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Woman Accused of Dragging Grandson From Car While Driving Drunk

Woman Accused of Dragging Grandson From Car While Driving Drunk

Marie Shipley, 55

Marie Shipley, 55 (Booking Photo)

 

KTLA News

October 12, 2011, 4:24 a.m.

LANCASTER, Calif. (KTLA) -- A woman is due in court Wednesday to face DUI charges after allegedly dragging one of her grandchildren from a moving vehicle while she was drunk.

Deputies responded to Apollo Park in Lancaster Monday afternoon to investigate a drunk driver who was allegedly dragging a child from the vehicle.

According to sheriff's deputies, 55-year old Marie Shipley had been driving drunk in the park with her three grandsons in the vehicle.

The boys, ages 7, 11 and 13, began arguing, and when she yelled at them to stop, the boys jumped out of the moving car, Deputy Paul Schrader said.

When Shipley slowed down, the 7-year-old tried to climb back into the moving vehicle.

But he slipped and fell to the ground as Shipley sped away, Schrader said.

Shipley stopped the car, gathered up the children and drove them home.

She was later arrested and booked on suspicion of felony driving under the influence.

The boy who fell was taken to the hospital by his mother, according to Schrader.

He was treated for minor injuries to his arms.

The children are now with their mother.
Entry #5,670

Police chief left scene of own accident

Chesco police chief left scene of own accident

October 11, 2011
Kathleen Brady Shea
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
 

The Kennett Township, Chester County police chief rear-ended another vehicle while on patrol last week, then left the scene and returned to it after hearing the 911 dispatch, state police said Tuesday.

In an incident report released Monday, state police from the Avondale barracks said the crash caused by Kennett Township Police Chief Albert J. McCarthy occurred Oct. 4 at 12:33 p.m. on southbound Route 82, south of McFarlan Road. McCarthy, "suffering from a medical condition, lost focus, and struck the rear" of a 2000 Jeep driven by Paula a. Shapre, 38, of Hockessin, De. No charges have filed against him

 
 
 
 
 
 

Trooper Corey Monthei, a state police spokesman, said Tuesday that investigators had concluded that McCarthy, "had no intention of avoiding responsibility" when he left the scene and showed no signs of alcohol impairment.

"There's no reason to dispute that he was anything but confused, suffering from an illness," Monthei said, adding that privacy laws prevented him from elaborating.

He said McCarthy, who was on patrol in his 2008 Crown Victoria police vehicle, did not know he had hit the other vehicle. He returned after the other driver called 911, not realizing that he was responding to a crash he had caused, Monthei said. When state police arrived about 20 minutes later, McCarthy was at the scene and "cooperated fully," Monthei said.

Allan F. Falcoff, chairman of the Kennett Township board of supervisors, said McCarthy, whom he described as "a valuable asset," is on sick leave.

"We're waiting to hear from his doctor about what happened," Falcoff said of the "low-speed" collision. "Then we'll go from there."

According to the police report, both drivers were wearing seatbelts. Monthei described the damage to both vehicles as minor.

He said in cases like McCarthy's, where no criminal conduct has occurred, sometimes PennDot may take action, such as requiring a driving test or suspending a license.

Falcoff said if it turns out that McCarthy is unable to drive, the township will explore ways in which he could keep his position.

For the past four years, McCarthy, a well-known presence in the township of approximately 7,500 residents, has served as a one-man department, acting as chief, patrol officer, traffic cop, lead detective, and chief arbiter.

"He's probably most valuable . . . in what I call his role as chaplain," said Falcoff. "He ends up settling a lot of disputes that might have escalated; he just has a way with people."

Before working for Kennett Township, McCarthy was a long time officer with the Kennett Square force.

McCarthy joined the Kennett Square force as a patrolman in 1973 and became the borough's chief in 1988. He continued in that position until a contentious parting that culminated with his resignation in September 2007 - and litigation over back pay McCarthy said he was owed.The federal case was dismissed in May 2010 "without cost to either party," according to court records.

Entry #5,667

Six ways to never get lost in a city again

5 October 2011 Last updated at 21:00 ET

Six ways to never get lost in a city again
BBC
 
Blank direction signs in city

 

Many people now rely on their smartphones, sat-navs or other GPS devices to find their way around. But when these fail us, and there's no-one to ask for directions, there's a more natural way to navigate, says Tristan Gooley.

It's not every week that a massive solar flare knocks out the GPS network, but all it takes is a flat battery or a mechanical fault to hobble your automated orientation aids.

And if there's no-one around to ask and no paper map on hand, you could be in trouble.

Natural navigation may be just what you need. This involves working out which way to go without using maps, compasses or any other instruments. It relies on awareness and deduction, so does depend on retaining some awareness of direction throughout each journey.

1. TV satellite dishes

Satellite dishes on homes in a Welsh town
 
Look for satellite dishes and signs of weathering

These really are the "get out of jail free" cards in an urban area.

This is because the dishes point at a geostationary satellite, one that stays over the same point on the Earth's surface.

In the UK there is a dominant satellite broadcaster, hence nearly all the dishes tend to point in the same direction - close to southeast.

The same applies in rural areas - especially those blessed with pubs screening sport.

2. Religious buildings

Aerial view of a church
 
East is east

From earliest times, religious buildings and sacred sites have been laid out to give clues as to direction.

Christian churches are normally aligned west-east, with the main altar at the eastern end to face the sunrise. Gravestones, too, are aligned west-east.

To find direction from a mosque, you need to go inside and look for the niche in one wall, which indicates the direction for prayer. This niche, known as al-Qibla, will be the direction of Mecca, wherever you are in the world.

And synagogues normally place the Torah Ark at the eastern end, positioned so worshippers face towards Jerusalem. (Synagogues in countries east of Israel will face west.)

3. Weathering

Continue reading the main storyThe prevailing winds carry rain and pollution. These then hit the buildings, leaving patterns.

The wind comes from the southwest in the UK more often than from any other direction. This results in asymmetrical weathering patterns on buildings - similar to the erosion seen in nature.

Look up, above the cleaned glass and metals of the lower floors, to the natural stone or weathered bricks higher up.

Notice how the building's corners all show subtly different weathering patterns.

The contrast between southwest and northeast corners is the greatest. But the shifts in colours, where the rain and pollutants have left their mark, can be read on all sides with a little practice.

Trees, too, indicate direction, with the very tops combed over by the prevailing wind.

4. Flow of people

Commuters leave Waterloo Station, London
 
Rush hour crowds point the way

Pacific navigators learned to follow the birds in their search of land. They quickly realised that while an individual bird can behave eccentrically, a pair - or even better a flock - will follow a pattern.

The same is true of human beings. There is no point following an individual, you could end up anywhere. But following a crowd in the late afternoon will take you towards a station or other transport hub. In the mornings, walk against the flow to find these stations.

At lunchtime in sunny weather, crowds move from office blocks towards the open spaces of parks and rivers.

5. Road alignment

Hot air balloon over Bristol
 
Wind direction and road layout can help

Roads do not spring up randomly, they grow to carry traffic - and the bulk of traffic is either heading into or out of a town. So the biggest roads tend to be aligned in a certain way, depending on whether you are in the centre or on the outskirts.

In the north or south of town, the major roads will tend to be aligned north/south. In the northwest or southeast, they will have a bias towards northwest/southeast. This is why road maps of big towns show a radial pattern.

It is common sense, but very few people realise this when they feel lost in a big city.

6. Clouds

Edinburgh with clouds above
 
Look up into the skies

One of the best ways not to lose your sense of direction is to hold onto it. My favourite way of doing this in a city is to orientate myself - using some of the clues above - and then note the direction the clouds are moving.

The wind pushing the clouds will remain fairly constant, providing there's no dramatic change in the weather.

This technique really earns its keep on underground journeys, especially to a new part of town. Simply look up before you head underground, and remember the direction of the clouds. When you emerge in a strange part of the city, look up again and you'll be able to work out which way is which from the clouds overhead.

Entry #5,666