Pennsylvania family has unwelcome Christmas guest

Talk about a creepy visitor on Christmas — and I’m not referring to Santa Claus….

A Plains Township, Penn., family didn’t know they had a squatter in their attic until local police and their K-9 officer located a man in their home.  Stanley Carter, 21, was charged with criminal trespass, several counts of burglary, theft, and receiving stolen property.

Carter had reportedly been staying with friends in the shared duplex when they asked him to leave.  The friends then filed a missing persons report a few days before Christmas after he went missing December 19th.  He accessed the shared attic space through a trap door.

Stacy Ferrance, owner of the home, said that Carter came out of his hiding space wearing her daughter’s pants and her sweatshirt and shoes.  Ferrance notified the police when a laptop, iPod, and cash were found missing on Christmas Day.  She called again the next day after finding footprints in her closet — the location of the other trap door leading to the attic.

Carter kept a list of everything he had pilfered from Ferrance’s home and even labeled it “Stanley’s Christmas List” in order to log all the items he “donated” to himself.  Police found the list as they were going through the inventory of what he took.

Ferrance said she had heard noises but thought they were caused by her children.  “From what I gather, he was helping himself to my home, eating my food, and stealing my clothes,” she said.

Port St. Lucie makes crime news again with flushed gun

What is up with Port St. Lucie, Florida??  I’ve already blogged on two sandwich assaults from there.  Now, a criminal has been arrested after the detective interviewing him wasn’t able to get a toilet to flush.

No….it wasn’t the detective’s fault that the commode wasn’t operating properly.  He was investigating the theft of a handgun, cash and jewelry from a Jensen Beach, Fla., home.  The 21-year-old suspect was staying in a Port St. Lucie hotel where the detective met with him.

Obviously forgetting where he hid some of his stash, the suspect allowed the detective to use the restroom.  When the toilet wouldn’t flush, he removed the cover from the tank and found the stolen handgun and three loaded magazines.   The suspect was charged December 22 with grand theft and grand theft of a firearm.

So, again, I ask what is it with Port St. Lucie?  Is it really a haven for stupid criminals?  Or, is it simply the unlucky victim of the press that seems to be able to highlight the inane acts of its citizens and passers-through?  Whatever the situation, I daresay that the city’s Convention and Visitors’ Bureau will probably have an uphill climb if things don’t change.

Bank robber uses pay stub as hold-up note

I’m not sure if it’s more a sign of the bad economic times or just another example of how stupid people can be.  Last Friday a Fifth Third Bank in Chicago was held-up and the robber escaped with only $400.  The note used simply stated, “Be Quick Be Quit [sic].  Give your cash or I’ll shoot.”  Okay, maybe he was nervous and didn’t notice the spelling error…. but that’s not the dumbest part of this story.

The accused robber, who was arrested in his Cary, Ill., home was easily tracked.  How?  Well, he use his October pay stub to write the note.  Half of it was left with the teller; the other half was found outside the bank’s front doors.  And, as with most pay stubs, it had his name and address clearly listed.

Money and the desire for more will make people do stupid things.  However, I’m not quite convinced that the stupidity shown in this instance could be solely blamed on it.  And I certainly wouldn’t consider this even remotely close to being the “heist of the century.”  Remember….proper planning prevents poor performance!

Ron Jeremy and pepper spray? TMZ got the story wrong, he says.

This past week, gossip site TMZ reported that porn granddaddy Ron Jeremy casually ate his dinner at Mel’s Diner on the Sunset Strip after a paparazzo attempted to snap pictures and then pepper sprayed a companion of Ron’s who objected to the photos.

In TMZ’s report, photographer Nasim Saleh began taking the pictures when a friend stood up to stop him and the spraying ensued.  Saleh stated he was only acting in self-defense and was arrested for criminal use of tear gas.  TMZ further reported that Saleh had told authorities that he was a photographer for TMZ, which they denied.

However, Jeremy has stated that TMZ got the facts of the story wrong.  He states that he and Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch, were inside eating and didn’t even know what was happening outside.  Jeremy said in an interview with Adult Video News:

“[Saleh] sent someone into the diner to ask if we’d do interviews and we said, ‘No problem!  We’d be glad to when we get out.  So someone was rude to the guy and said, ‘Get lost, they don’t want to bother with you.’  We never said that.  Someone just thought that we didn’t want to get bothered.  This is not Lindsey Lohan or Britney Spears.  We like attention.”

Jeremy also stated that Saleh may have been acting in self-defense as witnesses claim that someone attempting to shoo him from the premises did so while threatening him with a knife.

The biggest laughs, however, came from Jeremy when he read the “punchline” of TMZ’s story, “….we’re told during the incident, Ron Jeremy just kept eating.”

Jeremy, however, gloated over the gaff and even found it humorous that Hof didn’t even rate a mention in the article:

“Six seasons of HBO’s ‘Cathouse’ and they didn’t even put Dennis Hof’s name in there — he didn’t even exist.  It was Ron Jeremy and a pastrami sandwich, not Dennis and his bowl of soup.  So I want to rub that in his face every chance I get.  It bothered him; he didn’t act like it did, but it did.”

Don’t worry Hof….the world knows now….

Japanese adult video theatre fire kills 15

Wednesday, a man set fire to a Japanese adult video theatre in a failed suicide attempt and killed 15 others.  He was arrested and confessed to setting the fire with a bag of newspapers.  Public broadcaster NHK reported that the man stated he committed the crime because he was “tired of living.”

The Cats Adult Video Theater was located on the ground floor of a seven-story building in Osaka’s entertainment district.  When the fire started, most of the 32 viewing cubicles — equipped with a television, DVD player, and cot — wer occupied.  Not all of the cubicles were being used to view adult films, however.  Occasionally businessmen would use the rooms if they missed the last train home and many who could not afford proper housing use them live in these types of lounges.  This particular theater also offered DVD cartoons and Hollywood films for those not wishing to view porn.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has instructed fire departments to conduct nationwide emergency inspections of all video shops, Internet cafes, karaoke bars, and other facilities that utilize individual cubicles.

Child’s letter to Santa uncovers pedophile

In Pharr, Texas, many elementary children participated in an annual custom and gave their teachers letters to be mailed to Santa Claus.  As usual, many want the latest toys, clothes, and perhaps something very dear to them.  For one 9-year-old girl, she just wanted a relative to stop touching her and her sister.

The girl’s teacher gave the letter to the school counselor who alerted authorities.  Police interviewed the girl and the man was arrested last Friday and is currently in the Hidalgo County Jail.  Reportedly, the abuse occurred over a period of four years.

With a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, the relative could face up to 99 years in prison if convicted.

Yes, dear….there is a Santa Claus.  Your letter was read and Santa answered it.  With time and help from responsible, caring adults, hopefully all the rest of your Christmases will be bright.  And with any luck, your abuser will get what he deserves — and it won’t be just coal in his stocking.

Is anyone REALLY surprised over Blagojevich arrest?

Living in the Midwest, many of us are constantly embarrassed by the things that come out of the Chicago political machine.  I don’t live in Illinois and that’s one of the main reasons why.  The long-standing political corruptness has been a blight on not only that state’s but the nation’s political history.  With the election of Barack Obama, many said it was “business as usual” and that Washington would just become Chicago-East.  Though not as ecstatic over his election as many others, I at least held hope that President-elect Obama would shy away from the historical corruptness and cronyism.  The political appointments he’s made so far have irritated some liberals and gives hope to sincere possible change.

Now, though, Obama’s longtime friend and Illinois Gov. Rob Blagojevich has been arrested today on charges of trying to sell Obama’s empty U.S. Senate seat.  The FBI report even shows that Blagojevich considered giving himself the seat when those he was offering it to wouldn’t “offer [me] anything of value.”

Blagojevich has been running at a 13% approval rating lately and most people figured that he would automatically appoint himself to the vacant seat with his political future in Illinois running thin.  Following the disastrous end of Republican Former-Governor Jim Ryan, Bagojevich was the first Democrat elected to the high office in 30 years.  Since then, his tenure has been fraught with difficulties in passing legislation and budgets, often requiring special sessions of the Illinois legislature to come in and hash things out.  Even the Democratic leadership in the Illinois House, most specifically Speaker Michael Madigan, have fought Blagojevich at almost every turn and questioned decisions made very vocally.

Even Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley — part of the infamous Chicago dinasty — has disagreed openly with Blagojevich.  That’s enough to stun anyone!

But let’s look at the history of Blagojevich’s problems:

He’s linked with Antonin “Tony” Rezko and Stuart Levine for participating in a scheme to obtain kickbacks from investment firms seeking to do business with two state boards.  In April 2008 the Illinois Finance Authority accused him of offering a position in his administration in return for campaign contributions.  Friends of Blagojevich received a $10,000 campaign contribution in the same month that three Union officers from the donating entity, Elevator Constructors Local 2 PAC,  were appointed to the Illinois Elevator Safety Board.  He has been under constant criticism because of his commute from Chicago to Springfield instead of moving into the Governor’s mansion.  And, Illinois State Representatives have even begun talking about impeachment proceedings.

With today’s arrest, they may not need to impeach him….

The 76-page indictment details Blagojevich’s conspiring to sell or trade the seat for favors not only for himself but also his wife, Patti.  It’s Patti’s father, Richard Mell, who helped get the governor into office.  They now have a very public feud running between them ever since Blagojevich closed a landfill for environmental concerns.  While most would have been thrilled with the action, it caused more problems because the landfill was owned by a distant cousin of Patti’s and her father had served as an adviser to him.  The closure is still under investigation as many believe the Blagojevich administration overstepped it’s authority with the closure.

The indictment also states that he wanted to withhold state assistance from the hemorrhaging Tribune Company unless members of the Chicago Tribune editorial board that have been critical of him were fired in exchange for the funds.

And people are surprised by this?  He can’t get along with members of his administration.  He now can’t get along with his extended family.  His record, vulgar statements, and erratic behavior have made him an embarrassment to many who live in Illinois and the Midwest as a whole.

One can only suspect that President-elect Obama will be making very public statements distancing himself from this scandal.  Just as Republican candidates running for office this past election season threw President Bush under the bus in order to keep their job or argue the reason they would be best to lead the country now, Illinois Democrats must be scrambling to figure out a way to minimize any impact from this.  Fortunately for the president-elect, the plan to trade the seat in return for a favor from Obama in the future was not something actually discussed with the new administration.  So long as he can maintain deniability and ensure no one working for him was in the least bit involved, the president-elect should be safe.

View the indictment here in PDF format.