truesee's Blog

Denture cream lawsuits coming together in South Florida

WPTV NewsChannel 5 l Paige Kornblue
Sunday, August 2, 2009

WEST PALM BEACH — NewsChannel 5 has learned how many denture cream lawsuits are coming together in South Florida.

A Suburban Boca Raton woman is one of many people who believes denture cream caused neurological problems due to a high concentration of zinc.

They are suing denture cream manufacturers Procter & Gamble and GlaxoSmithKline.

Boca Raton attorney, David Shiner, says 19 cases have been filed in the Southern District of Florida and are being consolidated in the multi-district litigation.

"The federal court looks at certain common issues and can sometimes put those cases together to expedite those cases and allow them to be worked more properly so there's not confusion with different rulings coming out of different states," says Shiner.

Shiner believes there are about 30 total denture cream cases filed throughout the country.

"We always recommend citizens, including employees of institutions, be good witnesses," said Seattle police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb. "When confronted by a violent criminal, it is best to comply unless they feel their personal safety is in jeopardy. It is possible that taking action and confronting the criminal may lead to the injury of the victim or other bystanders."

"You want tellers to be proactive, but you want them to do it safely," added FBI Special Agent Fred Gutt.

Craig Blacklock, whose Oklahoma-based Financial Institution Robbery and Security Training instructs employees in how to deal with robberies, agrees. But he also understands what may have prompted Nicholson to refuse the robber's demands.

"Fight-or-flight kicked in. It's the same response as if somebody stole your wallet," said Blacklock. "But by lunging at the guy he didn't just put himself at risk, but he put everyone else in the bank at risk. There's so many things that could have happened."

When the man came into the bank, at 434 Queen Anne Ave. N., dressed in a knit cap on one of the hottest days of the year, Nicholson says he was immediately uneasy. The suspicious-looking man walked in and out of the bank, then got in the teller line, then stepped out of line.

When he finally approached the counter, he walked toward Nicholson and said, "This is a ransom, fill the bag with money," Nicholson said.

Hearing the word "ransom," Nicholson stopped for a second and asked to see the man's gun.

The man said, "It's a verbal ransom." Nicholson then lunged over the counter at him.

"My intent was to grab his glasses off his face, or him," Nicholson said.

Fortunately for Nicholson, the man wasn't armed.

The would-be robber, a 29-year-old transient, has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for theft and robbery, according to court records. When he was arrested Tuesday he was being supervised by the state Department of Corrections.

The Times is not naming the suspect because he has not been charged in connection with the Key Bank robbery.

Nicholson said he has run after shoplifters while working at retail jobs in New York and California. On Tuesday, as well as in past cases, Nicholson said he felt confident he could catch the person.

"It's something I almost look forward to. It's a thrill and I'm an adrenaline-junkie person. It's the pursuit," he said, adding that when he told Seattle police officers this, one officer suggested he apply to become a cop.

Crocodile causes panic as it wanders around plane in mid-air

 

Published: 10:12PM BST 31 Jul 2009

Baby Crocodiles like the one let lose on a plane from Abu Dhabi. Photo: Reuters

Passengers screamed as the wayward foot-long reptile made its way under seats and down the aisle.

Crew members on the flight, which originated in Abu Dhabi, managed to corner and capture the crocodile and handed it over to authorities when the plane landed in Cairo.

An airport security official said the animal, which none of the passengers claimed, would be given to Cairo's Giza zoo.

Transporting exotic animals in and out of the Egypt is illegal.

The airport official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.

In August 2007 the authorities seized more than 250 baby crocodiles, snakes and chameleons which a Saudi man tried to smuggle out of Egypt. The menagerie also ended up at Giza zoo.

Police plotted to blame car accident on woman they hit    

Story By: Jamie Smith
Source: NBC

Published Wed Jul 29, 2009, 10:13 AM MDT
Updated Wed Jul 29, 2009, 10:13 AM MDT

A cop's dashboard camera is supposed to catch criminals in the act. But for four Hollywood, Florida cops, the dash cam may have foiled their plans to frame a motorist.

The four police officers -- three of them longtime veterans of the force -- were caught on one of the cop's dash cameras plotting to place the blame for a February traffic accident on a woman that one of them had hit with their patrol car. The disturbing video shows the woman, Alexandra Torres Villa, handcuffed in the back of the squad car as the officers get their stories straight on what they are going to say happened.

Officer Joel Francisco, 36, an 11-year veteran, crashed into the back of Villa's vehicle at a light on February 17 at midnight. The cop radioed to other officers who converged on the scene and hatched a way to bail Francisco out.

Officer Dewey Pressley, 42, arrives and questions Villa, who tells him that she has been drinking. The 21-year veteran officer seizes the opportunity and arrests her for DUI. But the plot thickens from there.

The cops begin to brainstorm believable excuses for the accident. "As far as I'm concerned. I'm going to put words in his mouth. She went to accelerate and a cat jumped out of the window at which point he thought it could have been a pedestrian, which distracted him," Pressley tells Sgt. Andrew Diaz, another veteran of the force. "I mean what's the chances of hitting a f---in drunk when a cat jumps out of the window?"

Still, the cops run with the half-baked idea and rush to get Villa to do a Breathalyzer test so they can officially say she was drunk. "I nailed her on the video. I already hung her on video. She said she has been doing a beer party," Pressley says. "She's gonna blow."

Then, another cop debates with Pressley on who is going to write up the fabricated report to clear their police comrade. "I know how I'm going to word this with the cat so we can get him off the hook. I'll write the narrative," Pressley says. "We're going to bend this a little bit."

Civilian Community Service Officer Karim Thomas joins the three senior officers and the four cops go so far as to change the angle of pictures of the accident to make it look like Villa swerved in front of the cop car and caused the accident, not Francisco.

Throughout the tape, the cops acknowledged what they are doing is illegal, but when you are the law, there is nothing wrong with bending it for a fellow cop, one says. "I don't lie and make things up ever because it's wrong, but if I need to bend it a little bit to protect a cop, I'll do it," Pressley tells Francisco after reassuring him no one will ever find out. "She's freaking hammered anyway."

The police officers are currently on administrative leave pending a state attorney's office investigation. Villa, who was charged with four counts of DUI and cited for improper lane change, is still fighting the charges in court.
 

Pants man holds up petrol station

 

Published: 7:00AM BST 31 Jul 2009

The crook burst into the BP garage on London Road in Clacton, Essex, with the elastic of the white pants pulled over his face and his eyes peering through the leg hole Photo: ESSEX POLICE

The man, who was armed with a carving knife, robbed the garage in Clacton, Essex, at about 11pm on Tuesday.

The crook burst into the BP garage on London Road in Clacton, Essex, with the elastic of the white pants pulled over his face and his eyes peering through the leg holes.

He grabbed the cashier in a headlock, pointed the serrated knife at his back and forced him to open the till before escaping with a three-figure sum in banknotes.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Cooper of Essex police appealed for any witnesses to the raid at around 10.50pm on Tuesday to come forward.

He said: "This was a nasty incident in which the robber used force and threatened the cashier with a knife. The cashier was unharmed but obviously badly shaken.

"We want to hear from anyone with information about the robber or may have seen him lurking in the area before the attack or saw him running away."

The suspect is described as a white man in his early 20s, six feet tall of medium build, and wearing a black Adidas tracksuit with three white stripes and dark coloured trainers.

"This was a nasty incident in which the robber used force and threatened the cashier with a knife. The cashier was unharmed but obviously badly shaken."

Friday, July 31, 2009

Cops say restaurant manager threatened to shoot employees

BOB VOSSELLER

Asbury Park Press

STAFF WRITER

July 31, 2009

STAFFORD — A Mays Landing man who worked as the manager of an IHOP in Manahawkin was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, making terroristic threats and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose on July 26.

Steven Brooks' bail was set at $50,000 following his arrest by Det. Joseph Mrazek. He has been released from the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.

A police report states that on July 25 Brooks, 49, allegedly confronted three employees about company policy at the IHOP while the employees were on break. During the confrontation Brooks allegedly told the employees to go back into the restaurant or he was going to shoot them. According to the police, when one of the employees made a sarcastic comment, Brooks became agitated and walked to his vehicle, a black Toyota, reached into the rear passenger seat and pulled out a silver handgun.
Brooks then allegedly pointed the gun at the employees and stated to them to step back or he would shoot. He then left the scene in his vehicle.

Further investigation revealed the gun Brooks was in possession of was a pellet/BB gun. He was arrested in the IHOP parking lot the following morning and a search warrant was executed on his Merion Court, Mays Landing residence.

The search revealed two pellet/BB guns which he owned along with a shotgun and two handguns which were legally owned by another occupant of the residence.

Tenants say A/C banned by landlord despite record heat wave

Story Created: Jul 30, 2009 at 4:08 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jul 30, 2009 at 4:08 PM PDT

Anita Kissee KATU News

LINK TO PHOTO AND VIDEO:

http://www.kval.com/blogs/weather/52111507.html

ALOHA, Ore. – As people around the region try to keep cool and safe in the triple-digit heat wave, tenants at one apartment complex in Aloha say they have been told not to install air conditioning units in their windows.

One stated reason tenants said they were given by the landlord: they look “tacky.”

That’s what tenants at the Arbor Creek complex in Aloha told KATU News on Wednesday as the temperature soared to 106 degrees in Portland, just one degree shy of the all-time high for the city.

But in outlying locations like Aloha, some thermometers were reading 107 or even 108 degrees.

Inside Jessica Burnette’s apartment, a thermometer registered 95 degrees. Nearby, Shanna Frettim said she got a note from the landlord telling her to remove her window unit or she could be evicted.

“They sent me notices telling me if I did not take it out I would have a ten day period to get out of my apartment,” Frettim said.

“As a matter of fact, on these notices it says ‘for the benefits of the residences,’” Frettim added. “I am wondering how that ‘benefits the residents’ when they can't have air conditioners.  How does that benefit us? Our kids end up in the hospitals or they end up sick.”

A check of the rental agreements and property rules supplied by tenants by contained no mention of a ban on A/C window units.

Frettim said she was told that if she wanted A/C, she had to have it professionally installed at a cost of about $500, which she says she cannot afford.

Another tenant who wanted to remain anonymous installed an unauthorized window unit in a back bedroom. The temperature in the room dropped from the 90s to a comfortable 74 degrees in minutes after the machine was turned on.

Tenant Angela Powell installed a window unit in her apartment against the alleged regulations because she said she could find no rule or stipulation prohibiting it.

Calls to the property management company that runs the Arbor Creek complex went to voice mail and no calls were immediately returned. Emails have also not been answered.

A maintenance person who works on the property was reached by phone but declined to say where the rule banning A/C units could be found or who could help tenants and KATU News find the stipulation.

“How can they make up rules we didn't sign on?” Jessica Burnett asked. “People die in this weather… our kids are up all night complaining of tummy aches and stuff because they're heat sick.”

Neighbors claimed one child has already been hospitalized with heat stroke.

Burnett said she does not have health insurance.

KATU News is continuing an investigation related to this story.

Va. Beach councilman seeks permit to sell guns from home

VIRGINIA BEACH

Councilman Bill DeSteph said, if approved by the city, he will apply for a federal permit to be a licensed dealer.

Councilman Bill DeSteph has applied to the city for a permit to sell guns out of a Great Neck home he will be moving into later this summer.

DeSteph, a gun collector, said he wants to expand his hobby into a business.

If the City Council approves the permit, DeSteph said he will apply to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for a permit to be a licensed dealer.

“Once you’re clear with city zoning, the federal requirements for dealers are the same out of your house or a storefront,” ATF inspector Michael Adkins said.

Three people in Virginia Beach have city permits to sell guns from their homes, city records show.

DeSteph added a 17-by-10 foot concrete vault to the home to store firearms.

His targeted clientele listed in the permit application includes “elected officials, law enforcement, military and other dealers and collectors.”

“We have other elected officials who collect guns,” he said.

DeSteph wasn’t sure how many guns he owns.

“Honestly, I’d have to count,” he said.

He estimated he has close to 20, including pistols, shotguns, rifles and machine guns. Part of his collection is of machine guns manufactured before 1986, the year federal legislation banned civilians from owning machine guns manufactured after that date, he said. As a result, those guns tend to be valuable.

“The good thing is they appreciated on average 10 to 15 percent a year,” DeSteph said. “They are a darn good investment. Some people collect art, I collect guns.”

DeSteph’s application will be evaluated mainly for zoning issues, such as land use, traffic, number of employees and signage, said Karen Lasley, the city’s zoning administrator.

“You can’t just hang out a shingle and have people walk off the street,” she said.

JULY 31--This week's mug shot roundup kicks off with a group of arrestees who were nabbed Thursday night in Florida on grand theft charges. The young perps are aged, clockwise from upper left, 10, 12, 12, and 12. As for the remaining suspects, the pictures speak for themselves

LINK TO PIXS:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0731092mugs1.html?46

Man gets 16 years after licking speed off jail cell floor

A Texas man pleaded guilty to drug possession after he was caught on camera licking a white powder off a jail cell floor in 2008. 

Delmast, you dog you!

Grayson County prosecutors used the video to get Samuel Dewayne Delmast 16 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine found on him during a traffic stop in Howe, MyFox National reports. It was unclear how much of the drug was confiscated. 

After his arrest, the 32-year-old man was taken to a holding cell where a closed circuit camera caught the image of more white powder slipping out of his pants. Delmast then dropped to the floor and lapped up the substance later determined to be methamphetamine. 

Confronted with the video, Delmast pleaded guilty to the charges. 

One way to speed up a trial.

Police: Greensburg bank robbery suspect admits holdup five years ago

Bob Stiles
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, July 30, 2009

LINK TO PHOTO:

 http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/westmoreland/s_635975.html

Downtown Fort Myers condo has 32 stories, and one lonely tale

Condo can get spooky for tower's only family

DICK HOGAN

News-Press

July 30, 2009

PHOTO GALLERY:

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A4&Dato=20090730&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=907300803&Ref=PH

Victor Vangelakos lives in a luxury condominium tower on the Caloosahatchee River. He never has to worry about the neighbors making too much noise.
There are no neighbors.

Vangelakos, 45, his wife Cathy and their three children are the only residents in the 32-story Oasis I condo on the east edge of downtown Fort Myers.

The 45-year-old Weehawken, N.J., firefighter bought the condo from Miami-based The Related Group for $430,000 and closed on it in November. He planned to make it a vacation getaway and eventually his full-time residence when he retires in four years.

But prices have fallen hard since the real estate bubble burst in early 2006. Only a handful of those who put down deposits on the tower’s units actually closed on the deal. Those who did have swapped their Oasis I units for condos in Oasis II next door.

Vangelakos didn’t, because he was unable to convince his lender to agree to the swap, said Betsy Lu McCoy, vice president and associate corporate counsel for Related.

That leaves the Vangelakos family splitting their time between New Jersey and a creepy, surreal life in Oasis I.

They’re the only ones using a well-appointed clubhouse, but they can’t watch the big plasma TV.

“We haven’t found the remote controls,” Victor said.

Pause for a moment anywhere in the building during the day and the silence is deafening.

At night, Vangelakos said, they often hear people on the grounds or even inside the building itself. It’s not hard to break in one of the many entrances.

Once, late at night, “Somebody banged on our door,” Vanelakos said.

It wouldn’t have been hard to find the person in the otherwise darkened building.
“At night,” he said, “you can see our TV from the street.”

Especially popular for intruders is the swimming pool, Vangelakos said. They heard people there one night “and the next day all our chairs were in the pool."

His relationship with Related is testy at best. Once, he said, when management turned off his water to fix a leak in a pipe, “we came back 10 days later and the water was off but our TV was on.”

Now, after months of exchanging letters with Related about building maintenance and other issues, Vangelakos said he just wants out.

He hasn’t filed a lawsuit but his attorney, Fort Lauderdale-based John Ewing, said Related hasn’t delivered the marina, pro shop and fancy restaurants that were promised.

“They have the ability to buy him out,” Ewing said. “They can resolve this in a fair way.”
McCoy said it’s not that simple.

“His concerns have not fallen on deaf ears,” she said, but it isn’t Related’s fault he hasn’t been able to persuade his lender, JP Morgan Chase Bank, to transfer the mortgage to a unit in Oasis II.

“What he paid went to our lender, it didn’t come to us,” McCoy noted, so Related would have to pay off the mortgage before it got the unit back.

Besides, she said, the situation is the result of market forces beyond anyone’s control.

“We did not foresee, nor did anyone else foresee, the collapse of the real estate business and the concurrent collapse of the lending industry,” McCoy said. “They’re caught and we’re caught.”

Victor Vangelakos, a New Jersey firefighter, looks out from his seventh-floor apartment balcony at the 32-story Oasis I in downtown Fort Myers. He and his family are the only residents in the building. (Valerie Roche/news-press.com)