Strollerderby : arrest

Girl Arrested for Text Messaging in Class

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:00:00 GMT

A 14-year-old girl in a Wisconsin high school paid the price for ignoring her teacher with a court date and $298 in bail. The student was reportedly text messaging throughout math class, despite her teacher’s requests to stop texting and to hand over her cellphone.

She was sent to campus security, where she repeatedly stated that she did not have a phone on her. A female police officer was called to arrest the student for disorderly conduct. Upon frisking the student, the officer found the phone hidden in the girl’s “buttocks area.” (That’s certainly all the detail we need on that point.) The girl was barred from school property for a week and has a court date set to answer to the misdemeanor charge against her.

There’s no question that this girl has serious behavioral problems and needs to understand that there are consequences to her actions. But it seems like the school should have other remedial tools in place before getting the police involved. If we called the cops every time a kid ignored a teacher, we’d have one clogged justice system. For instance, if the school had enacted an outright ban on cellphones on school property (as many school districts have already done), the girl would have to deal with peer shaming for her misbehavior, perhaps the most effective disciplinary action for teenagers.

Then again, without knowing the full story, it’s impossible to judge whether or not the girl was so out of line that school officials felt law enforcement was the only option.

What do you think? Does some classroom misbehavior warrant arrest?

Do Cellphones Belong in the Classroom?

Best of FameCrawler: Week of December 5th

Whit Honea — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Tom Cruise Has Creepy Ideas

What's In Christina Aguilera's Locket?

A-Rod Cheating on Madonna With Melissa Britos? (Photos)

Matthew McConaughey Going Bongo in Brazil

Britney's Hidden Messages: Bringing New Meaning To The Term 'MILF'

MC Breed Has Died

Gwen Stefani and the Men in Her Life - Photos

Jennifer Hudson's Brother-In-Law Arrested For Murder Of Family

NBC is Pissed: Britney Cancels Performance at Last Second

Clay Aiken is a Push-Over

From Fat To Fab: Ricki Lake Lost 140 Pounds!

Guess Which Gossip Girl Is Pregnant?

Online Husband Murdered By Bitter Ex

Kelly Mills — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:25:00 GMT

Nobody said marriage in an interactive game was easy. What do you do when your husband in "Maple Street" (similar to "Second Life") up and divorces you? Well, you are going to feel a whirlwind of emotions, and your fury and hurt might know no bounds. But of course, while you might contemplate murdering his avatar, would you go ahead and do it, thus taking a virtual life?

One woman in Japan answered yes to this. When her spouse in the game divorced her, she says "I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry." Murderously angry. She used the login and password she got from her hubby when they (virtually) married, and axed him. (She doesn't know the guy in real life.) She now faces a possible five years in prison and a fine of up to $5000 for manipulation of computer data and illegal access on a computer. Thank god they did not have any virtual children that I am aware of, because it's always worst for the child avatars.

I have an idea here. Maybe they should send her avatar to prison in the game, thus completing the cycle of wacky internet justice. She'd have to play out the rest of her online life in a small, virtual cell. Fitting, no?

Missing Teen's Dad Blames XBox Game

Good Kids Like Video Games Too---Who Knew?

Best of FameCrawler: Week of October 3rd

Whit Honea — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Matt Bryant Plays, Honors Son (Updated)

Duggars Reveal Sex Of Baby # 18

Bill Maher Calls Sarah Palin "A Bimbo"

Sarah Silverman Is Still Doing That Baby-Making Thing With Jimmy Kimmel.

Angelina's Post Baby Body Revealed- Photos

Travis Henry Arrested

Jim Carrey Says Jenny McCarthy's Son Taught Him a Deeper Love

Jenny McCarthy Hits Back At Amanda Peet On Vaccine Issue

Chris Rock: Sarah Palin's A Hockey-Mom Version Of Kim Kardashian

Justin Timberlake Proposes To Jessica Biel! Is She Pregnant?

Sarah Palin: Miss Alaska Pageant Video

Best of FameCrawler: 9-19-08

Whit Honea — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Pam Anderson Marries Fat Old Guy (Photos)

CNN Newsmaker Found Dead With Child At Side

Sarah Palin's Daughter Caught Doing Drugs On Tape

Amy Poehler Crying About Everything These Days

Ryan and Redmond O'Neal Arrested for Meth Possession (Photos)

Megan Fox in a Bikini!

Josh Howard Hates America? The National Anthem Video

Sarah Palin's Tanning Bed

Mary Louise Parker Naked on Weeds: Photo!

Nicole Richie and Joel Madden Splitting Up?

All I Want For Christmas Is A Sarah Palin Action Figure

Keira Knightley's Odd Reason For Wanting To Be Pregnant

Dad arrested for leaving son at McDonald's

Brett Singer — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

See if you can follow this: Dave Lieber, a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, got into an argument with his 11 year old son over breakfast at McDonald's (perhaps the boy ate his McGriddle?). Lieber got so angry with the boy that he drove away, leaving him in the parking lot, which was "a few blocks" from their home. He then thought better of it and came back to pick him up a few minutes later, only to find that the police had been called. No charges were filed, and Lieber wrote about the incident in his August 15th column. He acknowledged that he had "made a stupid and quite serious mistake…I could have exposed my son to grave danger. I do know that. But in the moment of anger, I didn’t think clearly." He called The Parenting Center in Fort Worth, a nonprofit that offers counseling to local families. They gave him some good advice in case this situation ever happens again, like "don't take it personally when fighting with your child," that sort of thing.

HOWEVER, two weeks later, after "additional investigation", he was arrested on charges of "child abandonment with intent to return and child abandonment/endangering a child." Lieber is free on relatively modest $4,000 bail, but is still charged with two felonies.

There's an interesting line in his August 15th column: "back in the 1960s, if my parents had told me to 'walk home by yourself' when I misbehaved, no one would have thought twice…But what flew years ago doesn’t fly today."

I can't imagine doing something like this, and only partly because we don't eat at McDonald's. The felony charges seem extreme, however. When I was 11, I could walk to the store to buy comic books (and other things), and I lived in the Bronx. Isn't this the same thing? Or should intent –Lieber left his son in the parking lot out of anger – be a factor? Has anyone out there ever had an experience like this?

(Note: the image is from Dave Lieber's website, YankeeCowboy.com. That's a picture of him.)

Sources: Statesman.com, Star-Telegram

Read more:

Like father like son

Kidnap dad caught

Son stabs father over haircut

Is it ever OK to hit your kids?

5 ways to get revenge on your kids

How to be an annoying camp parent

Return of the son of stuff YUPPIE parents like

Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

More Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

What about his taste in women?

Airline removes life vests

Family Movie Night – Hairspray

Three-Year-old Takes Joy Ride Atop Grandma’s Lexus

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

Whatever your worst nightmare is when you leave your kids with Grandma, it can’t be worse than this.

A 54-year-old grandmother in the Florida Keys was arrested and jailed after she was spotted driving her Lexus around a parking lot with her three-year-old granddaughter on top of it.

According to deputies, Brenda Bouschet (pictured) said “she was just giving the child some air and letting her have fun.” She also said she had one hand out the window, holding the child’s leg, and that she was driving at “snail-speed.” Bouschet seemed genuinely surprised to learn of laws requiring children to be in car seats, and, uh, not on the roof of a moving vehicle.

Although Bouschet has been released from jail, she faces child felony abuse charges. Her claims that she would never “let anything” hurt her granddaughter seem genuine, but her behavior was frighteningly reckless. What do you think? Should Grandma be let off the hook?

Photo: CBS4

Pregnant Illegal Immigrant Wrongly Jailed

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:00:00 GMT

A woman who was forced to give birth while in custody should have been released before she went into labor, according to federal policy. Juana Villegas, an illegal immigrant with no criminal record, was arrested for a traffic violation days before her due date. She went into labor while in custody, and was returned to jail immediately after the birth; she was separated from her infant son for two days and was not allowed to bring a breast pump back to jail with her.

Villegas’ treatment has raised concerns about the ways local law enforcement work with federal immigration officials to apprehend illegal immigrants. Federal immigration policy mandates that people who are arrested on non-criminal immigration violations who are pregnant, are sole caregivers, or have other humanitarian concerns be recommended for immediate release. But Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a hold on Villegas the day she was arrested, which means that she was ordered held past any local sentence. She claims that she informed officers that her baby was due in a matter of days.

Although Villegas does have a lawyer, it remains to be seen whether or not this new understanding of Villegas’ treatment will lead to a lawsuit.

Photo: BBC

Topless Barbie Leads to Man's Arrest

Jen Chaney — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 12:34:00 GMT

"The only regret I do have is probably having the Barbie doll up on the dash board. Being topless, maybe that drew some attention."

Those are the words of Robert Martin, a New Jersey man arrested last week for displaying a topless Barbie doll, pornographic magazines and other salacious materials inside his car, which was parked at a rest stop off the Garden State Parkway.

In addition to half-naked children's toys, Martin's car also contained explicit DVD cases, a Bible, a cross and, weirdest of all, a thong on a golden serving platter. You know, the usual stuff you set on the seat of your Honda Civic before heading to work in the morning.

Martin was charged with maintaining a public nuisance and, after police found a pointed shank in the car, possession of a weapon. But the guy, who was released on bail, has an explanation for all of it.

The shank?

He uses that to to pop tapes out of the cassette player.

The porn, naked Barnie and thong on a platter?

He was keeping it in his car because he's in the process of moving to a new apartment. (Um, ok-ayyy....)

"I didn't think that possessing porn inside your car, in the back seat, was a public display," Martin told NBC10. "It was not on public display, it was not a public shrine."

To be fair, most people probably wouldn't know that either. Then again, most people probably don't keep porn in their cars. And if for freaky reason they felt like it was necessary to do that -- you know, because of a big move -- they'd keep it in that new-fangled, high-tech thing ... shoot, what do they call that? Oh yeah. THE TRUNK.

My real concern in this whole situation is poor Barbie, who was essentially abused. I sincerely hope someone has arranged for that doll to seek solid therapy from Psychologist Skipper.

Image: CBS3.com

Dr. Phil Bails Girl Arrested For Videotaped Beating of Classmate

Cole Gamble — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:00:00 GMT

The Dr. Phil show has seen fit to pony up bail for one of the girls recently arrested for beating a classmate unconscious and video taping the crime with intent to post on You Tube. When asked about the motivation, staffers for the show said it is common show policy to make financial contrubtions to former guests and hopeful future guests.

Where do I spew my bile first?

This brings up a few points in my mind:

1) Ah high school, how I miss it. Times sure have changed. Now that bullies have resources like MySpace and You Tube, kids can get ridiculed, battered and emotionally crushed without leaving the comfort of their homes. I don't want to date myself, but back in my day if someone wanted to destroy you socially they simply passed a rumor around school that you had herpes. Will it ever be so innocent again?

2) What's with the trend of video recording your crimes and posting them on You Tube? Maybe it's the era of the reality show seen to its only logical conclusion. Fame is fame, right?

3) With this following fast on the heels on Dr. Phil's Ill-advised Brittany Spears intervention/publicity stunt, is it clear to everyone now that this guy, or at least his show, is bottom-feeding? Oh, and he drives a $250,000 Lamborghini. Get over that!

By the way, my Babble Buddy Brett offered this tidbit of Dr. Phil trivia: Do you know what Dr. Phil did is doctoral thesis on? Arthritis. Hmmm, maybe you should just give me a cream for my crampy hands, Dr. Phil, and stop giving me advice.

Photo: www.blog.wired.com

Chuck E. Cheese Is Hotbed of Crime

Kelly Mills — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:01:00 GMT

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, a Pennsylvania Chuck E. Cheese has seen 18 calls to police in a year, including one for a 20-person brawl. And no one can exactly pinpoint whether it's the older kids or the parents who are causing all the ruckus. Plus, this isn't an isolated incident by any means. All I'm saying is that when folks are afraid to go to a kid party joint without an escort, something has gne terribly, horribly wrong.

Easter Bunny Cracks, Injures Kid

Kelly Mills — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 20:46:00 GMT

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 with the photographer, a man playing a mall Easter Bunny decided to walk off the job mid-photo session, and put the nine-month-old who was on his lap on the floor. The baby suffered a forehead contusion in the process, and the man was arrested. The details of how exactly the child got the the floor are still unclear, but the guy could get two to 20 years for injury to a child. And he'll probably never work as a Bunny in any town again.

Can You Leave Your Kid In a Locked Car?

Kelly Mills — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:01:00 GMT

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. I dunno. I can honestly say I've never left my kid in the car, but there's reasons for this: 1) I'm paranoid, and 2) most importantly, I only have one child, which I think makes a big difference. I know my mom, with two toddlers, did leave us in the car for brief periods of time, though I don't know what age my sister and I were when she did. So I'd be interested to hear from folks, especially those with more than one child: Whaddya think of this case? Child endangerment or pretty reasonable parenting?

Pregnant Woman Attacks Bartender

Kelly Mills — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:34:00 GMT

This is a super extreme case, and I'm totally not justifying this woman's actions at all, so make no mistake about that. I don't think anyone would recommend drinking in pregnancy to the point where the bartender cuts you off, or getting violent and seriously hurting someone as a solution, so what happened here is totally not right. But when I read the story, I couldn't help but think about how people are always giving you dirty looks for drinking coffee or tsk-tsking about what you do when you are pregnant, and how the hormonal rage makes your eyes cross, and so on...

Anyhow, a bartender refused to give a pregnant woman another drink because she'd had enough already, and when the woman sassed back, the bartender told her she wasn't supposed to be drinking anyway. The woman flew into a rage and smashed a bottle over the bartender's ear, then smashed a glass on her head and tried to climb over the bar to attack her and had to be restrained by another person. The bartender had to go to the hospital for serious injuries. So if you think you overreacted when you growled at the Starbucks barrista who refused to serve you your morning latte, hey, there's worse.

Man Suspected of Raping a Toddler On Video Caught

Kelly Mills — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:34:00 GMT

In what started as a routine traffic stop, police arrested Chester Arthur Stiles in connection with the videotaped rape of a girl under the age of three. The police began asking questions when they pulled over Stiles for not having license plates, and his driver's license photo didn't match his appearance. (In other words, even teenagers have better fake IDs.) Stiles confessed to being the guy police were seeking based on a videotape made four years ago of a toddler being sexually assaulted. The child in the video, now age seven, was identified last month after a nationwide search.

One of most horrible aspects of this case is the fact that the girl's mother did not know her daughter had been assaulted until she learned police were looking for her. I can't even begin to imagine what that must be like. It probably happened when the girl's mother was at work, and her roommate brought Stiles, her boyfriend, over to the apartment. The video was given to police by Darren Tuck, who said he found it in the desert and then held onto it for five months and showed it to people before turning it in.

Professionals evaluated the girl once she was located, and the mother's attorney says the child appears to be "'healthy and fine and happy.'"

Photo: AP/Las Vegas police

Mom Arrested In Columbine-Like Attack Plot

Kelly Mills — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 14:30:00 GMT

Police in Philadelphia have a 14-year-old boy in custody who told police he was planning a "Columbine-type attack" on a suburban school. The boy, whose name isn't being released, is being charged with criminal attempt and possession of a criminal instrument. The police picked him up following a tip from another student and his father, and found a scary big arsenal, including home-made hand grenades, knives, swords and about 80 pellet guns. He also had a pistol and a rifle at the home of a family friend. And yes, he was being homeschooled after being bullied. Police say he planned to drive his car through the front door of the school and open fire.

So, why was his mother also arrested? When the story first came out, the D.A. said "I think that it would be impossible for both parents to be totally in the dark." I can imagine that yes, it would be hard to completely conceal your homemade grenade supplies and your mountain of guns. And as it turns out, the mother bought him a rifle at a gun show. She is being charged with providing a firearm to a minor and contributing to the corruption of a minor.

When these school tragedies explode, people often ask where the parents were in all of it. In this case, I'm not sure I want to know.