Friday, March 22, 2013
Man arrested after falling through ceiling of store
Police in Lexington, Kentucky, routinely arrest burglary suspects who break into businesses through the ceiling. Usually a would-be burglar waits until the store is closed. Police said that wasn't the case at the Eastland Shopping Center, where employees at Roses department store heard someone shuffling around above the drop-tile ceiling just after lunchtime on Wednesday.
After officers searched for about a half-hour, Paul Masters, 47, fell through the ceiling and wrestled with officers waiting in the store below, police said. After a brief hospital visit, Masters was charged with first-degree burglary and fleeing or evading police. "This is very uncommon for something like this to occur at 1 o'clock in the afternoon," Lexington police Lt. Sam Murdock said.
"This is typically the type of crime we would see usually in the early-morning hours when businesses are closed and there are not a lot of pedestrians or patrons present." Police aren't sure why Masters was in the ceiling. He told police "he was retrieving money for a friend," Murdock said. However, police did not find any money in the attic where Masters was accused of milling around. They did find a hat, gloves and a pry bar, Murdock said.
Police say Masters then fell several feet through the ceiling and into the store. He was injured, but still tried to get away forcing officers to use their tasers. One officer was injured, but police say it was minor. Masters was taken to the hospital after injuring his face, but now he's in jail on burglary and fleeing and evading charges. They believe he got into the attic space after climbing through an access point in the bathroom.
With news video.
After officers searched for about a half-hour, Paul Masters, 47, fell through the ceiling and wrestled with officers waiting in the store below, police said. After a brief hospital visit, Masters was charged with first-degree burglary and fleeing or evading police. "This is very uncommon for something like this to occur at 1 o'clock in the afternoon," Lexington police Lt. Sam Murdock said.
"This is typically the type of crime we would see usually in the early-morning hours when businesses are closed and there are not a lot of pedestrians or patrons present." Police aren't sure why Masters was in the ceiling. He told police "he was retrieving money for a friend," Murdock said. However, police did not find any money in the attic where Masters was accused of milling around. They did find a hat, gloves and a pry bar, Murdock said.
Police say Masters then fell several feet through the ceiling and into the store. He was injured, but still tried to get away forcing officers to use their tasers. One officer was injured, but police say it was minor. Masters was taken to the hospital after injuring his face, but now he's in jail on burglary and fleeing and evading charges. They believe he got into the attic space after climbing through an access point in the bathroom.
With news video.
Growling and snarling escort arrested after 'trying to eat man's penis and testicles'
An Orange County escort was arrested on attempted second-degree murder charges after deputies say she bit a man's genitalia so badly he needed surgery. Deputies said Priscilla Vaughn, 29, consumed Ecstasy, alcohol and marijuana and had just got back to a hotel room from a dinner at Applebees on Tuesday with a man she met on BackPage.com.
During their time together, she started biting his penis and genitals, causing him to bleed heavily, deputies said. The man told deputies it appeared as if she was "trying to eat his penis and testicles." He tried to fight her off but said she was too powerful as she tried to gouge his eyes out.
Vaughn also bit and scratched the man's leg, abdomen, chest and fingers and, as he tried to get her to stop, she took his car keys and broke his phone so he couldn't call for help. The man told deputies he locked himself in the bathroom until authorities arrived, responding to multiple callers reporting screaming and growling noises from the room.
Deputies said Vaughn continued to growl and snarl at them as they placed her under arrested for aggravated battery, attempted second-degree murder, false imprisonment and tampering with witness to hinder communication to law enforcement. The victim was treated by Fire Rescue and trauma center personnel at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
With news video.
During their time together, she started biting his penis and genitals, causing him to bleed heavily, deputies said. The man told deputies it appeared as if she was "trying to eat his penis and testicles." He tried to fight her off but said she was too powerful as she tried to gouge his eyes out.
Vaughn also bit and scratched the man's leg, abdomen, chest and fingers and, as he tried to get her to stop, she took his car keys and broke his phone so he couldn't call for help. The man told deputies he locked himself in the bathroom until authorities arrived, responding to multiple callers reporting screaming and growling noises from the room.
Deputies said Vaughn continued to growl and snarl at them as they placed her under arrested for aggravated battery, attempted second-degree murder, false imprisonment and tampering with witness to hinder communication to law enforcement. The victim was treated by Fire Rescue and trauma center personnel at Orlando Regional Medical Center.
With news video.
Beach access restricted to guard seals from human harassment
San Diego's mayor has placed a prime stretch of beach inhabited by seals and the area around it off-limits to the public between sunset and dawn after video footage of two women harassing the marine mammals at night surfaced. Mayor Bob Filner's emergency order, issued on Tuesday, covers a 150-foot-wide swath of sand at the city's La Jolla Cove, which more than 200 harbour seals regularly use for shelter and as a rookery during breeding and pupping season.
The site, dubbed Children's Pool, has been the scene of a protracted battle between wildlife advocates who say the seals are a local asset and tourist attraction that should be protected and opponents who argue the urban beach belongs to humans. The beach originally was designated as a safe spot for children to swim thanks to an adjacent seawall that generally keeps the surf calm there. But bacterial levels in the water now often exceed human health standards, authorities warn the public to be careful when seals are present and a rope cordons off a large area frequently occupied by the flippered animals from the rest of the beach.
Live-streaming video from a surveillance camera installed last month at the site showed two women harassing seals by squatting over them, posing for pictures and intentionally chasing away the marine mammals. Filner said in a statement that he ordered the nighttime closure of the site because of the women "seen on video tape harassing, taunting and causing stress" to seals there. "The behaviour was shocking, reprehensible and certainly not a reflection of how most citizens in our fine city believe animals should be treated," the mayor said.
YouTube link.
Wildlife group Western Alliance for Nature donated $40,000 to pay for installation of the camera. Sara Wan, co-founder of the group, said video footage has captured other bad human behaviour aside from that of the two women. "We applaud the mayor for his decision," Wan said. "This is a very critical time, when moms are giving birth and bonding with their pups." Local spear-fishing enthusiasts oppose protecting the seals, which they see as an attempt by the mayor and environmentalists to block access to a public beach. Ryan Sweeney, a local diver, said he was organizing a protest against the closure. "It is unacceptable (for the mayor) to disregard proper city procedures and do whatever he wants," he said. "We love the seals, we love swimming with them, and we believe shared use of the beach and water works."
The site, dubbed Children's Pool, has been the scene of a protracted battle between wildlife advocates who say the seals are a local asset and tourist attraction that should be protected and opponents who argue the urban beach belongs to humans. The beach originally was designated as a safe spot for children to swim thanks to an adjacent seawall that generally keeps the surf calm there. But bacterial levels in the water now often exceed human health standards, authorities warn the public to be careful when seals are present and a rope cordons off a large area frequently occupied by the flippered animals from the rest of the beach.
Live-streaming video from a surveillance camera installed last month at the site showed two women harassing seals by squatting over them, posing for pictures and intentionally chasing away the marine mammals. Filner said in a statement that he ordered the nighttime closure of the site because of the women "seen on video tape harassing, taunting and causing stress" to seals there. "The behaviour was shocking, reprehensible and certainly not a reflection of how most citizens in our fine city believe animals should be treated," the mayor said.
YouTube link.
Wildlife group Western Alliance for Nature donated $40,000 to pay for installation of the camera. Sara Wan, co-founder of the group, said video footage has captured other bad human behaviour aside from that of the two women. "We applaud the mayor for his decision," Wan said. "This is a very critical time, when moms are giving birth and bonding with their pups." Local spear-fishing enthusiasts oppose protecting the seals, which they see as an attempt by the mayor and environmentalists to block access to a public beach. Ryan Sweeney, a local diver, said he was organizing a protest against the closure. "It is unacceptable (for the mayor) to disregard proper city procedures and do whatever he wants," he said. "We love the seals, we love swimming with them, and we believe shared use of the beach and water works."
Swedish air force to compensate farmers after causing mink to kill pups
The Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) have apologized for contributing to the death of over 500 minks after low-flying planes caused the animals to turn on their young in a panic-induced killing spree.
The flyby occurred over a mink farm in Svenljunga, southern Sweden, during the military training exercises that took place last summer. When planes flew past at low altitudes, the adult minks became so terrified that they turned on their young and bit them to death.
Between 500 and 600 minks were killed in the frenzy in which the young pups weren't eaten but fatally bitten by the frightened adult minks. Following the grisly discovery of hundreds of dead minks, the farmer contacted the Armed Forces and demanded financial compensation for the dead animals.
The Swedish Armed Forces have since apologized for the incident, and agreed to pay for the damages. Military lawyer Lena Ahlström described the incident as an "unfortunate event". While exact compensation details have not yet been settled, the farm owners have sent invoices detailing their losses to the Swedish Armed Forces. An exact price is expected to be determined in the coming weeks.
The flyby occurred over a mink farm in Svenljunga, southern Sweden, during the military training exercises that took place last summer. When planes flew past at low altitudes, the adult minks became so terrified that they turned on their young and bit them to death.
Between 500 and 600 minks were killed in the frenzy in which the young pups weren't eaten but fatally bitten by the frightened adult minks. Following the grisly discovery of hundreds of dead minks, the farmer contacted the Armed Forces and demanded financial compensation for the dead animals.
The Swedish Armed Forces have since apologized for the incident, and agreed to pay for the damages. Military lawyer Lena Ahlström described the incident as an "unfortunate event". While exact compensation details have not yet been settled, the farm owners have sent invoices detailing their losses to the Swedish Armed Forces. An exact price is expected to be determined in the coming weeks.
Mystery over thousands of dead prawns washed up on beach in Chile
Thousands of dead prawns have washed
up on a beach in Chile, sparking an investigation. Hundreds of dead crabs were also washed ashore in Coronel city, about 530km
(330 miles) from the capital, Santiago.
Fishermen suggested the deaths may have been caused by local power stations that use seawater as a cooling agent. The power firms have not commented. Experts are looking into water temperature and oxygen levels and other details to explain the deaths.
"We're investigating the Coronel Bay to establish the physical parameters of temperature, electric conductivity and, above all, the oxygen," said local environment official Victor Casanova. Local fishermen blamed nearby power generation plants Bocamina 1 and 2 and Colbun. "I'm 69 years old and started fishing when I was nine, but as a fisherman, I never saw a disaster of this magnitude,'' Gregorio Ortega said.
YouTube link.
While some blame pollution, others say the death of the crustaceans could be a consequence of the El Nino phenomenon, which warms the waters of the Pacific. Marisol Ortega, a spokeswoman for the fishermen, said she feared the deaths would affect the livelihood of their community. "The way everything is being destroyed here, come the high season in November, we're already thinking we won't have anything to take from the sea," she said.
Fishermen suggested the deaths may have been caused by local power stations that use seawater as a cooling agent. The power firms have not commented. Experts are looking into water temperature and oxygen levels and other details to explain the deaths.
"We're investigating the Coronel Bay to establish the physical parameters of temperature, electric conductivity and, above all, the oxygen," said local environment official Victor Casanova. Local fishermen blamed nearby power generation plants Bocamina 1 and 2 and Colbun. "I'm 69 years old and started fishing when I was nine, but as a fisherman, I never saw a disaster of this magnitude,'' Gregorio Ortega said.
YouTube link.
While some blame pollution, others say the death of the crustaceans could be a consequence of the El Nino phenomenon, which warms the waters of the Pacific. Marisol Ortega, a spokeswoman for the fishermen, said she feared the deaths would affect the livelihood of their community. "The way everything is being destroyed here, come the high season in November, we're already thinking we won't have anything to take from the sea," she said.
Couple mistakenly boarded up in home
A couple and their baby, who were mistakenly boarded up in
their Dublin home by council workmen, have settled a claim for damages totalling
76,000 euros. Tristan Ua Ceithearnaigh, 46, and Elisa Udtohan, 25, were at home in Eugene
Street when corrugated iron sheets were attached to the door and window. The couple ignored the doorbell as they were not expecting visitors.
But they thought they were under siege by criminals when they heard hammering. In a civil bills issued against Dublin City Council the couple alleged they had been resting on the day in question after having done some shopping with their four-month-old baby, Mia. Mr Ua Ceithearnaigh dialled 999 after shouting to the people outside that they were in the house and demanded to know what was happening as they saw six-inch nails come through the door frame.
Photo from here.
The men hammering asked if he was a squatter and the tenant told them it was a privately rented house. He heard someone say: 'hold on a minute', and they then started pulling nails out of the door frame, removing the corrugated iron. Through a spy-hole, he saw two Dublin City Council vans outside. He opened the front door and saw workmen, who were with the vans, begin fixing corrugated iron sheets they had removed from his home to a vacant house next door.
Both Mr Ua Ceithearnaigh and Ms Udtohan claimed they had been medically treated for emotional distress and had left the house shortly afterwards. Dublin City Council denied the couple's allegations of falsely imprisoning them while they were in their home or defaming them by creating the impression they were squatters, undesirables or were being evicted. Barrister Bernard McCabe told Judge Gerard Griffin in the Circuit Civil Court that the pair, who now live at The Mews, Collegeland, Saggart, had reached settlements in their damages claims for €38,000 each. Judge Griffin struck out both actions on foot of undisclosed settlements.
But they thought they were under siege by criminals when they heard hammering. In a civil bills issued against Dublin City Council the couple alleged they had been resting on the day in question after having done some shopping with their four-month-old baby, Mia. Mr Ua Ceithearnaigh dialled 999 after shouting to the people outside that they were in the house and demanded to know what was happening as they saw six-inch nails come through the door frame.
Photo from here.
The men hammering asked if he was a squatter and the tenant told them it was a privately rented house. He heard someone say: 'hold on a minute', and they then started pulling nails out of the door frame, removing the corrugated iron. Through a spy-hole, he saw two Dublin City Council vans outside. He opened the front door and saw workmen, who were with the vans, begin fixing corrugated iron sheets they had removed from his home to a vacant house next door.
Both Mr Ua Ceithearnaigh and Ms Udtohan claimed they had been medically treated for emotional distress and had left the house shortly afterwards. Dublin City Council denied the couple's allegations of falsely imprisoning them while they were in their home or defaming them by creating the impression they were squatters, undesirables or were being evicted. Barrister Bernard McCabe told Judge Gerard Griffin in the Circuit Civil Court that the pair, who now live at The Mews, Collegeland, Saggart, had reached settlements in their damages claims for €38,000 each. Judge Griffin struck out both actions on foot of undisclosed settlements.
Large asbestos-contaminated tarantula could be on the loose in Cardiff
A web of intrigue surrounds a gruesome discovery in a 19th century attic – where a large tarantula skin, potentially contaminated with asbestos, has been found. The shock find was made during a routine survey by Cardiff asbestos specialists Kusten Vorland. And a spider expert warned the beast that shed the skin could still be at large – and possibly twice the size.
After three days in the empty house, on The Parade, in Roath, surveyor Katie Parsons-Young led her team into a pitch-black attic at 4.30pm on Tuesday. Katie – no fan of creepy crawlies – got the shock of her life when lifting up one of the floorboards and spotting a large, hairy leg. She said: “We had lighting in there so we moved the lighting to the other area of the attic where I was and could see there was something. I was the first in. I sort of saw a leg, screamed and went.”
Most of the team fled the attic after the discovery, which it was originally thought was a dead spider, leaving no time to see if there were any more. Where the spiders may have come from is a mystery. “We don’t know if the spiders have been living there by themselves or it was a pet that’s made its home there,” Katie, 31, said. Although it had been assumed Katie had stumbled on a dead tarantula, when we showed the evidence to Cardiff Reptile Centre, they said the bagged exhibit was just a shed skin - meaning the spider, thought to be a Chilean Rose Tarantula, could still be at large.
The expert said that after shedding the skin, the effect of blood pumping through the spider means it could now be as big as 7ins in diameter. Meanwhile the skin was bagged and sent to a laboratory for analysis to find out whether it is contaminated with asbestos. Katie was meant to be working on the survey for the rest of the week but has returned to the office. She said: “I will certainly not be going back in there. I was absolutely petrified and couldn’t stop shaking for two hours. It was just horrific. I hate spiders and I hate them even more now.”
After three days in the empty house, on The Parade, in Roath, surveyor Katie Parsons-Young led her team into a pitch-black attic at 4.30pm on Tuesday. Katie – no fan of creepy crawlies – got the shock of her life when lifting up one of the floorboards and spotting a large, hairy leg. She said: “We had lighting in there so we moved the lighting to the other area of the attic where I was and could see there was something. I was the first in. I sort of saw a leg, screamed and went.”
Most of the team fled the attic after the discovery, which it was originally thought was a dead spider, leaving no time to see if there were any more. Where the spiders may have come from is a mystery. “We don’t know if the spiders have been living there by themselves or it was a pet that’s made its home there,” Katie, 31, said. Although it had been assumed Katie had stumbled on a dead tarantula, when we showed the evidence to Cardiff Reptile Centre, they said the bagged exhibit was just a shed skin - meaning the spider, thought to be a Chilean Rose Tarantula, could still be at large.
The expert said that after shedding the skin, the effect of blood pumping through the spider means it could now be as big as 7ins in diameter. Meanwhile the skin was bagged and sent to a laboratory for analysis to find out whether it is contaminated with asbestos. Katie was meant to be working on the survey for the rest of the week but has returned to the office. She said: “I will certainly not be going back in there. I was absolutely petrified and couldn’t stop shaking for two hours. It was just horrific. I hate spiders and I hate them even more now.”
Pool to hold swim-along screening of Jaws with soundtrack playing above and below the water
The swimming pool at Bramley Baths in Leeds will transform into a temporary cinema on Saturday, as movie-goers are invited to watch the original Jaws and cartoon classic Finding Nemo from a whole new perspective.
Film lovers will be able to watch while they swim, or enjoy the movies from front-row balcony seats.
The two films will be screened onto a big screen in the pool, with speakers streaming the soundtrack under and over the water.
Finding Nemo will be screened at 6.40pm, and the undisputed king of watery cinematic horror, Jaws, will screen at 9pm.
Film lovers will be able to watch while they swim, or enjoy the movies from front-row balcony seats.
The two films will be screened onto a big screen in the pool, with speakers streaming the soundtrack under and over the water.
Finding Nemo will be screened at 6.40pm, and the undisputed king of watery cinematic horror, Jaws, will screen at 9pm.
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