Suicide in the Armed Forces
Deterrents should be encouraged to address a challenge that isn't going to go away.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
LAST YEAR, 143 soldiers, 41 sailors, 41 Marines and 31 airmen took their own lives. For the first time, suicides in the Army have outpaced the rate for the same demographic group in the nation at large, with the highest number since the Pentagon began keeping track in 1980.
The Defense Department has taken notice. Both independently and in concert, the branches of the armed forces have affirmed their commitment to suicide prevention and begun trying to identify contributing factors and offer solutions. This has produced an almost bewildering array of options: A PowerPoint presentation given to Army commanders listed nearly 20 independent sources of help. Almost every branch of the armed services has launched one or more independent initiatives to promote overall mental wellness and to combat suicide -- not to mention broader-ranging programs such as the Defense Centers of Excellence's "Real Warriors" campaign to lessen the stigma against seeking mental health assistance. The Army Suicide Prevention Task Force observed that commanders are "overwhelmed by the number of programs the Army already has."
read more here
Suicide in the Armed Forces
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Hood spc. charged with murder in death of GI
Hood spc. charged with murder in death of GI
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 14:32:19 EDT
FORT HOOD, Texas — A Fort Hood soldier has been charged in the shooting death of a fellow soldier from Wisconsin.
The Austin American-Statesman reports military officials say Spc. Armano Baca is charged with murder in the death of Spc. Ryan Richard Schlack of Oshkosh, Wis.
read more here
Hood spc. charged with murder in death of GI
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 14:32:19 EDT
FORT HOOD, Texas — A Fort Hood soldier has been charged in the shooting death of a fellow soldier from Wisconsin.
The Austin American-Statesman reports military officials say Spc. Armano Baca is charged with murder in the death of Spc. Ryan Richard Schlack of Oshkosh, Wis.
read more here
Hood spc. charged with murder in death of GI
Marine recruit dies trying to lose weight
Local Marine Recruit Dies Trying To Lose Weight
A young Tracy resident was only days away from leaving for boot camp in the U.S. Marine Corps, and now the military is investigating his death.
According to the Tracy Press, 22-year-old Danny Ruf was working out with Marine recruits at In Shape City, trying to lose weight for boot camp.
read more here
http://cbs13.com/local/marine.recruit.collapses.2.1097403.html
A young Tracy resident was only days away from leaving for boot camp in the U.S. Marine Corps, and now the military is investigating his death.
According to the Tracy Press, 22-year-old Danny Ruf was working out with Marine recruits at In Shape City, trying to lose weight for boot camp.
read more here
http://cbs13.com/local/marine.recruit.collapses.2.1097403.html
PTSD Veterans, one worked to heal others, shot by another
We all try to make sense out of something like this. How can we help it? Stephen Thurston had PTSD and then spent the rest of his life trying to make the lives of others better. Standing as an example of what can be accomplished with treatment, he proved he already walked in their shoes. Jarrod Pardun however, also suffering from PTSD, decided to go a different way. According to reports, he had a habit of driving too fast down a residential street. Then after Thurston yelled at him to slow down, Pardun reportedly pulled out a gun and shot Thurston in front of his wife and daughter standing in their own yard.
All PTSD veterans need to be held accountable for what they do. We tend to forget that they are just like everyone else, capable of committing crimes and taking out their own issues on others. While there are unique circumstances when it comes to veterans and PTSD may be behind most of what they do, they still have to have that character to commit the crime in the first place.
Some drive drunk while trying to kill off what they don't want to feel and don't want to remember. They endanger the lives of others doing it. They need to be held accountable for what they decide to do. PTSD does not make them suddenly imbeciles unable to have rational thoughts. Yet when PTSD is behind it they need to be able to have PTSD taken into consideration during the law's deliberations deciding their fate. Will treatment protect the public and serve the veteran at the same time? Does the crime demand prison time? Each case must be treated differently.
If a veteran has a history of being violent before deploying, then this matters. It means that PTSD would have caused an increase in what was already there. They need to be held accountable and treated for PTSD at the same time. If a veteran has no history of behavioral problems before deploying, then treatment would be the honorable choice instead of incarceration.
Did Pardun have a history of disregarding the lives of others before combat? Was he receiving treatment? On medication? Was the treatment any good? So many questions need to be answered.
The fact remains that a man dedicated to helping other veterans with PTSD ended up shot dead in his front yard while trying to take into consideration the lives of his neighbors.
All PTSD veterans need to be held accountable for what they do. We tend to forget that they are just like everyone else, capable of committing crimes and taking out their own issues on others. While there are unique circumstances when it comes to veterans and PTSD may be behind most of what they do, they still have to have that character to commit the crime in the first place.
Some drive drunk while trying to kill off what they don't want to feel and don't want to remember. They endanger the lives of others doing it. They need to be held accountable for what they decide to do. PTSD does not make them suddenly imbeciles unable to have rational thoughts. Yet when PTSD is behind it they need to be able to have PTSD taken into consideration during the law's deliberations deciding their fate. Will treatment protect the public and serve the veteran at the same time? Does the crime demand prison time? Each case must be treated differently.
If a veteran has a history of being violent before deploying, then this matters. It means that PTSD would have caused an increase in what was already there. They need to be held accountable and treated for PTSD at the same time. If a veteran has no history of behavioral problems before deploying, then treatment would be the honorable choice instead of incarceration.
Did Pardun have a history of disregarding the lives of others before combat? Was he receiving treatment? On medication? Was the treatment any good? So many questions need to be answered.
The fact remains that a man dedicated to helping other veterans with PTSD ended up shot dead in his front yard while trying to take into consideration the lives of his neighbors.
Victim counseled sufferers of PTSD
By Greg Bolt
The Register-Guard
Thursday, Jul 23, 2009
Stephen Thurston spent most of a career helping fellow veterans struggling to cope with the memories of war, only to lose his life to a gunshot allegedly fired by a man facing the same struggle.
Joanne Bayer, Thurston’s sister-in-law, said Wednesday that Thurston had retired from a career with the Veterans Administration, where he worked with former soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. He had worked at the Eugene Veterans Clinic on River Road before retiring several years ago, she said, and he, too, suffered from the syndrome.
Relatives of the man accused of killing Thurston said he also suffers from PTSD related to his military service. Jarrod Pardun, 28, is being held on a murder charge after allegedly shooting Thurston at his home Saturday morning.
Neighbors have said Pardun, 28, regularly sped and drove recklessly through the quiet, residential neighborhood, where he lived with a sister a few blocks from the Thurstons’ home.
Thurston had yelled at Pardun several times trying to get him to slow down, and did so again Saturday morning.
The sheriff’s office said Pardun drove past Thurston then made a U-turn and came back. Neighbors reported hearing a gunshot and then seeing Thurston fall over backward.
Bayer said both Thurston’s wife and their young daughter were in the yard when he was shot.
The little girl “was right next to him,” Bayer said.
read more here
Victim counseled sufferers of PTSD
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
NJ woman saves home by bake sale
See what the media can do when they care! This is a great story and to top it off the Hilton Hotel let her use their kitchen to help her out, so that also shows what a business can do too.
N.J. woman makes mortgage via bake sale
HACKENSACK, N.J., July 22 (UPI) -- Angela Logan of Teaneck, N.J., says she was able to save her home from foreclosure by reaching her goal of selling 400 homemade apple cakes at $40 each.
The Record of Bergan County, N.J., said the actress and mother-of-three received more than 500 orders for her apple cakes as of Tuesday, thanks in part to a Record story that outlined her financial plight to the world.
read more here
N.J. woman makes mortgage via bake sale
3 Children Found Starved in Hotel Bathroom
3 Children Found Starved in Hotel Bathroom
Kids Kept in Bathroom for About a Year; One Claimed Sexual Assault
(AP) Three children were kept in a hotel bathroom for about a year and were "horribly emaciated" when police found them earlier this month, authorities said. One claimed to have been repeatedly sexually assaulted.
The children's mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, is charged with injury to a child. Her 37-year-old live-in boyfriend, Alfred Santiago, is charged with aggravated sexual assault and continuous sexual abuse.
The extended stay hotel where the Santiagos lived sits alongside one of Dallas' busiest freeways. It has daily and weekly rates and offers maid service for an extra cost, though it wasn't clear if hotel employees had entered the unit where the children were found.
An attorney for the hotel chain said there were no complaints from other guests and employees about the unit.
"When law enforcement and management arrived ... the unit was very, very clean," said Steven Stefani, senior counsel for a Budget Suites of America. "What became apparent is these people worked very hard in concealing these children in the back bathroom."
read more here
3 Children Found Starved in Hotel Bathroom
Kids Kept in Bathroom for About a Year; One Claimed Sexual Assault
(AP) Three children were kept in a hotel bathroom for about a year and were "horribly emaciated" when police found them earlier this month, authorities said. One claimed to have been repeatedly sexually assaulted.
The children's mother, 30-year-old Abneris Santiago, is charged with injury to a child. Her 37-year-old live-in boyfriend, Alfred Santiago, is charged with aggravated sexual assault and continuous sexual abuse.
The extended stay hotel where the Santiagos lived sits alongside one of Dallas' busiest freeways. It has daily and weekly rates and offers maid service for an extra cost, though it wasn't clear if hotel employees had entered the unit where the children were found.
An attorney for the hotel chain said there were no complaints from other guests and employees about the unit.
"When law enforcement and management arrived ... the unit was very, very clean," said Steven Stefani, senior counsel for a Budget Suites of America. "What became apparent is these people worked very hard in concealing these children in the back bathroom."
read more here
3 Children Found Starved in Hotel Bathroom
Pvt. Sylvester Denmark Horton accused of killing Spc. Necco McCraw
Police suspect soldier slain for car, ID
By Russ Bynum - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 18:49:51 EDT
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia-based soldier charged with killing an Army buddy was days away from being kicked out of the military and may have committed the crime to steal the victim’s car and identity, a police detective testified in court Wednesday.
Savannah-Chatham County police say Pvt. Sylvester Denmark Horton shot Spc. Necco McCraw four times and left his body on a dirt road near the Savannah River on July 2. The slain soldier’s 1-year-old son, who had been with McCraw, was found stranded but unharmed near a busy highway, and McCraw’s debit card was used to buy two fast-food meals and a pair of jeans hours after the killing.
Police detective Kenneth Whitcomb testified at a preliminary hearing Wednesday that 21-year-old Horton of Topeka, Kan., was carrying the slain soldier’s debit card, driver’s license, military ID and car keys the day after the slaying when police questioned him at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, where Horton and McCraw served in the same unit.
read more here
Police suspect soldier slain for car, ID
By Russ Bynum - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 18:49:51 EDT
SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia-based soldier charged with killing an Army buddy was days away from being kicked out of the military and may have committed the crime to steal the victim’s car and identity, a police detective testified in court Wednesday.
Savannah-Chatham County police say Pvt. Sylvester Denmark Horton shot Spc. Necco McCraw four times and left his body on a dirt road near the Savannah River on July 2. The slain soldier’s 1-year-old son, who had been with McCraw, was found stranded but unharmed near a busy highway, and McCraw’s debit card was used to buy two fast-food meals and a pair of jeans hours after the killing.
Police detective Kenneth Whitcomb testified at a preliminary hearing Wednesday that 21-year-old Horton of Topeka, Kan., was carrying the slain soldier’s debit card, driver’s license, military ID and car keys the day after the slaying when police questioned him at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, where Horton and McCraw served in the same unit.
read more here
Police suspect soldier slain for car, ID
Military tells troops to seek help but won't write what they tell?
I was driving today for a meeting and heard Larry Scott on the Thom Hartman Show. (Yes, I listen to Air America because I get a lot of great information from most of their shows.) Larry is a regular guest. Today he was talking about this "measure" to ease the stigma of PTSD and I almost slammed on the breaks. How could the DOD think this was a good move for the troops? Not writing anything down? Are they out of their minds?
It sounds like a good idea just as the change from calling mental health "mental health" and now they call it "behavioral" instead, but when you think about it, it seems to do more harm than good. It's not like the troops with PTSD are "problem children" needing to go to the principal's office. They need help healing with what they just went through like every other human on the planet. Still not writing anything down, in other words, documentation of the visits they have seeking help, they will have a hell of a time proving a PTSD claim later on when they try to go to the VA. Larry is right on the mark on this one as usual. He hardly ever gets it wrong.
It sounds like a good idea just as the change from calling mental health "mental health" and now they call it "behavioral" instead, but when you think about it, it seems to do more harm than good. It's not like the troops with PTSD are "problem children" needing to go to the principal's office. They need help healing with what they just went through like every other human on the planet. Still not writing anything down, in other words, documentation of the visits they have seeking help, they will have a hell of a time proving a PTSD claim later on when they try to go to the VA. Larry is right on the mark on this one as usual. He hardly ever gets it wrong.
ARMY MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM A PRESCRIPTION FOR DISASTER
(07-17-09)New "Don't Write Anything Down" program is bad medicine and could lead to denied VA benefits
NOTE from Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org ... There's the right way, the wrong way and the Army way. Only this time, the Army way really IS the wrong way.
Would you trust a health professional who didn't write down anything?
Well, that's what the Army is doing to try to help ease the stigma of seeking mental health care. Oops ... I'm sorry ... I forgot that the Army now offers behavioral health care, not mental health care (article here). You can change the name but it won't make the problems go away!
If the counselors don't write down anything, I see two major problems, both of which could cause many problems down the road:
1. Where is the record of care? In someone's head? Does this mean that every time the GI sees a new counselor he / she has to start over because they know nothing of previous counseling sessions? What about prescriptions? Are they written down? This is the worst of BAD medicine and can only hurt those who participate in the program.
2. If there is no record, what happens when the GI applies for VA benefits somewhere down the line? "I'm sorry Veteran, nobody wrote down a word of the sessions you CLAIM you had with mental health professionals." This is a recipe for no benefits!
click link for more on this
Beefcake Samaritans Take it Off For Good Cause
Men shed clothes to save school staffers
By Travis Mayfield
Listen
VASHON, Wash. -- While some parents are holding car washes, raffles, and bake sales to stave off budget cuts at local schools, a group of guys has decided on something a bit more revealing. This group of 12 men has taken off their clothes and they say they've done it for the sake of the kids."By day they are attorneys and bankers, at night they are windsurfers, kayakers, farmers, musicians, cyclists," said Kris Thompson who calls herself a co-producer on the project.What exactly is the project you may ask?It's a beefcake calendar, "a la Calendar Girls...if you know the story," said Thompson.
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/51424747.html
By Travis Mayfield
Listen
VASHON, Wash. -- While some parents are holding car washes, raffles, and bake sales to stave off budget cuts at local schools, a group of guys has decided on something a bit more revealing. This group of 12 men has taken off their clothes and they say they've done it for the sake of the kids."By day they are attorneys and bankers, at night they are windsurfers, kayakers, farmers, musicians, cyclists," said Kris Thompson who calls herself a co-producer on the project.What exactly is the project you may ask?It's a beefcake calendar, "a la Calendar Girls...if you know the story," said Thompson.
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/51424747.html
Blood loss from rat bites killed Westwego baby
My first question is why wasn't the baby screaming?
Autopsy: Blood loss from rat bites killed Westwego baby
05:19 PM CDT on Wednesday, July 22, 2009
WWLTV.com
WESTWEGO, La. – Blood loss due to the attack by a rat or rats appears to be the cause of death of the three-month-old girl who died last week in a Westwego home, according to a statement by Jefferson Parish Forensic Pathologist Susan M. Garcia.
The official cause of death of Natalie Hill on the statement was "exsanguination due to destruction of soft tissue secondary to murine activity."
Authorities had been trying to determine whether bites occurred while the child was alive or dead.
"The more likely scenario would be if the baby was dead already that the rats would bite on her," said Dietz. "If she was alive, they probably would not because of the screaming and kicking and all that the baby would do."
link from CNN
read more here
Mental health issues rising among vets
A couple of things to remember here. First the DOD and the VA have different numbers. The other is that this report points out two issues for the increase. One is the stigma is less than it was and the other is that many times PTSD can present a long time after the events causing it. The answer is, both.
The article also point this out and it's what has been repeated here over and over and over again,,,,,,,
The article also point this out and it's what has been repeated here over and over and over again,,,,,,,
The authors recommended targeted screening and early intervention to prevent chronic mental health problems.
Mental health issues rising among vets
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 16:26:06 EDT
A new study shows that 106,726 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans within the Veterans Affairs Department health care system have been diagnosed with mental health issues.
That’s 37 percent of the 289,328 veterans who have sought care. Of those, 62,979 — or 22 percent — have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
About 1.6 million troops have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The study notes that those numbers are far higher than a military study showing that only 12 percent of active-duty combat veterans received mental health diagnoses from the Military Health System.
That may be because PTSD can show up years after a person experiences a traumatic event.
read more here
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/07/military_mentalhealth_072209w/
Two Tour Iraq Vet Retires, Dies Serving in Iraq as Civilian
Retired soldier dies in Iraq helo crash
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 14:02:22 EDT
WORTHINGTON, Ind. — A pilot from southern Indiana died in a helicopter crash in Iraq while working for a contractor just months after his brother says he retired from the Army.
William F. “Sonny” Hinchman completed two tours in Iraq with the Army, but was killed Friday in the crash near Baghdad. Kirk Hinchman says his 42-year-old brother enlisted after graduating from Greene County’s Worthington-Jefferson High School in 1984.
read more here
Retired soldier dies in Iraq helo crash
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 14:02:22 EDT
WORTHINGTON, Ind. — A pilot from southern Indiana died in a helicopter crash in Iraq while working for a contractor just months after his brother says he retired from the Army.
William F. “Sonny” Hinchman completed two tours in Iraq with the Army, but was killed Friday in the crash near Baghdad. Kirk Hinchman says his 42-year-old brother enlisted after graduating from Greene County’s Worthington-Jefferson High School in 1984.
read more here
Retired soldier dies in Iraq helo crash
Breast and Prostate Cancers higher in military
Some cancer rates higher in military
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 14:14:01 EDT
A new study shows that while active-duty service members have lower rates of cancer overall than civilians, they have higher rates of breast cancer and double the rates of prostate cancer.
And though that could be attributed in part to early screening efforts, the authors suggested prostate cancer rates have gone up as a result of troop exposure to depleted uranium, while breast cancer rates may have risen because military women are more inclined to use birth control pills and be exposed to industrial chemicals at levels most civilian women avoid.
In the June edition of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, lead writer Kangmin Zhu, of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and colleagues stated that they wanted to find out if regular exercise and good health care, combined with a population that had been screened for major health issues, would yield lower rates of cancer.
read more here
Some cancer rates higher in military
By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 14:14:01 EDT
A new study shows that while active-duty service members have lower rates of cancer overall than civilians, they have higher rates of breast cancer and double the rates of prostate cancer.
And though that could be attributed in part to early screening efforts, the authors suggested prostate cancer rates have gone up as a result of troop exposure to depleted uranium, while breast cancer rates may have risen because military women are more inclined to use birth control pills and be exposed to industrial chemicals at levels most civilian women avoid.
In the June edition of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, lead writer Kangmin Zhu, of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and colleagues stated that they wanted to find out if regular exercise and good health care, combined with a population that had been screened for major health issues, would yield lower rates of cancer.
read more here
Some cancer rates higher in military
Tyler Perry Treats Philly Pool Kids to Disney World
Tyler Perry Treats Philly Pool Kids to Disney World
Posted by Carmen Dixon on Jul 21st 2009 2:00PM
Tyler Perry is treating the 65 day campers who were ejected from the Philadelphia-area Valley Swim Club to the vacation of a lifetime. Perry is stepping in to help heal the scars and hearts of the kids, who believe they were rejected because they were "too dark to swim." Here's what Perry had to say:
Since you all have put me in the position to be able to do something, I feel like by me doing this, we are all doing it together.
So what I did was on Aug 1st through the 3rd, I'm sending these kids to Disney World and then to a Disney water park. I want them to know that for every act of evil that a few people will throw at you, there are millions more who will do something kind for them. This is all about the kids. So, thank you for letting me do this. Thank you so much.
read more here
Tyler Perry Treats Philly Pool Kids to Disney World
Background on this story
Pool denies turning away minority kids
Philadelphia swim club says safety, not race, led to cancellation
Posted by Carmen Dixon on Jul 21st 2009 2:00PM
Tyler Perry is treating the 65 day campers who were ejected from the Philadelphia-area Valley Swim Club to the vacation of a lifetime. Perry is stepping in to help heal the scars and hearts of the kids, who believe they were rejected because they were "too dark to swim." Here's what Perry had to say:
Since you all have put me in the position to be able to do something, I feel like by me doing this, we are all doing it together.
So what I did was on Aug 1st through the 3rd, I'm sending these kids to Disney World and then to a Disney water park. I want them to know that for every act of evil that a few people will throw at you, there are millions more who will do something kind for them. This is all about the kids. So, thank you for letting me do this. Thank you so much.
read more here
Tyler Perry Treats Philly Pool Kids to Disney World
Background on this story
Pool denies turning away minority kids
Philadelphia swim club says safety, not race, led to cancellation
Hayward man killed in firefighter training
Hayward man killed in firefighter training
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
(07-22) 12:49 PDT WILLOW CREEK, HUMBOLDT COUNTY -- A Hayward man working as a U.S. Forest Service firefighter died after falling from a helicopter during a training exercise in Humboldt County, authorities said today.
Thomas Marovich, 20, died at about 10:10 a.m. Tuesday after falling 200 feet from a Bell 212 helicopter at the Backbone Helibase in Willow Creek, authorities said.
read more here
Hayward man killed in firefighter training
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
(07-22) 12:49 PDT WILLOW CREEK, HUMBOLDT COUNTY -- A Hayward man working as a U.S. Forest Service firefighter died after falling from a helicopter during a training exercise in Humboldt County, authorities said today.
Thomas Marovich, 20, died at about 10:10 a.m. Tuesday after falling 200 feet from a Bell 212 helicopter at the Backbone Helibase in Willow Creek, authorities said.
read more here
Hayward man killed in firefighter training
Retired Orange County Catholic priest arrested in alleged molestation
Retired Orange County Catholic priest arrested in alleged molestation
Denis Lyons is held on suspicion of molesting a boy in the 1990s while assigned to a Costa Mesa church.
By Paloma Esquivel
July 22, 2009
A retired Roman Catholic priest from Orange County who escaped prosecution six years ago for allegedly molesting a teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of molesting another boy in the 1990s, authorities said Tuesday.
Denis Lyons, 75, of Seal Beach was arrested Monday afternoon while he was playing cards at a community center near his home in the Leisure World retirement community, prosecutors said.
Lyons faces four felony counts of lewd acts on a child under the age of 14 and a sentencing enhancement for substantial sexual conduct with a child, which would make him subject to a mandatory prison sentence, according to prosecutors. The abuse occurred between 1992 and 1995 while Lyons was assigned to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa, prosecutors said.
Criminal charges in an earlier case against Lyons were dropped after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 invalidated as unconstitutional a California law that had extended the statute of limitations on child molestation to include decades-old cases.
read more here
Retired Orange County Catholic priest arrested in alleged molestation
Denis Lyons is held on suspicion of molesting a boy in the 1990s while assigned to a Costa Mesa church.
By Paloma Esquivel
July 22, 2009
A retired Roman Catholic priest from Orange County who escaped prosecution six years ago for allegedly molesting a teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of molesting another boy in the 1990s, authorities said Tuesday.
Denis Lyons, 75, of Seal Beach was arrested Monday afternoon while he was playing cards at a community center near his home in the Leisure World retirement community, prosecutors said.
Lyons faces four felony counts of lewd acts on a child under the age of 14 and a sentencing enhancement for substantial sexual conduct with a child, which would make him subject to a mandatory prison sentence, according to prosecutors. The abuse occurred between 1992 and 1995 while Lyons was assigned to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa, prosecutors said.
Criminal charges in an earlier case against Lyons were dropped after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 invalidated as unconstitutional a California law that had extended the statute of limitations on child molestation to include decades-old cases.
read more here
Retired Orange County Catholic priest arrested in alleged molestation
Man fatally shoots woman, then shoots himself at Fort Lewis
UPDATE
Woman fatally shot at Fort Lewis in attempted murder-suicide
A retired U.S. soldier opened fire on a female vendor during the packed lunch rush at Fort Lewis' Post Exchange, fatally wounding her before turning the gun on himself, Army officials said. The alleged shooter is in emergency surgery for a gun shot wound to the head and is listed in serious condition at Madigan Army Medical Center
Woman fatally shot at Fort Lewis in attempted murder-suicide
A retired U.S. soldier opened fire on a female vendor during the packed lunch rush at Fort Lewis' Post Exchange, fatally wounding her before turning the gun on himself, Army officials said. The alleged shooter is in emergency surgery for a gun shot wound to the head and is listed in serious condition at Madigan Army Medical Center
Man fatally shoots woman, then shoots himself at Fort Lewis
Military police are investigating a double-shooting today at the Fort Lewis after a man fatally shot a woman inside the base's main post exchange and then shot himself.
By Lewis Kamb and Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporters
Military police are investigating a double-shooting today at Fort Lewis after a man fatally shot a woman and then shot himself inside the base's main post exchange.
The woman was pronounced dead shortly after noon, officials said. The man is still being treated for a gunshot wound.
"Preliminary indications are there are two victims, one man and one woman," said Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Kubisteck. "Indications are that the man shot the woman and turned the gun on himself."
read more here
Man fatally shoots woman, then shoots himself at Fort Lewis
Homeless and jailed 124 times gets chance to turn life around
Rosevelt Richardson has a chance because the Orlando Sentinel did a story about him and a judge cared enough to help instead of just sending him back to jail. This is a great story about what people can do when they care enough to help.
Homeless and jailed 124 times, Rosevelt Richardson now has new lease on life
Bianca Prieto
Sentinel Staff Writer
6:54 PM EDT, July 21, 2009
Rosevelt Richardson is behind bars for the 124th time but it looks as though it could be his last.
His revolving-door relationship with the Orange County Jail may be about to stop spinning.
In May, a judge ordered him to a work-release program where he may be able to learn skills that will help him get off the streets and land a job.
"By taking a few extra minutes, I wanted to see if there might be a way to help him break the cycle," said Circuit Judge Heather Higbee, who saw Richardson in her courtroom three times in three weeks. "As a judge you try to impart sentences that are appropriate and also, if possible, to come up with consequences that can help everyone."
Richardson has been booked into the jail more times in the last decade than anyone else. He's been arrested mostly for misdemeanor crimes, such as panhandling, open-container violations or loitering.
In May, the Orlando Sentinel featured Richardson in a story about frequent residents at the jail. The 59-year-old homeless man said then that he felt lost and wanted someone to give him a chance to get out of the rut he was in.
read more here
Homeless and jailed 124 times, Rosevelt Richardson now has new lease on life
Bright House employees are on lookout for trouble in Central Florida
Bright House employees are on lookout for trouble in Central Florida
By Gary Taylor
Sentinel Staff Writer
July 22, 2009
Larry the Cable Guy won't be scouring your neighborhood for bad guys and suspicious incidents.
But starting Thursday, Larry the Bright House employee will, along with Bob, Sam, Jill, Mary and every other worker the company employs.
Deploying a program locally that has proved successful in other areas, including Tampa Bay, Bright House Networks is launching Operation Bright Eyes in the nine-county area it serves in Central Florida.
Bright House's more than 3,000 employees in Central Florida are being trained to help enforcement agencies in the areas where they work, spokesman Brian Craven said.
Technicians in the field will be the most visible, "but everyone will be familiar with the program," he said.
read more here
Bright House employees are on lookout for trouble
By Gary Taylor
Sentinel Staff Writer
July 22, 2009
Larry the Cable Guy won't be scouring your neighborhood for bad guys and suspicious incidents.
But starting Thursday, Larry the Bright House employee will, along with Bob, Sam, Jill, Mary and every other worker the company employs.
Deploying a program locally that has proved successful in other areas, including Tampa Bay, Bright House Networks is launching Operation Bright Eyes in the nine-county area it serves in Central Florida.
Bright House's more than 3,000 employees in Central Florida are being trained to help enforcement agencies in the areas where they work, spokesman Brian Craven said.
Technicians in the field will be the most visible, "but everyone will be familiar with the program," he said.
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Bright House employees are on lookout for trouble
Ocoee Florida police say teens stabbed homeless man
Ocoee police say teens stabbed homeless man
Anika Myers Palm
Sentinel Staff Writer
12:10 PM EDT, July 22, 2009
Two teens allegedly stabbed a homeless man to death early Wednesday morning in Ocoee, sources said.
Police are questioning people this afternoon at the police station, according to the sources.
Ocoee Police have not provided any information.
Police have not released the names of the suspects or the victim.
Check back for updates
Anika Myers Palm
Sentinel Staff Writer
12:10 PM EDT, July 22, 2009
Two teens allegedly stabbed a homeless man to death early Wednesday morning in Ocoee, sources said.
Police are questioning people this afternoon at the police station, according to the sources.
Ocoee Police have not provided any information.
Police have not released the names of the suspects or the victim.
Check back for updates
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