Shadowscope

Updated - Valour-IT Fund Drive

2009-11-12T03:59:00Z

Update - The Marine Team won the competition this afternoon. Right now we are sitting at $37,199! They are still taking donations though so don't stop now. It's a great cause and it's tax deductible as well.

Original post - It's that time of year again. From October 26th through November 11th (Veteran's Day for those that aren't conscious) Project Valour IT raises money to provide voice-activated laptops and other helpful equipment to severely wounded troops. This has been going on for several years and I haven't had the chance to (or was just too darned lazy) to get involved but this year I caught it early enough to get in. So what is Valour IT and how did it get started?

Project Valour-IT began when Captain Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.

During his deployment he kept a blog. Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.

As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss' fellow wounded soldiers and started casting about for a way to get it to them.

A fellow blogger who writes under the pseudonym FbL contacted Captain Ziegenfuss and the two realized they shared a vision of creating libraries of laptops with voice-controlled software that could be brought to the bedsides of wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers' Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour-IT was born.

In sharing their thoughts, CPT Ziegenfuss and FbL found that memories of their respective fathers were a motivating factor in their work with the project. Both continue their association with this project in memory of the great men in their lives whose fine examples taught them lasting lessons of courage and generosity.

Each year the fundraisers are divided into teams, Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force. Being as how my father and my son are/were both grunts it's pretty obvious which team I would join (sorry Charles!). The Marines of course. Not only the toughest of the crowd but also the best looking.

Anything that you can donate to Project Valour IT will be greatly appreciated by the men and women who serve us with their very lives.

This post will sit on top until November 11th.

For more information on Project Valour IT or to join in and help head on over to Soldier's Angels.

Updated 10/27/09 - Oh by the way. One thing I didn't mention before is that Soldier's Angels is a 501(c) nonprofit which means that your donation is tax deductible and may also be eligible for matching funds from some employers. Ask your employer for more information and check with your tax advisor about tax deductions.

Khalfani Howard Arrested in 2008 Murder of Helena Haley

2009-11-09T13:06:51Z

Back in September of last year a woman in Las Vegas, Nevada found what she thought was a body in a trash can sitting in a parking lot and called the police. After an autopsy the cause of death was uncertain but the coroner announced that it was suspicious and might have been asphyxiation. Originally the woman was a Jane Doe but after relatives started looking for her she was identified as Helena Haley (MySpace), originally of Whiteville, North Carolina.

During the investigation it was discovered that she had lived in San Bernardino, California and after taking her children to relatives in Whiteville she had moved to Las Vegas (where she was murdered). A letter was sent to Haley's aunt purportedly by Haley which had no stamp or return address and the handwriting was not familiar to the family. It also contained 29-Year-Old Khalfani Howard's fingerprints. Khalfani and Haley had lived together in San Bernardino. Haley's aunt and uncle also received a phone call at some point from a woman who identified herself as Haley but that they said did not sound like her.

Police interviewed Khalfani earlier this year in San Bernardino. He told police that Haley moved to Vegas on her own after taking her children back to North Carolina. Police also collected a DNA swab at the time.

Through good old fashioned police work they traced Haley and Howard's movements through Greyhound bus tickets and discovered that Howard left Las Vegas on September 10th, 2008, the day that Haley's body was discovered. A warrant for his arrest was issued last month and 29-Year-Old Khalfani I. Howard was arrested at his home by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputies late last week. He is being held without bail and will be extradited to Clark County Nevada where he will stand trial.

Khalfani's step-brother Aaron Leach was killed in a drive-by shooting in January of 2005.

Khalfani's Streetball Profile

Khalfani's ExploreTalent Modeling Profile

Source

Brandon Kuntz Wanted More of the Same

2009-11-09T02:48:15Z

Earlier this year 21-Year-Old Brandon Kuntz of Grand Forks, North Dakota was arrested for having sex with three underage girls during the Spring. He has now pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition in one case involving a 14-year-old girl and also to two counts of corruption of minors in cases which involved girls aged 14 and 15.

In exchange for his guilty plea Brandon will serve less than a year in jail and then get probation. The deal still has to be approved by the judge. His sentencing is supposed to be held on January 8th.

Brandon hasn't logged onto his MyYearBook page in a couple of months but one of the things that surprised me (but probably shouldn't) is that among his listed 'friends' on the service are several girls under 18. His MySpace is set to private but his screen name there is Marshall1818 after Eminem and he is "~King*Kuntz~ Don't mess with a king..." His hobbies include skateboarding, hockey, friends, family and hanging out. He forgot to list screwing teens in there but I guess that's not something he wanted to advertise...

Source

Jeffrey Robinson Accused of Fondling a Girl

2009-11-08T10:30:17Z

Back in early October a 15-Year-Old girl and two of her friends who were having a sleepover decided to go visit 36-Year-Old Jeffrey Robinson, owner of Olde Naples Surf Shop in Naples, FL, and his girlfriend Christy Peterson. Apparently they knew Peterson and figured it would be a cool thing to do. Robinson and Peterson allowed the girls to drink alcohol while they were there and then the girls stayed the night. The 15-Year-Old girl started falling asleep so Peterson offered to let her use her bed. Around 5 a.m. The girl woke up to find that Christy Peterson had left the bedroom and Jeffrey Robinson was allegedly molesting her. She managed to get out of the room and called her boyfriend to pick her up.

The girl didn’t report the incident for another week, because she was afraid of her mother knowing about spending the night at a stranger’s and drinking. Since too much time had passed for them to do a rape kit police set up a phone call between the girl and Peterson during which Peterson basically admitted to what happened.

Robinson was arrested earlier in the week when he surrendered himself at the Naples Police Department. He was charged with Lewd or Lascivious Molestation.

Source

Jabba the Hutt's Sister Arrested For Drugging and Raping a 13-Year-Old-Boy

2009-11-08T02:29:22Z

Folks that get arrested are generally not at their best when their mug shot is taken and 27-Year-Old Diana Kay Mills of Healdton, Oklahoma is no exception. 13, 15 or now at 43 there's not enough alcohol in the world that would get me to hit that. You would have to drug me up as well and that is exactly what Diana Mills is alleged to have done.

A 13-Year-Old boy reported to his mother that Mills had given him prescription drugs and alcohol and then had sex with him. She also reportedly gave a 15-Year-Old drugs and alcohol but apparently he was able to resist her worldly charms as she didn't sleep with him.

When police investigated the claims Mills confessed to having sex with the boy. She has been charged with Rape and Contributing to the Delinquency of Minors.

Source

Nina Urban Pleads Guilty to Sex With a Student

2009-11-08T02:11:34Z

Back in January 25-Year-Old Nina R. Urban (Facebook) of Lucas, KS was arrested on charges that she had sex with one of her male students. After an investigation the Russell County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant and Urban turned herself in to the Sheriff.

She posted a $10,000 bond, was released and was placed on administrative leave at Lucas-Luray High School where she taught English. Urban also graduated from Lucas-Luray High School in 2002 and her father, David Urban serves on the local school board.

Urban, who was originally charged with three counts of Unlawful Sexual Relations reached a deal with the prosecutor and pleaded guilty to one of the counts. Her sentencing is supposed to be in January 2010. She has also resigned her teaching position.

Raymond Jessop of the FLDS Convicted of Assaulting an Underage Girl

2009-11-08T01:37:11Z

Last year I wrote several posts on the FLDS and how Texas authorities took away 400 children from their families, all of which were later returned after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that they didn't have sufficient reason to think that abuse was happening.

Raymond Jessop was one of the people from the Yearning for Zion Ranch that were indicted for sexual assault of a minor last year. Thursday he was convicted of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 17 that he was "spiritually married" to. His sentencing is supposed to be on Monday and he may receive up to 20 years in prison.

Source

Uncle Tyrone is an Asshole

2009-11-08T00:18:33Z

Friday night a man left his 14-Year-Old son in the care of his (the father's) brother 38-Year-Old Tyrone Hamilton Oliver. While keeping an eye on the teen he allowed a bit of partying to go on by giving his nephew cigarettes and grain alcohol. Grain alcohol? Stout frigging stuff that.

Anyway, at some point the boy passed out and shortly after 11 p.m. the father returned home with his other son. Oliver asked the boy to hide his older brother since he was passed out and didn't want the kid's father to see him. The boy refused so what does Tyrone Oliver do? He burns the kid with a cigaretted.

When the father confronted him, Tyrone charged the man and attempted to fight him. He ended up pinning him to the ground until Hillsborough County Sheriff's Deputies could get there.

The boy was taken to the hospital and discharged earlier today and is OK but Oliver was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail with no bond on charges of assault and child abuse.

Tyrone has quite an arrest record in the Tampa area. He's been arrested previously for driving with a revoked license (habitual offender), possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, possession of cocaine, giving a false name to a law enforcement officer, DUI (more than once) and stealing cable TV (SEE! Those commercials are true). His first listed arrest in Hillsborough County was in 1996 was for driving with a suspended or revoked license so even prior to that he was fucking up. Not someone I would have left my teenage son with. What the fuck were you thinking dad?

Minneapolis Cop Tased Man for No Apparent Reason

2009-11-07T23:41:46Z

I ran across this video earlier this afternoon. Check it out.

I find it interesting that the video provided by the lawyer who is suing the Minneapolis police does not include anything leading up to the point where the man was tased back at the end of April. It's entirely possible that the man was resisting prior to the officer putting him down but at the moment before he is tased the man has his hands resting on the front of the police car when the officer nonchalantly walks behind him and puts the taser to the back of his neck.

Damn.

Deniecia Lester. Kidnapped and Arrested?

2009-11-07T04:10:41Z

Wednesday Evening 24-Year-Old Deniecia E. Lester sent a text message to her husband letting him know that she had been kidnapped (gonna be late for dinner honey, I've been kidnapped). As a result Fulton County Police along with the help of United States Marshals desperately searched for her in Clayton County on Thursday after an alert was put out.

Lester was finally located Thursday night around 9:30 p.m. at an apartment in Clayton County. FAIL! She hadn't been kidnapped at all, just needed a bit of time with her boyfriend. Ooops.

Lester was arrested and charged with False Report of a Crime. She had a court appearance earlier today, was granted $5,000 bond and was put into a treatment diversion program. Seems like she already had her diversion but whatever.

Chris Adams Struck Out

2009-11-07T03:56:39Z

28-Year-Old Christopher Adams of Dallas, Georgia must have gotten himself into a spot where he needed a bit of cash quick because he donned a Halloween Mask (at first I thought perhaps they had done the mug with it on...), got himself a Louisville Slugger and barged into the CVS pharmacy on the East-West Connector demanding cash from the person running the cash register.

Chris got his cash and took off. Only problem was that he didn't park his getaway car at the store, he parked over off of Hicks Road which is almost a mile from the CVS which is right off Austell Rd if my memory serves me correctly.

Regardless of where it is exactly a police officer noticed a Ford Focus parked off of Hicks Road and shortly after he found Adams walking to his car and arrested him without incident.

Adams is currently lodged in the Cobb County Jail on charges of Carrying a Concealed Weapon (is that a baseball bat or are you just happy to see me?), Wearing a Mask or Hood (WTF?), Armed Robbery and Aggravated Assault.

It's a good thing most criminals are too dumb for their own good.

Possible Serial Rapist in Dekalb County

2009-11-07T00:49:35Z

Police in the Stone Mountain, GA area are investigating several rapes that they currently think have been committed by the same mane and are telling residents of the area around Hambrick Road to take extra caution.

Dekalb County Detectives went door to door Wednesday warning people who live in the area about the attacks.

In each of the attacked a woman has been raped either at their house of while they were walking alone. The suspect is a black man, 5'10"-6' tall, 175-180lbs.

The Dekalb County Special Victims Unit is investigating several leads and are keeping a close eye on the area.

David Todd Napodano is the Shit

2009-11-06T23:07:53Z

No matter how many freakishly depressing stories I come across and write about here there is always at least one that, while not redeeming the general population in my eyes, at least makes me see the humor in things. 42-Year-Old David Todd Napodano of Lehigh Acres, Florida has/is one of those stories.

A woman and her adult daughter were leaving the Wal-Mart and trying to find their car in the parking lot when they happened to walk past Napodano's Chevy Van in which Napodano was, for lack of better words, reposing.

When Napodano noticed the two women coming by he stood up, nekked as a jaybird and did a little dance, shaking his hips. I think I would probably have the same reaction as Jaded, uncontrollable bursts of laughter, but the ladies didn't see it that way and called 911.

When the cops arrived, and HOUR later, Napodano was still inside his van. Still naked. When Collier County Deputies attempted to speak with Napodano he told them he was naked because he had an extreme case of explosive diarrhea and was using his tightie whities to clean up the mess. Oh how I would hate to have been the deputy who had to ask to examine his underwear...Luckily for the officer they were clean and the cops could find no evidence of 'uncontrolled bowels'. Not so lucky for David Napodano, who was arrested and charged with indecent exposure.

Here's your 15 minutes, Jack. I hope you enjoy it.

Source | Source

Cara Williams Lied

2009-11-06T10:28:33Z

I was at work Wednesday morning when I received the Levi's Call (Amber Alert) for the one-year-old daughter of Cara Ann Williams of Jonesboro, GA. I think I may have passed it on to Twitter but that was about it. Turns out that Cara may have stretched the truth just a bit where that was concerned. Maybe more than just a bit.

28-Year-Old Cara Williams called police on Wednesday and reported to 911 that her daughter had been abducted around 6 a.m. by her ex-boyfriend (the father of the child). The alert said that the boyfriend was possibly armed and dangerous. Police cancelled the Levi's Call when the little girl was found safe in Maryland with the boyfriend, who has custody of the girl and has been living there for the last two months.

Williams is currently lodged in the Clayton County Jail on charges of False Report of a Crime and Giving False Statements.

Missing Baby Shannon Dedrick Found Alive

2009-11-05T10:49:11Z

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference about 1:00 a.m. this morning to announce that missing seven-month-old Shannon Lea Dedrick was found alive around 9:00 p.m. last night. During the news conference Sheriff Haddock held the crying baby in his arms.

Shannon disappeared from the bedroom of her parent’s house sometime between 3:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. this past Saturday morning and was reported missing at 11:30 a.m. Searchers have spent the last few days mainly looking in the woods near her parent’s mobile home in Chipley, Florida. She was finally found in a box under the bed of her babysitter, Susan Elizabeth Baker, after authorities performed a search of her home.

Police started looking into the babysitter yesterday when it was discovered that she might have been involved in another missing child case back in 1987. Her six-year-old stepson Paul Baker disappeared in March of ‘87 and has never been found. She claimed that she had put her stepson down for a nap and when she returned to check on him he was missing. He has never been found. Police arrested Susan and her husband James in connection with his disappearance and ended up being charged later with aggravated assault and battery for severely beating him before his disappearance. Their six-year-old daughter was removed from the home after social workers discovered broken bones and sores all over her body. She was convicted of beating the little girl and sentenced to 10 years in prison but ended up being suspended to 80 days.

Back in August of this year Susan Baker reportedly wrote a letter to Governor Crist,

"Mr Governor Crist,

I want to tell you something, there is four people living together. They
are not working nor are they doing any kind of community serves. But they are drawing food stamps. They take there food stamps and trade them for drugs.

Tina Merter was pregnant when she meet James Russell Dedrick, jr
dob:Oct 23, 1978, he is 31 yrs old and has never had a job. So James R
Dedrick, jr put his name on Tina Merters baby birth certificate. So now he can get a check, food stamps, medicare.

Now there are Micheal, Erica, Tina Merter & James R Dedrick, jr living all together in a house on 537 5th St, Chipley Florida 32428.

They are all drowing food stamps and not woking or
doing community service. That Is so wrong in alot of wasys.

Tina Meter's baby is being aboused. I have seen James R Dedrick, jr pick that baby up and shake her, just becouse the baby crys and that gets on his nerves.

Micheal & Erica also have shoke that baby too. They smoke ciggerets and drugs with the baby in the same room. THAT CHILD NEEDS HELP & NO ONE IS HELPING HER.

Please Help this child she is mentaly challenged. It is not right that these
people are selling their food stamps for drugs.

My husband works 58 hrs a week for us to live and it makes me very angry to see these people sitting on their back sides and draining the system that is put in place for the needy, Not the lazy.

Please do something about this unjustice and Please
Please save that child."

That’s just fucking creepy. After the letter was written Florida CPS did investigate the parents but didn’t find enough evidence to warrant removing the baby from the household although both parents tested positive for drugs. They had already been in contact with the family since March of this year due to reports that they smoked cigarettes as well as Marijuana around the baby.

Susan and James Arthur Baker have been arrested and are in custody along with Shannon’s mother Crystina Lynn Mercer. They aren’t releasing the specific charges to the media yet as their investigation is still going on. According to Crystina’s mother she was suspicious that her daughter might be involved in the disappearance of her granddaughter. Apparently Susan Baker is also related to the father, James “Rusty” Dedrick. Dedrick and Mercer are also reportedly not married and no longer together.

Some of the spellings and names that media are reporting differ than those here so I may not be correct with all of them. I will update the corrected spellings and relationships later. Will be in meetings until after 9 p.m. tonight so it may take me a couple of days to get around to it.

Susan Baker’s MySpace

James Baker’s MySpace

Source (Thanks to Websleuths for 90% of the information here. I had about nine tabs open typing up this story before I went to bed last night and when I got up I saw the announcement that the baby had been found safely)

Shadowscope

Updated - Valour-IT Fund Drive

Khalfani Howard Arrested in 2008 Murder of Helena Haley

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Brandon Kuntz Wanted More of the Same

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Jeffrey Robinson Accused of Fondling a Girl

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Jabba the Hutt's Sister Arrested For Drugging and Raping a 13-Year-Old-Boy

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Nina Urban Pleads Guilty to Sex With a Student

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Raymond Jessop of the FLDS Convicted of Assaulting an Underage Girl

Uncle Tyrone is an Asshole

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Minneapolis Cop Tased Man for No Apparent Reason

Deniecia Lester. Kidnapped and Arrested?

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Chris Adams Struck Out

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Possible Serial Rapist in Dekalb County

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David Todd Napodano is the Shit

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Cara Williams Lied

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Missing Baby Shannon Dedrick Found Alive

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