Free Republic

Jean Makihotch made customers of a Wellington Best Buy store "uncomfortable," according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrest report. The 24-year-old man sat on the floor and took pictures of store employees at about 2:45 p.m. on Friday, according to the report. After his foray into photography, Makihotch then tried to wheel a cart loaded with $685 worth of items out of the store, at 1040 South State Road 7 without paying, deputies said.

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich-Ellis, the subject of the eponymous movie, has apologized after she was arrested Friday at Lake Mead on a count of operating a boat while intoxicated. In a statement, Brockovich-Ellis said she was not operating the boat in open waters and didn’t pose a public safety risk but considered her actions to be a mistake. “I know better and I am very sorry,” she said. “After a day in the sun and with nothing to eat it appears that a couple of drinks had a greater impact than I realized.”

NORTH STRABANE, Pa. — A North Strabane Township man was arrested Friday after police said he got mad that a good Samaritan parked her car in his driveway while helping the victim of a car crash. The good Samaritan witnessed an accident on Route 519 about 4 p.m. Friday and pulled into William Moody's driveway before rushing to help the 85-year-old woman involved in the crash. According to police, Moody, 71, was angry that the woman parked in his driveway and caused a scene while demanding the vehicle be removed. When officers arrived, they said Moody fought with them before...

The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision Monday that police may take a DNA swab from people arrested for crimes without first getting a warrant to do so. In an unusual twist, the court's conservative firebrand, Antonin Scalia, joined three of his liberal colleagues in a scathing dissent that warns the court's decision paves the way for the creation of an invasive police state. Scalia called the decision's scope "vast" and "scary," and said the DNA collection is an unequivocal violation of Americans' Fourth Amendment right to be free from "unreasonable searches and seizures" of their bodies and homes....

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the police practice of taking DNA samples from people who have been arrested for a serious offense but not convicted of a crime, ruling that it amounts to the 21st century version of fingerprinting. The ruling was 5-4. Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative, joined three of the court’s more liberal members — Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — in dissenting. The five justices in the majority ruled that DNA sampling, after an arrest “for a serious offense” and when officers “bring the suspect to the station to be detained in...

The Supreme Court has ruled criminal suspects can be subjected to a police DNA test after arrest -- before trial and conviction -- a privacy-versus-public-safety dispute that could have wide-reaching implications in the rapidly evolving technology surrounding criminal procedure.

There is a growing groundswell within American Republican and Tea Party ranks that impeachment proceedings should be initiated against President Obama on a whole list of violations of the Constitution and the War Powers ActCongressmen Allen West of Florida (R-Florida) and Darrell Issa (R- California) have consistently and loudly criticized the president for overstepping the political mark and bypassing Congress’s approval on a whole range of dubious policies and issues:and the recent Obama attack on the Supreme Court of Justice and the Russian ” Open Mic ” gaffe on National Security, leads to one question: Is Barack Obama making his...

Commuters got quite a distraction from rush hour traffic Friday on Prince William Parkway near Interstate 95 – a naked man jumping on the hood of a car. Yes, you read that right. Police said the man was on the I-95 overpass near the commuter lot, and was quickly arrested. One witness on InsideNoVa’s Facebook page said others drivers couldn’t miss it. “He was bouncing up and down and I swear … smacking the middle of his chest,” the witness wrote. Prince William police spokesman Jonathan Perok said the man was under the influence of narcotics and “acting irrational.” The...

One marathon suspect has been captured, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation. Another remains on the loose in Watertown after a firefight with police. Authorities have established a 20-block perimeter as they search for him.

If news about the TSA agent stealing an iPad from a tourist or the TSA agents forcing an injured Marine to remove his prosthetic legs made you mad, this one will leave you absolutely fuming. On February 2, TSA agent Christopher Wilkie, a nine year employee of the TSA and resident Long Beach, NY was arrested for hitting his 75-year old mother. Wilkie, age 42, was arrested near his mother’s home after a witness saw him strike his mother while they were inside a car. He was charged with third-degree assault on a person over 60, second-degree harassment, second-degree threatening...

The Muslim Brotherhood-led Egyptian government has arrested six of its most prominent opponents, including popular comedian Bassem Youssef that is known as the Egyptian counterpart of Jon Stewart. The political persecution follows the formation of Islamist militias, new actions to control the media and President Morsi’s threat to prosecute opposition leaders. Youssef’s popularity in Egypt is immense, making him one of the most influential media figures in the country. His mockery of political figures, especially President Morsi and Islamists, has struck a chord. About 250,000 people try to get tickets every single week to the filming of his show. The...

MESQUITE, Nev. – Five members of a Southern California family were killed Saturday when their van was rear-ended by an 18-year-old driver who was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said. The dead were among seven family members who were in the van, authorities said. The other two -- the 40-year-old female driver and a 15-year-old boy -- were hospitalized in critical condition. Hixson said only two of the seven people in the van were wearing seatbelts. The five who were not buckled in were ejected, but one survived.

Gregory Grice was 16-years-old, but smart enough to carry a copy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority when he ventured to a New York train station to take some photos in 2011. But that didn’t stop police from arresting him while calling him a terrorist. It was enough to make the teenage railfan cry. Neither the Greenburgh police officer who handcuffed him nor the MTA officer who transported him to the station bothered to read the part in the handbook that states photography of trains is allowed. Now Grice is suing the MTA as well as Greenburgh Police Department and two...

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- A former five-star recruit for Alabama was arrested for the second time in two days and was among four freshmen, all suspended Tuesday, who face charges of second-degree robbery or credit-card fraud stemming from Monday arrests. Eddie Williams, who was also a safety in high school but did not play a down at his listed position as a receiver for Alabama in 2012, was first arrested Sunday on a charge of carrying a pistol without a license. The Associated Press, citing court documents, reported linebacker Tyler Hayes, 18, also confessed to robbing the student, who was punched...

And it drew an immediate condemnation from U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who warned there would be “no place to hide” for anyone who threatens Americans. Well, that’s because they don’t have to hide. One of the scum who is believed to have masterminded the 9-11-12 attack in Libya that killed four Americans isn’t even hiding his love of decadent Western fruity frappes. Another just got released. So yeah, there’s no place to hide. Except, at this point, the entire planet. To date, the Obama government has not retaliated against anyone anywhere for the Benghazi attack. By the way, for...

For those of us following The Won's address to his subjects.

On his Monday radio show, conservative talker Mark Levin said that if President Barack Obama sidesteps Congress on the debt ceiling fight and attacks the Congress’ constitutionally enumerated “core power” – that is control over spending and taxing — through executive action, Congress will have “no choice” but impeachment. Levin explained that if unilateral action by the White House — which White House spokesman Jay Carney ruled out — were to happen, it would infringe on Congress’ “core power” and should be punished with impeachment. “Now, if Obama unilaterally acts — and I think there’s a fan-dance going on here...

Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III declared in an exclusive Newsmax TV interview that President Barack Obama could easily be impeached if he bypassed Congress and enacted gun-control legislation by executive order.

Uncomfirmed reports in Iraqi media said, Sunday, that security forces have arrested Abu-Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the top leader of the Al-Qaeda international terror network in Iraq. Abu-Bakr was named head of a number of terror organizations following the killing of Abu-Omar Al-Baghdadi in a United States air strike in 2010. .....

Moshe Feiglin welcomed the decision of Judge Tamar Bar Asher-Tzaban to release him from police custody unconditionally Tuesday after he was arrested for allegedly praying on the Temple Mount. Asher-Tzaban criticized the police in her verdict. “This is a fight for human freedom,” said Feiglin, who heads the Likud’s Jewish Leadership faction. “We must resist any illegal restriction, and police must stop trying to impose restrictive conditions without trial.” Earlier in the day Feiglin was offered release on bail if he would agree to abide by restrictions on his activity, but he refused the offer...

A Brazilian court said Tuesday that an arrest order was issued against Google Brazil's president over his refusal to remove YouTube videos that "slander" a mayoral candidate. Electoral authorities in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul said Fabio Jose Silva Coelho committed the crime of "disobedience" by not pulling two videos that "slander, insult and defame" Campo Grande candidate Alcides Bernal.

Video

EPPING, N.H. (AP) — Authorities say a New Hampshire woman has been arrested four times in 26 hours for blasting the AC/DC song ‘‘Highway to Hell’’ and other loud music from her home and for throwing a frying pan. Police first issued a warning to Joyce Coffey on Tuesday afternoon at her home in Epping. They say they were called back an hour later and arrested her for the loud music.

One arrested during peaceful — and wet — day of protest at Republican National ConventionBy Alexandra Zayas and Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writers Posted: Aug 27, 2012 05:06 PM TAMPA — Police arrested one protester on Monday afternoon and Tampa police Chief Jane Castor said that so far officers and protesters alike are getting along during this storm-shortened session of the Republic National Convention. "We hope this is it," Castor said. "But I doubt that's going to be the case." Police said protester Dominick De La Rosa, 19, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of wearing a mask — which is...

Colorado Springs police say an outdated “cheat sheet” for police officers on city laws may have led to the mistaken arrest of a 24-year-old man for openly carrying a 40-caliber gun at Pride Fest on July 21. According to city and state law for almost a decade, people are allowed to openly carry guns in city parks. “He was right and we were in the wrong, definitely,” said Barbara Miller, police spokeswoman. That admission doesn’t mean much to James Sorensen, who says he’s looking for a lawyer after he was detained by police for more than an hour that day...

A MAN arrested during the Olympic cycling road race says he was detained for "not smiling". Martial arts trainer Mark Worsfold, 54, was arrested shortly before cyclists passed through Leatherhead on July 28 due to "his manner, his state of dress and his proximity to the course", according to police. But Mr Worsfold, who had been doing a Taekwondo demonstration in Red House Gardens, said officers told him he was arrested because he was not smiling – and he added that his face can seem expressionless due to his Parkinson's disease. "I was sitting minding my own business," he said....

Officials in Nairobi reported on Monday that two Iranian terrorists who were arrested in Kenya last week were planning to attack Israeli, American, British and Saudi targets in the country. According to the officials, 15 kg of RDX-type explosives, designed to carry out powerful terrorist attacks, were found to be in the possession of the terrorists. The suspects denied the charges against them, the officials said. One of them said, “We are asking the court to let us go because we are innocent." The Prime Minister's Office said in response to the report that "Iranian terrorism knows no borders.” The...

Despite voting to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt of Congress, there’s little House Republicans can do in the short term to compel him to turn over documents — unless it wanted to revisit a long-dormant power and arrest him. The thought is shocking, and conjures up a Hollywood-ready standoff scene between House police and the FBI agents who protect the attorney general. It’s a dramatic and unlikely possibility not least because Congress doesn’t even have a jail any longer. But in theory it could happen. Republicans say it’s not even under consideration, with House Speaker John...

A 19-year-old man wanted in North Carolina in connection with the alleged armed robbery and murder of a teenager last month was arrested Tuesday morning at a welcome center off Interstate 95 in Laurel after his Baltimore-bound bus from Atlanta stopped there, Maryland State Police said. Darius J. Smotherson, of Kannapolis, N.C., was arrested at the rest stop near Route 32 in Howard County without incident and is being held at the state police Waterloo Barrack, where Kannapolis Police Department detectives were expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon to begin interviewing him, police said. Police will attempt to have Smotherson extradited...

NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE DALLAS — It was Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, and Chris Moore — riding southbound on Stemmons Freeway in Dallas in a pack of 50 to 100 sport bikes — was pulled over while traveling below the speed limit. "I didn't expect that at all," Moore said. Officers were out in force that weekend, working to prevent another shutdown of a Dallas freeway like the one on Memorial Day weekend 2011 that ultimately led to three arrests. So why was Moore pulled over? Dallas Deputy Sheriff James Westbrook said he wanted to see what was on Moore's...

Karl Rove said Rep. Nancy Pelosi was "dead wrong" when she suggested Wednesday that she could have had him arrested. "The only way I could have been arrested is if the House adopted the resolution, which it did not," the Republican operative and former adviser to President George W. Bush told Fox News on Wednesday night. "So, it's nice to know that Speaker Pelosi wanted to have me arrested. It's nice to know that she thinks she had the power to, but we're still a nation of laws and she has no authority to do so and had she attempted...

Today, we learn that the veteran’s name is David Willoughby, the son of Naples, Florida Tea Party founder Barry Willoughby. Early this evening, he released an email statement concerning his arrest and detainment which was sent by his father to Jan Morgan, an Associated Press Award winning veteran television journalist. In relating his experience, he said, “My name is Dave Willoughby. I am the one in the video.” “Without being told what I had done, I was handcuffed and escorted off premise. Placed in a squad car and taken to a police station. I asked if I should have my...

Interpol has rejected the Palestinian Authority's request to arrest Mohammed Rashid, a, who is wanted for embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars, the PA attorney-general, Ahmed al-Mughni, announced over the weekend. Rashid is wanted by the PA in connection with 21 cases of embezzlement, fraud and money-laundering, al-Mughni revealed. He said that he personally had contacted Rashid and asked him to hand himself in to the PA authorities, but to no avail. "The problem with Interpol is that they are saying that we are not a sovereign state and that's why they won't comply," al-Mughni told...

Officers wearing Chicago Police uniforms raided an apartment in Bridgeport late Wednesday and detained at least eight activists without justification, lawyers working on behalf of NATO protesters alleged today. Police refused to provide any details about the alleged raid or whether they were detaining people. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy was asked about the allegation after announcing at a news conference this afternoon that there had been “zero arrests, as far as protest activity today.” Asked about the Bridgeport incident, McCarthy said only that there was an “inquiry” authorities were looking into and he would have to gather further information before...

If you want to hear a bunch of shouting over some misdemeanors from Occupy Little Rock, here's the video: Occupy Little Rock Arrest

...when the expected crowds return to South Beach this month — Memorial Day will be observed Monday, May 28 — they will find that wounds inflicted by years of raucous, days-long street bacchanals were ripped open last year when 11 officers unleashed a barrage of bullets on Collins Avenue during their chase of a driver they said was armed. The driver died. Four bystanders were hit by bullets. This year, the heavy police presence, which some argue contributed to the tension, will intensify significantly. A checkpoint. Watch towers. Police in pairs on every corner. Drivers on all three causeways leading...

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – George Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, according to the Associated Press. Additionally, Zimmerman has been taken into custody, but it hasn’t been revealed where he is being held. CBSMiami has confirmed that State Attorney Angela Corey, who was appointed as a special prosecutor in the case, will hold an announcement about the charges at 6 p.m. in Jacksonville. That press conference can be viewed LIVE starting at 6 p.m. by clicking here.

A Guide to Good Etiquette When You're Under ArrestBy Adam Martin | The Atlantic Wire – 2 hrs 14 mins ago We're not here to pass judgment on why you wound up in police custody, but if it happens you should know how to comport yourself while getting arrested and once your'e in a holding cell. Now that jail authorities can strip search you even if they don't suspect you of carrying contraband, etiquette is especially important. There are all kinds of reasons you could find yourself behind bars: Maybe you got scooped up at a protest such as Occupy...

Sanford Police on Wednesday threatened to arrest members of the media who approach or ask questions of city employees during non-working hours. Some city employees have been "followed or approached at their home or in settings outside of working hours," according to the statement, released late Wednesday. The city further asked that reporters not approach, call or email city employees at home. "Law enforcement officials will not hesitate to make an arrest for stalking," the press release stated.

Daddy, are you mad at me? Those were the first words out of the mouth of a scared little girl to her father when he was released this week after being charged with possession of a firearm because of a picture she drew at school of a man holding a gun - which turned out to be a toy. . . "The kids were scared," said Thaler. "It is a four-year-old that we're taking the information from, but the fact is that this disclosure was very descriptive and very alarming to the officers investigating this." It was a typical day...

Calif. troopers arrest dozens in state CapitolBy HANNAH DREIER The Associated Press 12:36 a.m. Tuesday, March 6, 2012 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Highway Patrol officers arrested dozens of protesters who refused to leave the state Capitol Monday night after repeated warnings, capping a day of protests over cuts to higher education that saw thousands descend upon Sacramento. The CHP said 68 people were arrested Monday evening and four earlier in the day. The protesters who were arrested for refusing to leave will be charged with trespassing, CHP Capt. Andy Manard said. **SNIP** Those arrested were part of a boisterous daylong...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A Louisville man was arrested Thursday night accused of doing doughnuts in his car at a park. Louisville Metro Police said 22-year-old Tony Fey was at Riverview Park off of Greenwood Road doing doughnuts in the snow. Police said the park has three signs reading "No Trespassing After Dark." Fey was charged with criminal trespassing and reckless driving.

Murder suspect hides gun in rectum Posted: Jan 13, 2012 11:53 AM CST Updated: Jan 13, 2012 2:53 PM CST JACKSONVILLE, NC (WECT/WITN) – A man wanted for first degree murder in the Atlanta area was arrested in Onslow County. Deputies in Onslow County say the man hid a large handgun in a body cavity. According to the sheriff's office, Trooper Scott Merritt spotted Michael Ward driving more than 90 mph on Highway 17. He and another trooper from Duplin County worked together to stop Ward. Highway Patrol told WITN Ward rolled up his windows and locked his car when...

Nationalist MKs lined up to criticize state prosecutors for charging residents in Judea and Samaria who revealed IDF troop movements pertaining to demolition orders of Jewish homes with espionage. MK Uri Ariel (National Union) told a Constitution Committee hearing on law enforcement in Judea and Samaria that the charges were an "immoral abuse" of power. "The police and the prosecution put a black mark on Yitzhar by accusing people of spying," Ariel said. "Who is the enemy here? The settlers?" "The criminal justice system that is actively working to destroy the homes of civil servants and army officers has now...

A routine visit to an MK on Wednesday afternoon turned into a trip to the police station for Ro'i Ridar, chairman of the action committee for the Binyamin Regional Council. Ridar arrived at the Knesset Wednesday for a meeting with MK Uri Ariel, and was arrested by Knesset security, on charges of encouraging a “price tag” activity. Ridar's “crime,” he says, was the chartering of a bus for students at Merkaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem to participate in protests agains the demolishing of Ramat Gilad several weeks ago. Police had issued an arrest warrant for Ridar, and alerted the Knesset...

Baghdad (CNN) -- Iraq's Judicial Committee issued an arrest warrant Monday for Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, who is accused of orchestrating bombing attacks. The warrant was issued under "Article 4," which is terrorism. The Interior Ministry, at a news conference, showed what it called confession videos from people identified as security guards for al-Hashimi, the country's Sunni vice president. In the videos, the men described various occasions in which they purportedly carried out attacks under direct orders from al-Hashimi. One man said he carried out assassination attempts using roadside bombs and guns with silencers. He said the orders came from...

Mark Meckler, co-founder of Tea Party Patriots, one of the largest and most prominent tea-party groups, was arrested today at New York City's LaGuardia Airport on a gun charge – despite showing police his pistol permit and explaining that the weapon is registered in California. "Mark Meckler, an attorney and national coordinator for Tea Party Patriots, who holds a concealed-carry permit from the state of California, today was charged with a firearms violation at LaGuardia Airport in New York City," said Brian Stapleton, Meckler's lawyer, in a statement. "While in temporary transit through the state of New York in possession...

Arrest made in murder of Georgia seven-year-oldLast Updated: 2:56 PM, December 7, 2011 CANTON, Ga. -- Police on Wednesday charged a 20-year-old man with the murder of Jorelys Rivera, a young Georgia girl whose body was left in a dumpster after she was abducted and killed. Ryan Brunn -- a maintenance worker at the Canton, Ga., apartment complex where the seven-year-old girl lived -- was arrested at 12:40pm local time, officials said. Vernon Keenan, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said officers had Brunn under surveillance since Tuesday night and by Wednesday had "sufficient evidence" to obtain a warrant...

An Iranian official said that Tehran has arrested 12 people whom it claims are “CIA agents” - and that they had working in coordination with the Mossad and other security agencies. Parviz Sorouri, a member of the Iran government's foreign policy and national security committee, was quoted in Iranian media Wednesday as saying that “The U.S. and Zionist regime's espionage apparatuses were trying to damage Iran both from inside and outside with a heavy blow, using regional intelligence services. Fortunately, with swift reaction by the Iranian intelligence department, the actions failed to bear fruit," Sorouri said. According to a report...

MILLERSBURG, Ohio - The leader of a breakaway Amish group allowed the beatings of those who disobeyed him, made some members sleep in a chicken coop and had sexual relations with married women to "cleanse them," federal authorities said as they charged him and six others with hate crimes in hair-cutting attacks against other Amish. Authorities raided the group's compound in eastern Ohio on Wednesday morning and arrested seven men, including group leader Sam Mullet and three of his sons. Several members of the group carried out the attacks in September and October by forcefully cutting the beards and hair...