Monday, January 28, 2008

Panel of experts to help make decision on use of pepper deterrent


AUSTIN – The Texas Youth Commission's new conservator said Friday he will address the use of pepper spray in juvenile prisons within two weeks – and he's looking to a panel of experts sidelined by the agency's acting executive director for guidance.

Richard Nedelkoff, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry late last month, wouldn't reveal his opinion on whether there's a place for pepper spray in youth lock-ups.

But the panel, created in the aftermath of the TYC's sexual and physical abuse scandal, released a report last year opposing use of the spray as a behavioral measure – advice acting Executive Director Dimitria Pope openly disregarded.

"There are a lot of people I want to bring to the table to be part of the solution, a lot of people I have on loan from other states," Mr. Nedelkoff said. "I want these decisions to be thorough, to be thoughtful. But they will not take a lot of time."

On Friday, Mr. Nedelkoff responded again to news reports that TYC officials had spent money intended for new guards on office relocations, renovations and furniture, saying that watching the agency's spending habits will be as much a priority "as child safety, treatment and rehabilitation."

Next month, lawmakers on the House Appropriations Corrections Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the expenditures, first reported by The Dallas Morning News.

Mr. Nedelkoff wouldn't say whether he will keep Ms. Pope, who oversaw the expenditures, on his leadership team. But he said he plans to have all his major leadership and policy changes in place by March. And he indicated that a new treatment and rehabilitation plan that stresses individual assessments, group work and specialized clinical treatment, should come together in the next few weeks.

"Hopefully every week the public will see evidence that we're moving in the right direction," he said.

Mr. Nedelkoff has brought in a team of guest experts to tackle staffing patterns, behavior management (including controversial "isolation") and a new "Girls Initiative."

Also on the agenda: determining which youth prisons need to be closed to have a smaller, more centralized juvenile justice system.

On Friday, Mr. Nedelkoff sent an e-mail to TYC staff highlighting these developments and announcing plans to start monthly conference calls with all lock-up and halfway-house superintendents.

"I will make some mistakes along the way, but I will accept responsibility for those decisions," he wrote. "My simple goal is to create a culture and an organization in which we are working as a team."

Pepper Spray Inc.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Stepfather bound over for trial in girl's slaying, rape-

ROWAN FORD (9) - last seen by her mother and step-father 11/02/07; body found 11/09/07
David Spears (25) - stepfather charged with one count of first-degree murder; forcible rape and statutory rape
Chris Collings (32) - also charged with one count of first-degree murder; forcible rape and statutory rape
STELLA, Missouri
Stepfather declines preliminary hearing for Rowan Ford's murder--(KYTV-TV)--A man charged with raping and murdering his 9-year-old stepdaughter, Rowan Ford, waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. Associate Circuit Judge Victor Head sent David Spears' case to circuit court for a trial or a plea.
Stepfather bound over for trial in girl's slaying, rape--(Associated Press)--The stepfather charged with raping and murdering 9-year-old Rowan Ford was ordered to stand trial after waiving his right to a hearing on the evidence.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

MINDY MORGENSTERN (22) - Valley City State University senior; strangled and stabbed to death September 2006

MINDY MORGENSTERN (22) - Valley City State University senior; strangled and stabbed to death September 2006
Moe Gibbs (35) - former county jailer; being tried for the second time for murder; trial earlier this year ended after the jury deadlocked; convicted; sentenced to life without parole
MINOT, North Dakota
Jurors' names sealed--(In-Forum)--A judge has sealed information about the jurors in Moe Gibbs' second murder trial, saying the court "gave its word" it would keep their identities confidential.
Moe Gibbs appeal notice filed with state Supreme Court.--(Associated Press)--A notice of plans to appeal the murder conviction of former Barnes County jailer Moe Gibbs has been filed with the state Supreme Court.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Hundreds flee 'pepper spray attack'

Gardai are investigating a suspected pepper spray attack which forced hundreds of people to flee a cinema.

The Eye Cinema complex in Galway's Eyre Square had to be evacuated after scores of customers complained about irritated throats and eyes and suffered crippling bouts of coughing. The fire brigade and gardai were called in to check the building and later declared it safe.

Less than two hours later, an 18-year-old man was arrested after an incident at a petrol station in Salthill. Gardai said they were called to the scene after the man reportedly sprayed noxious fumes through the security hatch.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Daughter charged with murder of mother

LINDA JUERGENS aka LINDA DAMM (52) - mother stabbed to death in her home
Tess Damm (16) - daughter charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and evidence-tampering; trial date is set for week of May 12
Bryan Grove (18) -pleaded guilty to second-degree murder; sentenced to 40 years
Jared Sajal Guy (19) - pleaded guilty to felony tampering; was sentenced to six months of work release followed by home monitoring probation; expected to testify against co-defendents
Jared Smith (16) - pleaded guilty; sentenced to two years in the Department of Youth Corrections
LAFAYETTE, Colorado
Grove sentenced to 40 years--(Daily Camera)--A Boulder judge sentenced Bryan Grove to 40 years in prison Tuesday for stabbing his girlfriend’s mother to death last year.
Damm's killer put away for 40 years--(Longmont Daily Times-Call)--Bryan Grove stood slowly, took a long drink of water, and paused before he unspooled an apology to the family of the woman he stabbed to death in her home last year.
Dad hopes son grows in prison--(Longmont Daily Times-Call)--The parents of an 18-year-old man convicted in last year’s stabbing death of a Lafayette woman broke their public silence Tuesday by offering condolences to the victim’s family and words of hope to their son.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Father charged in death of wife, four kids

NADYA FERRARI VEILLETTE (33) - mother had knife wounds and fire-related injuries
MARGUERITE (8); VINCENT (4); JACOB and MIA (both 3) - children died from fire related injuries and possible other injuries
Michael Veillette (34) - charged with one count of murder, four counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated arson
MASON, Ohio
Father charged in death of wife, four kids--(Oxford Press)--A Mason father has been charged with one count of murder and four counts of aggravated murder in the death of his wife and four children found during a house fire Friday
Mother, Four Children Die in Mason Fire, Stabbing--(WKRC TV)--A Mason man faces murder and arson charges in the deaths of his wife and four children.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Pepper spray forces evacuation of Galway cinema

Monday, January 21, 2008
Gardai in Galway are investigating a suspected pepper-spray attack that forced the evacuation of a cinema in the city last night.

More than 500 people were escorted from the Eye Cinema after many customers began coughing.

Gardai are investigating possible links to the use of pepper spray during a separate incident in the Salthill area yesterday.

A man in his early 20s was arrested in connection with that incident, but has since been released without charge pending instructions from the DPP.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Round Rock police ask for help to find accused child molester

ROUND ROCK, Texas
Police: Man accused of molesting niece may be in Austin--(KVUE)--Ricardo Rosales, 34, is described as 5' 4" tall, weighing 135 pounds.
Round Rock police ask for help to find accused child molester--(Austin American-Statesman)--Round Rock police are asking for the public's help to find a man accused of breaking into his next-door relatives' home in mid-November and molesting the man's 13 year-old niece.
Pepper Spray Inc.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Round Rock Police Department at (512) 218-5500

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Organizers insist Open's image not hurt by pepper spray fracas

MELBOURNE (AFP) — The unprecedented use of pepper spray to subdue rowdy fans at the Australian Open had not tarnished the tournament's international reputation, organisers insisted Wednesday.

Police used the spray in a confrontation with fans at Tuesday night's match between Chilean Fernando Gonzalez and Konstantinos Economidis of Greece as ugly crowd scenes marred the season-opening Grand Slam for the second straight year.

Images of the fracas were beamed around the world by the huge media contingent in town for the Open but tournament director Craig Tiley denied the event once dubbed "the Happy Slam" was facing an international image crisis.

"The reputation of the tournament has not been hurt," Tiley told reporters.

"What the world is also seeing is an unbelievable event.

"What does concern us is when people come to deliberately disrupt other members of the crowd."

But Victoria state opposition leader Ted Baillieu said events at the Open "sent an appalling picture of Melbourne to the world".

"God help us if we have to wear gas masks to go to the tennis," he said.

Tiley backed the tough action taken by police, part of a zero tolerance policy to crowd behaviour which followed violent clashes between Serbian and Croatian fans last year.

"Certainly in this case the actions that they were forced to take were the correct actions," he said.

Police denied they were overzealous, although they admitted some innocent bystanders in the crowd were hit by the spray -- an irritant that leaves people choking with burning eyes.

"(It's) not an over-reaction," Victoria Police superintendent John Cooke said.

Cooke said two officers warned a trio of Economidis supporters yelling obscenities in Greek and English to settle down but they retreated after one of the fans threw a punch at a policeman.

The police returned with reinforcements and used pepper spray when the three fans and others in their group became threatening, Cooke said.

He said 10 spectators who were not among the troublemakers were treated after being affected by the spray, also known as OC spray.

Cooke said while such "secondary exposure" of bystanders was unfortunate, the situation would have been worse if police had not used the spray.

"Had we not used the OC spray and resorted to a physical confrontation, one-on-one, in that sort of environment, I can guarantee we would have ended up with injuries," he said.

Eyewitnesses said the number of people affected by the spray was much higher than the figure acknowledged by police.

Elena Arapu said she was sitting behind the group targeted by police when the spray was used.

"Everyone was running for the exits, little kids, everyone," she told Melbourne's Age newspaper. "Me and my friend were sprayed, we couldn't breathe.

"All they (the fans) were doing was chanting, it was a complete over-reaction."

The three fans who sparked the incident were Wednesday banned from returning to the tournament this year and were expected to be charged with a range of offences, including assaulting police and resisting arrest.

Police also revealed that they were investigating allegations a drunk man "inappropriately touched" a 12-year-old girl on the buttocks at the tournament on Monday.

At last year's event, three men were arrested for taking indecent photographs up female spectators' skirts, with one subsequently jailed for two months, and a five-year-old boy was assaulted in a toilet.

Pepper Spray Inc.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Quadruple murder defendants plead not guilty

BILLY OSMENT (15); LYNN BARTLETT (55); KYLE JONES (17) and MARIEL HANNAH (18) - all murdered by ambush; three other victims stabbed and shot repeatedly but survived
Jason McGhee (24); and Marcin Sosniak (22) - allegedly opened fire on the victims; grand jury has indicted each defendant on 20 felony charges, including multiple counts of murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, burglary and armed robbery; pleaded not guilty
Frank Ortegon (27) - also indicted on 20 felony charges, including multiple counts of murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, burglary and armed robbery
FORSYTH COUNTY, Georgia
Quadruple murder defendants plead not guilty--(Gainesville Times)--Two of the three defendants charged in a March 2006 massacre at a Forsyth County farmhouse entered formal not guilty pleas in a Thursday court appearance.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Chandler Arizona rapist in custody

CHANDLER, Arizona
Chandler Rapist in custody, police say --(Arizona Republic)--/Police believe they have arrested the man who has been stalking and raping young girls in Chandler for nearly two years. Officials confirmed Santana Batiz Aceves, 39, is thought to be the "Chandler Rapist.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Husband prime suspect in wifes disappearance

STACY ANN PETERSON (23) - fourth wife was last heard from on the morning of 10/28/07
KATHLEEN SAVIO (40) - Peterson's third wife drowned in a bathtub in what was thought to be an accident
Drew Peterson (53) - husband and former police sergeant has become a prime suspect
BOLINGBROOK, Illinois
Kentucky cops say they have no record of Peterson sighting--(Naperville Reporter)--The anonymous writer who claimed to have spotted Stacy Peterson in a Kentucky mall parking lot also claimed to have reported the incident to local authorities.
A copy of the letter sent to Drew Peterson from an anonymous writer--(Naperville Reporter)
Please Help Us Find Stacy!--(Website)
Pepper Spray Inc.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

13 year old abducted at gunpoint while waiting for school bus

CLAY MOORE (13) - abducted at gunpoint while waiting for school bus
Vicente Ignacio Beltran-Moreno (20) - suspected kidnaper charged with armed kidnapping and aggravated assault; trial date set for 03/03/08
Ana Pureco Tinoco (28) - girlfriend charged with accessory after the fact
PARRISH, Florida
Girlfriend of kidnapping suspect charged--(Bradenton Herald)--The girlfriend of the man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old Clay Moore from his Parrish bus stop last year was formally charged Friday with helping with the abduction.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Puerto Rico police expect to arrest 2 in beauty pageant pepper-spray scandal


SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Police in Puerto Rico said they expect the imminent arrest of two beauty pageant employees, as they wrapped up an investigation into a plot to sabotage a contestant by dousing her garments with pepper spray.

The pageant's security director and a catwalk co-ordinator, alleged backers of a rival to beauty queen Ingrid Marie Rivera, will likely be charged with assault in coming days after detectives consult with prosecutors, police spokesman Lt. Eddie Hernandez said Tuesday.

The scandal broke when Rivera claimed saboteurs conspired to torpedo her pageant bid at November's Miss Puerto Rico Universe competition by tainting her clothes and makeup kit with pepper spray, causing her to break out in hives.

The 24-year-old managed to stay composed onstage but later applied ice bags to her face and body after she said she swelled up and broke out in hives. She won the crown nonetheless.

Last month, a black gown and the bathing suit Rivera wore during the competition's final round tested positive for pepper spray. Earlier, a different dress and a makeup brush tested negative.

Investigators said the pepper spray was likely applied when contestants and their assistants left the changing room.

Pageant organizers will screen volunteers and employees more carefully in the future, director Magali Febles said.

The tale of beauty pageant backstabbing garnered worldwide media attention. Since the incident, Rivera has been interviewed on TV programs including "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

Pepper Spray Inc.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

British exchange student found dead with throat cut

MEREDITH KERCHER (21) British student on an exchange programme in Italy found dead with her throat cut
Amanda Marie Knox (20) - American exchange student; housemate and close friend; confessed to her involvement and being held for the murder and sexual violence against the victim
Raffaele Sollecito (24) - Italian student and Knox's boyfriend; being held on suspicion of involvement in murder and sexual violence
Rudy Hermann Guede(20) - fourth suspect arrested 11/20/07 in Germany; awaiting extradition
Lumumba "Patrick" Diya (38) - Congolese bartender released from prison after his lawyers formally applied for his discharge on grounds of lack of evidence
PERUGIA, Italy
Exclusive: Meredith's mum speaks of her pain--(Wimbledon Guardian)-- The heartbroken mother of murdered student Meredith Kercher has spoken for the first time about the family's first Christmas without her daughter.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Search for hiker resumes on grim note

MEREDITH EMERSON (24) - last seen hiking on New Year's Day on Blood Mountain with her black Labrador retriever
Ella - Emerson's black Labrador retriever has been found
Gary Michael Hilton (61) - charged with kidnapping and bodily injury
ATLANTA, Georgia
Friends hope for 'miracle' as missing hiker presumed dead--(CNN)--After arresting a 61-year-old man in the disappearance of a young woman last seen hiking on a north Georgia mountain, a state Bureau of Investigation spokesman said authorities' search efforts had shifted from rescue to recovery
Search for hiker resumes on grim note--(Atlanta Journal-Constitution)--Day broke Sunday without the hope friends and family and searchers clung to for four days as they looked for missing 24-year-old Buford hiker, Meridith Emerson.
Missing Ga. Hiker, 24, Believed Dead--(Associated Press)--More than 150 people fanned out in the northern Georgia woods Sunday looking for the body of a 24-year-old hiker believed to have been killed, a day after authorities charged a man with kidnapping her.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Murder charges dropped in Tankleff killing

SEYMOUR (62) and ARLENE TANKLEFF (54) - were bludgeoned to death 09/07/88
Marty Tankleff (17 then, 36 now) - charged with killing his parents in 1988; convicted and sentenced to 50 years to life; court overturned conviction in 2007
LONG ISLAND, New York
Murder charges dropped in Tankleff killing--(CNN)--After 17 years in prison, Martin Tankleff has been set free and will not face a retrial for the 1988 murders of his parents. At the time of the murders, Tankleff's father was involved in a dispute with the business partner with whom he ran a chain of local bagel shops.
Transcript of Marty Tankleff's 911 call
Read the police report
Pepper Spray Inc.

Woman's slaying in Tyler, TX may involve cannibalism

JANA SHEARER (21)- was found dead inside the back of of a pick up truck
Christopher Lee McCuin (25) - boyfriend charged with capital murder; bond $2 million dollars
TYLER, Texas
Friends Remember Jana Shearer As Beautiful Woman Who Loved Life--(Tyler Morning Telegraph)--At nearly 6-feet tall with long blonde hair, green eyes and a bounce in her walk, Jana Shearer turned heads.
Officials: Suspect killed, tried to eat girlfriend--(Associated Press)--Deputies responding to a 911 call in this East Texas town found a gruesome scene: a human ear boiling in a pot on a stovetop and a hunk of flesh impaled on a fork sitting atop a plate on the kitchen table.
Woman's slaying in Tyler may involve cannibalism--(Dallas Morning News)--Cannibalism may have been involved in a murder discovered here after a man summoned his mother to "see what he had done." She saw his girlfriend's body in the back seat of his pickup, authorities said.
Cannibalism Suspect: 'God Told Me To Do It'--(Tyler Morning Telegraph)--"When he said God told him to do it, one of the investigators looked at him and just said, 'What did you say?'" he said
Pepper Spray Inc.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Vallejo CA. woman changes plea to guilty in double murder

AMBER LEE CHAPPELL (34) - gunned down for no apparent reason on 11/16/07
CHRISTINA 'TINA' BAXLEY (41) - killed nine hours later while walking her dog
Mario Raul Moreno (27) - charged with two counts of murder and conspiracy
Paige Tillie Linville (24) - pleaded guilty to charges of being an accessory to murder after the fact and possession of methamphetamine
SOLANO COUNTY, California
Vallejo woman changes plea to guilty in double murder--(Vallejo Times-Herald)--A day after pleading no contest to two felonies related to the apparently random shooting deaths of two Solano County women, a Vallejo woman on Friday changed her plea to guilty.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Missing mother of 2

NINA "Nenasha" REISER (31) - disappeared after dropping off her two children 09/03/06; presumed murdered
Hans Reiser (43) - Oakland software developer charged with murdering his estranged wife; in trial
OAKLAND, California
Purse, cell phone with no battery, found in Nina Reiser's car--(Tri-Valley Herald)--A week after Nina Reiser went missing, her beige Honda Odyssey minivan was found on Fernwood Drive, appearing as if someone had planned to return shortly to drive it away, pictures displayed in court showed.
Hans Reiser Murder Case Focuses On Missing Car Seat--(InformationWeek)--Jurors heard testimony that the front passenger seat was missing and the car contained books on murder with a receipt showing they had been purchased soon after Nina Reiser's disappearance.
Witness: Nina Reiser focused on courses--(Tri-Valley Herald)--Between 2002 and three days before she disappeared, Reiser had spent about $12,000 on courses at the Berkeley Kaplan Center, which prepares students for the United States Medical Licensing Exam.
Reiser trial focuses on front seat of defendant's Honda CRX--(San Francisco Chronicle)--There was nothing amiss in computer programmer Hans Reiser's car and no signs of blood when he was pulled over for a traffic violation 10 days after his estranged wife disappeared, a Redwood City police sergeant testified Tuesday at Reiser's murder trial. But the front passenger seat was missing six days after
Jailhouse Interview: Reiser Talks to ABC's 20/20--(abc7news.com)--Even without a body, prosecutors say they have a solid case.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Body of missing San Jose CA woman found in Milpitas landfill

ANN LISA NGUYEN (35) - was last seen 12/08/07
Anthony Davis Evans (45) - acquaintance being held in connection with the alleged murder
SAN JOSE, California
Missing Woman's Body Found In Milpitas Landfill--(KTVU)--The body of 35-year-old Ann Lisa Nguyen was found in the Newby Island Landfill in Milpitas Wednesday at about 12:45 p.m., according to San Jose police Officer Jermaine Thomas.
Vietnamese-American's death angers community in the US--(Thanh Nien Daily)--The Vietnamese community in San Jose, the US, is agitated after the body of a murdered 35-year-old woman was found in a landfill Wednesday.
Body of missing San Jose woman found in Milpitas landfill--(San Francisco Chronicle)--Investigators found the body of a slain San Jose woman in a Milpitas landfill Wednesday after searching the site for nearly a week.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Friday, January 4, 2008

20 yr old male college student missing

Pepper Spray Inc.
MATTHEW J. WILSON (20) - Rice University student went missing 12/14/07
HOUSTON, Texas
Police sift through tips regarding missing Rice student--(Houston Chronicle)--Rice University police are sifting through a handful of tips that arrived Wednesday from Crime Stoppers concerning the disappearance two weeks ago of student Matthew J. Wilson.
'Diligent' Rice student is missing--(Houston Chronicle)--For three years running, Cathy Wilson has worked hard not to worry from 365 miles away when her youngest child Matthew slips into a news blackout at the end of each semester of study at Rice University.
Student Failed to Arrive Home for Christmas, and the Police Investigate--(New York Times)--Mr. Wilson, a 20-year-old computer science junior at Rice University here, had been expected at his mother’s house in Haworth, Okla., on Friday to drive to a sister’s home in Tulsa for the holiday.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

6 in Family found slain at home in Seattle

UNNAMED victims are a man and a woman in their 50s, another man and woman in their 30s, and two children: a 6-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy.
CARNATION, Washington
2 arrested in Carnation killings--(Seattle Post-Intelligencer)--The King County sheriff's office reports a man and a woman, each in their late 20s or early 30s, have been arrested for investigation of four counts of homicide in connection with six Christmas Eve slayings near Carnation east of Seattle.
Police: Pair arrested in slayings of six--(CNN)--A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with the deaths of six people -- believed to be three generations of the same family -- in a rural area outside Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday, authorities said.
6 in Family Are Found Slain in Home Outside Seattle--(New York Times)--Six people were found shot to death at a home in a rural part of King County on Wednesday, and investigators arrested two people they said were responsible for the killings, law enforcement officials said.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Man kidnaps daughter

SALINAS, California
Man allegedly abducted daughter, stole boat--(Sacramento Bee)--A Granite Bay man is being held on $10 million bail after he allegedly kidnapped his 3-year-old daughter on Christmas Eve, took her on an illicit sailing excursion along the California coastline and ran the boat aground on a Monterey area beach. Adom Fetter, 35, apparently set sail from Alameda on Monday
Boater faces abduction charge; also accused of stealing craft--(Monterey County Herald)-- Adom Fetter, 35, was being held Wednesday in Monterey County Jail in lieu of $26,000 bail, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.
Pepper Spray Inc.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Man set free for murder of his parents in 1988

RIVERHEAD, New York
Tankleff Freed After Posting Bail--(New York Times)--After being imprisoned nearly half his life for the murders of his parents, crimes he insists he did not commit, Martin H. Tankleff walked free on Thursday after a bail hearing here.
Martin Tankleff--(New York Times)--Martin H. Tankleff was supposed to start his senior year of high school on Sept. 7, 1988. But before dawn, his parents were bludgeoned and stabbed during a rampage in their home on a cliff overlooking Long Island Sound.
Pepper Spray Inc.