Saturday, March 07, 2015
Librarian charged with unlawfully entering homes said she was looking for books
A high school librarian in Grafton, North Dakota, has been charged with criminal trespass as part of an investigation into prescription drug thefts and unlawful entry into residences, according to a statement by Grafton Police on Wednesday.
Kelly R. Kohler, 30, an employee of Grafton Public School, was charged with four counts of criminal trespass, a Class C felony. Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
She appeared in District Court in Walsh County on Tuesday and was released on a $10,000 bond.
The conditions of her release included that she not leave North Dakota and could have no contact with the victims of the crimes. Kohler admitted to police that she'd been in two homes because she wanted to locate the book "American Sniper," according to the affidavit. She said the children who lived there had allegedly stolen the book, though police found no record of the children checking out the book. No school officials were available to comment. Kohler allegedly visited three homes without permission from homeowners, according to the affidavit.
Grafton resident Evelyn Allensworth told police that on Feb. 20 that Doris Dahlgren, her cleaning lady, had spotted someone inside her home, looking through the kitchen cupboards. The woman told Dahlgren she was "looking for a library book," and after Dahlgren pushed her for more information, she left. A woman who had "similar characteristics" to Kohler was spotted again four days later at Ed Boura's residence, where she had entered the home and left just as Boura was returning, he told police. Boura saw her black Chevrolet SUV, which had a licence plate beginning with "JON," parked in the driveway and said he believed it was a friend of his son's.
But once he entered the house, the vehicle left, and he noticed that his oxycodone and temazepam was missing, he told police. Resident Louis Johnson told police he'd seen Kohler in a house belonging to resident Jaci Niemann on two different occasions from Feb. 23 to 27. When Johnson confronted Kohler, she'd told him she was looking for "a book or video" and knew Niemann. Johnson said Kohler admitted she'd been in the house before and that she was a librarian, according to the affidavit. The charges resulted from a joint investigation by the police department and the Walsh County Sheriff's Office since early February. The investigation is ongoing.
The conditions of her release included that she not leave North Dakota and could have no contact with the victims of the crimes. Kohler admitted to police that she'd been in two homes because she wanted to locate the book "American Sniper," according to the affidavit. She said the children who lived there had allegedly stolen the book, though police found no record of the children checking out the book. No school officials were available to comment. Kohler allegedly visited three homes without permission from homeowners, according to the affidavit.
Grafton resident Evelyn Allensworth told police that on Feb. 20 that Doris Dahlgren, her cleaning lady, had spotted someone inside her home, looking through the kitchen cupboards. The woman told Dahlgren she was "looking for a library book," and after Dahlgren pushed her for more information, she left. A woman who had "similar characteristics" to Kohler was spotted again four days later at Ed Boura's residence, where she had entered the home and left just as Boura was returning, he told police. Boura saw her black Chevrolet SUV, which had a licence plate beginning with "JON," parked in the driveway and said he believed it was a friend of his son's.
But once he entered the house, the vehicle left, and he noticed that his oxycodone and temazepam was missing, he told police. Resident Louis Johnson told police he'd seen Kohler in a house belonging to resident Jaci Niemann on two different occasions from Feb. 23 to 27. When Johnson confronted Kohler, she'd told him she was looking for "a book or video" and knew Niemann. Johnson said Kohler admitted she'd been in the house before and that she was a librarian, according to the affidavit. The charges resulted from a joint investigation by the police department and the Walsh County Sheriff's Office since early February. The investigation is ongoing.
Police baffled as elderly man's home has been egged more than a hundred times in past year
An 85-year-old man's home in Euclid, Ohio, has become the target of mysterious egging attacks that began in March 2014 and haven't stopped.
The continuous onslaught of eggs has baffled police, neighbours and local government officials who have tried and failed to identify the source of the attacks that have ruined the man's home and kept his family on edge.
"The accuracy is phenomenal," Albert Clemens, Sr. said. "Because almost every time when it's nice weather and they launch five or six of these at a time, they almost invariably hit the front door."
Clemens green two-storey house sits on a corner plot. He and his wife bought the home as newlyweds about 60 years ago. Though his wife has since passed away, Clemens still lives there with his 49-year-old daughter and 51-year-old son.
The house has been pelted with eggs several times a week, sometimes more than once a day, for the past year. The attacks always happen after dark and last around 10 minutes each.
The family has been awoken as late as 2am by what sounds like the crack of a gunshot against the aluminum siding or front door.
Clemens and police believe the eggs are being launched from a block or two away. The siding on the front of Clemens' home is destroyed, splattered with dried egg residue that stripped off the paint. Other than a few rogue eggs that hit nearby homes, no other neighbours have been targeted. "Somebody is deeply, deeply angry at somebody in that household for some reason," Euclid Lt. Mitch Houser said. Winter offered a short respite for the family, as the egging became less frequent during the cold weather. But both Clemens and police anticipate the attacks picking back up as the snow and ice thaw. Euclid police have not taken the investigation lightly. They've spent a year doing undercover stakeouts, canvassing the neighborhood and even sending eggshells for testing. The department's entire community policing unit was dedicated to tracking down the eggers at one point. Officers respond quickly to every egging call at the home, which is less than a mile from the police station. Both Clemens and detectives are at a dead end when it comes to suspects. Clemens had suspicions about a young man across the street who confronted him a couple years ago and asked him to stop calling police about suspicious activity in the neighborhood. Clemens said that he had started calling police more often as he noticed more crime, mostly suspected drug activity.
Another neighbour Clemens suspected was ruled out when officers saw him standing outside as an attack occurred in the presence of police. Investigators have taken several different approaches to catching the eggers, including installing a surveillance camera on the house. Detectives even collected some eggshell samples and tested them in a crime lab. The eggs were traced back to a local Amish farm, but the trail ended there. Clemens says the culprits either have access to a large supply of eggs or are stealing them from businesses that throw them out when they go bad. Detectives have followed this thread, visiting local restaurants and businesses asking about missing eggs. They've also tried collecting fingerprints from eggshells, but Houser said that's an impossible task. When an egg breaks, it releases proteins that destroy DNA. Officers have gone door to door questioning neighbours and handing out fliers. Nobody has come forward with any tips. "The person or people who are doing it have remained very tight-lipped apparently," Houser said. "I would imagine it would be hard to keep a secret of something that had been done hundreds of times and for nobody to step forward to talk about it."
YouTube link.
The guilty parties don't appear to be intimidated by police interest in the case. An officer last year was taking a report when a barrage of eggs was launched at the house. One hit him in the foot. Houser said he's never seen this level of vandalism in his 20 years of police work. It's frustrated the whole department, which has dedicated hundreds of hours toward solving the egging mystery. "The man hours put into that investigation were huge and one of the reasons it's so frustrating that we don't have somebody right now that we can criminally charge," Houser said. Clemens says he used to clean up after each attack, but it became so frequent that he couldn't keep up. Police initially offered a $500 reward for information, but bumped it up to $1,000 after nobody came forward. That money is still up for grabs. "We're not going to let it go," Houser said. "We'll continue to put effort into it until we figure something out." Despite all the torment, Clemens said he'd never consider moving from his beloved home. "I like the neighbourhood," Clemens said. "I like the city of Euclid. I would live and die in this house - but it's been kind of a nightmare."
Clemens and police believe the eggs are being launched from a block or two away. The siding on the front of Clemens' home is destroyed, splattered with dried egg residue that stripped off the paint. Other than a few rogue eggs that hit nearby homes, no other neighbours have been targeted. "Somebody is deeply, deeply angry at somebody in that household for some reason," Euclid Lt. Mitch Houser said. Winter offered a short respite for the family, as the egging became less frequent during the cold weather. But both Clemens and police anticipate the attacks picking back up as the snow and ice thaw. Euclid police have not taken the investigation lightly. They've spent a year doing undercover stakeouts, canvassing the neighborhood and even sending eggshells for testing. The department's entire community policing unit was dedicated to tracking down the eggers at one point. Officers respond quickly to every egging call at the home, which is less than a mile from the police station. Both Clemens and detectives are at a dead end when it comes to suspects. Clemens had suspicions about a young man across the street who confronted him a couple years ago and asked him to stop calling police about suspicious activity in the neighborhood. Clemens said that he had started calling police more often as he noticed more crime, mostly suspected drug activity.
Another neighbour Clemens suspected was ruled out when officers saw him standing outside as an attack occurred in the presence of police. Investigators have taken several different approaches to catching the eggers, including installing a surveillance camera on the house. Detectives even collected some eggshell samples and tested them in a crime lab. The eggs were traced back to a local Amish farm, but the trail ended there. Clemens says the culprits either have access to a large supply of eggs or are stealing them from businesses that throw them out when they go bad. Detectives have followed this thread, visiting local restaurants and businesses asking about missing eggs. They've also tried collecting fingerprints from eggshells, but Houser said that's an impossible task. When an egg breaks, it releases proteins that destroy DNA. Officers have gone door to door questioning neighbours and handing out fliers. Nobody has come forward with any tips. "The person or people who are doing it have remained very tight-lipped apparently," Houser said. "I would imagine it would be hard to keep a secret of something that had been done hundreds of times and for nobody to step forward to talk about it."
YouTube link.
The guilty parties don't appear to be intimidated by police interest in the case. An officer last year was taking a report when a barrage of eggs was launched at the house. One hit him in the foot. Houser said he's never seen this level of vandalism in his 20 years of police work. It's frustrated the whole department, which has dedicated hundreds of hours toward solving the egging mystery. "The man hours put into that investigation were huge and one of the reasons it's so frustrating that we don't have somebody right now that we can criminally charge," Houser said. Clemens says he used to clean up after each attack, but it became so frequent that he couldn't keep up. Police initially offered a $500 reward for information, but bumped it up to $1,000 after nobody came forward. That money is still up for grabs. "We're not going to let it go," Houser said. "We'll continue to put effort into it until we figure something out." Despite all the torment, Clemens said he'd never consider moving from his beloved home. "I like the neighbourhood," Clemens said. "I like the city of Euclid. I would live and die in this house - but it's been kind of a nightmare."
Ice fishermen surprised to catch a duck
A pair of Pittsburgh ice fisherman got quite a surprise on the end of their line recently.
Nicholas Colangelo, Fred Christensen, and Luke Wholey were ice fishing a couple hours north of Pittsburgh when they reeled in the red-breasted merganser duck. The pair were able to hand line the bird in, and then untangle it from the line and hook.
“My jaw hit the floor when it came out of the ice hole,” Colangelo said. Mergansers are common on Pennsylvania rivers and lakes and usually eat fish, which is what they were using as bait.
YouTube link.
They are diving birds and stay under the water for about five-minutes looking for food. After a quick photo, the bird was released unharmed. Colangelo says it’s the first time they have ever caught a duck while fishing.
Nicholas Colangelo, Fred Christensen, and Luke Wholey were ice fishing a couple hours north of Pittsburgh when they reeled in the red-breasted merganser duck. The pair were able to hand line the bird in, and then untangle it from the line and hook.
“My jaw hit the floor when it came out of the ice hole,” Colangelo said. Mergansers are common on Pennsylvania rivers and lakes and usually eat fish, which is what they were using as bait.
YouTube link.
They are diving birds and stay under the water for about five-minutes looking for food. After a quick photo, the bird was released unharmed. Colangelo says it’s the first time they have ever caught a duck while fishing.
Mystery over whether snake really stole sausage straight from a barbecue
Australian snake catcher Geoff Delooze has seen some things in his time, but never a snake with a sausage.
So when a friend mentioned an eastern brown snake crashing a barbecue and stealing a sausage, he didn’t quite believe him. Then he saw the photo.
‘‘This brown snake apparently came bolting out, took the sausage in front of a group of people, and disappeared back into the bush,’’ says Geoff, from Native and Feral Pest Management. ‘‘It was like it had done it before.’’
The barbecue was held at the foot of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, where campers might expect the odd brush with a snake. Geoff says the photo came from a friend of a friend. However, an expert from the Office of Environment has his doubts. He thinks the snake might have been dead and set up for the shot.
So when a friend mentioned an eastern brown snake crashing a barbecue and stealing a sausage, he didn’t quite believe him. Then he saw the photo.
‘‘This brown snake apparently came bolting out, took the sausage in front of a group of people, and disappeared back into the bush,’’ says Geoff, from Native and Feral Pest Management. ‘‘It was like it had done it before.’’
The barbecue was held at the foot of the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, where campers might expect the odd brush with a snake. Geoff says the photo came from a friend of a friend. However, an expert from the Office of Environment has his doubts. He thinks the snake might have been dead and set up for the shot.
Scotland gets its first coughing bus shelter
Scotland's first coughing bus shelter has been installed in Ayr.
People waiting at the stop can hear the sound of a man coughing before a woman is heard urging people to visit their GP if they, or someone they know, has had a cough for three weeks or more.
The shelter has been placed in Sandgate, in Ayr's town centre.
Run by the Scottish government's Detect Cancer Early campaign, the project aims to raise awareness of a cough as a key sign of lung cancer. The bus shelter also bears the image of a man coughing, alongside the campaign's strapline - "Don't get scared, get checked".
Dr Hugh Brown, NHS Ayrshire and Arran's Primary Care Cancer Lead, welcomed the "great opportunity" provided by the shelter "to explain to people the potential significance of a cough when they're least expecting it." He said: "One reason patients are often diagnosed late is that they are unaware of the symptoms of lung cancer.
"I hope this makes a huge impression and helps get the message across to people in Ayrshire that it's important if you, or someone you know, has had a cough for three weeks or more, it's time to get it checked out. It's probably nothing to worry about, but it could be a sign of lung cancer."
Run by the Scottish government's Detect Cancer Early campaign, the project aims to raise awareness of a cough as a key sign of lung cancer. The bus shelter also bears the image of a man coughing, alongside the campaign's strapline - "Don't get scared, get checked".
Dr Hugh Brown, NHS Ayrshire and Arran's Primary Care Cancer Lead, welcomed the "great opportunity" provided by the shelter "to explain to people the potential significance of a cough when they're least expecting it." He said: "One reason patients are often diagnosed late is that they are unaware of the symptoms of lung cancer.
"I hope this makes a huge impression and helps get the message across to people in Ayrshire that it's important if you, or someone you know, has had a cough for three weeks or more, it's time to get it checked out. It's probably nothing to worry about, but it could be a sign of lung cancer."
Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party's name ban branded 'political correctness gone mad'
A party leader has branded the decision to ban the group's "offensive" name from ballot papers for the forthcoming General Election "political correctness gone mad".
The Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party was told by the Electoral Commission its name could not appear on voting slips in May.
In a review of party names it said the word crumpet could be seen as describing women "in a demeaning way". Party leader Ray Hall denied the term was offensive.
Mr Hall, who received 235 votes in a 2013 Eastleigh by-election after Chris Huhne resigned, said he is considering a new name for the party. He accused the commission of "pulling the plug" on the party close to the election. "We are not very happy," he said. "There are opportunities to change the name but with only eight weeks to go [to the General Election] all the material which has been produced, everything will be obsolete, maybe even the website. It beggars belief."
Crumpet was not a sexist term, he said, and there were "far worse words" used to describe women. The commission wrote to Mr Hall, 75, to inform him of its decision "That is to my mind offensive, but crumpet is not," he said. "People are mildly amused, not offended." Possible alternatives for the party's name include the Beer, Baccy and Je Suis Charlie Party, the Beer, Baccy and Trumpet Party, the Beer, Baccy and Squeaky Wheel Party or the Inclusive party.
A spokeswoman for the Electoral Commission said the party could apply to register an amended name to appear on ballot papers. Mr Hall has been told the name will be removed from the register of political parties for Great Britain on Saturday. Registering a party takes roughly 30 days. The Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party is at present a two-man band, but Mr Hall said he has around 60 people who have expressed interest in standing for the party in constituencies all over the country.
Mr Hall, who received 235 votes in a 2013 Eastleigh by-election after Chris Huhne resigned, said he is considering a new name for the party. He accused the commission of "pulling the plug" on the party close to the election. "We are not very happy," he said. "There are opportunities to change the name but with only eight weeks to go [to the General Election] all the material which has been produced, everything will be obsolete, maybe even the website. It beggars belief."
Crumpet was not a sexist term, he said, and there were "far worse words" used to describe women. The commission wrote to Mr Hall, 75, to inform him of its decision "That is to my mind offensive, but crumpet is not," he said. "People are mildly amused, not offended." Possible alternatives for the party's name include the Beer, Baccy and Je Suis Charlie Party, the Beer, Baccy and Trumpet Party, the Beer, Baccy and Squeaky Wheel Party or the Inclusive party.
A spokeswoman for the Electoral Commission said the party could apply to register an amended name to appear on ballot papers. Mr Hall has been told the name will be removed from the register of political parties for Great Britain on Saturday. Registering a party takes roughly 30 days. The Beer, Baccy and Crumpet Party is at present a two-man band, but Mr Hall said he has around 60 people who have expressed interest in standing for the party in constituencies all over the country.
Search for man who stole two live koi carp from aquatic centre by putting them in his pockets
CCTV footage has been released showing the moment a thief reached into a tank and stole two koi carp from an aquatic supply store before stashing them in his pockets as he left the shop.
Thomas Dodd and partner Dani Grogan found that the koi carp, worth up to £60, had been taken from a large tank in Swansea fish shop Aquatic Supplies Wales earlier this week.
CCTV also captures a second, smaller fish being taken from a tank and put into the man’s pocket.
After a busy weekend, the couple spotted that the netting, laid over the top of the tanks to stop the fish jumping out, had been damaged, and a handheld net had been left inside.
But it wasn't until after Dani checked the shop's CCTV footage that they found what had happened. In a video clip the alleged thief is seen plucking a fish out of a vat located in a cool, quiet area at the back of the shop, suitable for keeping the sensitive pond fish. The slippery creature, six to seven inches in length, wriggles out of his hands and drops to the floor, before the man grabs it and stuffs it into his pocket. “We didn't really know what to make of it, because we'd noticed the fish was missing and we'd kind of thought one of the weekend boys had sold it or something - but Tom had thought someone had stolen it," Dani said.
“We were joking saying, 'Would they have put it in their pocket?' and then we looked at the footage it actually turned out he did put it in his pocket. It was really sickening to watch," she added. “We were thinking maybe he'd have a bucket of water out in his car - but he didn't intend on stealing the fish to keep, he just put it in his pocket to kill it. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever, it's just a horrible thing to have seen." According to Dani, the full CCTV video shows the man first taking a smaller koi carp, up to 4 inches long, out of the tank through the protective net, with his bare hands, before trying to capture a bigger specimen.
YouTube link.
“Koi will come up to the surface and feed out of your hand," Dani said. “So I think he took one of the smaller ones and put it in his pocket then turned around to the other bigger koi and broke the protective net and stuck a big hand held net in." After failing to retrieve a large fish at first, the man walked away, only to return again and once more try to net a carp. After three to four minutes of trying, he succesfully netted the fish before slowly leaving the premises. The name of the alleged thief has since been put forward and South Wales Police have been informed of the incident.
But it wasn't until after Dani checked the shop's CCTV footage that they found what had happened. In a video clip the alleged thief is seen plucking a fish out of a vat located in a cool, quiet area at the back of the shop, suitable for keeping the sensitive pond fish. The slippery creature, six to seven inches in length, wriggles out of his hands and drops to the floor, before the man grabs it and stuffs it into his pocket. “We didn't really know what to make of it, because we'd noticed the fish was missing and we'd kind of thought one of the weekend boys had sold it or something - but Tom had thought someone had stolen it," Dani said.
“We were joking saying, 'Would they have put it in their pocket?' and then we looked at the footage it actually turned out he did put it in his pocket. It was really sickening to watch," she added. “We were thinking maybe he'd have a bucket of water out in his car - but he didn't intend on stealing the fish to keep, he just put it in his pocket to kill it. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever, it's just a horrible thing to have seen." According to Dani, the full CCTV video shows the man first taking a smaller koi carp, up to 4 inches long, out of the tank through the protective net, with his bare hands, before trying to capture a bigger specimen.
YouTube link.
“Koi will come up to the surface and feed out of your hand," Dani said. “So I think he took one of the smaller ones and put it in his pocket then turned around to the other bigger koi and broke the protective net and stuck a big hand held net in." After failing to retrieve a large fish at first, the man walked away, only to return again and once more try to net a carp. After three to four minutes of trying, he succesfully netted the fish before slowly leaving the premises. The name of the alleged thief has since been put forward and South Wales Police have been informed of the incident.
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