Society's ChildS


Pistol

Three years and no trial: Man still in jail for killing cop in botched no-knock raid

Jack Burns
The Free Thought Project
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 20:02 UTC
Marvin Guy
Marvin Louis Guy
As we have faithfully reported on numerous occasions, a man named Marvin Louis Guy sits in a jail cell in Killeen, Texas, awaiting trial for killing a police officer. Arguably, however, the police officer, Charles "Chuck" Dinwiddie, a beloved member of the Killeen Police Department, would still be alive had the KPD not chosen to serve a "no-knock" search warrant at Mr. Guy's apartment home.

The first thing Guy likely heard, at 5:30 am, on May 9th, 2014, was the breaking of his bedroom window glass. Possibly startled by the fact someone was breaking into his home, and hearing someone attempting to break down his front door, Guy started shooting, striking three of the officers, and killing Dinwiddie with one fatal shot to the face. While Guy has never denied he did fire his weapon, he's repeatedly maintained he did not know he was firing at police.

The cops were searching for drugs. Finding none, they took Guy into custody and charged him with capital murder in Dinwiddie's death. With one police officer dead, and a would-be innocent man now charged with his murder, the community was understandably shaken, and so was the reporter covering the story.

Clay Thorp, reporter for the Killeen Daily Herald, was the newspaper's crime reporter, and he'd been in the business for many years. Thorp has long since moved on from the KDH, and Killeen, TX, but hasn't been able to shake off the unsettling concerns he's had surrounding the treatment of Mr. Guy. The Free Thought Project had a chance to catch up with Thorp, get a better understanding of the impact Dinwiddie's death had on the community, and to further explain the complexities of Guy's case.
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Cardboard Box

Looted Palmyra artifacts discovered in Geneva warehouse


Sputnik
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 20:14 UTC
Ancient Palmyra, Syria
© Sputnik/ Mikhail Voskresenskiy
Looted artifacts from Palmyra have turned up in Switzerland, Geneva state prosecutors announced on Friday.

Swiss police have seized several looted items from a duty-free warehouse in Geneva, some of which came from the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, Geneva state prosecutors announced on Friday, Switzerland's Neue Zurcher Zeitung reported.

A total of nine culturally and historically important artifacts were seized, and they should be returned to their place of origin, Swiss authorities said. In the meantime, they will be exhibited in the local museum for art and history. The operation recovered several looted artifacts from the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site which was overrun by the Daesh terror group in 2015 and liberated by Syrian government forces in March this year.
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Handcuffs

Afghan teenager detained in rape and slaying of German student


RT
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 20:02 UTC
German police officers
© AP Photo/ Julian Stratenschulte/dpa
A medical student officially identified only as Maria L., 19, was raped and allegedly drowned on the night of October 16, when she was returning to her residence hall from a student party by bicycle. Her body was found the next morning by locals on the bank of the Dreisam River in Freiburg, home of one of Germany's elite universities.

The case sparked massive public outcry, prompting police to form a special group consisting of about 40 investigative officers and forensic specialists. After an investigation that lasted for more than a month, police finally arrested the alleged murderer and rapist on Friday.

A single strand of black hair partially dyed blonde, a scarf found on the riverbed, and several DNA samples found on the victim's body and at the crime scene led investigators to the suspect, police revealed during the press conference.

Comment: This incident is part of a series in Germany: Germany in tension: Four attacks in one week

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Handcuffs

Cops use excessive force on innocent woman in Walmart

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 18:55 UTC
walmart assault
Homewood police department has launched an internal investigation after video of their officers assaulting a 59-year-old mother in Walmart has gone viral.

The victim, Brenda Rivers had done nothing wrong, committed no crime, and was minding her own business when she was targeted by police who mistook her for a criminal.

Without a warrant or reasonable articulable suspicion, as Rivers did not match the description of the actual suspect, police detained her and demanded they be allowed to search her belongings.

Knowing she had done nothing wrong, Rivers refused.

"He just accused her," Rivers' husband said, trying to explain to cops that they had just entered the store. "He wanted to go through her purse without a search warrant or anything. Our rights are being infringed."

For demanding police get a warrant to search her, Rivers was assaulted, wrestled to the ground, placed in handcuffs, and humiliated as police detained her for nearly thirty minutes. All the while, her husband is demanding they stop the abuse.
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Attention

Student stabs USC psychology professor


RT
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 18:47 UTC
crime scene
© Mario Anzuoni / Reuters
A student has stabbed a psychology professor to death on the University of Southern California campus, Los Angeles police report. The incident was reportedly the result of a "personal dispute," and not a random act, university authorities and police said.

The professor was found dead with several stab wounds in the campus' Seeley G. Mudd building, Los Angeles Police Officer Meghan Aguilar said.

"We do believe this is not a random act and there is no concern for the safety of anyone on campus at this time," Aguilar added.

The student suspected of carrying out the attack has been arrested, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Drake Madison said, as cited by the local media.
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Health

More insured people and higher drug prices drive up US healthcare spending


RT
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 18:27 UTC
Medical display
© Mike Segar / Reuters
The US paid an average of $10,000 in health care per person in 2015 according the Department of Health and Human Services, a 5.8 percent increase over 2014. The increased spending, $3.2 trillion, is partially due to more people receiving insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

A report from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) found that national health spending increased by 5.8 percent in 2015, the highest increase since the 2008 recession. The rate of insured Americans grew from 86 percent in 2013 to 90.9 percent in 2015.

The DHHS report notes that, "the largest increases in the health spending share of the economy have typically occurred around periods of economic recession." But as a result of the 15 million more people with insurance, federal spending on health care has increased by 21 percent over the course of two years.

In addition, the federal government became the largest spender of health care products by representing 29 percent which economic Anne B. Martin told the New York Times is partially due to an aging population that is increasing the number of Medicare recipients.

Comment: More about the US health care system:

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Eye 2

'I fed her to the pigs': Accused murderer said he 'felt normal' after 'chopping up' mum-of-three, Police Constable claims

Robert Collins
The Sun
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 21:06 UTC
investigating murder
© Cascadenews.co.ukPolice officers checking for evidence after body parts were found in Montrose last November
PC Michael Woodburn told the High Court in Glasgow how Steven Jackson confessed to dismembering the mum-of-three and feeding her to pigs

Murder accused Steven Jackson told cops he "felt normal" after cutting up mum-of-three Kimberley MacKenzie's body and feeding her to pigs, it was claimed in court today.

PC Michael Woodburn, 29, told the High Court in Glasgow how Jackson had confessed to dismembering Kimberley MacKenzie's body.

He said Jackson told him and his colleague he had cut her body at the wrist, knees, shoulder and sternum and "went into auto-mode".

The officer told the court he noted Jackson saying he cut up Miss MacKenzie's body and "took her to a silage pit and fed her to pigs".

PC Woodburn giving evidence in the trial of Steven Jackson, 40, and Michelle Higgins, 29, who deny murdering 37-year-old Miss MacKenzie in Montrose, during October last year and then dismembering her body.

Comment: Though certainly shocking and repugnant as this story surely is, it is useful to remember that there exist articulate, educated and politically or financially powerful psychopaths who are surely guilty of far far worse than this. But, unlike the abhorrent Steven Jackson, they usually get away with their crimes.

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People

Over 1mn South Koreans protest embattled President Park, opposition seeks impeachment


RT
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 18:00 UTC
South Korea protests
© Chung Sung-Jun / ReutersProtesters gather and occupy major streets in the city center for a rally against South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Seoul, South Korea December 3, 2016.
Around 1.8 million people are attending protests in South Korea calling for scandal-plagued President Park Geun-hye to resign over alleged corruption. Meanwhile, opposition parties have introduced a long-promised impeachment bill.

Seoul is once again the scene of the largest of the demonstrations, with the Korea Times reporting that 1.5 million people attended the protest in the nation's capital.

People march toward the Presidential Blue House during a protest calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in central Seoul, South Korea, December 3, 2016.

Some of those gathered in Seoul carried huge banners depicting Park in a prisoner's uniform, while thousands held up signs urging the president to step down.
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Pistol

Graphic bodycam footage: Mentally ill man shot in Baltimore for holding knives

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Fri, 02 Dec 2016 00:00 UTC
baltimore mentally ill shooting
© Baltimore Police
For the first time since the Baltimore Police Department was equipped with 600 body cameras, they have released a video. In the graphic footage, Baltimore police officers are seen shooting a mentally ill man who appeared to pose no threat to officers at the time.

On Wednesday, police officials released the video and 911 call which led to the shooting of the unnamed mentally ill man. Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis noted that he released the video because he'd rather deal with criticism over how the police handled the situation rather than the criticism the department would face had they not released it.

"With transparency comes responsibility and it's our responsibility, we believe, to share it with our community," Davis said. "We believe it is making us better as an agency. We believe it is improving police-community relations and accountability."

Following a 9-1-1 call about a mentally ill man on the street beating his cane against a pole, multiple officers responded. Only moments passed before the man would be shot.

Comment: These buffoons can't even safely disarm a guy who is clearly mentally disturbed without firing shots, and then fumble around like schoolboys to administer supposedly life saving CPR, who employs these people!?

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Sheriff

Milwaukee cop convicted of drunk driving with his 13yr-old daughter and letting her drive is up for promotion

John Vibes
The Free Thought Project
Sat, 03 Dec 2016 16:05 UTC
police sergeant John P. Corbett
© The Free Thought Project
Milwaukee police sergeant John P. Corbett was recently convicted and sentenced to jail time for driving drunk with his child in the car, and now he is up for a promotion. The 46-year-old police officer allowed his 13-year-old daughter to drive his vehicle while he was drunk, and after getting a slap on the wrist in the court, he still has his job and may even be getting a raise.

According to the police report, Corbett and his daughter took turns behind the wheel throughout the trip, and he took over the drive when she got lost.

Corbett was given a misdemeanor charge of "driving drunk with a child in the car" and only served 30 days on work release. Corbett did receive a 60-day suspension but was able to work while serving his sentence, working his shift at the police department by day, then sleeping in the jail at night. It is important to note that the average citizen would be looking a lengthy prison sentence, steep fines, and they would likely lose their job had then been caught driving drunk with their child in the car.

At the scene, Corbett refused to take a breathalyzer test and then was able to get that dismissed in court as a result of a plea agreement. Again, these are circumstances that would never be granted to the average citizen.

Corbett was seen smiling ear to ear in his mug shot because he knew that he would see no consequences.
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