California woman shoots daughter with gun mistaken for cigarette lighter
The Denver Post
POSTED: 07/29/2011 01:00:00 AM MDT
LOS ANGELES — A Banning, Calif., woman accidentally shot her 12-year-old daughter after pulling the trigger of a miniature revolver she had mistaken for a novelty cigarette lighter, authorities said Thursday.
Rachel Avila, 30, and her daughter were talking in front of their mobile home Sunday when Avila spotted what she thought was a novelty cigarette lighter lying on the ground, said officials with the Banning Police Department. It was shaped like a miniature firearm, police said.
Avila picked up the object and tried to light it by pulling the trigger, police said.
The first time, nothing happened, but her second attempt released a .22-caliber bullet.
"The bullet struck the ground, and then ricocheted upward and entered her daughter's upper right arm," Banning police said.
The girl was taken to a hospital, where she was treated and released.
Police officials advised residents to be wary of objects that resemble a firearm. "Do not handle the object, and call local law enforcement for assistance," authorities said.
Ah yes the first thing I like to do when I find a random gun on the ground is pull the trigger...bravo lady, please please please don't let your children anywhere near you.
A postman stashed more than 31,000 undelivered parcels and letters at his home - because he was too drunk to complete his rounds.
9:24AM BST 19 Jul 2011
Steve Tasker, 43, hoarded the "staggering" collection at his home. for up to three and a half years at his house and kept almost 16,000 mail items in or behind his garden shed.
Tasker also wrapped the letters in plastic Farm Foods carrier bags to try and keep them dry because he claimed he would deliver them once he had sobered up.
But Burnley Crown Court, Lancs was told he never got round to taking the post to its rightful destinations. Instead he pocketed at least £200 sent as gifts in cards, including money meant for an 18th birthday.
Tasker, then a postman for 12 years, was eventually put under surveillance by the Royal Mail last September, after reports from the public about mail not being delivered.
On the day he was observed, he didn't start on his walk until noon at the earliest, finished about 2pm and had left more than 300 packets undelivered.
He later admitted he had left the Post Office at about 9am and had then done some shopping, gone home for his breakfast, had some cider, been to the bookies and was drunk.
The hearing was told Tasker, an asthmatic, had a "tough time" at home, looking after his wife and daughter who are both disabled, almost single-handedly - which may have been why he drank too much.
It cost the Royal Mail £1,530 to sort all the undelivered postal packets and finally send them to the rightful recipients.
Tasker, of Burnley, admitted interfering with mail between March 2007 and September 2010, damage, and theft between August and September last year.
He was given 32 weeks in jail, suspended for a year, with 12 months supervision and alcohol treatment and the Thinking Skills programme.
John Gibson, prosecuting for the Royal Mail, said last September 15, Tasker was put under surveillance. At about 4.30pm, officers went to a pouch box and found 331 items of post he was supposed to have delivered that day still there.
Officers, with his agreement, went to search his house and found a "massive interference " with mail.
In the property were 15,253 postal packets, some on top of the fridge and some of them dating back to March 2007. A further 15,831 items were found in the garden shed or behind it, in a bin. About 1,000 packets were water damaged. A total of 43 greetings card-type letters had been opened, between last August and September.
Mr Gibson said Tasker was interviewed and said he had been struggling because of his health. The prosecutor sais the Royal Mail would say he had been monitored on light duties after his return from being off sick, had been supervised and had been found to be fit enough to make deliveries.
Mr Gibson said the defendant told officers he had problems at home. He said he had sometimes drunk too much to be able to do his round and he would sometimes have a few pints before he arrived for work at 6am.
He told officers he knew what he had done in opening mail was wrong, but he had probably been drunk at the time and had no money.
The court was told the defendant had a conviction for stealing from his employers in 1994, which was spent by the time he applied to work as a postman.
Mark Stuart, for Tasker, said the vast majority of the post was unopened. He had undoubtedly had a drink problem, health difficulties, family commitments and had been struggling to cope.
His wife had cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a weakness on one side of her body. Their daughter was disabled and attended a special school.
The Royal Mail knew about his alcohol problem, a meeting had been held and he had effectively been told to drink coffee and not alcohol before work. Mr Stuart said Tasker had intended to deliver the mail at some point. The barrister added:"But, tomorrow never came."
Sentencing Tasker, the judge Mr Recorder Phillip Grundy said :"You, as a postman, were in a clear position of trust. We, as members of the public, trusted you."
"But if I were to lock you up, that would punish your wife and daughter and quite frankly, they would struggle. I am giving you a chance. It's having had the benefit of seeing you in court and seeing your wife. That has persuaded me to suspend the sentence.''
Well wow I have been drunk before, but congrats Brits, you win.
I've been playing football games as long as I've been playing video games. Starting with Tecmo Bowl on the NES to nearly every years of Madden starting with Madden Football on the Sega Genesis. And over that time I've played as and against players that essentially break the game, these are a few of my favorites.
Runningback - Bo Jackson - Tecmo Super Bowl (NES, 1991)
Unlike today, back in the NES days each player had to pick a different team, and it was a dead sprint to play as the Raiders, and here's why
Quarterback - Michael Vick - Any Madden game from 2004 on
The Madden series has always had a obsession with speedy players, especially at the QB position, and it really got out of hand with Vick, you could pretty much run and throw beyond anything that was even close to Vick's abilities, I of course always broke his legs when I played as him, but got torched against him.
There is no denying Randy Moss is a physical freak and a gifted player, as a Packer fan all I could do is sit back and watch him rip through our secondary year after year. His video game self is even more of a maniac. (P.S. This game is over six years old and people are still creating modern rosters for it, NFL lets end this Madden exclusive thing and have a few options)
I'll be honest, this video makes it on the commentary alone, but I am a Jennings fan, but come on, this dude is a Jennings FAN. Broken leg and still carrying the load.
You probably know Leslie Bibb as that blonde woman from Iron Man, or, that blonde woman from Iron Man 2, and know you might know her as that girl from Zookeper (though if you're lucky you will never see that movie). I'm not sure when I got more scared during this interview, it was either when she said that when she sees cute babies she wants to punch them, or when she said she wanted to cut Anjelica Huston's face. Decide for yourself and be terrified.
An Osceola, Wis., man called police late Saturday night to report some criminal activity — his own.
Paul M. Frees, 30, met with an officer at the Osceola Police Department after saying he wanted to "get some things off his chest," according to a criminal complaint. At the police station, he told the officer he had been buying marijuana from someone in Stillwater about every other week and had sold some of the pot to a friend in Osceola.
Frees told police he had flushed the marijuana down the toilet and thrown a scale and pipe in a garbage can in his apartment before coming to the station, the complaint states.
Frees gave an officer permission to search his home. A postal scale, empty pill bottle, two zipper-lock bags and a "one-hitter" pipe were found in a garbage can, according to the complaint.
Frees was charged Monday with possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor. He has pleaded not guilty.
A call to Frees' home was not immediately returned Thursday.
Andy Rathbun can be reached at 651-228-2121.
This makes zero sense to me. A guy walks into the police station, admits he bought and share pot, then allows the police to search his home. During the search they find a one hit pipe and he still pleads not guilty? Now that takes balls. Congratulations dude, you're an idiot.
