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08 Feb 2012 15:43

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U.S.: Another teacher suspected of aiding LA school’s pedophilia scandal

  • She was a teacher who would escort little girls into Berndt’s classroom when he was all alone. Berndt would come over in the middle of day, whisper in her ear, and they would giggle, and then teacher would pick out two girls, escort them through a common door, so that they were stuck with a pedophile in this classroom.
  • Lawyer Bryan Claypool • Speaking on the rash of horrific charges to emerge from the pedophilia case at Miramonte Elementary, in the Los Angeles County School District. Claypool says he notified the Sheriff’s department after becoming aware of a female teacher, who he believes “patently aided and abetted” the alleged pedophilic abuse methods of fellow teacher Mark Berndt, one of two former teachers arrested on such charges. As a consequence of the scandal, and the public outrage directed at the school, the entire staff has been removed pending further decision. Be warned, the full details of this story are quite graphic and disgusting. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Feb 2012 20:03

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U.S.: Amid molestation scandals, parents keep Miramonte Elementary students home

  • 73% of Miramonte students showed up Monday source
  • » And parents were protesting outside: Roughly three dozen parents and supporters protested outside the L.A.-area school Monday, which has been rocked by two shocking but unrelated allegations of sexual molestation. The first case, involving a former teacher accused of doing unspeakable things to his students (note: trigger warning), was shocking enough; the second case, involving a teacher active until last week, only worsened things, as the allegations against him came out only as a result of the first case. The initial allegations did not lead to parents keeping their children home en masse (as the school had over 90 percent attendance throughout last week), but the second case, however, did. Low attendance hurts the school’s funding, so this hurt financially, but the school will also close Tuesday and Wednesday for emergency staff meetings, so the pain could go even deeper for the school. And things might go deeper: A third allegation at a different school in the region led to the arrest of a janitor.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2012 16:31

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U.S.: Second teacher accused of molestation at Los Angeles-area school

  • Monday Los Angeles’ Miramonte Elementary School was cast under a pall after unspeakable allegations against one of its third-grade teachers, Mark Berndt, surfaced. We covered the allegations over here. (Note: Trigger warning.) Let’s just say it’s not pretty, and was so bad that his $2.3 million bail was increased tenfold later in the week.
  • Thursday Another student, inspired by the arrest of Berndt, came forward in regards to another teacher at the school. The teacher has been removed from their duties while the investigation continues. Also, word that Berdnt was investigated for molestation in 1994 has surfaced, leading to much anger at the school district. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Dec 2011 11:15

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U.S.: New audio from Dallas-area Christmas day shooting surfaces

  • “I am shooting people.” That’s what Azizolah Yazdanpanah could be heard whispering on a 911 recording — while, dressed as Santa Claus, he shot six of his family members, before turning the trigger on himself. Grapevine, Texas police investigators initially thought the recording was blank, but after enhancing the audio, they were able to pick up new details, painting a fuller picture of the situation as it happened. Also of note: Yazdanpanah’s niece, Sara Fatemeh Zarei, texted a friend prior to the shooting, dismissively noting her uncle’s costume and saying, “Now he wants to be all fatherly and win father of the year.” Yazdanpanah reportedly suffered from financial hardships prior to the shooting, but investigators say they may never know what caused him to fire upon his own family. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Dec 2011 12:20

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U.S.: Mystery surrounds Christmas Day murder-suicide near Dallas

  • 6 family members killed by a relative dressed as Santa Claus source
  • » A family, aged 18-60, killed: Investigators worked overnight through Monday morning to figure out what happened Sunday, as a home in Grapevine, Texas, turned into a deadly scene. “Seven people in one setting in Grapevine, that’s never happened before. Ever,” said Grapevine Police Lt. Todd Dearing, who noted victims were related, but some may not have lived in the apartment. Many of the buildings are vacant around the apartment, and the only word of the shooting was a 911 call from a line with no answer on the other end.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Dec 2011 10:30

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U.S.: NYPD: Deadly elevator fire ambush incident was over unpaid debt

  • The woman killed owed the suspect $2,000, according to the suspect. The man who allegedly ambushed a woman getting out of an elevator was upset about not receiving payment over work he had done for her, according to the NYPD. The victim, 74-year-old Deloris Gillespie, reportedly took the suspect, Jerome Isaac, in for about six months as he worked for her, but their relationship had deteriorated, and he had been removed from Gillespie’s home earlier this year. One interesting facet about the story: One of the people who lived on the same floor as Gillespie, Jaime Holguin, is an AP employee who knew both the suspect and the victim, and is cited heavily throughout the source article. For now, Holguin and other residents have been evacuated from the building, as remnants of the brutal attack, including a melted elevator door, remain. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Dec 2011 10:27

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U.S.: Horrific elevator attack: Woman set on fire by man she allegedly knew

  • In these screenshots shown above, the suspect in this deadly attack is shown dousing a woman with gasoline and lighting a Molotov cocktail, which he then threw at the victim. According to authorities (who haven’t released the identity of the man or the motive in the attack), the man knew 74-year-old new york city, nyc, nyc elevators, nyc elevator attack, Molotov cocktail, firebombing attack, Deloris Gillespie, and was waiting for her when her elevator came down. He then ambushed her. The man walked into a police station Saturday night, reeking of gasoline, and implicated himself in the horrific death. Awful situation all around. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
 
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