truesee's Blog

Upshur BOE fires principal

Gary Mallonee

The Inter Mo

Staff Writer

After weeks of suspensions and speculation, the Upshur County Board of Education voted Tuesday morning to fire Dr. Brenda Wells from her position as principal at Buckhannon-Upshur High School.

On July 8, Wells told The Inter-Mountain that Superintendent of Schools Scott Lampinen had fired her two days before and that the board would later vote on his recommendation.

During the meeting Tuesday, board members went into an executive session to discuss the issue. Lampinen's recommendation was to suspended Wells without pay July 6 through July 21 and to terminate her contract on July 21. After a short discussion, the board voted unanimously for the superintendent's recommendation.

Wells had been suspended in May for 10 days until the board could make its decision. The day before graduation, she was suspended for five more days without pay.

Wells told The Inter-Mountain that the incident that led to her suspension involved a fight in the cafeteria where several students were in "a dog pile."

"While attempting to stop the food fight, I observed two boys fighting and I went over in an attempt to break up the fight," Wells said. "I saw everyone was laughing and to relieve the tension I jumped on. I didn't get 2 inches off the floor, and I probably looked like a huge beach ball and I was down and up before you could say one."

In other action, the board also hired Bill Struble as the new head football coach at Buckhannon-Upshur High School. Struble had resigned after last season at West Virginia Wesleyan College where he had been the head coach for more than 20 years. Struble replaces Dave Chipps, who resigned last month.

                                                   RELATED STORY

B-UHS principal says she was fired

Gary Mallonee

The InterMountain

Staff Writer

After weeks of speculation and suspensions, Buckhannon-Upshur High School Principal Dr. Brenda Wells says she has been fired. School officials are releasing little information saying only that a vote will take place at the next Board of Education meeting later this month.

On Tuesday, The Inter-Mountain received an e-mail from Wells explaining a change in location for a U-CARE meeting. Wells said the meeting would not be at B-UHS because she has been fired. "As of Monday, Scott Lampinen, the superintendent of school, basically fired me," the e-mail states. "Of course it has to go to the board, first, but since they have only heard the complainers so far, plus other reasons, I do not feel a single one of them wants to hear the truth."

Wells said she and her attorney met Monday with Lampinen, Assistant Superintendent Roy Petit and the attorney for the Upshur County Schools when she was told she was fired.

Petit was the only administrator from the board office to return a call to The Inter-Mountain. He said the board will have to vote on the issue at its July 21 meeting before it is official.

In a phone conversation with The Inter-Mountain, Dr. Wells said, "I was suspended for 10 days with pay so they could decide what to do about an incident that lasted a few seconds that was on video. I believe it was on purpose to keep me from attending senior activities. At the end of the 10 days just one day before graduation, I was told they had decided to suspend me for five days without pay."

Wells described the incident as "a dog pile" that took place in the cafeteria. "While attempting to stop the food fight, I observed two boys fighting and I went over in an attempt to break up the fight," Wells said. "I saw everyone was laughing and to relieve the tension I jumped on. I didn't get 2 inches off the floor, and I probably looked like a huge beach ball and I was down and up before you could say one."

Wells added that she feels she is a victim of a personality difference and she was promoting the best practices of today.

"School principals need to build relationships with the kids and have fun," Wells said. "This way students will better accept you. I have eight years of administration experience, six of them in high school and when the kids like you and respect you they will behave better and will understand you better when you have to discipline them. "

Wells said problems experienced at the recent B-UHS graduation could have been prevented if they had not pulled the head principal off campus and if the principal with the most experience with high school students would have been there.

"I do not blame my assistants for the problems at graduation," she said. "I almost have more high school administrative experience than all the assistants put together.

"It is my understanding after I was pulled from campus the school became chaotic," she said. "The faculty was told at a meeting that all three assistants principals would be head principals. I also understand that the practice for senior activities was also chaotic.

"I do not blame the senior sponsors," Wells said. "The administrator who could have helped them the most was pulled off campus. It was of the upmost importance for me to be there. Buccaneers are worth whatever it takes."

Wells said that some of the teachers fought the changes she was trying to put in place.

"I currently have filed grievances and anticipate future litigation," Wells said

WILL you bee mine?

A Chinese couple have tied the knot covered in a layer of BEES.

Li Wenhua and Yan Hongxia, who work for the Nanhu forestry commission in Ning'an city, Northern China, have been keeping the creatures for more than 25 years.

So when Li popped the question they decided the only way to make their big day buzz was to invite their bumblebee buddies.

The pair attracted the swarm to them by using queen bees as bait.

Li said: ""I have been working with bees for two decades and it was the obvious choice for us for our big day."

His new wife added: "It was an amazing feeling to have a carpet of living bees moving over my body. I could feel them as they moved around — it was amazing.

"I have always loved bees but this was a totally new experience."

Seems they think they're wedding was the bees knees.

Researchers studying the potential health benefits of dark chocolate at UEA in Norwich, Norfolk, need 40 women to test specially made bars.

Participants must be post-menopausal and have type 2 diabetes to help see whether flavonoid compounds in chocolate can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Some 150 volunteers who took part in the study's first round of tests last year will soon be tested for any health benefits.

Dr Peter Curtis, of the UEA's School of Medicine, said: "Our first volunteers are about to return for their final visit to see if the markers of heart health – such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels – have changed.

"A successful outcome could be the first step in developing new ways to improve the lives of people at increased risk of heart disease."

Researchers believe that chocolate rich in flavonoid plant compounds found in cocoa and soy could help postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes ward off heart disease.

A Belgian chocolatier has been used to create bars rich in flavonoids, and the test bars used in the clinical trials are said to have a "bitter" taste.

The new volunteers must be under 76 years old and must not have had a period for at least one year or be taking HRT.

They must also be non-smokers and have been taking cholesterol lowering drugs such as statins for at least a year.

The UEA said that this will involve giving blood and urine samples, having an ultrasound scan of their arteries and filling in questionnaires about their lifestyle.

Participants would have their risk of heart disease tested five times during the year to see whether change occurred.

The study is being funded by research group Diabetes UK and staff from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the Institute of Food Research would be involved.

YOUR TAXES BUILT THIS DRUG DEN

STATE STAFFERS HUNG OUT IN 'MAN CAVE' AT WORK

New York Post

Last updated: 9:00 am
July 22, 2009
Posted: 1:54 am
July 22, 2009

Two state employees, accused of fashioning a secret "man cave" at the Capitol Building in Albany so they could watch TV, smoke dope and zone out on the taxpayer's dime, racked up nearly $30,000 in overtime, according to state records.

A spokesman for the state Inspector General Joseph Fisch said the cumulative overtime payouts of $28,400 over the past five years are part of the sweeping investigation into the secret, unauthorized party lounge, tucked inside a maintenance area of a Capitol garage facility.

Louis Marciano, 50, a supervisor with the state Office of General Services, and Gary Pivoda, a cleaner working under him, decked out their lair with a TV, board games, DVDs and couches, said Fisch, who raided the hideout and issued a devastating report last week.

Investigators found rolling papers and marijuana scales, authorities said. They dubbed it a "man cave" before dismantling the room.

Marciano and Pivoda allegedly showed up for work every day at 4 p.m., immediately lit up a joint, then zonked out on the couch while their co-workers did the cleaning in the state-owned Empire State Plaza garage.

Pivoda, 48, of upstate Latham, however, did more than just chill, according to state investigators.

He allegedly tooled around the Capitol neighborhood making drug deliveries in his OGS truck to other state employees, as well as electricians and plumbers.

Both have been suspended without pay, and Pivoda has been charged with marijuana possession and criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

Pivoda, who has worked for the state for nine years, was paid an annual salary of $29,600 and his cumulative overtime for the past five years was more than $4,700, according to records from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Pivoda declined comment.

His boss, Marciano, had spent 31 years as a state employee and was paid a salary of $37,470. He racked up a cumulative $23,738 in overtime since July 2004, according to the comptroller's report.

An OGS spokesman said Marciano's job entitles him to overtime because he's required to clean up after summer concerts and remove snow in the winter.

"This kind of behavior won't be tolerated by the state. We went straight to the inspector general when we learned of this behavior," said spokesman Bard Maione.

In announcing the suspensions, Fisch said, "Public employees are paid to work for the good of New York."

Marciano's lawyer, Lee Kindlon, described his client as "a blue-collar guy, salt of the earth" and insisted Marciano had earned the overtime fairly.

"He earned overtime approval from the state. It hasn't been an issue until now," he said.

Kindlon characterized the "man cave" as a break room.

"Initially, it was a place to get out of the cold. They didn't really provide a break room for him," said Kindlon.

He pointed out, "I've got a break room with a refrigerator in it."

'DOPE': Gary Pivoda is accused of smoking dope

in this homemade lounge in a government

garage.

'DOPE': Gary Pivoda is accused of smoking dope

in this homemade lounge (above) in

a government garage.

An attorney with an office in La Jolla who police said tried multiple times to hire someone to kill his wife is being released from jail, according to the district attorney's office.

Steven Liss, 53, was arrested Friday by San Diego police, who said Monday that he was booked on four counts of solicitation to commit murder, false imprisonment and spousal battery.

A day later, however, a spokesman said the district attorney's office did not feel it had enough evidence to prosecute Liss beyond a reasonable doubt. As a result, the case is being sent back to the police for additional investigation, according to the spokesman. It's not clear if Liss has been released from jail yet, but the Who's in Jail Web site run by the county sheriff's department still had him listed in custody.

Liss, a La Jolla resident, was taken into custody after his wife, Karen, and community members came forward with concerns for her safety, police said Monday. Investigators the same day said Liss sought the help of others multiple times in recent months to have his wife murdered.

The couple filed for divorce in February. Police said Karen Liss had a restraining order against her husband.

A law practice operated by Steven R. Liss is located on La Jolla Boulevard and apparently specializes in family law and adoptions. According to the state bar association’s Web site, he was admitted to the California bar in September 1987. State bar association records reveal that Liss has been disciplined for failure to perform competent legal services and failure to promptly refund unearned legal fees, but he is currently licensed to practice law in California.

LINK TO VIDEO:

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Lawyer-Accused-of-Murder-for-Hire-Plot-Released.html

Liss was being held in lieu of $1,060,000 bail pending his release.

Children Arrested

The Baltimore Sun

July 21, 2009

                            RELATED STORY

Kids' case spurs debate over crime, punishment

By Peter Hermann

The Baltimore Sun

July 22, 2009

Here are two consistent complaints about Baltimore and why it seems to be a city out of control: Punishment rarely fits the crime, and parents don't take responsibility for their children.

So what do you do when three boys, ages 7, 8 and 11, steal a scooter, a wagon and bicycle parts from a neighbor's yard in North Baltimore's Medfield community?

The angry victim called police, who promptly came, handcuffed the youngest boy, got him to roll on his friends and then handcuffed them as well. The officer marched all three to the back of a wagon and took them to juvenile jail, where they stayed for at least two hours Friday before being retrieved by their parents.

Was the punishment too harsh and done without giving the parents a chance to act - as the mother of one boy complains - or just right to teach a valuable lesson about right and wrong in the absence of proper oversight, as police and some city residents suggest?

LINK TO VIDEO OF BOYS:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bal-md.hermann22jul22,0,269365.story

Toya Goodson said a second-grader is too young to be arrested for such a transgression. She readily acknowledges that her son, Ayize Massey, joined older kids and stole the man's scooter from Newport Street, then dropped it as the owner chased him to the boy's home on Falls Road and called 911. The officer came, and Goodson said the man "pointed to my son, [saying,] 'That's the one right here.'

"I said, 'Let's talk to my son,' " the mother added. "The officer said, 'I don't have time, I'm locking him up.' "

Goodson said Ayize, in tears, gave up his friends, was put in metal handcuffs and taken away in the wagon to the Juvenile Detention Center on Gay Street. She said her son is now grounded, has apologized to the man and is writing him a letter. "I'm not raising my son to steal," Goodson said. "But he's still a child, and we've all done things that we thought we could get away with. Our job as parents is to teach them. I have no problem with disciplinary action, but I think this could've been handled differently."

Baltimore police expressed little sympathy, other than to note that officers have few options in dealing with such a scenario. "Our position is that we have to hold people accountable," said the department's chief spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi. "In this case, we had a confession from a group of juveniles who stole property. It showed the kids the criminal justice system."

The spokesman noted that one of the kids told a television station that he would "never steal again." Said Guglielmi, "That is exactly what we want to hear." He said none of the children was charged criminally, but instead they were put into a program to help young offenders.

Two years ago, Mayor Sheila Dixon apologized to the family of a 7-year-old boy who was arrested after an officer saw him riding a dirt bike on a sidewalk. She called the bust "not consistent with my philosophy on community policing" and "a bad choice" on the part of the officer.

Dixon said Tuesday that in the earlier case, the boy "was on his own bike, he wasn't stealing." She refused to offer an apology in the present case, but she said that given that the youngsters' parents were home, "I might've handled it a little differently" and written the report inside the house instead of taking the children to jail.

Guglielmi said that in the 2007 case, the boy was arrested by a sergeant after the mother had complained about a warning her son had received from another police officer; as a result, the spokesman said, the child's arrest was alleged to have been what he called a "retaliation attempt." (The family has sued the city for $40 million, and the case is pending.)

"Things leading up to that arrest were very different" from what happened Friday, Guglielmi said.

The spokesman said the kids perhaps "learned a valuable lesson," not unlike the one he learned one day when he defied police in his hometown in Connecticut by playing hockey with his friends in the street. After repeated warnings, officers handcuffed him and took him in.

He was 6 years old.

Guglielmi said he wasn't criminally charged but afterward, "I didn't go near the street."

His parents had to collect him from the authorities. "The Italian form of discipline is much worse," Guglielmi said when asked about how his parents had reacted, before abruptly stopping in midsentence. He would only add, "It was a good learning experience for me."

In keeping with the mantra from the mayor and the police commissioner, who continually preach responsibility, the police spokesman said, "My parents never yelled at the police. It was my fault."

East Naples woman accused of being an illegal dentist

Naples Daily News staff

July 22, 2009 at 11:30 a.m.

Rosa Maria Toledo

An East Naples woman was arrested late Tuesday after an investigation revealed that she had been practicing dentistry without a license in her converted garage.

According to reports, investigators received a tip on July 21 that Rosa Maria Toledo, 56, 1065 Moon Lake Drive, was practicing dentistry illegally.

They obtained a search warrant, which was executed Tuesday evening.

Inside Toledo’s home they found that the garage had been converted into a dental office. In the room was a black reclining chair, a water-powered drill set, and a cabinet containing dental castings, molds, dental crown glues, crowns, partial dentures and bridges. Another cabinet contained novacaine and other substances. Several dental tools were hanging on the wall. Also in the office was a ledger containing information for hundreds of patients.

Deputies received information indicating that Toledo had been a practicing dentist in Mexico before moving to the United States.

Toledo was charged with practicing dental hygiene without an active license and non-licensed person leasing or operating dental equipment.

35 Million Joints' Seized in Gulf of Aden

July 22, 2009 11:58 a.m. EST

A British ship carried out the largest drug bust ever recorded in the Middle East this week, seizing an amount of cannabis sufficient to make 35 million marijuana cigarettes, the British Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday.

The HMS Cumberland ship caught the drugs off the coast of Oman during a Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 patrol.

The seized drugs, comprised of 12.4 tons of cannabis resin, have a street value of $70 million.

"If you look at individual seizure cases, it's the largest seizure of cannabis resin ever, according to our databases," Thomas Pietschmann, a Research Officer at United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime told The Media Line. "The only larger seizures were in Turkey in 2001, when 19 tons were seized, and in Spain where we had 15.8 tons." Pietschmann explained that while in terms of global of seizures, this drug bust is equivalent to 0.9 percent of seized cannabis resin, a relatively low figure, the significance lies in the quantity seized in a single operation.

In 2007, the last year for which the U.N. drug office has complete information, only 11 countries seized more cannabis resin throughout the year than the amount taken in the one seizure this week.

The HMS Cumberland was examining a suspicious cargo vessel and found a secret compartment with large bales of narcotic material identified as cannabis resin. The drugs were later destroyed.

An engineering mechanic from the Royal Navy team that boarded the vessel was quoted as saying his team was well-trained in these kinds of operations.

"But you don't expect to find this quantity," he said. "Twelve tons is a huge amount of drugs and looked like bags of potatoes piled up when we got it on deck."

Officials believe the drugs were intended to reach the Europe and the seizure is seen as an important step in stopping the financing of terrorism.

"Typically, it seems that this would originate in Afghanistan, exported via Pakistan to the sea and exported from Pakistan onward, either to Europe or to Africa," Pietschmann said.

"We've seen for quite some time that Afghanistan is really expanding its cannabis resin production," he added. "The largest producers of cannabis resin in the world are Morocco and Afghanistan."

The CTF 150 is a multinational coalition naval task force which conducts maritime security operations as part of the war on terrorism. It operates southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7015866315#ixzz0M15VXNMP

2:10 PM EDT, July 21, 2009

LINK TO VIDEO:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/videobeta/watch/?watch=74285852-1de1-425e-9368-ea2b0123d18a&src=front

 Telegraph UK

Published: 7:00AM BST 21 Jul 2009

Lesley Dedman put her mangled Daimler ladies' push bike in the back of her car and drove home and called the police Photo: BNPS

Lesley Dedman, a former town mayor, spotted the man peddling off when she looked out of her bathroom window.

Although wet-through, she was so enraged that she threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater and jumped in her Jaguar car.

She drove for nearly a mile before over-taking and then swerving in front of the man, causing him to slam into the side of her car.

The offender gave her a mouthful of abuse until she told him he had stolen her bike, at which point he ran off limping from an injury caused by the collision.

Grandmother Mrs Dedman, of Longham, near Ferndown, Dorset, said: "I was shaking with a mixture of fear and rage and was soaking wet at the time, I must have looked like a wild woman.

"I was just so livid that somebody could take my bike that I was determined to get it back. I would do the same again."

Mrs Dedman, who is 5ft 5ins tall, was shocked when she realised the thief was not a youth as she had thought but a burly, middle-aged man.

She added: "Luckily he grabbed a bag he had put in the front basket and hobbled off."

Mrs Dedman put her mangled Daimler ladies' push bike in the back of her car and drove home and called the police.

The thief is described as being 6ft tall, had ginger and brown hair and was wearing a white baseball cap at the time.

Dorset police is now investigating the theft.

http://digg.com/people/15_of_the_Biggest_Bank_Heists_Ever

Pensioner reunited with wedding ring 33 years after she lost it under a hedge at her former home

Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:15 PM on 21st July 2009

Anthea Capewell had long ago given up hope of finding her wedding ring after losing it under a hedge 33 years ago.

The 60-year-old's wedding and engagement rings both flew off her finger as she swung shut her garden gate in 1976.

Despite conducting a thorough search involving a metal detector, Mrs Capewell and her husband David only managed to locate the engagement ring.

The couple moved out of the house in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, eight years later.

So Mrs Capewell was astonished to receive a call from her former neighbour to say the ring had been found buried in some garden weeds.

Long time coming: Don Rigby points to the spot where his wife found the wedding ring that former neighbour Anthea Capewell lost in 1976

'I was absolutely gobsmacked and, of course, I was ecstatic,' she said. 'I just couldn't believe it.'

The former shop assistant have kept in touch with neighbours Don and Carol Rigby - who lived on the other side of the hedge - in the 25 years since they moved four miles away.

It was Mrs Rigby who dug up the ring while gardening - prompting a jubilant call to the Capewells' current home in nearby Bilborough.

Mrs Capewell said: 'Carol phoned and said she had some news for me. She told me I had better sit down. I didn't know what to do expect.

                                                          

Together again: An overjoyed Anthea and David Capewell pose with the ring and a photo taken on their wedding day in 1969

'Then she explained she had been collecting the clippings after cutting the hedge and had decided to do a bit of weeding underneath.

'She pulled up a dandelion and noticed a piece of metal come up with it - and as soon as she shook the soil off she realised what it was.

'It must have worked its way down into the soil after we missed it all those years ago. It came up like new with just a bit of soap water.'

'When I used to walk through our garden gate I was in the habit of flinging my hand behind me to shut it,' recalled Mrs Capewell.

'That day, as I did it, I felt my rings go - not just my wedding ring but my engagement ring, too. They just slipped off and flew through the air.

'I was sure they had gone into the hedge. We looked for weeks and even used a metal detector, but we just couldn't find them.'

Mrs Capewell's husband David, now 62, finally stumbled across the engagement ring later that year while he was laying a new driveway but the wedding band had remained elusive.

Inspired by the extraordinary find, the Capewells are now set to renew their wedding vows next year.

The couple, who have three children and 11 grandchildren, married in 1969 and only recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.

Mrs Capewell said: 'I was devastated all those years ago. I didn't have a ring for quite a while, because we thought they would turn up.

'David bought me a new wedding ring after we gave up the search, but now I'll always wear the original. I kiss it every single morning.'

Mr Capewell added: 'We assumed it was lost forever until Carol called. I thought we had won the lottery when I heard Anthea's reaction.

'She was overjoyed, and you could have knocked me down with a feather. I couldn't believe it how well preserved it was. It's amazing.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1201197/Pensioner-reunited-wedding-ring-33-years-lost-hedge-home.html#ixzz0LxFe02Os

Zephyrhills store offers drive-through weddings

Helen Anne Travis,

St. Petersburg Times

Staff Writer
Monday, July 20, 2009

Kimberley Estes, left, shows the Rev. Sharon Burnett, owner of Mother Earth Goddess, the digital mural she is affixing to the sliding glass doors where weddings will be performed.

ZEPHYRHILLS — Lining the main drag through town, signs advertise drive-though restaurants, drive-through ATMs and now, drive-through weddings.

The Rev. Sharon Burnett opened Mother Earth Goddess metaphysical store in a former dry-cleaning business on Gall Boulevard in early July.

Unsure what to do with the sliding glass doors where customers used to pick up their pressed and cleaned garments, Burnett, a notary public and minister, decided to officiate behind-the-wheel nuptials. Couples with a marriage license, a witness over the age of 18 and $20 can exchange vows without turning off the engine.

"It's no different than standing at the courthouse," said Burnett, 58.

Appointments aren't necessary.

"It would be nice, but I can get it done in no time," she said, snapping her fingers.

The sign on the side of the gray cinder block building at the end of the Zephyr Plaza strip mall hasn't attracted any couples yet, but plenty of curious passers-by.

"They ask, 'Are you for real?' " Burnett said.

That was the same response from the Department of State Division of Corporations, which oversees notaries in Florida, when asked if they had heard of any similar services.

"I don't know of any," said Karon Beyer, a bureau chief with the Department of State. "Because it's so unique, that would be something we would talk about."

Those seeking an exhaust-free ceremony can also wed inside the Mother Earth Goddess store. Burnett will push aside the bench where healers perform Reiki and chakra work in her back room and turn the small area into a sanctuary. But keep your guest list tight.

"I only have 28 chairs," she said.

In the back room or at the drive-through window, Burnett will also officiate vow renewals and commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples.

Mother Earth Goddess is Burnett's third metaphysical store. The former IT professional opened InnerLight Metaphysical Center in Zephyrhills in 1999, but had to close it after nearly four years to take care of her ailing mother in Georgia.

In 2008, the spiritual world called her back and she ran Mother Earth in Tampa for a year, before bringing it closer to her home in Zephyrhills.

The store sells candles, incense, dream catchers and books on Kabbalah and tarot cards.

When asked if the serene, reverent aura of the stores clashes with the Vegas-style weddings offered at the window, Burnett dismissed the notion with a flick of a wrist.

"Metaphysical people aren't always serious," she said. "They like to have fun, too."

Scholar's arrest raises profiling questions

LINK TO SLIDESHOW:

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Harvard-Scholar-Henry-Louis-Gates Jr/ss/events/us/072109henrylouigates

'Gambling Granny' sentenced to 14 months of house arrest

She left 2 grandkids in car while she played the slots

By Tonya Alanez

South Florida Sun Sentinel

1:14 PM EDT, July 20, 2009

FORT LAUDERDALE

A Broward County judge this morning sentenced a grandmother to 14 months of house arrest for leaving her two grandchildren unattended in a car while she gambled at a Hallandale Beach casino, a prosecutor said.

Jeanne Shahan, 54, of North Miami, pleaded guilty to felony child abuse, misdemeanor contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and misdemeanor leaving a child unattended in a vehicle, said Assistant State Attorney Mary Ann Braun.

On Aug. 19, 2008, Shahan left her grandchildren -- a 2-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy -- unattended in a vehicle for more than an hour while she played the slots at Mardi Gras Gaming, 831 N. Federal Highway, police said.

The car's air-conditioning was off, but the windows were down.

"She's a very good lady who just used poor judgment, and she's very sorry about it," Shahan's defense attorney, Chris Narducci, said today.

Circuit Judge Jeffrey Levenson also ordered three years probation upon completion of house arrest, Braun said.

Levenson also prohibited Shahan from entering any gaming institutions.