Free Republic

<p>An investigation is underway after two police dogs were found dead inside an unmarked SUV parked outside a Hialeah police officer's home.</p> <p>Hialeah police say K-9 Officer Nelson Enriquez arrived at his home in Davie early Wednesday after completing his midnight shift and apparently left the dogs inside his vehicle. Investigators say the officer found the dogs around 7 p.m.</p>

For at least the second time since 2012, the federal government has brought criminal charges, accusing someone of training people on how to beat a polygraph test. On Friday, prosecutors announced an indictment against Douglas G. Williams, a 69-year-old man from Norman, Okla., who’s accused of coaching people “how to lie and conceal crimes” during federally administered lie-detector tests. Mr. Williams, who operates a company called Polygraph.com, says the mail fraud and obstruction of justice charges leveled against him are an “attack on his First Amendment rights.” The indictment follows the federal prosecution of an Indiana man who received eight...

HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (WJZ)—An 81-year-old great-grandmother is placed behind bars for a minor pet violation committed nearly a year ago. The Harford County woman says she tried paying thousands of dollars in fines but couldn’t afford them. As Gigi Barnett explains, the senior citizen says her punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Mary Magdalene Root’s small dogs are her constant companions. So much so that the 81-year-old widow spent two nights in the Harford County Detention Center fighting to keep them. “I’ve never had a crime. Never. Not even a traffic ticket,” Root said. Back in May, Root says her pets...

TOWSON, Md. (WJZ)—Controversial confrontation. A man videotaped Baltimore County police as they arrested two people in Towson, but an altercation broke out between the man and officer. Now an investigation is underway. Meghan McCorkell has more from officials. County police officials say they are concerned by the video and they’ve launched an investigation. Early Sunday morning, a man videotaped as Baltimore County police arrested two people in Towson. As the video rolled, he was confronted by an officer. “I’m allowed to do this,” he told the officer. “Get it out of my face,” the officer replied. “I have my rights,”...

ATLANTA — Three former Atlanta police officers who each pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in connection with the death of an elderly woman during a botched drug raid were sentenced Tuesday to federal prison. Jason R. Smith, Gregg Junnier and Arthur Tesler received sentences ranging from five years to 10. Kathryn Johnston, 92, was killed by police gunfire during the 2006 raid at her home.

NEW YORK (AP) - The trustee in charge of untangling the mess left behind by Bernard Madoff told a packed auditorium Friday there was no indication the disgraced money manager had bought securities for his clients for over a decade.

SAN DIEGO -- Charges were filed Tuesday against an off-duty San Diego police officer who shot an 8-year-old boy and his mother during a traffic dispute. District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis made the announcement Tuesday in connection with the March 15 shooting involving Officer Frank White, 28. He was charged with one felony count of gross negligent discharge of a firearm with two enhancements for great bodily injury and one misdemeanor count of exhibiting a firearm. The charges carry a maximum sentence of nine years in prison. White surrendered to authorities in Vista and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He...

A Tualatin man, a former U.S. Marine and an aspiring sheriff's deputy, was cleared Friday of all charges related to the fatal shooting of his wife Dec. 16, 2007. Ryan Michael Osbrink, 24, was practicing drawing an H & K model USP, .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol from a holster, and it discharged as his wife entered the room. Kimberly Osbrink, 23, was hit by a single bullet to the abdomen. According to the Washington County District Attorney's report on the incident, police found Kimberly conscious but in great pain. Officers reported her stating, "It was an accident. He didn't mean to...

Hazelwood — Federal court jurors awarded $17,500 on Wednesday to a fire captain arrested by a Hazelwood police officer in a dispute over where a firetruck was parked during a 2003 car crash rescue. Juror Betsy Vennemann said after the verdict, "We wanted to make a statement that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated."

Judge dismisses sexual harassment charges against 2 Ore. teens 08/20/2007 By WILLIAM McCALL / Associated Press Two 13-year-old boys accused of slapping girls' bottoms and poking or cupping girls' breasts at school apologized on Monday as a judge dismissed charges against the two, ending a six-month case that drew national attention. The charges triggered a debate over whether such behavior in school should be considered criminal. Four girls listed as victims by the prosecutors had asked the judge to drop the charges against Cory Mashburn and Ryan Cornelison. Yamhill County Judge John Collins did so on Monday, saying it was...

Animal cruelty case yields 'doggone' dismissal June 6, 2007 By Peter Hirschfeld Times Argus Staff CHELSEA – A woman facing jail time for "staring" at a police dog had charges against her dropped Monday after an Orange County prosecutor viewed videotape of the alleged crime. Jayna Hutchinson, now of Lebanon, N.H., was scheduled for a jury trial this week on a misdemeanor charge of cruelty to animals. A Vermont State Police sergeant said Hutchinson was intoxicated and stared at his police dog in a "taunting/harassing manner" last July while officers were in the process of investigating a reported melee outside...

WASHINGTON -- D.C. police are investigating the actions of several out-of-town police officers in the District for police week, News4's Tom Sherwood reported. The investigation began after a resident complained about public drunkenness and rude behavior in an e-mail to police. The e-mail included accusations of drinking beer from a cooler, yelling, throwing trash and waving at on-duty police while holding open beers in salute, Sherwood reported. The resident said that at 10 p.m. Sunday, more than a half-dozen officers were gathered around a maroon van with New Jersey license plates at the corner of H and Fifth streets in...

A NH state law (RSA) is being used to intimidate homeowners into allowing interior inspections of their homes by tax assessors, even though the right to refuse a warrantless search without penalty is guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment. Knock knock "Who's there?" "The tax assessor. I'm here to inspect the inside of your house. Of course, the fourth amendment says you don't have to let me in, but if you don't, you'll lose your right to appeal an inaccurate assessment, and oh, by the way, I can get a warrant and come back and then you can't say no. So,...

ATLANTA -- UPDATE: Federal prosecutors have recommended sentences of 121 months for Junnier and 151 months for Smith. D.A. Paul Howard has indicated he would go along with the federal prosecutors recommendation. A formal sentencing hearing will be held at a later date. Two police officers pleaded guilty today to federal and state charges in the shooting death of a 92-year-old Atlanta woman during a botched drug raid last fall. A third officer still faces charges in the woman's death. Forty-year-old Gregg Junnier, who retired from the Atlanta police force in January, and 35-year-old Officer J.R. Smith pleaded guilty to...

KC Chief Says Officers Who Ignored Pregnant Woman Should be Fired Feb 21, 2007 12:09 PM By ANDALE GROSS Associated Press Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Two police officers accused of ignoring the pleas of a pregnant woman who miscarried a day after she was thrown into jail should be fired, the Kansas City police chief said Tuesday. Kansas City police officers Melody Spencer and Kevin Schnell stopped Sofia Salva in February 2006 for a fake temporary car tag and later arrested her on outstanding warrants. A police videotape released last month shows Salva repeatedly asking for medical attention,...

$50 Football Pool Leads To Illegal Gambling Charges A volunteer waitress and a widowed great-grandmother who tends bar at the Lake Elsinore Elks Lodge are due in court later this month after pleading not guilty to misdemeanor charges of operating an illegal gambling operation. Margaret Hamblin, 73, and 39-year-old Cari Gardner, who donates her time as a waitress at the lodge, face up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine for allegedly running a $50 football pool at the facility, the Press-Enterprise reported. The charges stem from a Nov. 20 investigation by state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control...

"Police blotter" is a weekly News.com report on the intersection of technology and the law. What: Teenagers taking risque photos of themselves are prosecuted for violating child pornography laws. When: Florida state appeals court rules on January 19. Outcome: A 2-1 majority upholds conviction on grounds the girl produced a photograph featuring the sexual conduct of a child. What happened, according to court documents: Combine unsupervised teenagers, digital cameras and e-mail, and, given sufficient time, you'll end up with risque photographs on a computer somewhere. There's a problem with that: Technically, those images constitute child pornography. That's what 16-year-old Amber...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Two Kansas City police officers were suspended with pay Thursday as an investigation continued into their actions last year when they stopped a pregnant woman who later miscarried. The suspension of officers Melody Spencer and Kevin Schnell is indefinite, police spokesman Capt. Rich Lockhart said. At a news conference Thursday at police headquarters, Chief James Corwin said the officers' behavior is "inconsistent with the values and policies of this department and inconsistent with the training they received in the police academy." Corwin read from a written statement and declined to answer reporters' questions. The Feb....