Officers Ruled Justified For Punching Jaywalking Suspect In The Head

On April 22nd, police officers in Ogden, Utah repeatedly punched a man in the head while he was on the ground when they attempted to arrest him for jaywalking. After Ogden Police Chief Eric Young declared the incident “well within department policy and completely justified,” the man’s family has decided to file a lawsuit, Action News 5 reported. Young says his officers began investigating Shawn Sims after they noticed him walking in between traffic. “Mr. Sims appeared to observe the officers and immediately reached into his waistband, leading officers to believe that he was accessing a gun,” Young explained, claiming that Sims withdrew his hand from his waist and pushed it under his shirt in the shape of a handgun. He says that officers then believed that he was pointing a weapon at them. Sims refused to comply and attempted to flee the scene, prompting police to “take him to the ground and command him to release his hands from his waistband,” Young stated. After the officers failed to gain compliance, two of the four officers started striking the suspect in the head. Another of the officers used his taser on Sims twice. “I watched the video and I read the interaction from the After-Action Investigation and I do believe those officers were in fear for their life,” said Young. “They were trying to bring the situation as quickly under control as possible.”

48-Year-Old Man Arrested After Sending Sexually Explicit Photos To Teenage Daughter’s Best Friend

An Arizona man is now in police custody after sending sexually explicit photos to a 17-year-old girl, Fox 10 reports. On April 23rd, officers arrived to a home in Peoria after the mother of the victim notified police that her daughter received nudes from an adult male. She told police that Michael Vasquez, the father of the teen’s best friend, sent the sexually explicit photos via Facebook Messenger. According to investigators, the suspect’s wife, who has legally separated from Vasquez but still lives in the same house, confirmed that the photos were of her soon-to-be ex. “The wife also stated that he has a history of sending people explicit messages while he is intoxicated,” police documents state. “The wife explained a similar incident that occurred about three years ago involving him sending his neighbor’s wife and daughter explicit text messages and photos.” After learning that his wife had spoken with police, Vasquez called her, threatening to harm himself. He was then located and brought in for questioning. During an interview, the 48-year-old stated that he was unsure if the victim was underage, despite knowing her since she was nine. He also claimed that the teen was “mature for her age.” Vasquez has been arrested and charged with luring and sending obscene materials. He is being held on a $15,000 bond, and is scheduled to appear in court May 3rd. If released, Vasquez will be required to undergo electronic monitoring.

Texas Couple Arrested For Tying Down Their Children With Rope And Forcibly Tattooing Them

A mother and stepfather in Angelina County, Texas are now facing multiple charges after tattooing their children, Action News 5 reported. The couple, 27-year-old Megan Mae Farr and 23-year-old Gunner Farr, tied the two children down with rope, covered their mouths with tape, and covered their eyes with a rag. One child was left with a tattoo on their foot, and the other with a tattoo on their shoulder. After the children’s biological father noticed the tattoos, he confronted Farr. He claims that she laughed about it, and then drove away. He contacted authorities shortly after. Investigators say Farr and Farris then tried to conceal the tattoos by cutting, scraping, and scrubbing the tattooed areas, followed by rubbing them with lemon juice. Despite their efforts, their attempts only hurt the 5-year-old and 9-year-old further. “This happened around the time CPS became involved,” Police Chief Lieutenant James Denby explained. “Someone came forward and turned in a tattoo kit that she claimed was loaned to Gunner to perform tattoos. She didn’t know it was going to be performed on a child.” Megan Mae Farr has been charged with two counts of injury to a child and unlawful restraint, while Gunner Farr is charged with one count of unlawful restraint and one count of injury to a child. The couple each have a bond totaling $35,000. The victims, along with two other children, were taken into CPS custody.

Pennsylvania Supermarket Employee Charged After Putting 11 Needles In Groceries

The now former employee of a Pennsylvania supermarket is in police custody after allegedly tampering with food being sold within the Lehigh Valley store, Penn Live reported. On April 20th, state troopers were called to a Giant grocery store after multiple customers returned food items that had needles placed inside of them. Though none of the shoppers had reported injuries, investigators discovered 11 sewing needles put in merchandise, including: bagged vegetables, individual wrapped snacks, dinner rolls, dog and cat treats, cleaning sponges, and tuna pouches. One of the store’s employees, a minor that has not been publicly identified, has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and one summary charge of criminal mischief. State police have recommended that those who visited the store between April 13th and April 19th to check all purchased items for potential tampering.

Florida Man Arrested After Dismembered Food Delivery Driver Was Found In Trash

A Florida man is now in police custody after the dismembered remains of a food delivery driver were found in a trash bin outside of his home, CBS News reports. On April 19th, the victim, who worked as a delivery driver for both Uber Eats and DoorDash, texted his wife to tell her he had one more delivery before being able to return home. That was the last time he spoke to her. After multiple texts and calls went unanswered, the woman notified police. Two days later deputies from the Pasco Sheriff’s Office went to the home of the missing man’s last known delivery. There, the suspect’s roommate provided officials with video from their doorbell camera that showed the victim. “You can actually see the victim walking up to the house to deliver food, but the video cuts off at that point,” Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco explained at a press conference. In the footage for the next day, 30-year-old Oscar Solis was seen taking out multiple bags of trash. When the outdoor trash bin was searched by detectives, they discovered the dismembered remains of the victim. Inside the home, the victim’s car keys and wedding ring were found. Solis was immediately arrested and charged with felony murder in conjunction with robbery. The suspect, who was recently released on parole, has a history of being affiliated with the MS-13 gang and had previously served four years in prison for burglary and assault. “This was a horrific crime of passion,” Sheriff Nocco said. “This was demonic. What he did was demonic.”  

Florida Man Kidnaps DoorDash Driver, Rapes Her, Then Opens Fire On Her Family When They Come To Rescue Her

A Florida man has been arrested after kidnapping and raping a DoorDash driver, and then opening fire on her family when they attempted to rescue her, Law And Crime reported. On April 18th, at around 11 P.M., Joseph Killins held the victim at gunpoint and made her drive to his apartment, where he forced himself onto her. While she was there, the victim’s family checked her cellphone location and rushed to find her. “The victim’s family, who had been tracking her phone, arrived and rescued her from the car,” a member of the Tampa Bay Police Department explained. “Killins responded by firing multiple times.” The next day, Killins attacked a woman in the same apartment complex. He punched her multiple times in the face, threw her into the ground, and then took off with her backpack. On April 21st, investigators were able to locate Killins at the Tampa Inn, where he was immediately arrested. For the first case, Killins has been charged with armed kidnapping, robbery with a firearm, armed sexual battery, and aggravated battery with a weapon. In the second case, the suspect has been charged with robbery and assault. He is now being held at the Orient Road Jail. “This criminal is now off the streets thanks to the tireless efforts of every Tampa Police Department employee and the assistance provided by members of our community,” Interim Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. “My thoughts remain with the victims. I hope this arrest brings them a sense of comfort knowing that he will now face justice for the crimes he chose to commit.”

Pete Davidson Potentially Facing Criminal Charges After Crashing Car Into Beverly Hills House

Actor and comedian Pete Davidson could be facing charges more than seven weeks after crashing his car into a Beverly Hills home, TMZ reports. On March 4th, the 29-year-old Saturday Night Live alum was “driving at a high rate of speed,” when he went over a curb and slammed into the corner of a house. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, including girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders, who was in the passenger’s seat. Now, the case is being reviewed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for possible criminal charges. Typically, DA’s offices only handle felony cases, but in Beverly Hills, they can handle high-profile misdemeanor charges as well.

Boarding School Told Utah Teen To “Suck It Up” Before Treatable Infection Led To Deadly Sepsis

A 17-year-old has died from a treatable abdominal infection in December after being sent to a “therapeutic boarding school” for troubled teens. Now, her family has filed a lawsuit, Law And Crime reports. On December 20th, Taylor Goodridge died from peritonitis, after staff members at Diamond Ranch Academy the in Hurricane, Utah refused to allow her receive medical attention. Though in rare cases, the infection could require emergency surgery, most cases only require antibiotics. Rather than receiving the help that Goodridge begged for, the teen was accused of “faking it” and told to “suck it up.” The infection led to sepsis, which then spread to all of her vital organs and caused complete organ failure. According to attorney Alan W. Mortensen, Goodridge’s records at Diamond Ranch state that she “vomited several times for over a week before she died.” She began showing symptoms as early as December 9th, including: back pain, difficulty breathing, and difficulty sleeping due to pain. Prior to her death, the teen vomited at least 14 times, including 7 times in an 11-hour period. Goodridge’s parents were unable to vouch for their daughter, due to Diamond Ranch canceling phone calls home during the weeks she was sick. It wasn’t until the teen experienced a heart attack that she was taken to a hospital. Sadly, the treatment came too late, and she died hours later. After retaining a lawyer, parents Dean Goodridge and AmberLynn Wigtion filed for three claims of relief including negligence or knowing and reckless indifference, breach of fiduciary duty, and premises liability. The State of Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services has since placed the facility on probation pending an investigation.

Autistic Jewish Teen Attacked And Has Swastika Carved Into Back At Las Vegas High School

The FBI is now potentially involving themselves in an unsolved case after a nonverbal, autistic teen was assaulted at his high school, The New York Post reports. On March 9th, an autistic 17-year-old returned home from Clark High School with a swastika carved into the skin on his back. Distraught with seeing the hate symbol and noticing her son’s service dog’s equipment bag had been tampered with, the concerned mother immediately notified authorities. The victim’s mother believes that the attack occurred for antisemitic reasons. “My son is the only student I know who wears a Kippah at the school,” she explained. After an investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has concluded, no arrests were made. Due to the school not having surveillance cameras in classrooms, locker rooms, and/or bathrooms, officers did not have any suspects. Without the culprit being found and unpunished, the victim’s mother is worried for her son’s safety, and has decided to pull the teen from the school. “We are aware of the incident and are in regular contact with local authorities,” the FBI said in a statement. “If during the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal civil rights violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate.”

Bronx Man Stabbed By Girlfriend In Stairwell Where He Slept On Nights She Wouldn’t Let Him In

A Bronx woman is now in police custody after allegedly stabbing him to death in their apartment building’s stairwell, Daily News reported. On Saturday, at around 10:30 P.M., John “Biggie” Levestone began knocking in the door of the apartment he shared with girlfriend Crystal Fryson. Despite the 37-year-old begging to be let in, Fryson refused. The two then began a shouting match. “He was shouting and screaming at her,” said neighbor Justin Sanchez. “She kept shouting back from inside the apartment, ‘I don’t want to talk to you, you piece of s***!’” After a few minutes of back and forth, Levestone gave up and started walking towards the nearest stairwell, where he frequently slept when he was not allowed inside their apartment. On his way there, he attempted to break neighbors’ Ring cameras as he passed by them. “Now his broke a** is running,” Fryson was heard yelling from behind their apartment’s front door. Moments later, when Levestone was well into the stairwell, Fryson and two other women left the apartment to follow him, leaving a small child waiting and watching from the doorway. “He stopped hollering and went into the stairwell and she came out screaming,” Sanchez recalls. “The real fighting happened in the stairwell. They just kept yelling in the stairwell but I don’t know what happened after that. I just heard children start screaming and crying.” Fryson was then heard yelling in the stairwell as the two women she was with sprinted back to the apartment. “Move back, move back, move back, move back!,” she can be heard yelling at her boyfriend. “I dare you to come over here.” Shortly after, police arrived to find Levestone with stab wounds. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he sadly succumbed to his wounds. Fryson was arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter, and weapon possession.