AltWeeklies Wire
Mentally Ill are Most Likely to Get Tasered by Portland Policenew
A new Independent Police Review Division report finds that subjects with mental illness are now the most likely out of all groups to get Tasered by Portland cops -- even more than people who are actually armed or who assault an officer.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
07-22-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Why Did Gay-Rights Activist Carol Anne Burger Stab Her Wife With a Screwdriver 222 Times?new
To outsiders, it seemed Burger and Jessica Kalish were the embodiment of contemporary domestic bliss. Soon, though, all of South Florida learned the unsettling truth.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Michael J. Mooney |
07-21-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Shawna Forde is Lethally Blondenew
How a former teen prostitute and beautician became an influential anti-immigrant crusader -- and alleged murderer.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
07-20-2009 |
Crime & Justice
An Eye for a McFlurry: One Terrible Reason to Lose a Body Partnew
Brandon Henderson lost his left eyeball over a McFlurry. On the evening of Feb. 15, authorities say, Khalif Lewis, an 18-year-old cashier at a West Philadelphia McDonald's, attacked the 35-year-old Henderson as he attempted to leave the restaurant after an argument over whether he could substitute a dessert item for french fries.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Mike Newall |
07-20-2009 |
Crime & Justice
The Orlando Police Beatnew
July 3, 7:44 am: Officer Madden describes an armed robbery suspect as wearing a "camo snow hat." If one wanted effective camouflage in the snow, wouldn't said hat be white?
Orlando Weekly |
Jeffery C. Billman |
07-16-2009 |
Crime & Justice
A San Diego Case Sheds Light on the Messy World of DUI Prosecutionnew
In April, San Diego's city attorney declined to file drunk-driving charges against local TV sportscaster Kyle Kraska, despite a police-station breathalyzer test that put Kraska's blood-alcohol content just above California's legal limit. Kraska's attorney said the case was dismissed because of police error, though city officials would say only that prosecutors felt they couldn't prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
San Diego CityBeat |
Kelly Davis |
07-15-2009 |
Crime & Justice
It's a Dirty Job Nabbing Horny Guys in the Park, But Somebody's Gotta Do Itnew
The Kansas City Police Department's vice squad spends a couple of days a month conducting covert stings to ferret out men seeking sex in public parks. When things go right, the job is predictable.
The Pitch |
Nadia Pflaum |
07-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Things Get Nasty in the Phoenix Police Department's Homicide Bureaunew
A recently unsealed 26-page affidavit makes it clear that the homicide bureau is rife with backstabbing and gossip. Are these homicide detectives, or high school girls?
Phoenix New Times |
Sarah Fenske |
07-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Numbers Suggest New Vets Court in Colorado Will Be Busynew
No one knows how many veterans will find space in the specialized court -- which will try to identify current and former soldiers whose criminal activity is tied to combat experiences -- when it starts up Aug. 1 in Colorado Springs. But advocates say the aim is to find an alternative to stuffing vets behind bars.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
07-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Miami Heat Superstar Dwyane Wade Sure Picked a Dubious Business Partnernew
In 2007, Richard von Houtman and Wade teamed up to create a chain of upscale sports bars and invest in a charter school company. Now von Houtman seems to have a single objective: to disparage one of the National Basketball Association's most popular players.
Miami New Times |
Gus Garcia-Roberts |
07-13-2009 |
Crime & Justice
California's Ex-Attorney General Calls for an End to Capital Punishmentnew
With more than 700 Death Row prisoners awaiting execution for decades and no money in sight for improving the integrity and efficiency of the failing capital punishment system, John Van de Kamp is publicly calling for an end to the death penalty. But unlike most of capital punishment's ardent opponents, he has actually sent men to Death Row.
Pasadena Weekly |
Joe Piasecki |
07-13-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Fifteen Years After the Murder of Trent DiGiuro, His Killer Is Freenew
After a years-long investigation and a convoluted legal battle, the conviction of accused killer Shane Ragland was overturned.
LEO Weekly |
Sarah Kelley |
07-10-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: Shane Ragland, Trent DiGiuro
The Female Discount for Sexual Predatorsnew
The evidence seems mounted against Sandy Binkley as she heads for a trial on seven counts of statutory rape and two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure. But if the past offers any prediction, she's almost sure to get the female discount if she's convicted.
Nashville Scene |
Tracy Moore |
07-10-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Tags: Sandy Binkley, rape
The Way the Adams County Coroner is Running His Office Could be Dead Wrongnew
Jim Hibbard has been a magnet for controversy. His office has been plagued by massive turnover since his arrival, resulting in a drain of seasoned death investigators and a rash of embarrassing blunders by inexperienced staff and interns.
Westword |
Alan Prendergast |
07-06-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Black-Market Cigarettes: Miami's New Vicenew
A gray-haired 57-year-old Florida man named Roman Vidal smuggled millions of cigarettes from Miami to Dublin criminals who funded a terrorist group, investigators say. The charges are just the latest link between black-market U.S. smokes and violent terrorist groups around the world.
Miami New Times |
Tim Elfrink |
07-06-2009 |
Crime & Justice
