Curses, Foiled Again
Police said two men making their getaway after an armed robbery in Orange County, Fla., tried to distract authorities from pursuing them by reporting a carjacking. The vehicle they described, however, was the same white Honda Accord they were driving. Law enforcement officers spotted it and arrested the suspects, charging them with filing a false report in addition to the armed robbery charge. (Orlando’s WFTV-TV) During a traffic stop in Great Falls, Mont., Jonothan Ray Gonsalez, who had three outstanding warrants for his arrest, told police his name was Timothy Michael Koop Jr. The officer learned that Timothy Michael Koop Jr. was also wanted and arrested Gonsalez. When he told authorities his real name, they added a charge of issuing a false report. (Great Falls Tribune) A security officer called police after noticing blood and two trays of empty razor blade packages at a Wal-Mart store in Venango County, Pa. Deducing that a shoplifter had cut himself while removing the blades, state troopers followed the trail of blood to Michael Barton, 29. (Erie Times-News)
Tax Dollars at Work
When U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents detained Jose Centeno after investigating his immigration status and visa because of a previous felony drug conviction, the agency prescribed sex hormones so he could maintain his appearance as a woman. ICE officials said that since 2006, they’re aware of 45 transgendered detainees who have been prescribed taxpayer-funded hormones. Although Centeno, now known as Krystal, hasn’t undergone gender-altering surgery, he insisted that if he’s denied the drugs to control his facial hair and breasts, “you start going back to the person you weren’t happy with— then it turns into depression mode.”
“If he is depressed, then there are antidepressants he could be put on—certainly prison is a depressing place,” said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas. He added he doesn’t believe taxpayers should be footing the bill just because Centeno “doesn’t want to have facial hair in prison.” (Houston’s KHOU-TV)
Fences, Schmences
National Guard troops operating a remote video surveillance system near Naco, Ariz., observed drug smugglers using a catapult to hurl marijuana across the International Border fence. Border Patrol agents notified Mexican officials, who seized the metal-framed device, powered by heavy-duty elastic and mounted on a trailer, and 45 pounds of pot. (Tucson’s KVOA-TV)
Way to Go
Authorities blamed carbon monoxide for the deaths of five boys, ages 16 to 19, in a motel room in Hialeah, Fla., that they rented for a birthday celebration. Investigators reported that the teens had borrowed a friend’s car, but it wouldn’t start and needed a jump. Reluctant to turn off the engine in case they couldn’t start it again, they left the car running in the single-car garage attached to their motel room. The cleaning lady who discovered their bodies the next afternoon said the smell of gasoline filled the room. (The Miami Herald) Fire officials in San Bernadino, Calif., determined that Steven Vego, 44, died after he heard a “pop” and saw a fire in his backyard, then went out to douse it, accidentally stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted. His wife, Sharon Vego, 43, tried to rescue him but also stepped on the power line and was electrocuted. Their son, Jonathan Cole, 21, tried to rescue his parents but he, too, stepped on the power line and was electrocuted. (Los Angeles’s KABC-TV)
BFF Follies
Authorities accused Marc Higgins of fatally stabbing his Facebook friend Matthew Walton and wounding three others at a party in Bristol, Conn., after a female guest objected to his repeated flatulence and slapped his face. He stormed out of the house, telling police later that he “decided to return to the party and stab everyone in the house.” According to the police report, minutes after police received a report of multiple stabbings at the party, Higgins appeared at the police station, saying repeatedly, “I did it,” “I need help” and “They deserved it.” The report said he admitted stabbing “his friend Matt” and the others because “they just happened to be the first people he saw when he returned.” (The Bristol Press) Police investigating a robbery attempt at a house in Tulsa, Okla., said that when a resident opened the door around 4 a.m., he saw two men, one of whom pointed a gun at him. Then, according to the police report, one of them said, “Man, Zack, I’m sorry. We didn’t know you lived here.” He and the victim had been prison cellmates. The men left but returned two minutes later, said they’d seen police in the neighborhood and asked the victim to hold onto the gun for them. The would-be robber threw the sawed-off shotgun through the front door onto the couch, and the two men fled in a pickup truck. After the truck crashed, police arrested Justin Roy Day, 22, and Ryan Monroe Brewer, 21. (Tulsa World)
All Runways Lead to Russia
Earth’s magnetic north pole is moving toward Russia at the rate of nearly 40 miles a year. Scientists attribute the shift to magnetic changes in the planet’s core. One consequence of the shift was the closing of Florida’s Tampa International Airport for one week to renumber its main north-south runway to reflect its new magnetic alignment. (The Tampa Tribune)
Bottom-Line Justice
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour freed sisters Gladys and Jamie Scott, who had served 16 years of their life sentences for armed robbery, on the condition that Gladys, 36, donate a kidney to Jamie, 38, who requires dialysis. Barbour explained he decided to order their release so the state wouldn’t have to pay for Jamie Scott’s treatment. (Reuters)
News and Blues is compiled from the nation’s press. To contribute, submit original clippings, citing date and source, to Roland Sweet in care of The New Times.
