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• Woman goes to jail for adopting children to get money

  I know times are tough, but if I ever say to my wife, "Hey honey, I know how we can make some extra cash. Let's adopt a few kids!" I hope she dropkicks me into next week. Read More... Posted Jul 19 2008, 12:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: new york city, news, adoption, law, crime, florida, abuse, NYC, New York, queens, Brett Singer, adopt, horrible, criminal, judith leekin, abusive

• Texas CPS head resigns

  Interesting little twist in the FLDS/Texas CPS case: Carey Cockerell, the head of the agency, announced that he is retiring. The interesting part is that the press release announcing the news makes no mention of the now-infamous seizing of 400+ children from the Polygamy Compound a few months ago, which is the only reason that most news outlets would pick up this story. (I still think Polygamy Compound sounds like a wart cream.) Cockerell is 61 and... Read More... Posted Jul 09 2008, 10:00 AM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: pregnancy, news, texas, religion, marriage, crime, child abuse, sexual abuse, custody, polygamy, ranch, teen, update, yfz ranch, physical abuse, cult, fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints, compound, Brett Singer, FLDS, sect, CPS, mormons, warren jeffs, polygamist, Rick Perry, Patrick Crimmins, Texas Supreme Court, Carey Cockerell, Rod Parker, no comment, Allison Castle

• Maybe these pit bulls are dangerous

  I'm a dog lover (though not a dog owner), so I'm usually willing to sympathize with people that blame bad owners when their pooch attacks someone. But with so many pit bull attacks, maybe these muscular little k-9's don't make the greatest pets. Are pit bulls the doggy equivalent of a loaded gun? Read More... Posted Jul 08 2008, 10:00 AM by Brett Singer with | with 15 comment(s) Filed under: news, attack, parents, crime, Google, Brooklyn, dogs, pets, New York, assault, biting, staten island, Brett Singer, AP, animal control, bite, dog, pit bull, ny1, daily news, kamar reynolds, James McNair, Henry Piotrowski, nydailynews

• The Great Lemonade Stand Robbery

  So, like, taking candy from a baby. That's generally considered a bad thing, right? How about stealing from a lemonade stand? Steven Tryon from Terre Haute, Indiana, did just that. Read More... Posted Jun 22 2008, 01:30 PM by Brett Singer with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: kids, news, parents, felony, crime, jail, police, cash, wtf, indiana, lemonade, theft, robbery, cops, Brett Singer, Steven Tryon, terre haute, Fred Erskine, Farrington Grove, ind, Dominique Morefield

• Dad beaten after money stolen from 6-year-old girl

  This is a rough one. Three men, aged 18 to 20, stole $5 from six-year-old Lucy Tonkin on a street in suburban Newcastle, New South Wales. Her father, Chris Tonkin, confronted the men, who began beating him senseless. They only stopped the assault when two people pulled up in a car to see what was going on. Lucy was screaming, "Don't hurt Daddy, don't hurt Daddy," then she ran home, curled up in a ball in her room, and cried. Now, as usual, the details are even more interesting. Lucy had five letters to Santa Claus Read More... Posted Jun 20 2008, 09:00 AM by Brett Singer with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: news, australia, crime, punishment, wtf, Brett Singer, chris tonkin, new south wales, lucy tonkin, nsw

• Update to Boy Beaten to Death: Experts Weigh In

  There's an interesting update to the horrific story of a man who beat his 2-year-old boy to death by the roadside in Central California, as motorists stopped and watched for several minutes until a police officer arrived and shot the man to death. I've been wondering for days now what I would do in a situation like that -- would I watch, stunned, like the other motorists or do something, anything, to stop a man from beating a baby to death? Of course I'd like to think I'd do something, but reading this story I'm not so sure. Maybe like the other motorists, I'd be "frozen" too.   Read More... Posted Jun 18 2008, 12:01 PM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: news, father, crime, cops, turlock, beaten boy

• Polygamists as Victims

  Are the members of the FLDS victims of religious persecution? That's what some people from the polygamy-practicing sect are saying. A Texas court is holding hearings to determine what will happen to the children who were removed from the ranch last month, and with "463 children, 168 mothers and 69 fathers", that's going to take awhile. FLDS spokespeople are playing the victim card, crying religious persecution. One of the "elders" of the sect wrote a letter to President Bush calling the ranch raid a "terrorist act." Read More... Posted May 20 2008, 09:30 AM by Brett Singer with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, news, texas, religion, marriage, crime, child abuse, sexual abuse, custody, polygamy, ranch, teen, update, yfz ranch, physical abuse, cult, fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints, compound, Brett Singer, FLDS, sect, CPS, mormons, warren jeffs, polygamist

• Woman Dangles Baby Outside Moving Car

  Generally speaking, despite what some of the commenters on my recent Suri Cruise post might say, I try to be non-judgmental about other people's parenting choices. But I can't be impartial about this woman in New Zealand, who dangled her one-year-old baby outside the window of a moving car for no apparent reason. I mean, that's just stone-cold, straight-up stupid. Read More... Posted May 20 2008, 08:02 AM by Jen Chaney with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: crime, michael jackson, new zealand, vehicle safety, dangling baby

• MySpace Hoax Mom Indicted

  Remember Lori Drew? How about Megan Meier? Megan, a thirteen-year-old, hung herself after her MySpace boyfriend, Josh, cruelly dumped her. This itself would be bad enough, but the real ugly part is that Josh didn't exist. He was the creation of Lori Drew, who was Megan's neighbor and the mother of a girl Megan was once friends with. Drew, with the aid of a nineteen-year-old employee of hers, created Josh, maintained a relationship with Megan, laughed abut it and let her daughter and daughter's friend in on the joke, and then had "Josh" tell Megan the world would be better off without her.  Since being a phenomenally evil creep isn't a crime, investigators didn't charge Drew in the case. But now a federal grand jury has indicted her on... Read More... Posted May 16 2008, 01:27 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: mother, teenagers, law, depression, internet, MySpace, crime, fraud, suicide, megan meier, hoax, lori drew, teen, adolescents, court, jury

• Rapper Remy Ma(ma) going to jail

  Rapper Remy Ma (née Reminisce Smith, Remy Martin) was sentenced to 8 years in jail on Wednesday for shooting Makeda Barnes Joseph in "a dispute over money." The judge in the case, Rena Uviller, told Remy that she was, "a young woman whose anger is out of control." Why mention this here? Because when the case was over, Remy pleaded for a lighter sentence, citing her difficult childhood -- and her 7-year-old son. Read More... Posted May 15 2008, 10:30 AM by Brett Singer with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: children, news, mom, rap, marriage, crime, guns, jail, weddings, NYC, New York, sons, shooting, Brett Singer, rappers, remy ma, fiancée, papoose, rikers island

• Dad Gets Jail Time When His Kid Fails Math Test

  Talk about being responsible for your kids' behavior: A guy in Kentucky is serving six months in jail. Why? His daughter failed her math test and didn't get her GED. The GED was required by a previous court order, and even though his daughter is now 18 years old, the decision was rendered when she was 16, a minor. Apparently at 16 she developed a habit of skipping school. The daughter, Brittany Gegner, who now has an eighteen-month-old child of her own, says if anyone should serve jail time... Read More... Posted May 14 2008, 01:31 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, test, school, fathers, crime, jail, punishment, dad, math, court, sentence, fail, GED, teen mother

• Mom Gets Fifteen Years For Unnecessary Surgeries on Son

  From the department of "Eeeeesh!" comes this story: Two of Laurie Williamson's children were in wheelchairs and had feeding tubes. Her three kids altogether had at least 500 doctor's appointments in ten years in connection with a rare illness. And Williamson raised $150,000 between 2000 and 2005 from individuals and organizations for her kids' health issues. One problem with this scenario: Prosecutors say she fabricated the illnesses to get the money. And she was... Read More... Posted May 02 2008, 06:34 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: health, mothers, crime, money, child abuse, moms, illness, surgery, sick, neglect, doctor, munchausen by proxy

• Young Polygamy Mom Gives Birth In Custody, FLDS has two websites

  Here's the latest from the FLDS case, including: - an underage girl gives birth while in state custody. FLDS says she's 18, state says she's younger. - FLDS has not one but two websites, one of them put together specifically for this incident. - more abuse allegations, for the boys this time. Click for more.  Read More... Posted May 01 2008, 06:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, news, texas, religion, marriage, crime, child abuse, sexual abuse, wtf, custody, ranch, teen, update, yfz ranch, physical abuse, cult, fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints, compound, Brett Singer, FLDS, CPS

• Couple Who Left Kid in Car Face Charges

  Seems like there's been some serious crackdowns on leaving kids in the car while running errands. A couple in Carmel are going to court with misdemeanor charges after they left their two-year-old asleep in the car in a supermarket parking lot for about 15 minutes. Concerned people saw the toddler and called the cops, but the couple had driven away by the time the law arrived. However, a few people got the car's plate number. Now, the obvious question in this particular instance is...   Read More... Posted Apr 28 2008, 04:02 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: kids, law, crime, child safety, police, car seat, parenting classes, car, misdemeanor, parked car

• Should We Let Our Kids Be "Free Range"?

  You might recall the controversy that got kicked up by a New York Sun reporter's account of allowing her nine-year-old to ride the subway alone. She was both pilloried by people who compared her behavior to child abuse, and praised by people who want more freedom for their kids. In response to the whole thing, she started a blog called "Free Range Kids," to promote the idea that kids need the same independence and freedom previous generations enjoyed.  While this gets hyped as a battle between helicoptor parents and free range parents, it... Read More... Posted Apr 25 2008, 09:32 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: kids, activities, crime, media, adults, subway, freedom, independence, abduction, walk, helicoptor parents, bike, free range kids, new york sun

• Let's talk about sects, baby – Polygamy compound update

  It was two weeks ago that hundreds of children were extracted from the YFZ Ranch in Eldorado (YFZ stands for "Yearning For Zion," it's not the name of a new rap group. Yet.)  The polygamous compound (the phrase sounds like an ointment you would put on a wart) is run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or FLDS. Every article I've read about this case takes great pains to point out that FLDS is an "offshoot" of the Mormon religion, so we'll do the same. This is one of those stories that gets worse the more you hear about it. For example... Read More... Posted Apr 21 2008, 11:24 PM by Brett Singer with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, news, texas, religion, marriage, crime, child abuse, sexual abuse, custody, ranch, teen, yfz ranch, physical abuse, cult, fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints, compound, Brett Singer, FLDS

• Crips or Ballers?

  It's never too early to start arguing about how the baby will grow up. Public school or private? Jewish or Lutheran? But a Colorado couple was arrested for fighting about the most important issue of all.           Read More... Posted Apr 13 2008, 02:00 PM by Adrienne Martini with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: colorado, crime, gangs, Crips, Westside Baller, domestic disputes

• Chuck E. Cheese Is Hotbed of Crime

  So what exactly is it about Chuck E. Cheese, um, entertainment centers that inspires violence and crime? Perhaps it's the infernal noise of fifty video games beeping wildly. Maybe it's the fact that there's a giant mouse walking around and everyone pretends that's normal, just like they do at Disneyland--and someday I'll tell you about the time the guy in the mouse costume actually groped me. It could be the animotronic creatures that line the walls, punctuating the din with even noisier singing and clacking (though to be honest, I don't even know if they have those animals anymore, this is a childhood memory we are mining here.) Could be the wretched pizza, the sticky floors, the crying and the ultimate frustraton that is skeeball. What the hell am I talking about? Well... Read More... Posted Apr 11 2008, 04:01 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: entertainment, activities, parents, crime, violence, police, birthdays, party, arrest, restaurant, Chuck E. Cheese, fight, brawl

• 159 Children Removed From Polygamous Cult Ranch

  Authorities have moved in on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound in Texas and removed 159 children and 60 adults since Thursday. They were alerted by a call from a 16-year-old girl, who said she had been married to 50-year-old Dale Evans Barlow. The girl reported sexual and physical abuse in the cult (including arranged marriages for young girls) and that Barlow had fathered her child. Ugh. Eighteen girls are in state custody, and were reported to have been abused or at immediate risk of future abuse. It gets scarier: The girl who made the call... Read More... Posted Apr 07 2008, 03:29 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, texas, religion, marriage, crime, child abuse, sexual abuse, custody, ranch, teen, yfz ranch, physical abuse, cult, fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints, compound

• 2-Year-Old Branded 'Thief'

  Is this little girl a thief? Store workers at a U.K. Woolworths called her one after she helped herself to a piece of candy from the bulk food bin.  Shortly after she popped the tooth-shaped sweet into her mouth, a staff memeber rounded the corner and said rather loudly, "That's theft!" From the Daily Mail: An incredulous Mrs Khan was then forced to listen to a stern lecture about the health and safety rules of buying confectionary and pay for the sweet. True, it's theft. Technically. But is it really?   Read More... Posted Apr 02 2008, 03:29 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 10 comment(s) Filed under: crime, candy, U.K., children stealing

• Joe Francis Will Make "MILFs Gone Wild" Film

  Joe Francis, creator of the frat house staple, the "Girls Gone Wild" video series, announced he's gonna make a new video. This time, the subject isn't coeds on spring break, but instead, hot moms breastfeeding their babies. Hmm, why the new subject matter? Francis says, "The sexy mom is every guy's fantasy." Okaaay, but could it have anything to do with the fact that Francis was convicted last month of filming underage girls, and banned from shooting in the Florida spring break locales of choice? Some in the media have already expressed outrage that Francis would use footage of mothers... Read More... Posted Apr 01 2008, 06:03 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, breastfeeding, crime, media, nursing, lactivism, feminism, restaurants, joe francis, girls gone wild, body image, lactation, April Fool's, profit, ban

• Easter Bunny Cracks, Injures Kid

  Ever since I read "Santaland Diaries" by David Sedaris (highly recommended for being utterly hilarious,) I've been sort of fascinated by those folks who dress up in costume and pose for photos with the kids around the holidays. Think about it: What gets you into that line of work? Perhaps some people are so into the spirit of various holidays that they clear their calendars to become Santa and the Easter Bunny, but I imagine it's circumstance that brings most people into the job. And while Santa has some dignity, being a grown adult in a giant bunny costume and dealing with legions of sobbing children... Well, it's ripe for a "Falling Down" moment.  Not that I'm justifying the actions of this Bunny gone bad, mind you. Apparently frustrated...   Read More... Posted Mar 24 2008, 04:46 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: infant, babies, holidays, crime, stress, child abuse, easter, photos, jobs, arrest, mall, crying

• Weekly Check-Up: Skittles and Wellness

  Maybe you heard this story: An honor student at a Connecticut middle school got busted for buying Skittles on school grounds. He was stripped of his job as class president, banned from attending an honors student dinner, and suspended for three days, later communted to one day (maybe for good behavior, like he ate an apple in front of the principal or something.) The latest breaking news is that he was cleared of the charges and had his records cleaned up. The student says he didn't know candy was contraband, though he did notice the student dealing in sweets was acting all furtive. Candy is forbidden as part of the school's wellness policy. Ah, back in my day the schools themselves sold candy to kids at a snack bar, and I'm super glad that's a thing of the past. But... Read More... Posted Mar 13 2008, 01:31 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: kids, education, fast food, school, junk food, middle school, crime, candy, rules, weekly check-up, skittles, honor student, suspended

• Can You Leave Your Kid In a Locked Car?

  Oh lordy, this is a doozy. A woman in Illinois parked at a Wal-Mart to put some money in a Salvation Army can. Her two-year-old was asleep, so she left the toddler in the vehicle, locked the car and walked with two of her kids and a neighbor's child about 30 feet to make the charitable contribution. When she returned to the car an officer arrested her for child endangerment and obstruction of justice. She goes to court next week. The case has sparked responses ranging from passionate defense of the mom's actions to accusations that she's a bad mother... Read More... Posted Mar 05 2008, 03:01 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 21 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, cars, crime, child safety, Wal-Mart, carseats, arrest, justice, charitable giving, good mothering, endangerment

• Two Moms Brawl at Chuck E. Cheese

  You know how it goes: One minute you are hosting a birthday party for your kid, and the next thing you know, you are in a fistfight with another mom. Two mothers are going to court soon over a tussle at a party at Chuck E. Cheese. I'm pretty sure part of the defense strategy will be, "Your Honor, there are mitigating circumstances to consider. After all, my client was at Chuck E. Cheese, and I doubt anyone has spent time there and not wanted to strike someone." Of course, it all started over a video game... Read More... Posted Mar 03 2008, 06:02 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: children, kids, video games, crime, moms, violence, parents behaving badly, birthdays, words, party, sharing, fight, court, brawl, chuck e cheese, fistfight

• Teachers Play Bad Cop, Bad Cop

  In a demonstration of the fact that kids have about the same rights as your average "terror suspect," four teachers frisked an entire class of third graders when five dollars turned out to be missing from the classroom. When a substitute teacher discovered an envelope that had contained five bucks for a school function was empty and in the trash, she first told the students that if whoever took it came forward, there would be no punishment. When no one surrendered, she, a student teacher, and a teacher from another class and an aide searched the students' backpacks and desks. Then they told students to remove shoes and socks (why, just like going to the airport,) lined them up along the wall and patted them down, sticking hands into some students' pockets. The money was never found. Many of the students and parents were upset, and one girl said she and many of her classmates cried, especially when one teacher... Read More... Posted Feb 29 2008, 11:30 AM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: children, education, discipline, crime, teachers, money, third grade, abused children, theft, searches, cop, reprimand, substitute teacher, physical contact, stealing, rights, illegal

• Update On Girl Who Took Bullet For Her Mom

  I'm sorry, but this story just got to me when it came out, so I'm glad to give the update. Some of you might remember that Alexis Goggins threw herself in front of bullets intended for her mother. When the gunman was about to open fire on Seliethia Parker, Alexis cried "Don't hurt my mother!" and ended up with six gunshot wounds, putting her in critical condition and blinding her in one eye. So what's the word on Alexis now?   Read More... Posted Feb 21 2008, 10:38 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: health, crime, guns, daughters, heroes, surgery, shooting, physical therapy, alexis goggins, children and health, update, recovery

• Give This Girl Best Babysitter Award

  We often cover stories of babysiters who do less-than-responsible things, like leave the kids in their care alone or give them alcohol or other unsavory stuff. So it seems only right--and a welcome break--to report on a babysitter who definitely deserves a medal and a raise, as well as unrestricted access to the contents of the fridge. So what did this girl do that makes her such a star? She fought off a would-be kidnapper who tried to snatch the three-year-old girl in her care...   Read More... Posted Feb 18 2008, 03:32 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: toddlers, crime, kidnapping, child abuse, babysitters, date night, nice stories, adventures in babysitting, fighting back

• America's Cities of Misery or Opportunities for Change?

  Which do you want first, the good news or the bad news? Okay, we'll take the bad news first: ten American cities have been named "most miserable" by Forbes.com. Sucks, eh? They rated cities by unemployment, personal tax rates, commute times, weather, crime and the amount of nearby toxic waste. Uh...so what's the good news? It's that every city has its good points as well as its bad ones. And every city has within it a viable community, if you only know where to look.   But first let's go back to the Misery List, shall we?   Read More... Posted Feb 13 2008, 01:02 PM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: new york city, sweet juniper, crime, families, chicago, cities, Detroit, recession, Modesto, Stockton, community

• 911 Is A(n Unfunny) Joke

  Imagine this: you're five years old, and your mom has passed out on the floor and you can’t wake her up. Just like she told you to, you call 911 for help, only to be yelled at for "playing on the phone" and hung up on. Two hours later, you call again, and a different 911 operator threatens to call the cops on you. She does send the police, who discover your mom, dead of an enlarged heart, on the floor and you there alone. Breaks your heart, doesn’t it?  Read More... Posted Jan 19 2008, 03:06 PM by AmyinMotown with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: 911, crime, bad behavior