'm just mad that I didn't come up with it first.

Jackson County seeks young woman who disappeared in 2002

From Glenn E. Rice:

Jackson County authorities are seeking the public’s assistance in finding a girl who disappeared nearly nine years ago.

Kathryn Sholly Seefeldt lived in the 19000 block of 18th Street North in unincorporated Jackson County, outside Independence. Kathryn, also known as Katie or Kathy, would now be 21. She was last seen leaving her residence on Oct. 13, 2002.

Utah toddler calls 911 nearly 150 times in span of three days

The police had to go door-to-door to find the perp -- who was reportedly playing with an old cellphone that his parents gave him. Fun Fact: If there's still life in its battery, a cellphone will complete a call to 911, even if its service has been disconnected.

Intoxicated Wisconsin crowd tosses around dead squirrel, tips over car

Oktoberfest is essentially Wisconsin's answer to Devil's Night.

KCPD seeks suspect in Jose O. Jenkins homicide at car wash

From Christine Vendel:

Police were trying to determine what role a wounded man who showed up at a hospital Sunday night played in the city’s latest homicide. Police were called to a car wash at 4325 Prospect Ave. about 7:25 p.m. Sunday, where they found the body of Jose O. Jenkins, 36, of Kansas City.

Saudi women get the vote, but car keys are still off-limits

Saudi Arabia says it's going to let women start voting in 2015, but they still plan to prosecute women who dare to drive.

Man allegedly brought baby to bar fight, authorities report

Yep, it's from Florida. Police allege the fight began after the 32-year-old suspect started pulling another man's hair. Even better? The bar's name is Shenaniganz.

Why do some innocent people confess to crimes they didn't commit?

Strange but true: Some people will confess to doing wrong, even when they're clearly innocent.

The Economist looks at some recent research on the phenomenon in this piece. One of the most interesting factoids: The Innocence Project has cleared 271 people thanks to DNA testing -- but nearly a quarter of those folks had originally confessed.

NYPD: We could knock down an airplane, if necessary

The New York City Police Department says that -- if necessary -- it has weapons that could take down an airplane, though it sounds like the emphasis is small airplanes, the AP reports. (Anything bigger would be an issue for NORAD, sources tell MSNBC.)

What kind of weapons? Surface-to-air missiles? A swarm of trained pterodactyls? According to the New York Post, they would use a Barret .50-caliber rifle, which they favorably compare to a bazooka.

Tuesday'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!

OP police seek other car in fatal wreck from this weekend

They believe it's a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse, which should have bullet holes and might be missing a passenger side mirror. From Joe Lambe:

Overland Park police said today that a car involved in a fatal disturbance between the occupants of two cars may have bullet holes in it.

As two cars sped down U.S. 69 on Sunday, shots were fired and one car lost control and hit a light pole, killing Marquise Williams Jr.

We've got to have sex or drug dealers will kill us, teen allegedly told ex

The Smoking Gun brings us the tale of a young North Dakota man who allegedly tricked his ex-girlfriend into sex with a particularly unusual tale: Drug dealers were secretly watching them and would kill them both if they didn't have sex.

How much does KC police board spend on work meals?

Last year, KCPD had a bit of a controversy after some of its commanders had three expensive work dinners. The police board chastised them ... which led one officer to suggest that somebody look into the police board's dining habits.

Here's what Christine Vendel learned:

So I requested the cost of food eaten by the four board members, the mayor and board attorney during their monthly board meetings, and any board retreats. About 11 others, including police commanders and other staff, also attend. A police commander orders the food and pays for it.

They charged 14 meals last year, from places such as Garozzo’s, Fiorella’s Jack Stack and Hy-Vee, for an average of about $344 per meal. The department has charged nine meals so far this year that averaged $360 per meal.

On average, the meals cost about $21 per person. But the records also revealed two pricier meals catered by Pierpont’s restaurant in Union Station that totaled $1,307, or an average of more than $38 per person.

Would you rather go to church or jail?

The city judge in Bay Minette, Ala., is willing to cut a deal with nonviolent offenders. They can skip jail and fines if they agree to go to church every Sunday for a year. WKRG-TV interviewed the police chief, who said this isn't a church-and-state violation because the offenders get to choose if they participate.

So, I've got two questions: Do you think this is a good idea? And if you were a offender, which path would you choose?

Let's be friends again: Mo. legislature moves to strike 'Facebook law'

The Missouri legislature has voted to repeal the so-called "Facebook law," which prohibited teachers from talking privately to students via Facebook and other sites. From David Lieb of the AP:

If the repeal is signed by Gov. Jay Nixon, Missouri's law restricting online communications would instead be replaced with a new requirement for public school districts to develop their own policies on the use of electronic media between employees and students.

Teachers argued the law infringed on their free-speech rights. It'll be interesting to see how rigorously school districts keep watch on this, though. Pretty much every case involving teacher-student sex has some kind of "online component."

Those of you with kids -- how do you feel about this? Are you okay with your children friending their teachers?

Defense argues that Marine's PTSD, brain injury led to fatal DUI

You really need to read about the case of Scott Sciple, a Marine facing charges over a fatal DUI wreck last year in Tampa, Fla. (The victim was a mechanic named Pedro Rivera.)

The authorities say Sciple's BAC was well over the limit, but his lawyer plans to use an insanity defense because of his client's PTSD and brain injuries, which he sustained over four combat tours. They argue that Sciple went into a dissociative state the night of the wreck.

Investigators from the Marine Corps looked into the case and came to the following conclusion:

"This investigation reveals a disturbing vulnerability in the support we provide our combat veterans suffering the invisible wounds of PTSD," wrote Col. John P. Crook of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, in a Sept. 26, 2010 letter.

"It is folly to expect a wounded mind to diagnose itself, yet our Marines still depend on an anemic system of self-diagnosis and self-reporting."

Salina man stole empty DVD cases from adult-novelty store, police allege

A Salina man is accused of breaking into an adult-novelty store and stealing six DVD cases -- which happened to be empty, police say. According to the Journal, officers spotted the man riding away from the scene on a bicycle. In the basket? The empty cases and the "head of a sledge hammer tied to a rope."

If he actually committed the crime, he's going to get heckled over the empty cases, but give credit where it's due -- that's a pretty intriguing burglary tool. It's like a lockpick's evil, brawnier cousin.

If you were thinking about moving to Detroit ...

Police there arrested a homeless woman with a CCW permit who allegedly fired 11 shots at a possum outside a shopping center, completely missing her target -- though, thankfully, it should be noted no human beings were harmed in the process.