Police refused to take missing person reports in serial killer case 1
Orlando shooter blames firm for his bankruptcy 2
Woman killed for selling rock salt as dope 3
By Pete Kotz in Animal Cruelty, unsolved
Thursday, Nov. 5 2009 @ 7:01AM
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Dogs and cats were nearly starved to death and without water
The City of Memphis has always been run like a Third World country -- think Rwanda or Cleveland. But now it's so bad that deputies were forced to raid the city animal shelter. The place that was supposed to be a haven for beaten dogs and cats was actually a torture chamber.

More than 200 animals were placed in the hands of volunteers after investigators found them starving and lacking water. Some dogs were starved so bad they had to be put down. Employees also kept rabid dogs next to healthy ones...

Tags: Tennessee
Wednesday, Nov. 4 2009 @ 2:19PM
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It was the second time Rodell Vereen was caught having sex with the same elderly horse
Barbara Kenley, owner of the Lazy B stables in Conway, South Carolina, noticed that her elderly horse Sugar was acting weird, and that things had been moved in her stall. So she set up a surveillance camera to uncloak this mystery.

When she reviewed the tape, she witnessed a man sneaking in to have sex with the horse. So she staked out the barn with a shotgun. That's when she nabbed 50-year-old Rodell Vereen, arriving for another bestial rendezvous.

This isn't the first time Kenley's caught the man. Two years ago, she checked up on her stable on Thanksgiving Day and found Vereen taking a post-coital nap in the hay beside his four-legged lover. At that time, he was charged with "buggery" -- yes, that's what it's called in South Carolina. He was sentenced to probation and forced to register as a sex offender...


Wednesday, Nov. 4 2009 @ 7:04AM
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Rascell Williams taped the hanging of his girlfriend's cat, but forgot to stay out of the picture
It's safe to say that Joanne Cichy could use a refresher course in finding a good man. When she arrived home Halloween night after trick-or-treating with her children in Syracuse, she couldn't find her 4-month-old kitten.

The next day she discovered a video on her camera showing the kitten hanging from a door with a belt tied around its neck, struggling before going still. Her creep of a live-in boyfriend, the appropriately named Rascell Williams, could be seen moving in and out of the picture. The cat was later found alive under the porch.

It's safe to say Williams is no longer Cichy's boyfriend, since she apparently called police. The douchebag is now charged with animal cruelty.

Tags: New York
By Pete Kotz in Animal Cruelty, Creeps, bizarre
Tuesday, Oct. 27 2009 @ 7:05AM
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Iris Hedrick's animals were so starved they were eating each other
A woman in Fredericksburg, Virginia will finally be going to the slam in an animal cruelty case that would make the most depraved Nazi proud. When police were tipped off about Iris Marie Hedrick, 40, they found dozens of dead animals at her home, ranging from sheep and goats to dogs.

Scores of others will still alive but so malnourished their ribs were showing. Goats were hanging from a fence with their necks broken. Pigs were so starved they were eating each other. And dogs were fighting over the carcass of a dead goat. None of the animals had access to food or water.

This is the second time Hedrick's been busted on cruelty charges. She was also convicted a year ago, but received a 6-month suspended sentence. This time around, the judge gave her a nine-year term, yet all but nine months has been suspended.

Tags: Virginia
Sunday, Oct. 25 2009 @ 7:11AM
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William Fenzau was found stabbed multiple times in the chest
Sunday's Breakfast Reading from around the Village Voice Empire:

Rush to Justice
Miami police scurry to make an arrest in the murder of a gay meth dealer. Blame it on the 48-hour deadline imposed by reality TV.

He Robbed the Wrong Woman
A Seattle women stabs home invader in the shoulder, then chases him down the street.

Fido Don't Fight No More
A dogfighting ring is busted in Boynton Beach, Florida thanks to an alert animal control officer.

Thursday, Oct. 22 2009 @ 8:05AM
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James Tait and his creepy friend taped themselves having sex with farm animals
Fabulous Breakfast Reading from around the Village Voice Empire:

A Suicide, Philanthropy and a $100,000 Check
Where would you take a huge check that doubles as a suicide note? To the bank or the cops?

James Tait Caught Sexcapading with Horses -- Again
Cops find videos of two men having sex with their farm's horses, shetland ponies and other animals.

Goobers Attempt to Steal Oil Pump
Sparks fly in low-speed police chase with Texas rednecks.

By Pete Kotz in Animal Cruelty
Thursday, Oct. 22 2009 @ 7:04AM
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Crystal Santiago-Griego deformed her dog by leaving it in a cage too small
When animal control officers first checked up on Crystal Santiago-Griego's Great Dane, they told the city bus driver that it needed to be neutered and vaccinated. But she failed to take care of the citation. When they came back seven months later, they found something much worse.

The dog had spent so much time in a small cage it had outgrown that it was now deformed and could barely walk. Santiago-Griego's apartment, meanwhile, was so trashed and so reeked of urine that it had to be condemned.

Crystal Santiago-Griego and her husband have since been convicted of animal cruelty. She was ordered to do 280 hours of community service at an animal shelter, and the couple can no longer own pets. (Doesn't that sentence sound a little contradictory?) Worst of all, she's been fired from her bus driving job.

Tags: New Mexico
By Pete Kotz in Animal Cruelty, Stupid Criminals
Wednesday, Oct. 21 2009 @ 7:07AM
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Christopher Shaw, Public Enemy No. 1 to felines everywhere
It's safe to say that Christopher Shaw is not a friend to felines. When his roommate left town for eight days, he volunteered to watch the cat. When the roomie returned, Shaw told him he'd accidentally stepped on Donna -- the cat's name -- at which point the cat scratched him. So Christopher locked it in the laundry room.

But that story didn't jibe with with a vet's examination, which found that Donna had severe head trauma, was now blind, couldn't walk and had her jaw bone ripped out of place. The cat also had infections from the jaw injury, and had cuts on her legs and feet.

When told of the new info, Shaw went for Excuse No. 2. He now claimed he'd actually kicked the cat down the stairs, but that still wasn't consistent with Donna's injuries...

Tags: Texas
By Pete Kotz in Animal Cruelty, organized crime
Tuesday, Oct. 20 2009 @ 6:56AM
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The Maragni home was overrun by an estimated 113 cats
This has to be some kind of record for the depraved treatment of animals. Last month, police discovered that Richard and Gloria Maragni were housing more than 100 cats in their Berkeley, New Jersey home. The house was so dirty and contaminated that authorities had to use masks when entering...


Tags: New Jersey
By Pete Kotz in Animal Cruelty, bizarre
Monday, Oct. 19 2009 @ 7:08AM
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Darren Daniels ran up multiple felonies because he just wanted a cig
In case you were looking for a batch of weirdness on this fine Monday morning, we have you covered. We go now to DeLand, Florida, home to Darren Douglas Daniels, who either has problems with temper tantrums, or just really likes cigarettes.

Our tale begins when his wife Kaela smoked their last cig. But instead of simply going out to buy another pack -- the option preferred by most smokers -- Darren decided to go bat-shit crazy. Kaela says he banged his head on the wall, smashing a hole through the drywall. She was scared enough to first lock herself in the bathroom, then flee outside to hide in some bushes in her pajamas... 

Tags: Florida