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'Run ... kick ... punch': Little (White) girl thwarts abduction attempt by black man
  PARKLAND, Wash. - A 6-year-old Parkland girl is safe today because of her smart, quick actions when two men tried to kidnap her in broad daylight in her own neighborhood. The drama unfolded Wednesday as the little girl, Savanna Norman, was walking home after playing and jumping on the trampoline at the home of her friend, 9-year-old Raquelle Pittenger, who lives right across the street. "I looked both ways, and there was no one coming but … then I went halfway across the street, two guys came out of nowhere," Savanna says. And what happened next is every parent's nightmare. "They grabbed me," says Savanna. But Savanna's smart moves made her mom very proud. "Run ... and kick ... and punch," says the little girl. "What's the No. 1 thing you did that got everybody's attention around the whole neighborhood?" asks Savanna's mom, Amy Norman. "I kicked him," says Savanna. "I screamed loud." This 6-year-old knows "stranger danger" well. "'Cause mommy teaches me," she says. Amy saw the attempted kidnapping from her front window, and dashed out the door. "My heart was pounding," she says. Meanwhile, her 9-year-old friend Raquelle watched from steps away. "It made me feel scared and terrible," she says. It was a dangerous situation - derailed by a smart little girl who remembered the right thing to do. "Very proud," says her mom. "What happened ... was very scary for all of us." Now the Normans are considering moving from their neighborhood - or at the very least putting a fence up around their house. The prime suspect, Jakeel Rashon Mason, was arrested and booked into the Pierce County Jail for investigation of unlawful imprisonment. He is being held on $150,000 bail. - (Black-on-white) |
SAGINAW, MI — A 21-year-old man on Monday, April 7, became the second of four defendants to receive a 30-year minimum sentence for the February 2012 beating death of Gregory Gross. With Monday's sentencing of Elmer T. Curry III, Saginaw County Circuit Judge Robert L. Kaczmarek now has sentenced all four men charged in Gross' death. Kaczmarek sentenced Curry to 30 to 50 years in prison for second-degree murder, a charge to which Curry pleaded in July for his role in the Feb. 26 death of the 52-year-old Gross on Roberts near Ray on Saginaw's southeast side. Curry's plea agreement called for him to testify against his co-defendants, but he reneged on that in October during Daquavis D. Martin's trial. Curry's sentence is the same one that William T. White, 21, received in March. White, also known as “Moo Moo,” also pleaded to second-degree murder but did not agree to testify against his co-defendants. DeMarkus R. Bowes, 19, did testify against Martin and was sentenced to 18 years and nine months to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder. - (Black-on-white)
ALLENTOWN, Pa. –When it comes to Craigslist, sellers and buyers beware. That’s what Allentown police say after a man was fatally shot trying to sell his car.
BEAUMONT - A spokesperson for the Beaumont Police Department said officers have made an arrest in a case involving a body found in a west-end yard Monday. Samuel Thomas, IV, of Beaumont, is charged in the stabbing death of 
STROUDSBURG — There was a surprise guilty plea Monday morning in Monroe County as a murder trial was about to begin. Rico Herbert pleaded guilty to third degree murder and other charges in Monroe County court. More than two years after his arrest, Rico Herbert pleaded guilty to third degree murder and other charges in Monroe County. Herbert admits killing 
Homicide detectives have charged a 19-year-old Newark man in the fatal shooting of a 63-year-old Jersey City man who came to the aid of his wife as she was being mugged on Danforth Avenue early Sunday morning. Joshua E. Higgins was arrested yesterday in Newark with the help of the U.S. Marshal’s Service and charged with felony murder, robbery and weapons offenses related to a firearm. 
Donte Gaskin, 19, of Irvington, was also arrested today and charged with receiving stolen property after he was found with the phone taken during the robbery, Rubino said, adding that his bail has been set at $75,000 cash or bond.
Augusta, GA - The shots fired in this parking lot left one man dead. 35 year old 
MARTINEZ — A Berkeley man accused of raping a woman and attempting to rape another after gaining entry into a gated Walnut Creek apartment complex in separate incidents in the summer of 2010 was convicted of rape and burglary charges Thursday. A jury in Martinez found 26-year-old Antonio Mouton guilty of one count of forcible rape, one count of assault with intent to rape and two counts of burglary. The series of attacks terrorized women living in the Park Regency Apartments at 3128 Oak Road in Walnut Creek. Mouton began his crime spree at the Park Regency on June 30, 2010 when he knocked on the door of a woman in her 20s and asked for a glass of water.
This story is so "out there" we first assumed it was bogus. But as we checked into it we learned that it may not be. Susy Raybon posted the following on the Miltary Examiner (link below): One-thousand “brothers in blue” came to pay their respects this afternoon to Officer 
As a prosecutor detailed every disgusting thing he did to
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - A man suspected in a homicide at a Mount Vernon apartment complex was taken into custody after a two-hour manhunt Tuesday morning. Mount Vernon police were called to Hiawatha Village, a 73-unit apartment complex, in the 900 block of Beech Street at about 8:10 a.m. Tuesday. Upon arrival, police found
HAYWARD -- After more than four years, three men have been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the slaying of an 80-year-old Hayward woman. Donnie Tony Howard, 24; Lionel J. Harris, 22; and Ayodele Patterson, 21, appeared Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court to be arraigned on murder, burglary and robbery charges in the March 26, 2010, fatal shooting of 
Testimony is expected to begin today in the trial of the man accused of killing 
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Three young men were arrested Friday on murder charges in Tuesday's slaying of a Chinese food deliveryman in their community. Cops identified the suspects as James Sanders, 16, of South Avenue; Otoniel Carty, 17, of Bush Avenue, and Devin Hill, 19, of the 100 block of Andros Avenue. Sanders is believed to have gunned down 
The alleged kidnappers of a North Carolina man rescued late Wednesday from a southeast Atlanta apartment complex sent the victim's wife a photo of him tied up and threatened to torture and dismember him, then return him to her in six boxes. An elite FBI team rescued 63-year-old 
ST. LOUIS - A man accused of shooting the financial aid director of a downtown St. Louis business college has told a jury that he did it, ignoring the advice of his attorney. Sean Johnson testified at his trial Tuesday. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree assault, armed criminal action and possession of a defaced firearm. The shooting happened Jan. 15, 2013, prompting a lockdown at Stevens Institute of Business & Arts. Johnson told the jury that he didn’t intend to kill anyone. He says he was upset because his student loans were running out a few credits short of graduating. Financial aid director 
A 16-year-old has been charged with ethnic intimidation in connection with brutal beating of 
DAYTON -- Tonight, three Dayton teenagers are in juvenile detention after participating in a violent game of knockout. We first told you about the frightening game last year when videos started popping up online from several states where suspects go up to a complete stranger and sucker punch them, trying to knock them out. Now this game has made it to Dayton. "Oh that's me right there, definitely. He's sneaking up, I didn't even know he was coming. I didn't even see that coming. I was like what the heck," said 
Augusta, Ga. -- An Augusta man is dead and a woman is still in the hospital after 70% of her body is consumed by flames. Family members says the stranger who saved, 
Maureen Faulkner
ANDERSON, Ind. — With a jury selected and attorneys minutes away from presenting opening statements, an Anderson teen pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 93-year-old woman. Iquise Taylor, 17, will be sentenced on four felony charges on May 5, with the plea deal he accepted Tuesday capping possible prison time to 50 years. In front of his own family and victim 
A 16-year-old was today arrested and charged over the murder of 
TYLER, TX - An East Texas man who escaped execution 11 years ago is back on death row. 57-year-old Robert Ladd is awaiting the death penalty for murdering 38-year-old 
SHOREWOOD - 41-year-old Darrell Lofton, a teacher’s aide at Shorewood High School, is facing one count of disorderly conduct after he allegedly showed disturbing images to a female student. Shorewood High School’s principal says the school is now conducting its own investigation. Lofton made a 17-year-old girl feel so uncomfortable, she was afraid to speak up. She instead confided in a friend. Eventually, a student told Shorewood High School Principal Tim Kenney that Lofton had shown nude photos to the girl while in class at the school. According to a search warrant Lofton began speaking with the girl during study lab. The report indicates the girl believed Lofton was interested in dating his students. On another day, Lofton spoke about his sexual past and questioned the teen about hers, asking if she was still a virgin.
The sheriff's office in Marion County, Florida, has issued an arrest by extradition warrant for 
WILMNGTON, NC – Federal Judge Malcolm Howard ordered UNCW Tuesday to promote associate criminology professor 
A Wadena County man is recovering after getting shot over the weekend after an incident at a St. Cloud bar. Meanwhile, the suspected shooter is behind bars. Cordney Holmes, 24, was arrested for second degree attempted murder and first degree assault after shooting Nimrod, Minnesota native 
A fourth person has been arrested in connection with an attack on an elderly Pinellas Park man. Police arrested Marquez Dunbar, 20, on Monday. He is charged with violation of probation for carjacking and resisting arrest with violence, as well as armed robbery for his actions in the 
TULSA, Okla. – The second man accused in the Best Buy shooting that killed two people has pleaded guilty to being an accessory to first degree murder after the fact for each death. Jeremy Foster was sentenced to two 40 year sentences to run concurrently. He will be eligible for parole after some time. He was originally charged with first degree murder and faced life in prison if he went to trial. On Monday Willie Wise was sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole after being convicted of two counts of first degree murder for the deaths of 
NEW ORLEANS — People living Uptown are again victims in their own home. This time, college students in the 7800 block of Panola Street said teenagers, possibly 14 to 17 years old – acted like they had a gun and robbed the women in a usually quiet neighborhood. The Tulane students didn't worry about sitting in their den Friday afternoon with the front door open to let in the fresh spring air. But that's when something horrifying happened. "I came downstairs to crying girls who said that they had been robbed and they were untying themselves and there was broken glass on the floor. Shocking, really," said the student. The Tulane student was upstairs in her bed when she heard noise coming from her housemate and a friend downstairs. Three men came in the house, used computer cords to tie the two college students up, then robbed them of money, several electronic devices and debit cards. "They were crying. They were hysterical and apparently they were told to shut up and be quiet the whole time," the student said. 
The cellphone video from inside a classroom at Santa Monica High School went viral late last week. It showed 
LAWRENCE, KS - The University of Kansas is weighing what punishment point guard Naadir Tharpe should face after a lewd photo of him and a married woman surfaced on social media. The photo surfaced after KU was bounced from the NCAA Tournament with a disappointing second-round loss. The picture, which was shared on Twitter, has since been deleted. Tharpe hasn't commented publicly, and his last tweet was on March 29. Warning: Adult content. The photo is apparently of the 22-year-old Tharpe and a 38-year-old married woman inside a KU dorm for basketball players. Tharpe, who apparently took the picture, is not wearing a shirt or pants. The woman appears to be licking his face while wearing a form-fitting white shirt that is pulled down low enough to expose part of her breast. The woman joined the Gardner-Edgerton School District in August 2010. She resigned her position with the district on Monday after the picture surfaced. 
A federal judge on Monday ordered state Sen. Malcolm Smith’s fraud and bribery trial to begin June 2, quietly rejecting the powerful Queens Democrat’s bid to push the date back a few months so he could smoothly seek re-election.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Prosecutors have formally charged a man accused of killing a black 
BRIDGETON — Authorities said a 45-year-old illegal immigrant is behind bars after they arrested him on charges that he molested a young child over a two-year period, authorities said. Police filed charges of aggravated sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child against
Isiah Smith was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in an August shooting after a fight in front of the Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland. According to the prosecution, the fight between Isiah Smith, Nicholas Rotunda, and Sheridan had ended, and Sheridan was running away when Smith fired the single shot that killed 
TAMPA - The sexual assault trial of Demetreius Morris ended quickly Monday without a jury being seated. Morris accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 30 years in prison and 10 years probation. In October 2012, he raped a 
U.S. Marshals and the Mountain State Fugitive Task Force arrested a man wanted in Louisiana over the weekend. 31-year-old Nigel Covington was wanted for sexual battery of a 
SHREVEPORT, LA - Some Shreveport parents are left stunned to know their children might not be safe from sexual predators at school. A Fair Park High School teacher's aide was arrested on charges of sexual battery against a student Friday. He has been placed on administrative leave without pay. According to Shreveport Police, the arrest of 60-year-old Bobby Jelks Friday morning was the result of an investigation into allegations that Jelks had inappropriately touched a female student. Jelks has been placed on administrative leave without pay by the Caddo Public Schools' personnel department pending an investigation, schools spokesman Victor Mainiero said.
Spartanburg SC - Investigators with Spartanburg Public Safety are looking for a man in connection with a sexual assault that was recorded on a cell phone. They say warrants have been issued for the arrest of Marlon "Peanut" Beatty on a charge of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The assault happened at the home of Candice Dillard on March 12. They say the victim had been drinking and passed out. They say Dillard and Beatty borrowed the phone of Sintal Jones and returned it with the video on the cell phone. Authorities say Jones admitted to watching the video and showing it his co-workers at a restaurant. They say the victim became aware of the video from a friend. Investigators say Jones told them that Beatty and Dillard thought the video was a joke. Authorities charged Jones with voyeurism and Dillard with accessory to a felony.
LINCOLN, Neb. —Former Nebraska football player Avery Moss has been fined $500 for a public indecency conviction. A Lancaster County judge fined Moss. The 19-year-old Moss has been banned from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus through Dec. 31. Moss' attorney says Moss isn't eligible to ask to be reinstated until December. Police say Moss exposed himself to a student worker at a campus convenience store in December 2012. He pleaded no contest to a public indecency charge earlier this year. 
Andre Damiane Davids, 36, has been booked at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station for the murder of his boyfriend, Dr. 
SMYRNA, Ga. -- The archbishop of Atlanta said Saturday that he will sell a 
Detroit — Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano's former political lieutenant is a remorseless thief who raided
A former West Sacramento police officer was sentenced to 205 years in prison for kidnapping and sexually assaulting women while on duty. In February, a Yolo County Superior Court jury convicted 
March 27, 2014 - ATLANTA — An armed robbery spree that spanned three counties and lasted more than six hours came to an end Wednesday afternoon after police arrested a man considered to be a dangerous gang member. Two other suspects are still on the loose. 
He is best known as the father of Emmett Louis Till, whose murder in 1955 at the age of fourteen galvanized the African-American civil rights movement. A soldier during World War II, Louis Till was executed by the U.S. Army in 1945 after being found guilty of murder and rape. The circumstances of his death were little known even to his family until they were revealed after the trial of his son's murderers ten years later, which affected subsequent discourse on the death of Emmett Till. 
Although 
Modesto police are investigating a shooting near Modesto Junior College late Thursday morning in which a 51-year-old man later died. Modesto Police Department spokesperson Heather Graves said 
NEW YORK — A woman who was punched in the face by a stranger at a Brooklyn subway station has opened up about the ordeal as police continue to search for her attacker. The search is on for the man suspected of punching 
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, AL - A convicted killer will remain behind bars after the Board of Pardons and Parole denied early release for Corey Johnson Wednesday. Johnson will remain in prison for the next five years and will not be eligible for parole again until 2019. Corey Johnson was sentenced to life in prison for the 1998 murder of 18-year-old 
A city man may have to overcome extremely long odds -- 13.7 quintillion-to-1 -- when he stands trial on charges that he robbed and killed his next-door neighbors, two sisters of an Iowa state lawmaker. Those are the odds a pair of sweatpants could belong to any other black man except the suspect, 43-year-old Allen Darell Wade, based on DNA found on the waistband, according to lab test results presented by prosecutors at a preliminary hearing Friday. A city magistrate ruled Wade must stand trial based on the DNA evidence and nine surveillance videos Allegheny County prosecutors believe link Wade to the sweatpants, a vehicle and two bank cards belonging to victims 
HOUSTON - Unsuspecting drivers sitting at the stoplight near the intersection of Monroe Street and the I-45 feeder road in southeast Houston found themselves targeted by a man armed with rocks and pieces of concrete. Houston police said Lamont Wright was throwing large rocks at drivers;
GRANGER TWP.: 
PHILADELPHIA — Three Temple University students were just minding their own business Wednesday when they were randomly attacked on Broad Street. Fortunately, one of the women was aware enough to realize trouble was headed her way, and she narrowly escaped a brutal attack. “He yelled at me that he was going to punch my face before he actually did it. So, thank God I kind of looked up and saw him coming,” Temple student 
49-year-old 
