Thursday, March 24, 2005

 

Why can't these creeps leave girls alone?

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — A former assistant high school football coach was charged with corruption of minors and furnishing liquor to minors after authorities said he bought his 16-year-old girlfriend mixed drinks at a bar last month.

Joseph S. Bergstrom, 33, of State College, was suspended as staff assistant at State College Area High School on Feb. 22, Superintendent Patricia Best said, and his resignation was accepted March 14.

Bergstrom declined to comment Wednesday on the allegations that he took a 16-year-old assistant trainer for the high school’s football team to a bar on Feb. 23 where officers said they saw her consuming alcohol with him.

Bergstrom had worked as a staff assistant for the school district for about a year and was a defensive coach for the football team. Court records indicated that the school district knew about his relationship with the teenager and had counseled him. Best declined to comment on what the district did before he was suspended.

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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge told a man who pursued potential victims on the Internet and had sex with a 14-year-old Canadian girl and others that he was a ‘‘classic predator,’’ and sentenced him to 24 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children.

‘‘You ought to be glad I don’t have the power to leave you alone with some of these parents,’’ U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III told Steven E. Kline, 46, of Bellefonte. ‘‘You don’t understand how many lives you’ve wrecked by your conduct.’’

Kline is also barred from using a computer without permission of his probation officer and required to register as a sexual offender.
Kline admitted he exchanged sexually explicit photos of himself with a 14-year-old Canadian girl and traveled to Kingston, Ontario, where they had sex.

He was already serving a six- to 18-month sentence from Northumberland County Common Pleas Court for a sexual relationship with another 14-year-old girl, was under investigation in Columbia County for an alleged sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl there, and awaited trial in Centre County on more than 1,000 charges, including 364 counts each of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated assault and statutory assault, and 468 counts of indecent assault.

s

posted by Anne 3/24/2005 02:46:00 PM (0) comments

 

A secret spot: Students gone wild or just an innocent diversion?

By MIKE CRISSEY (who I have talked to on the phone)
Associated Press Writer
BENTLEYVILLE, Pa. (AP) — It was a gym teacher who made the discovery: Behind a hallway hatch used to access locker room pipes, students at Bentworth High School had created their own little hideout.

Just how secret the ‘‘secret room’’ was, how many students knew about it and what went on there depends on who’s doing the talking around Bentleyville, a one-stoplight coal patch town of 2,500.

Here’s what is known:

—Flashlights, candles, marijuana roaches, missing gym mats, a tool box and a knife were found in the dank, concrete room. Also found was a disposable camera with pictures of a boy bound with duct tape and a girl exposing her breasts.
—No crimes were committed, police said, but at least 10 students were disciplined.
—Superintendent Thomas Turnbaugh, who led the district for 12 years, resigned amid criticism from police over his handling of the affair.

As to how seriously to take the episode, residents are not of one mind.

Some see it mostly as an innocent diversion by kids desperate for something to do in this town 20 miles south of Pittsburgh. Others see it as a sign the school lost control.
r

posted by Anne 3/24/2005 02:42:00 PM (0) comments

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

 

This is pretty low

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) — A woman was charged with stealing money and other items in recent weeks by walking up to six elderly victims, giving them a big hug — and then stealing their wallets or other loose items in the process.

Mary Ann Johnson pretended to know the victims who are too polite to refuse her hugs, police said.

~*~*~
People taking advantage of the elderly is one more thing I can't tolerate.

a

posted by Anne 3/22/2005 06:41:00 PM (0) comments

 

Next best thing, I guess

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) — A Cumberland man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for sex crimes against three children.

David W. Stallings, 48, pleaded guilty Monday in Allegany County Circuit Court to four counts of second-degree sexual offense and was sentenced by Judge W. Timothy Finan to 15 years on each count.

Stallings was charged with multiple counts of sexual offenses involving three children over a 10-year period. Investigators said they found child pornography, drugs and weapons in his home.

~*~*~

If they're not going to make the bastard fry for this (or give him a lethal injection or whatever it is they do in Maryland), I guess this is the next best thing ... as long as there's no possibility of parole. He needs to not be ... to paraphrase Jessica Lunsford's father ... on the same planet I'm on.

posted by Anne 3/22/2005 06:33:00 PM (0) comments

 

They thought this was OK?

Note: To save myself some time, I'll just say that, unless otherwise noted, the rest of the tonight's news will all be from The AP

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — Hagerstown officials have acknowledged editing a videotape of a City Council meeting to remove one member’s politically charged comments.

Councilman N. Linn Hendershot’s comments were broadcast live on the city cable television channel during the March 15 meeting but deleted from rebroadcasts of the taped show, according to Public Information Manager Karen Giffin and City Administrator Bruce Zimmerman.

They cuts were meant to prevent the channel from becoming a venue for political campaigning, they told The (Hagerstown) Herald-Mail Monday. (I had a job interview there 20 years ago. Wish I had gotten that one.)

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How did they think they were going to get away with that?

posted by Anne 3/22/2005 06:27:00 PM (0) comments

 

And what was the policy before?

Also from The AP:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA said Tuesday it will institute strict crowd control for space shuttle launches and landings, and rely more on a seldom-used touchdown site in New Mexico, to better protect the public once flights resume in a few months.

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OK. My question is ... Why weren't they practicing strict crowd control before this?

posted by Anne 3/22/2005 06:05:00 PM (0) comments

 

Chalk one up for The Press

From The AP:

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge violated the First Amendment when he barred reporters from disclosing the names of jurors in the trial of a former Wall Street banker, an appeals court ruled Tuesday.

The ban by Judge Richard Owen in Frank Quattrone’s obstruction of justice trial last year ran afoul of the right of the press to report what happens in open court, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said. It noted that the jurors’ names had been read in court and any member of the public could have spread the information.o

posted by Anne 3/22/2005 06:02:00 PM (0) comments

Sunday, March 20, 2005

 

I have no sympathy for pedophiles

From the Allentown Morning Call:

Judge reduces pedophile's sentence

"A pedophile who assaulted three 5-year-old girls has received a reduced sentence."

Yes, the sentence was only reduced by one year. And, yes, the 33-year-old scumbag will be on probation for 20 years. And, yeah, he has medical problems. But you know what? I don't care. He needs to be in prison forever, as do all pedophiles.

Pennsylvania needs to rethink its sentencing guidelines.

posted by Anne 3/20/2005 07:59:00 AM (0) comments

Saturday, March 19, 2005

 

The Catholic Church

One of my problems with the Catholic Church is that, sometimes, they are terribly out of touch with what's going on in the real world. Case in point: The DaVinci Code. Two years after its release a Cardinal decides we shouldn't be reading it? Excuse me, but if he had a problem with it, shouldn't he have mentioned it before millions of Catholics already read it? But that's not even my main problem with this. I'll say this again (I already ranted about this more than a year ago on my other blog.): It's fiction, people! However, those of us who have read the book -- and especially those who have read it and are conspiracy theorists -- may think that the Cardinal's rantings are an attempt to hide something. Perhaps Dan Brown was onto something, some people may think.

I'll share this antecdote again. A friend and I were talking about the book and how much we liked it. She told me that a mutal Catholic acquaintance of ours said he wouldn't read it because it might make him question his beliefs. What?!? If a work of fiction might make you question your beliefs, how strong are your beliefs in the first place?

posted by Anne 3/19/2005 07:47:00 AM (0) comments

 

Terri Schiavo & Jessica Lunsford & Scott Peterson

This is definitely not out of the mainstream but I felt I had to say something about it. The reason I haven't said anything before is that I'm not exactly sure how I feel. I think I'd actually have to see Terri, in person to make an educated decision. However, what I do know is that Congress should not be involved in this. It's a family matter. Yes, this family matter has been through the court system for many, many years. I understand that. I understand why. But Congress? Stay out of it!

Another thing I'm not sure of is how I feel about the death penalty. However, I do believe that John Couey should die for killing Jessica Lunsford. He's the personification of evil and I see no purpose for him to be alive any longer.

Yes, Scott Peterson needs to die, too. Aside from killing an innocent child, what could be worse than killing your own wife and unborn baby? But I'm not going to get into that. What bothers me now is the women who have tried to contact him in prison because they want to marry him. What the hell is wrong with these women?!? Can they possibly be that desperate? Have they not been watching the news? He killed his wife. Now, you want to be his new wife? Huh? What's your reasoning? He's on death row so he won't be able to kill you like he killed Laci? Yeah. That makes perfect sense. You women need help. Serious help.

posted by Anne 3/19/2005 06:01:00 AM (0) comments