Phoenix, AZ – One police officer’s story is going viral today for its uncanny warmth and goodness. Police Sgt. Natalie Simonick reminds us that cops can still be the day-to-day heroes we know them to be.

The 46-year-old sergeant was on patrol at around 11pm when she spotted a young man walking alone in the dark. She stopped 18-year-old Christian Felix, thinking that he was a teen out past curfew.

“And I pulled over and I asked him what he was doing,” Simonick recalled. “He said, ‘Walking home, I missed the bus.’”

Simonick offered Felix a ride home, and during the conversation they had found that he had never ridden a bicycle before. ”He never had a father in his life, so he had no one to teach him,” she said.

That’s why Felix would sometimes have to walk 9 miles back home after a shift at McDonalds if he had missed the bus.

She recalled being impressed by Felix. “He doesn’t drink and doesn’t smoke,” she said. “He had never had any contact with police as far as negative contact.”

After giving Felix a ride home, Simonick spoke to her husband and they agreed to give the young man an extra bike they owned. She also enlisted members of her squad to help teach Felix learn how to ride one. Last month, he had his first lesson at the Phoenix police precinct parking lot. After about 45 minutes, he was riding on his own.

Since then, Simonick and Felix have kept in touch, and she said that she wants to continue to help Felix if possible. Felix has also never driven a car before, and Simonick hinted that that might be next.

So why did she help him?

“If everybody could help just one person in the world like this, I think it would definitely be a better place to live,” she said.

As far as Felix is concerned, Sgt. Simonick’s kindness is something he won’t soon forget.

“It’s really something when someone comes up on the street and offers to do a kindness for you,” Felix told ABC affiliate KNXV. “These days you don’t see anything like that.”

What do you think of the story? Do you wish that the police wound up in the news more for stories like this? Sound off!

[Image via: Kryvenok Anastasiia, Shutterstock]

Police Officer Gives Bike To Teen Who Walks 9 Miles To Work [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona sent a handwritten note to the mother of a shooting victim expressing sadness over her son’s death and assuring her that strengthening background checks was something they agreed on. Then when the issue of expanding background checks came before the Senate last Wednesday, Flake chose to vote against it.

Caren Teves lost her son during a mass shooting within a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado over the summer. She wrote a letter to Senator Flake inviting him over to her home to sit in her son’s chair and feel the emptiness, followed by dinner and a discussion of guns. Flake’s response, available below, reads (bolding added for emphasis):

“Dear Ms. Teves,

I wanted to apologize for the fact that you received a form letter from my office in response to your heartfelt note. I regret that you received an impersonal response to such personal words.

I am truly sorry for your deep loss. Your son’s actions were truly heroic.

I read your letter. While we may not agree on many solutions, strengthening background checks is something we agree on.

Your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Thank you for your note.

Kind regards,

Jeff Flake”

After raising Teves’s hopes, Flake chose to vote against a bipartisan proposal to expand background checks. The amendment, brought forward by Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, would have expanded background checks to cover sales at gun shows and online. What was Flake’s reason for opposing background checks?

“I think a lot of us had real issues with the Manchin-Toomey approach,” Flake said on Fox News the next day. “In my case, I thought it encroached into private sales too much. It’s not that Republicans don’t want to do something on this. Most of us do. I think all of us do. That wasn’t the right approach.”

The problem? Politico reports that the Manchin-Toomey approach explicitly left private person-to-person sales alone. Sure, I didn’t read all of the Manchin-Toomey background checks bill to find out for myself, but one would think Senator Flake should.

[Featured image via Gage Skidmore [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons]

[Letter via ThinkProgress]

Senator Writes Letter To Victim’s Mother, Votes Down Background Checks Anyway is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ohio State was able to survive the upset bid by Iowa State and advance to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

The Buckeyes were able to hold off the Cyclones charge thanks in large part to shooting 50 percent from beyond the three-point arc. It was actually a last second three-point shot by Aaron Craft that allowed OSU to move on in the tournament.

Had the Cyclones managed to pull off the upset, they hardly would have been alone. The section of the bracket that the two teams are in has especially seen a ton of lower seeds knocking off the higher seeded teams.

The Western portion of the bracket has seen Gonzaga (1), New Mexico (3), Kansas State (4), Wisconsin (5), Notre Dame (7), and Pittsburgh (8) all lose to lower seeded teams and fail to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

Ohio State and Arizona are the only two higher seeds that have managed to take care of business in both of their games. The three pointer that Craft managed to hit was the only one he hit today, despite the fact that the team as a whole was 9 for 18 from three-point land.

Before that Craft had been struggling, shooting just 4 for 9 from the field including a key missed jumped with about 30 seconds to go in the game.

For Iowa State, Korey Lucious did his best to help the team win. Lucious hit 5 of 7 three point attempts and finished with 19 points. Iowa State looked like it might be yet another Cinderella team after they beat Notre Dame in their first game and fell just short of yet another upset victory today.

With the win, the Buckeyes will take on Arizona next week in the only  matchup that will feature the two single digit seeds in the western side of the bracket.

Can Ohio State make some noise in the rest of the NCAA Tournament?

Ohio State Survives Upset Bid By Iowa State is a post from: The Inquisitr

Arizona ended Harvard’s wannabe Cinderella run through the NCAA tournament by beating them on Satuday, 74-51.

The Wildcats were able to manhandle the Ivy League champions thanks in large part to a 30-9 run to open the game. During the run, the Crimson missed 20 of their first 22 shots from the field and that proved to be enough for the Wildcats to win.

Shooting guard Mark Lyons was led the way for his team by matching a career high in scoring with 27 points. Lyons hit on 12 of 17 shots taken, including 3 of 6 from beyond the three point line.

The 14th seeded Harvard Crimson had shocked the basketball world with their second round win over New Mexico. That win was so distressing to at least one journo for the Lobos that he announced he was no longer covering the team shortly after the team was booted from the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Arizona was able to get hot and stay hot when it came to shooting the basketball. The team managed to shoot more than 55 percent from the field, including 60 percent (9-15) from beyond three point range.

As hot as the Wildcats were, the Crimson were just as cold. Starting 2 for 22 from the field will make anyone get into a bit of a funk. Harvard finished the game shooting just 27.6 percent from the field.

The Ivy League champs also hit just 27.8 percent from three-point land.

Lyons and the Wildcats continued their ridiculously hot shooting from their first game. In their win against Belmont, Lyons scored 23 points and the team as a whole shot over 55 percent from the field.

The Wildcats also shot better than 50 percent from beyond the arc in that game as their offense was too much for usually game Belmont Bruins team.

Arizona will next take on the winner of the Iowa State-Ohio State game next week in the Sweet Sixteen.

Arizona Ends Harvard’s 2013 NCAA Tournament Run is a post from: The Inquisitr

Gabrielle Giffords is starring in a new TV ad urging Congress to enact laws on gun control.

Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman and Democrat, has become a quintessential gun control advocate since she was shot in 2011 in Tucson, about a mile away from Oro Valley. Being a victim makes her a perfect spokesperson for the cause, and she knows it.

In the ad, Gabrielle Giffords speaks slowly but clearly, narrating the ad paid for by Americans for Responsible Solutions, an organization created by her and her husband Mark Kelly. According to the Tucson Citizen, sad images in the ad remind viewers of mass shootings in Colorado, Wisconsin, and, of course Tucson, where Gabrielle Giffords was among those shot. The images pass on the screen as she speaks:

“We have a problem. Where we shop; where we pray; where our children go to school. But there are solutions we can agree on, even gun owners like us. Take it from me, Congress must act. Let’s get this done.”

The gun reform ad is the first by the Giffords’ organization and is scheduled to run in Washington, D.C., and four other top congressional districts including Cincinnati, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Louisville, Kentucky.

The ad is backed by a six-figure budget and will run this week on major networks including on Tuesday in amendment to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

According to Yahoo News, Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly will attend President Obama’s State of the Union address as guests of Arizona Democratic Republican Ron Barber, the successor to Giffords in Congress, and Arizona Republican Senator John McCain.

Do you think Gabrielle Giffords’ gun reform ad will be enough to speed things along in the government?

State Of The Union Address: Gabrielle Giffords In New Gun Reform Ad is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix, AZ – We keep saying “be careful what you put on Facebook.” A woman said that some days, she wishes she would be fired on Facebook, causing her boss to oblige the request the very next day.

Amy McClenathan posted that she “wish[ed she] could get fired some days, it would be easier to be at home than to have to go through this,” reports MSN. The very next day, her boss made her wish come true.

“It was a very small sentence, but it was one of the most powerful sentences I’ve ever typed in my life,” she said.

McClenathan said that she was having a rough day at work on the one-year anniversary of her mother’s death, and that she wasn’t feeling work that day. After posting the status to Facebook, she was fired by her company the next day.

She’s not exactly alone, either. AZ Family reports that former Arizona Daily Star reporter Brian Pedersen was fired in 2010 for posting a series of tweets about a homicide wave in Tuscon.

He said that the killings became so regular that cops called Fridays “homicide Fridays.” He had worked for the paper for 11 years, and said that his tweets were sarcastic in nature. “I was saying, ‘WTF! No overnight homicides? You’re slacking Tucson,’” Pedersen said. “You stay homicidal, Tucson. See Star Net for the bloody deets,” read another.

McClenathan said that she’ll think twice about posting anything about work on social media. She said she had been blacklisted from her industry, and has been unable to find work since her firing.

“Don’t put it on social media. It never goes away and it can ruin your life,” she said.

Have you ever posted about your job on Facebook?

Woman Asks To Be Fired On Facebook, Boss Obliges Next Day [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Scottsdale, AZ – The original Batmobile has sold at auction for $4.6 million, just slightly less than the $5 million price tag it was predicted to sell for.

The original 19-foot bubble-topped car used in the 60s Batman television show sold at the Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. auction Saturday. The selling price was released by auctioneers, but they would not disclose the identity of the buyer (which is why we have reporters), reports MSN.

The car’s previous owner was George Barris, a custom car guy who tweaked a 1955 Lincoln Futura into the iconic Batmobile we all know and love.

“With every pow, bang, wow, wee, I wanted the car to do something just like the actors,” the 87-year-old Barris said in an interview before the auction. “The car had to be a star on its own. And it became one.”

Though there are many replicas of the original Batmobile out there, the one sold on Saturday was the first, and was actually used in the TV series, reports CNN. This had some experts wondering whether collectors would pay up to $5 million for the original car when so many functional “clones” are available.

Well, someone was willing to pay at least $4.6 million for it. That someone is Rick Champagne, a Phoenix-area logistics company owner.

“I really liked Batman growing up and I came here with the intention of buying the car,” the 56-year-old told Reuters after winning the Batmobile. “Sure enough, I was able to buy it. That was a dream come true.”

Fun fact: Ventriloquist/comedian Jeff Dunham owns the 1989 Batmobile from Tim Burton’s Batman.

Original Batmobile Sells For $4.6M, Close To $5M Prediction is a post from: The Inquisitr

Scottsdale, AZ – The Batmobile can be yours for $5 million.

MSN reports that the Batmobile used in the Batman television series is up for auction in Arizona this weekend. A Lincoln Futura, created in 1955, the Batmobile has been on display at the North Hollywood shop where it was built since 1968, when the Adam West and Burt Ward Batman television series ended.

The car is equipped with bulletproof Plexiglas bubbles on top, and is perhaps the most iconic and memorable element from the 60s TV series.

The Batmobile may fetch $5 million at auction.

It is owned by George Barris, who also made the vehicles that were used in other popular TV shows of the era including The Munsters and Beverly Hillbillies. According to Barris, customizing the Lincoln Futura into the iconic Batmobile took 15 days and cost $15,000. I’d call that a good return of investment.

Some experts believe the Batmobile will sell for up to $5 million due to its uniqueness at the annual Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale. CNBC describes the event as the “car-a-palooza of auto-collecting.”

Also on the auction block are a Mercedes once owned by silver screen star Clark Gable and the General Lee, the iconic car used by Bo and Luke Duke in the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard, reports Yahoo.

Barrett-Jackson CEO Craig Jackson said that he expects the auction to surpass the company auction record of $108 million from 2007. He thinks that whoever shells out $5 million for the Batmobile will have ties to a museum or movie company tied to the Batman franchise rather than a private buyer.

“It looks like we have a good chance,” he said of selling the Batmobile for $5 million. “This is the real deal.”

Here’s a short video of the Batmobile on display. Do you think the Batmobile will fetch $5 million at auction?

Batmobile May Fetch $5 Million At Arizona Auction is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hoover Dam is more than just a sight-seeing tourist trap. It also supplies power to Nevada, California and Arizona. And according to OSHA, Hoover Dam is the not-so-proud owner of 58 violations.

Inspectors for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration found violations in July and October, including lead contamination, electrical hazards, inadequate personal protection and machinery guards, and the possibility that electric plant workers could be exposed to hexavalent chromium, which may lead to cancer according to a statement released Monday.

None of the violations threatened the structural integrity of the dam or jeopardized the safety of the public, said Terry Fulp, regional chief of the Bureau of Reclamation. Fulp said:

“We are taking the necessary steps to ensure the issues raised are fixed and do not happen again.”

The violations are also due to outdated building code, and no incidents have occurred as a result yet, states FOX News.

The Hoover Dam holds back the Lake Mead reservoir, which supplies almost all the drinking water supply of Las Vegas. Water released through the hydropower plant supplies businesses and homes downstream. Some 1 million tourists a year visit the colossal structure, its massive hydropower plant and its architectural elements.

None of the visitors were endangered, Rose Davis, spokeswoman for the dam operations office in Boulder City said.

OSHA expects a response by the end of the month, OSHA spokeswoman Deanne Amaden said. She added that Bureau of Reclamation officials can request additional time to correct violations, according to KTAR, “The Voice of Arizona”. Some included improper location of fire extinguishers and placement of extension cords. Nearly thirty of the violations were a quick fix.

Other violations included doors opening the wrong direction, and date from the dam’s construction in the 1930s, Davis said.

Nobody has been seriously hurt as a result of these 58 violations, but they must be fixed as soon as possible.

OSHA Vs Hoover Dam: Fifty-Eight Strikes is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tucson, AZ – A Tucson father bought a refurbished Nintendo DS for his kids, but as he booted it up to set parental controls, he found that the portable gaming device was packed with pornography.

Cameron Willett bought the Nintendo DS from a Tucson GameStop, and was appalled when he found it packed to the gills with pornographic images, reports AZFamily. “Multiple pictures, multiple positions, just not a good Christmas present,” said Willett.

Willet returned the Nintendo DS to the GameStop he bought it from, demanding to know why there were pornographic images on the device. They said they had no idea how pornographic images ended up on the device (hello, refurbished!) but that they would look into it (which is corporatespeak for “here’s a new Nintendo DS, please go away now”).

“We are currently researching this transaction and our top priority is to try and make this right for our customers,” said GameStop in a statement. “We have a process in place to ensure that existing content is removed before they are resold.”

Does that statement sound familiar? This whole story should sound familiar, actually. It’s not the first time this exact thing happened this Christmas season. We reported a week ago on a Colorado dad named Mark Giles who also found X-rated images on a Nintendo 3DS intended for his kids. Scratch that: His son actually found the porn and dutifully reported it to his dad.

Cameron Willett’s kin were much more fortunate than the Giles family.

“If she would have saw those, it would have, I mean God, I’m glad she didn’t, I don’t know what I would have done,” Willett said.

Pretty much the only response to finding porn on a Nintendo DS, Mr. Willett.

Tucson Dad Buys Nintendo DS For Kids, Finds It’s Packed With Porn [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Neighors across an Arizona suburb have voiced their anger after an adult website began to broadcast content 24 hours a day on their street.

The site, Fratpad.com, showcases a hoard of naked male housemates, who have just moved into a seven-bedroom mansion in Paradise Valley, to adult subscribers that can also pay to chat to the men privately.

Their website shows, both naked and partially dressed, pictures of the 12 men in the 7,500 square-foot property, which includes seven bathrooms, a jacuzzi, and a cinema room.

This business venture though has been met with the ire of local residents who have criticised the ‘pornography house’ that has opened up in the middle of their neighorhood.

One homeowner has already written to each resident, warning them of the activities that are taking place in the abode. He then hopes that they will themselves complain to the City Council about it.

Lee Morris, another resident in the area, told AZFamily.com, that the house ‘should not be tolerated.’

However Fratpad’s owner, John Marsh, believes that his business is good for Paradise Valley, stating, “[We have] really saved that house from foreclosure. We’ve been taking very good care of it.”

He did acknowledge that the website is ‘adult-orientated’ and designed for the more mature viewer, but did add that his company has ‘other website properties that are operated in other locations that are much more sexually explicit than Fratpad.’

Police have investigated the property, which is valued at $1.74 million, but have not found any code violations. Would you like to live next to Fratpad’s mansion?

Neighbors Complain After Mansion Is Turned Into Location For 24/7 Porn Webcast is a post from: The Inquisitr

Scottsdale, AZ – Cocopah Middle School was placed on lockdown after an armed individual was allegedly spotted on the campus before school was called to session on Wednesday morning. Cocopah Middle School is located near 64th Street and Shea Boulevard, according to KFYI News.

A food service worker reported seeing a man wearing a long coat and carrying a holstered weapon on school property around 6 am, according to AZ Family.com. A message on the Arizona middle school’s website reads:

“Due to a police situation in the area, the perimeter around Cocopah Middle School is closed. We are requesting that you drop your child off in the Chaparral Auditorium on the north side of the campus. Teachers and staff will supervise children.

Cocopah Middle School officials have delayed the start of the school day while law enforcement officers search for the allegedly armed suspect. Automated phone calls to parents from the Arizona middle school principal about the incident reportedly went out at 7:25 am on Wednesday.

The Scottsdale middle school is located near the Chaparral High School. Parent Becky Almarez told Fox 10 News station that her daughter sent her a text message letting her know that she was away from the school and in a safe place but that she couldn’t talk on her phone. The little girl also made sure to tell her mommy that she loved her in the text message.

The Scottsdale Police Department is still searching the Cocopah Middle School and investigating reports of the armed suspects allegedly spotted on the campus. In light of the recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Scottsdale law enforcement officers are taking the reports even more seriously. Check back with The Inquisitr for updates on this breaking news story.

Arizona: Cocopah Middle School On Lockdown After Armed Suspect On Campus Report is a post from: The Inquisitr

Norwich, England – Officials believe that hundreds of black widow spiders may have hatched while traveling between Arizona and England, according to AOL Travel.

During its journey across the pond, the container full of tires spawned a horrifying number of the venomous spiders. The last thing employees at Fendercare Marine in Norwich expected to find inside the shipment was an army of deadly arachnids.

In order to contain all of the black widow spiders, the staff called in pest control experts. The Mirror reports that, while employees aren’t exactly sure how many spiders were inside the crate, the creatures are estimated to have numbered in the hundreds.

Experts reportedly removed two of the eight-legged stowaways for identification purposes.

Fendercare Marine’s Mark Cook was as surprised as anyone to find the spiders hiding out inside the shipping container. He explained that black widows aren’t something they encounter on a regular basis.

“We take containers from all over the place, and our guys are used to checking for wildlife, so when they opened the doors they spotted the spiders and shut the doors to keep them trapped in,” he told EDP24.

While nobody wants to get bitten by one of these poisonous spiders, Cook said the power of their venom is often over-exaggerated by the general public.

“The poor little creatures have got a bad reputation with people thinking that their bite is immediately fatal, but generally people are just fairly sick,” the manager explained.

Last month, a woman in Massachusetts had an unexpected encounter with a black widow spider after purchasing a bag of grapes from a local supermarket. The arachnid survived five days inside a refrigerator before it was discovered.

“I’d been opening the bag, snipping off a clump and closing the bag back up,” Laurie Kaiser told CBS Boston. “I washed each clump before we ate it. In fact, it was as I was getting ready to rinse off a clump when I saw the spider.”

What would you do if you discovered hundreds of black widow spiders inside a shipping container?

Hundreds Of Black Widow Spiders Hatch Inside Shipping Container is a post from: The Inquisitr

Obama voters have been effectively banned from an Arizona gun store, according to MSN. The owner believes that anyone who supports the President isn’t responsible enough to own a firearm.

If you openly admit to casting your vote for Barack Obama in this year’s presidential election, then the owner of Southwest Shooting Authority in Pinetop, Arizona will not do business with you. In his opinion, Obama supporters aren’t worthy of gun ownership.

“If you voted for Obama, please turn around and leave! You have proven you are not responsible enough to own a firearm!” a sign outside the gun store explains. Owner Cope Reynolds said the message was posted “to save you the trouble of walking all the way in here.”

“Obviously, this is nothing more than a political statement,” Reynolds said in an email to the Phoenix New Times. “Of course, it would be impossible to enforce. If they don’t say anything, we’ll never know. They could purchase whatever they wanted, and they would probably get a big kick out of thinking that they are rubbing it in our face as they walk out the door. Some folks are easily amused that way.”

He added, “However, if they own up to it, we will not serve them. This goes way beyond gun control, which many think is why we did this. I should have as much right to post a sign on my door as those that post ‘No Guns’ on their doors.”

Cope Reynolds further explained his decision in a recent letter to the folks at AmmoLand.com.

“We will try to demonstrate once again that the bottom line for our business is principle, not money,” Reynolds wrote. “Yes, it has been damaging at times but our values are intact.”

Do you think Cope Reynolds should be allowed to ban Obama voters from his gun store?

Obama Voters Banned From Arizona Gun Store is a post from: The Inquisitr

Holly Solomon ran down her husband with the family car in Phoenix, Arizona after he skipped out on the chance to vote in the Presidential elections. Holly expected her husband to vote for Mitt Romney.

Solomon, 28, was arrested after she chased down her husband and pinned him underneath the vehicle.

According to police spokesman Sergeant Jesse Sanger, 36-year-old Daniel Solomon is listed in critical condition, but doctors expect him to survive the murder attempt.

Daniel told police that his wife was enraged over his “lack of voter participation.” Daniel also claimed that his wife believed their family would face hardship because of President Obama’s win.

According to witnesses, the couple broke out in a fight on Saturday morning. The argument began in a parking lot before Holly jumped in the family vehicle and began chasing her husband around the parking lot.

Daniel Solomon managed to hide behind a light pole before attempting to flee to a nearby street. His attempt to get away failed, which led to the attempted murder.

While “every vote counts,” the truth is Arizona’s 11 electoral votes were won by Mitt Romney regardless of Daniel’s lack of voting, and they wouldn’t have made a difference regardless of their outcome. Obama won 332 electoral votes to Mitt Romney’s 206 electoral votes.

This sadly is not the first time we have reported about spousal violence brought about by election results.

Solomon has been charged with domestic violence and aggravated assault.

If her objective was to turn her husband into a Democrat, she might have reached that goal.

Arizona Woman Runs Down Husband After He Fails To Vote For Mitt Romney is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tuscon, AZ – Jared Lee Loughner, the man who pleaded guilty to an Arizona shooting rampage that killed six and wounded 14 others including former US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, faced the survivors of his crimes during his sentencing hearing Thursday.

During the hearing, a judge declared Loughner competent to face the charges against him. He declined to speak throughout the hearing, during which his surviving victims tearfully addressed him for the first time, reports NBC News.

Loughner was confronted by survivors over the January 2011 shooting at a Giffords political event outside of a grocery store in Tuscon, AZ. Loughner’s parents were present and weeping in the court room, as well as Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly (though it is unknown whether or not they planned to speak).

Three months ago, Loughner pleaded guilty to 19 federal charges under a plea agreement that guarantees he will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole. The deal includes the dismissal of 30 other charges and a sentence of seven consecutive life terms, followed by 140 years in prison.

After the shooting, Loughner was diagnosed with schizophrenia and underwent forcible psychotropic drug treatments. Still, a judge declared that Loughner was able to understand the charges leveled against him.

Suzi Hileman, who was shot three times by Loughner while trying to save her 9-year-old neighbor, plans to address the court. “He has to pay the consequences for what he did, and justice will be served,” Hileman said.

Christina Pietz, the court-appointed psychologist who treated Loughner, said that while he was competent to plead guilty, his severe mental illnesses could cause his condition to deteriorate under the stress of trial. Loughner famously thought that he had succeeded in killing Giffords, and considered himself a failure when he learned that she had survived.

Whether or not Loughner will face federal lock-up or be allowed to serve his sentence in a prison medical facility is currently unknown.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Gabby Giffords’ Shooter Jared Loughner Faces Victims In Court, Declines To Speak is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix, AZ - Members of an Iraqi family who beat a teenage relative and padlocked her to a bed after she violated their traditional values by chatting to a male friend were spared jail time in a plea deal approved by a county judge on Tuesday.

According to NBC News, in exchange for a guilty plea, Yusra Farhan, 51, was sentenced to two years of probation on a charge of unlawful imprisonment of her daughter, 19-year-old Aiya Altameemi, at the family’s Phoenix home in February, court officials said.

Aiya Altameemi’s father, Mohammed Altameemi, also received two years of probation for disorderly conduct. The victim’s 18-year-old sister, Tabarak Altameemi, received the same sentence for assault, officials said.

Prosecutors said that the incident started when Aiya was spotted leaving her high school with a young man. After seeing her leave school with the boy, her father and his younger daughter Tabarak confronted the young woman.

Police said that Mohammed Altameemi became very angry and took her straight home, striking her several times. Her mother Farhan and sister Tabarak also admitted to tying her to a bed with a rope around her waist that was secured with a padlock. After being secured to the bed, they beat her, according to court records.

Farhan told police that she hit her daughter because she “was speaking to a male subject and her Iraq culture states a female is not allowed to be having contact with males because females are not allowed to have boyfriends,” court records said.

Aiya told school officials two days that “her family is trying to protect her and they want her to be a virgin for an arranged marriage,” according to court documents.

A county attorney spokesman declined to comment on the sentence.

Attorneys for Aiya Altameemi’s family members could not be reached for comment.

Mom Locks Up And Beats Daughter For Talking To Boy, Gets Probation is a post from: The Inquisitr

An investigation into the Arizona Army National Guard has turned up some startling allegations, accusing military recruiters of a decade of unchecked misconduct. The Arizona Republic reports that a small group of military recruiters – who are assigned to visit high schools in an effort to enlist students into the armed forces – engaged in sexual abuse, forgery, embezzlement and assaults, including “riding a Humvee and shooting paintball guns at homeless people.”

Investigators from the National Guard asserted that the gross misconduct went ignored, partly because many supervisors were also engaged in “unethical behavior.” Even when discipline was meted out, it was slight. NBC News reports that non-commissioned officers (NCOs) caught driving drunk in military vehicles were “dealt with lightly,” that recruiters who forged records and took fraudulent paychecks were merely transferred. Allegedly, one recruiter had sex with a female enlistee, but was still allowed to deploy overseas. Once overseas, he was disciplined for “similar offenses,” and was transferred to the California National Guard … as a high school recruiter.

Staff Sgt. Chad Wille reported the alleged inappropriate behavior, and was “harassed” by colleagues. Wille was confronted by an angry local while filling up a military Humvee at a gas station. The local man reported that he had seen the same vehicle weeks earlier, driving through town shooting people with paintball guns. Wille addressed the man who had the keys to the Humvee during the alleged shootings, Master Sgt. Joseph Martin. Martin told Wille that he had given the keys to fellow recruiter Sgt. 1st Class Michael Amerson, then asked Wille, “You’re not aware of the bum hunts?”

Wille reported Amerson, the driver who had allegedly led the “bum hunts,” but was told by his supervision to “let it go.” Amerson taunted Wille in a text message, saying “Ha, ha, ha, [they're] not going to do anything.” Wille, a retired police officer and new to the National Guard, reported, “I got a little angry, and the police department (training) came back out of me.”

And then the real trouble began.

Wille was ostracized for “whistle-blowing,” which is a military member’s protected right to report misconduct without fear of retaliation. Wille, however, began experiencing plenty of retaliation. While questioning fellow recruiters about Amerson’s actions, he was met with silence. Until he started talking to the young enlistees. Soon, a 17-year-old private admitted to taking part in Amerson’s “missions targeting the homeless.” The teen told Wille that she and other female cadets were “pressured by Amerson to cruise with him and flash their breasts at indigents, who were induced to dance, sing or show their own bosoms for money.” The young private reported that in one of the alleged “bum hunts,” Amerson offered a homeless woman $10 to expose her breasts. He then refused to pay, “then screeched away as the lady grabbed onto the recruiting vehicle’s passenger window.” An investigation into the incident reports, “The female was pulled along and then spun off the car, landing on the ground. She (the soldier) did not know if the female was hurt because they did not stop.”

One teenage recruit claimed that, as part of an alleged mandatory physical, Amerson took her to his private office:

“[Amerson] instructed her to remove her shirt so he could determine whether she was pregnant. According to investigative records, she wept describing how he used a tape measure and fondled her, making her feel ‘dirty and disgusted,’ then took her to a pharmacy to get a pregnancy test, which came out negative.”

Throughout the investigation, many military members allegedly received phone calls encouraging them to remain silent or lie when asked about the goings on at the Phoenix office. One young private, who was recruited by Amerson, told investigators: “I wasn’t following the Army Code of Conduct — the rules of the Army — and I guess I sort of got that idea from Sgt. Amerson that ‘You can do whatever you want, as long as people don’t know.’”

Amerson insisted that “There was nothing behind any of that,” reports The Arizona Republic.

Sgt. 1st Class Marie Ann Neilson allegedly reported that Amerson was having an affair with a teenager. Instead of disciplining Amerson, “supervisors reacted by forcing the female soldier to quit the National Guard.” Neilson reported, “Everybody was yelling at her for an inappropriate relationship, but he was the guy: ‘Hey, good for you. You got the young girl.’ And that was their attitude.”

Wille, meanwhile, has been ostracized. His office asked him to retire, and he even received a death threat for shedding light on the behavior of Amerson and others. Many have been demoted and disciplnied as a result of the case Wille brought into the light. Investigators found Amerson guilty of fraternization, vehicle misuse, recruiting improprieties and dishonesty. He was demoted to private and given an other-than-honorable discharge, although he was not criminally prosecuted or court-martialed. According to The Arizona Republican, his discharge evaluation reads: “Failed every soldier, NCO and officer in the command by using his position for his own pleasure and personal gain.”

Readers: How does this make you feel about accountability among military members? Should Amerson have been arrested and charge for his dealings with the young recruits?

Military Recruiters Allegedly Sleep With Enlistees, Shoot Homeless With Paintball Guns is a post from: The Inquisitr

A shooting near Naco, Arizona Tuesday left one border patrol agent dead and another wounded, and now a manhunt for those responsible is underway.

CNN reports that Nicholas Ivie, 30, and another officer responded to a sensor reading near the border prior to the shooting. The name of the wounded officer has not been disclosed, and very little information about the incident has been released. The wounded Border Patrol agent’s injuries are not considered life threatening.

James Turgal of the FBI declined to tell CNN whether or not the  border patrol agents returned fire or whether any weapons were recovered at the scene. Turgal also would not comment as to whether or not the shooting could be related to the “Fast and Furious” gun-smuggling sting operation. The FBI and the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident together.

The Washington Post reported that Ivie’s family received a phone call from President Barack Obama expressing his condolences and thanking them for his “selfless service to his nation.”

Ivie, the youngest of five siblings, was married with two daughters and lived in Sierra Vista, Arizona. The deceased was stationed at the Naco Border Patrol Station, which was recently renamed after Brian Terry, a Border Patrol killed in the line of duty in December 2010. Terry’s death led to the disclosure of the botched “Fast and Furious” sting.

According to the Post, the shooting took place about seven miles east of Bisbee.

Ivie was the 14th border patrol agent killed since 2008 and the third killed this year.

Border Patrol Agent Killed, Manhunt Underway is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix, AZ – When Mayor Greg Stanton was challenged by local activist groups to live on a food stamp budget during the week kicking-off Hunger Awareness Month, he decided to play along and found out just how hard it really was.

Throughout the challenge, Stanton kept a diary. He lived on roughly $29 a week, just like the 1.1 million Arizonans who receive supplemental assistance through SNAP each week. He admitted by day four that he was “tired,” and that it was “hard to focus” going through his work day without eating a decent breakfast.

Stanton wrote:

“OK- ran out the door today with no time to scramble eggs or even make a sandwich. So I’m surviving on an apple and handful of peanuts, and the coffee I took to the office until dinner. I’m tired, and it’s hard to focus. I can’t go buy a sandwich because that would be cheating- even the dollar menu at Taco Bell is cheating. You can’t use SNAP benefits at any restaurants, fast food or otherwise. I’m facing a long, hungry day and an even longer night getting dinner on the table, which requires making EVERYTHING from scratch on this budget. It’s only for a week, so I’ve got a decent attitude. If I were doing this with no end in sight, I probably wouldn’t be so pleasant.”

According to Stanton’s Facebook page, his city ranks 34th worst among America’s 100 largest cities in terms of hunger. Nationwide, more than 46 million people receive SNAP benefits.

Here’s a video report of Stanton’s food stamp journey, via Newsy:

Phoenix Mayor Challenged To Live On Food Stamp Budget is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix, AZ – A woman found a rather curious way to fund her breast implant operation: pretending to have cancer. The accused woman, who apparently lied about the disease to raise money for plastic surgery, was sentenced Wednesday to one year in jail.

As part of a plea agreement, 27-year-old Jami Lynn Toler will get three years probation and must pay restitution as well, according to The Arizona Republic. According to prosecutors, the woman lied to family, friends, and co-workers at Hallmark Hospice that she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and that she couldn’t afford the double mastectomy and breast reconstructive surgery needed to save her life.

Her mother made a website in 2011 for donations, and police say that people donated more than $8,000 to the “get Jami fake boobs” cause.

Well, medical records obtained by police showed that Toler didn’t have cancer, and her workplace became suspicious when she didn’t provide a medical note for her leave. Toler paid a doctor $5,800 in cash for her breast augmentation surgery, which was performed on November 5.

“It’s a form of betrayal,” said Carmen Klemis, the executive director of Hallmark Hospice.

Toler’s defense team say that she feels self-loathing and disappointment in the aftermath of her deception and that she understands the damage her crime caused, according to WPTV. They said that she would work hard to repay the money (if she still has her job).

“I am so sorry for violating the trust placed in me and so sorry for what I did,” Toler said at her sentencing.

Do you think that Toler’s sentence should have been tougher?

Woman Faked Cancer To Raise Money For … Breast Implants is a post from: The Inquisitr

Arizona father of three Robert Verharren, 42, passed away on Saturday when he plunged to his death from a bridge during a 206-mile bike race.

Verhaaren was attempting to miss a pothole when he veered to the side and catapulted himself over a guardrail the protected drivers from the Snake River in Wyoming.

According to Teton County Sheriff Jim Whalen:

“Verhaaren swerved to miss the hazard, over-corrected, lost control of the bicycle and crashed into the guardrail.”

The cyclist plunged 35 feet before landing in shallow water. According to the Cache Valley Daily Verhaaren was just eight miles from the LoToJa race finish line.

A member of the race support team told the Jackson Hole News & Guide:

“it’s the worst thing that can happen. It’s always our greatest fear.”

Race spokesman Dave Bern added to the Deseret News

“It was devastating for us to lose a member of our LoToJa family. Unfortunately, these things go along with bicycle racing. Cycling is not for the risk averse.”

Bern admits that accidents can happen but that motorists and cyclists up until this point have been very careful.

Marked as the longest single-day race in the United States the event starts in Logan, Utah, and ends in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Accidents in Idaho and Wyoming on the same day placed two other cyclists in the hospital. Both of the injured racers are expected to have full recoveries.

The Desert News notes that some people have complained about bad road conditions on the part of the track that claimed Robert Verharren’s life.

Arizona Cyclist Plunges To Death While Avoiding Pothole is a post from: The Inquisitr

Police in Arizona can continue to ask for identification from anyone who looks like an illegal immigrant. District Court Judge Susan Bolton ruled on Thursday that the  law’s challengers failed to show proof that they were likely to prevail based on the merits of their lawsuit.

Judge Bolton then noted that the court case could be left open for future challenges should a better argument be raised.

Under the “show your papers” law, police can stop any of the state’s citizens and ask for their American identification documents. The law was put into place in order to go after the states estimated 360,000 undocumented immigrants.

Officially known as SB 1070, Judge Bolton did issue an injunction against the bills section that makes it a crime to “transport, shield or harbor an illegal immigrant within Arizona’s borders.”

Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer signed the state bill into effect in April 2010 after complaining that the federal government did almost nothing to protect American borders.

After Wednesday’s ruling and the injunction over a small part of the bill, Brewer said Arizona was now ”one big step closer to implementing the core provision of SB 1070.”

Brewer further added:

“With this provision, Arizona makes a clear statement that it will not tolerate sanctuary city policies, and will now have thousands of additional officers to collaborate with the federal government as state and local law enforcement do what they always have: enforce the law.”

Opponents in the meantime continue to claim that the bill is tantamount to racial profiling, specifically against Hispanics which make up a third of Arizona’s 6.5 million people.

‘Show Your Papers’ Law Upheld By Arizona Judge is a post from: The Inquisitr

Chandler, AZ – Police are currently hunting for a pair of teenage girls who first pelted a man walking alongside his brother with water balloons, and later running him down with their truck and dragging him for several feet.

Police are looking for information that will lead to the arrest of two female teenage pranksters who elevated their shenanigans to potentially deadly proportions, when they nearly killed a man in a hit-and-run after throwing water balloons at him from their truck, according to ABC News. 26-year-old Steven Bright of Chandler was walking along the road with his brother near Carson Elementary School around 10pm on August 4th when two teenage girls in a truck attacked the two with a volley of water balloons.

Bright ran into the road trying to dodge the balloons, and the truck ran him over, dragging him for several feet. He eventually broke free, but the truck kept going, and disappeared, notes NY Daily. The incident was caught on tape by surveillance cameras.

“I could hear the girls screaming in the car,” Bright recalled “I actually saw the two girls in the vehicle when I was flying over the front driver side of the truck,” adding, “I was yelling ‘Hey, stop. Stop! Stop!’ and they just would not stop.”

“It’s a very serious incident,” Chandler Police Detective Seth Tyler told ABC News. “What’s more important is the fact that we are really seeking these two individuals out so we can really hear their version of what happened.”

Bright suffered a broken wrist, and is still reeling from his near-death experience. “It’s horrifying,” Bright told local station KNXV after watching the hit-and-run surveillance footage for the first time. “It’s terrible. Just to rewatch it and relive it, I can’t imagine what my brother thought,” he said.

Girls Gone Wild: Teens Pelt Man With Water Balloons And Nearly Kill Him In Hit-And-Run [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix, AZ – Dana Crow-Smith was allegedly threatened with a citation from a Neighborhood Preservation Inspector because she was handing out free bottled water to residents during a First Friday Festival in downtown Phoenix. Dana Crow-Smith was allegedly told handing out free bottled water without a permit is a violation of Phoenix city code, according to The Blaze.

Free bottled water was handed out by Dana Crow-Smith and a small group of others who reportedly felt they were exercising their Christian beliefs by “engaging” others to talk about religion if they wanted, ABC 15 News notes. There are no known complaints about the group handing out free bottled water by residents gathered for the First Friday Festival in downtown Phoenix.  It was 112 degrees in Arizona on the day free bottled water was distributed to the Phoenix festival crowd.

“It was really hot and yeah we wanted to show God’s love and a small act of kindness is a great way to do that without shoving it down someone’s throat,” Dana Crow-Smith told ABC 15 News.

The Rutherford Institute, a non-profit civil liberties organization, offered to represent Dana Crow-Smith in the free bottled water battle against the Phoenix Neighborhood Preservation Inspector.

“It is a sad day when local government officials prohibit Americans from such charitable acts as giving water to the thirsty in their city,” Rutherford Institute John W. Whitehead stated, according to The Blaze.

The Rutherford Institute considers the Phoenix free bottle water giveaway incident First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment issues as well as a violation of Arizona’s Free Exercise of Religion Act.

Dana Crow-Smtih also stated during the ABC 15 News interview that she would prefer to avoid a lawsuit and just give free bottled water to thirsty Arizonans. Crow-Smith also believes handing out free bottled water is not really an issue about religious beliefs; she thinks it is a nice thing anyone should be allowed to do on a really hot day.

Arizona Woman Allegedly Threatened With Citation For Handing Out Free Bottled Water is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tempe, AZ – At this point, I’m not sure why people continue to use bath salts. Given all of the crazy news stories that have popped up over the past year, it’s surprising that so many individuals would want to ingest a substance that turns them into raging maniacs. It boggles the mind. According to the Phoenix New Times, an 18-year-old man began battling a horde of imaginary insects inside a coffee shop bathroom after consuming the controversial drug.

Tempe resident Noah McQueen admitted to partaking in the substance, which caused him to wage a private, bloody battle with the insects he felt were eating him alive. At some point during his violent struggle, McQueen managed to shed quite a bit of his clothing.

Authorities explained that several employees at Tempe’s Xtreme Bean Coffee Company noticed the suspect almost as soon as he walked through the door. According to them, McQueen was acting in a very peculiar fashion during his visit to the java-slinging establishment. However, it wasn’t until the teenager locked himself in the bathroom that workers knew something was seriously amiss.

Before long, police arrived on the scene to confront the bath salt consumer. When officers kicked down the door to confront McQueen, they discovered he was wearing nothing but his birthday suit. What’s more, authorities stated the kid had done “quite a number” on the public restroom, breaking the mirror during his struggle against these imaginary assailants. As a result, the room was reportedly covered in a lot of blood.

Eventually, officers were able to calm McQueen down long enough to get the kid to a hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and his consumption of bath salts. Although the 18-year-old has yet to be taken into custody, it’s believed that McQueen will face criminal damage charges for his stint in the coffee shop bathroom.

Bath salts, which are synthetic cathinones, can have the same reaction on the body as amphetamines, ecstasy, or cocaine. Users also refer to the powerful stimulant as “complete crank” and “fake cocaine.”

Bath Salts Cause Naked Teen To Battle Imaginary Bugs In Arizona Coffee Shop is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix, AZ – Rebekah Mellon allegedly killed her husband Tuesday night by shooting him in the head, according to the Phoenix New Times. Police may have gotten more information out of their suspect had the woman not repeatedly fallen asleep while in custody. In fact, as soon as authorities arrested Mellon and placed her in the back of a squad car, she reportedly dozed off. Murder is exhausting business.

Donald Mellon Jr, who had been married to his wife Rebekah for seven years, was shot once in the head, according to reports. In-between mid-interview bouts of slumber, Mellon managed to tell police that, at one point during the evening, her husband “said some crap” before leaving the room. Roughly ten minutes later, the suspect found her husband sprawled in the hallway. Although Mellon claimed she attempted to give him first aid, she apparently fabricated that element of the story.

However, when police responded to her 911 call by kicking down the front door, they found the woman sitting on her couch, a handgun protruding from the cushions. Authorities have stated that evidence would indicate the shooting was unprovoked.

Adding another layer to the mystery is Mellon’s claim that her husband tossed her across the room earlier that evening, an accusation that is supported by bruises and scrapes around her tailbone. And while Rebekah insists that no one else was in the house the night of the shooting, police discovered that four additional people were reportedly in her home earlier that evening.

Although the sleepy suspect wasn’t too forthcoming with information about her husband, she eventually revealed to authorities that he owned several McDonald’s franchises in the area. The Phoenix New Times reports the couple has had their differences in the past. Court documents show that the two have been involved in domestic disputes in the past.

Phoenix Woman Shoots Husband In The Head, Falls Asleep In Custody is a post from: The Inquisitr

Betty Smithey, 69, walked out of Perrysville state prison Monday after serving 49 years for strangling a 15-month old baby to death. Mere hours after appearing before the Arizona parole board, Smithey re-entered the free world with the aid of cane. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer granted Betty Smithey clemency when the parole board determined the convicted murderer was no longer a danger to society.

Betty Smithey was incarcerated at the Perrysville state prison in Arizona in 1963 for the murder of baby Sandy Gerberick. The Arizona parole board decided Smithey was “no longer the same woman” as she was when she strangled the infant, according to the Daily Mail. The parole board voted 4-1 to release America’s longest serving female inmate without any community supervision mandates.

“It’s wonderful driving down the road and not seeing any barbed wire. I am lucky, so very lucky,” Smithey stated during an interview with the Arizona Republic.

Smithey is what is known as an “old-code lifer” in Arizona. Inmates sentenced to life before 1973 are required to garner clemency from the governor before becoming eligible for parole. Three such inmates have been released since 1989. In 1994 and 2003 Smithey also applied for clemency but was denied release by then governors Fife Symington and Janet Napolitano.

In 1959 Smithey kidnapped toddler Mitchell Johnson before she murdered Sandy Gerberick. Photos of Betty Smithey holding Johnson in her arms attracted a lot of bidders on ebay. The longest serving female inmate in the United States was employed as a nanny for the baby she strangled to death and the child’s three siblings. Smithey was arrested while hitchhiking a day after the murder on a nearby highway. Smithey managed to escape from prison four times between 1974 and 1981. In 1983 Sandy Gerberick’s mother Emma Simmons sent Betty Smithey a letter noting she had forgiven her for murdering the baby.

America’s Longest Serving Female Inmate Walks Free After 49 Years Behind Bars is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix, AZ – According to a psychologist’s report released Thursday, Tuscon gunman Jared Lee Loughner, who killed six people and severely wounded former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, considers the whole incident moot since he wasn’t able to kill Giffords.

The report also warns that though Loughner was competent to plead guilty in the Tuscon mass shooting, he is still incredibly mentally ill and his condition could rapidly deteriorate under the stress of trial, reports CBS News. Though his condition has improved lately, this was apparently the result of medication, and because his mental health could “wax and wane, I recommend the court expeditiously address issues related to his situation,” wrote Psychologist Christina Pietz in her report. “Mr. Loughner is currently competent to proceed. However, because of his fragile mental state, there is no guarantee he will remain competent for an extended time.”

During the interview, Pietz pressed Loughner about Giffords’ survival. Loughner understood that the former Congresswoman lived through the shooting, and admitted that he felt disappointed that he wasn’t able to kill her. “I’m not an assassin,” Loughner was quoted in the report as saying, reports the Huffington Post. Regardless, he later confessed to Pietz that: “Jared Loughner failed again. He’s a failure. So all of this would be for nothing.”

Despite his apparent understanding that Giffords had survived, Loughner reportedly later reversed on this point, insisting that she died in the shooting. “In my opinion, Mr. Loughner maintains this belief to vindicate himself and not because he is delusional,” Pietz said of Loughner. She believes that Loughner lies to himself in order to not feel as though he failed.

Loughner pleaded guilty to 19 counts under a plea agreement that spares him the death penalty, but guarantees that he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Former US Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband were reportedly amenable to the plea bargain.
Giffords’ subsequent miraculous recovery from the shooting that left six dead and 12 wounded has been a subject of media interest since the incident.

Loughner Considers Himself A ‘Failure’ For Not Killing Gabby Giffords is a post from: The Inquisitr

The NFL’s on-field gender barrier has officially been broken, as Shannon Eastin became the first female referee to officiate a game. Eastin served as a line judge in a seven-person crew in the San Diego Chargers’ 21-13 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers Thursday night.

42-year-old Eastin is a 16-year veteran from Tempe, Arizona and is a referee in the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference of NCAA Division I’s Football Championship Subdivision. Although she is only a replacement judge at the moment, while regular referees are locked out, there is a possibility that she could be hired permanently in the future.

The NFL Referees Association said that Eastin should be barred from officiating league games because she once participated in the World Series of Poker. NFL spokesman Mike Signora said the NFL does extensive background checks on its prospective officials and that all of them — including Eastin — passed the screening process.

“Past participation in an event such as a poker tournament does not disqualify a person from consideration as an NFL game official,” Signora said.

However, if Eastin is hired permanently, she would be barred from participating in such events under the NFL’s gambling policy.

Shannon Eastin is just one of a handful of women ever to officiate in professional sports. Violet Palmer began officiating NBA games in 1997 and is still in the league, and Bernice Gera became the first woman to serve as an umpire in a New York-Penn minor league game in 1972.

Some players recognized the significance of Eastin’s presence and took the time to shake her hand before the game. Chargers tackle Jeromey Clary and linebacker Antwan Barnes caught up with her prior to kick off to speak with her briefly before she made her first run down the sideline. Chargers coach Norv Turner complimented her saying, “She was confident and in control” and that he got his picture with her before the game.

As the first female referee, Shannon Eastin has made NFL history, and her cap from Thursday night’s game will be placed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio to commemorate her accomplishment.

NFL’s First Female Ref, Shannon Eastin, Officiates First Game is a post from: The Inquisitr

A month ago, IQ reported the story of former Wall Street executive Michael Marin, who violently collapsed and suddenly died in court of an apparent suicide. A few weeks later, we reported that a bottle labelled “cyanide” was found in his car.

Yes, that was absolutely a cyanide pill that he swallowed in court leading to his shocking death moments later, according to his autopsy report.

After being found guilty of arson back in June, Marin put his face in his hands and appeared to have swallowed something. He drank from a water bottle, and moments later he began seizing violently, collapsing to his death, according to the Huffington Post. Remember, this was all in a courtroom immediately following his sentencing, and it was all caught on tape. Immediately, the media began speculating as to whether he had committed suicide via poison pill, and the Maricopa County medical examiner’s office toxicology tests prove that theory true. Michael Marin had poison in his system, reports KMOV-4.

Marin was staring down more that 16 years in prison for setting fire to his 10,000-square-foot home on July 5, 2009. The elaborate plot consisted of Marin setting fire in four parts of his home, and escaping from the second floor with a rope ladder, dressed in scuba gear to project him from smoke inhalation. Prosecutors believe that Marin was having financial troubles and couldn’t afford the mortgage payments on his large home, reports CNEWS.

Marin’s adult son alerted authorities to the potential for his father’s suicide, prompting the search or Marin’s car. The son received a delayed email from Marin, saying that his will was in order in case “things don’t go well in court.”

How did Marin smuggle a poison ill into court, you ask? Primarily because he wasn’t in custody. Defendants who aren’t in custody aren’t strip-searched, so it would have been fairly simple for Marin to hide the pill in a pocket or elsewhere.

You want video? Here’s video from our pals at Newsy:

Michael Marin Courtroom Suicide: Yup, That Was Cyanide is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michael Jackson’s oldest son, Prince Michael Jackson posted angry text messages exchanged with his aunts and another relative on Twitter – the bulk of which were communications with Janet Jackson. The conversations all involved the care, physical and mental health of his grandmother, Katherine Jackson, TMZ reports. A judge ordered Michael Jackson’s children, Prince, Paris and Blanket be temporarily removed from grandmother Katherine Jackson’s guardianship and be placed in the temporary custody of another family member, according to earlier reports on Inquisitr.

Several hours after Katherine Jackson returned from son Jermaine Jackson’s home in Arizona, Prince Jackson tweeted the heated text messages with his aunts and uncles. Prince Jackson’s cell phone text message reads, “This is enough so I am texting you for the simple fact that WE DEMAND TO SPEAK TO MY GRANDMA NOW!!!” – according to Radar Online.

In what is apparently a group text message between Michael Jackson’s relatives, a text message response reportedly from Janet Jackson reads, “Don’t let them pls.” According to TMZ, the Janet Jackson’s text response appears to continue, but Prince Jackson did not post the remaining words on Twitter. Radar Online also notes the Prince Jackson text messages also included communications with his aunt Rebbie and Austin Jackson.

“As long as I can remember my dad had repeatedly warned me of certain people and their ways,” Prince Jackson posted on Twitter.

Prince Jackson posted multiple tweets noting his happiness that his grandma Katherine Jackson had returned home to care for him and his siblings, but expanded upon how he perceives the current state of her physical and mental health.

Prior to posting the text message on Twitter, Prince Jackson tweeted how thankful he is to the fans which have always “stood by” him and his family. Michael Jackson’s oldest son also added how much his dad appreciated the support of his fans.

paris is going on to talk about what has hapened

— Blanket Jackson (@RealBlanket) December 31, 2009

Hello everyone Thank you for your support. I’m tired of not knowing where my mom is. I did speak with her last night but she didn’t sound

— Marlon Jackson5 (@Marlon_Jackson) July 26, 2012

 ”We are a family first. I want you to know that. Yesterday we did go to the home to let Paris and Prince know that they can visit with or talk to their grandma at any time. We felt someone was trying to twist the story that we were denying them access to their grandma,” Randy Jackson told Al Sharpton during an interview earlier this week, according to Radar Online.

grandma’s here ! #thankyougod <33

— Paris Jacksoη (@ParisJackson) July 26, 2012

Prince Jackson has reportedly been “holding off” on publicly supporting the statements and tweets from his sister Paris Jackson because he was “waiting for time to reveal” his side of the Jackson family feud about Katherine Jackson’s care and the execution of his father’s will.

Prince Jackson Engages In Text Battle Over Katherine Jackson’s Mental Health is a post from: The Inquisitr

Katherine Jackson was reported missing by family members late Saturday evening. Michael Jackson’s heirs have reportedly been embroiled in a heated estate dispute with the executors of his will in previous weeks. A nephew Trent Jackson,  filed a missing person’s report with Los Angeles law enforcement officers after Katherine Jackson’s grandchildren also noted being unable to reach her for more than a week, TMZ reports.

Earlier this week as concerns over Katherine Jackson’s whereabouts were raised, son Jermaine Jackson tweeted his mother was with him in Arizona, “resting up on doctor’s orders.” In contrast with Jermaine Jackson’s twitter post, Paris Jackson, Michael Jackson’s daughter, tweeted to confirm that her grandmother was indeed missing. She implored the public to alert the authorities if they saw Katherine Jackson. Paris Jackson also tweeted her concerns over the medical care Katherine Jackson was receiving.

CNN interview excerpts republished by Fox News report that Katherine Jackson’s attorney Sandra Ribera note the elderly woman has never gone more than a day without speaking to her grandchildren. As previously reported on Inquisitr, the Jackson family has been feuding with the executors of Michael Jackson’s will. Jermaine, Janet, Randy and Tito are calling for Michael Jackson’s executors to “resign from their positions.”

Michael Jackson’s siblings claim the executors of his estate “forged” Michael’s signature on the will which allegedly esssentially cuts them out  of his estate, The New York Daily News reports. Katherine flew to Albuquerque with oldest daughter Rebbie for a Jackson Brothers concert on July 15.

I want to reassure everyone (inc all sudden medical experts) that Mother is fine but is resting up in AZ on the orders of a doctor, not us

— Jermaine Jackson (@jermjackson5) July 20, 2012

Everytime Paris tried to reach Katherine Jackson by phone after the flight, she was allegedly told “she could not speak to her,” according to statements by Ribera republished by the New York Daily News.

the same doctor that testified on behalf of dr murray saying my father was a drug addict (a lie) is caring for my grandmother… just saying

— Paris Jacksoη (@ParisJackson) July 22, 2012

A letter “leaked” onto the Internet allegedly penned by Janet Jackson and her brothers Jermaine, Randy and Tito claim that executors John McClain and John Branca have “taken advantage of the family” and stressed out mother Katherine Jackson out to the degree that she suffered a “mini-stroke,” according to TMZ.

Paris, 14, and her uncle Randy Jackson were battling publicly over the execution of Michael’s will before Katherine Jackson went missing. Paris Jackson tweeted her opinion of her grandmother Katherine Jackson’s health. The teen maintains the “rumor” about a stress-induced min-stroke is false and her grandmother was completely fine.

We ask that everyone respects that this is a serious matter that will be handled by the proper authorities.

— Randy Jackson (@randyjackson8) July 18, 2012

Michael Jackson’s daughter also tweeted a message directly to Randy Jackson sharing how much she did not appreciated him telling people things that are not true, in her opinion. TMZ also reports the tweets have now been removed from Paris’ account. LAPD is now actively searching for Katherine Jackson and attempting to confirm the last time each of her family members have spoken with the Jackson matriarch.

This is our mother and her health is paramount. We are not inventing or plotting anything. We are following doctor’s advice. Period.

— Jermaine Jackson (@jermjackson5) July 20, 2012

Michael Jackson’s Mother, Katherine Jackson Is Missing is a post from: The Inquisitr

Phoenix, AZ – Theories that Michael Marin had committed suicide with some type of poison, moments after being found guilty of burning down his Biltmore Estates mansion, may have some supporting evidence after a canister of cyanide was discovered this week in Marin’s car.

According to USA Today, a purposefully delayed email was sent to a member of Marin’s family the day after his death, detailing what to do should his court appearance go poorly. It stated that he had prepared a last will and testament and where they would be able to find Marin’s car.

Investigators were able to locate and search the car Monday night with the full cooperation of  Marin’s family.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Tuesday that a silver canister labeled “sodium cyanide” was found in the car, and evidence indicated that Marin purchased the cyanide for $68 from a California-based supplier in 2011, leading him to believe Marin had been planning his death for months, reports AzFamily.com.

The cyanide was delivered to Marin’s Chandler home in the form of a light powder. Authorities believe he may have made pellets or capsules out of the powder, brought them to court, and that is what he shown swallowing on video moments after the jury delivered their guilty verdict.

It’s still uncertain whether this is truly what happened though. The canister was turned over to the medical examiner’s office unopened where it will be tested and compared with any substances found in Marin’s body. Officials are still awaiting results of Marin’s toxicology reports.

Michael Marin Court Suicide: Canister Labeled ‘Cyanide’ Discovered In Marin’s Car is a post from: The Inquisitr

COMMENTARY | Arizona Pastor Michael Salman is currently serving a 60-day jail sentence for hosting bible study classes in his Phoenix home. The suburban residence was “raided” earlier this week by more than a dozen police officers because the city maintains the religious meetings were in violation of local zoning laws. Salman was arrested and sentenced to serve 60 days in jail, received a $12,180 fine and was placed on three years probation for sitting around his living room and sharing his faith with others. Fox News reports.

The pastor’s spouse Suzanne appeared on Fox ad Friends this morning to share the story of her husband’s arrest. Governmental officials concluded that Salman was operating a church in a space which was zoned residential. Apparently you can host Tupperware parties, sex toys parties and cooking parties in your home in Phoenix, but discussing scripture and holding hands in prayer crosses the line.

“It defies logic, honestly. I don’t understand that something so small got so large like this,” Suzanne said. “People do it all over the United States all the time,” Suzanne Salman stated during the Fox interview.

Living in a small town where absolutely no zoning exists, the Salman arrest is simply too difficult to fathom. Do rural residents simply possess more common sense and neighborly consideration that city dwellers? We exist without a building permit office or zoning rules, yet not a single house has fallen down, caught on fire for sub-par electrical wiring or strip club built next to an elementary school.

“It came down to zoning and proper permitting. Anytime you are holding a gathering of people continuously as he does, we have concerns about people being able to exit the facility properly in case there is a fire, and that’s really all this comes down to,” Phoenix City Prosecutor Vicki Hall stated in a press release shared on Fox and Friends.

Do you think Pastor Salman deserves jail time for a bible study zoning violation?

Pastor Jailed For 60 Days After Hosting Bible Study Classes In His Home is a post from: The Inquisitr

Controversial Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints (FLDS) leader Warren Jeffs’ polygamous sect is accused of sending a cat buried alive in a bucket of concrete to a former church member as a threat. Jeffs was convicted last year on felony charges related to sexual relationships with underage girls, according to The Blaze. A dangerous fast landed the FLDS leader in the hospital in critical condition after his incarceration began. The fundamentalist church once again made headlines after a cat in concrete was sent to a man who had “abandoned the radical sect” as a warning.

AZ Family notes that other former FLDS followers claim to have received similar shocking threats. Isaac Wyler was excommunicated in 2004. He recently discovered the kitten buried in a concrete bucket inside a pipe in his yard. Wyler considers the incident a “threatening message” to “encourage” his silence about the FLDS. Since leaving the FLDS, Wyler has been very outspoken in his opposition to the polygamous sect.

The young cat was still alive when it was found, but according to Wyler’s statements to local media, it was “clearly in pain.”  A fellow former FLDS church member Andrew Chatwin helped Wyler remove the cat from the concrete bucket. The men were able to free the cat and take it to a local rescue for aid, but it died several days later. Chatwin claims that when he brought the incident to the attention to the Colorado City Sheriff’s Office, it was “brushed off.” Wyler and Chatwin maintain the local sheriff is also a member of the FLDS. The men claim a law enforcement officer “kind of chuckled” and said “if it was up to him, he’d just throw dirt on the cat.”

Warren Jeffs’ Polygamous Sect Accused Of Sending Cat Buried Alive In Concrete As Threat To Former Member is a post from: The Inquisitr

Police in Tempe, Arizona scored a huge victory over the weekend when they picked apart a drug trafficking cell from Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, capturing three tons of marijuana and 30 pounds of methamphetamine. Authorities also managed to seize $2.4 million in cash while making 20 arrests.

The drug bust operation took six-months to complete and involved the help of Tempe police and members of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Also seized during the raids were an airplane, 10 vehicles and 14 firearms.

The cartel was using Tempe as a hub for the delivery of drugs to New York, Alabama, California and other high traffic drug states.

In a statement regarding the arrested Tempe Police Chief Tom Ryff said:

“This operation demonstrated a collaborative effort by state and federal law enforcement agencies.”

According to DEA Special Agent in Charge Doug Coleman:

“”Operation Nayarit Stampede” marks an end to an extensive poly drug trafficking organization that stretched across the Mexico border and into Arizona and beyond.”

The drug bust while a nice victory for police and the DEA is only a small chunk of the Sinaloa Cartel’s overall operation. In March 2012 Forbes magazine placed cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera on its list of the world’s most influential people with an estimated net worth of $1 billion.

Loera’s operations extend through much of Mexico and the United States. A recent report suggests that officials in Mexico have talked to the cartel leader about potentially giving him control of the drug market in an attempt to slow the spread of violent cartel murders throughout Mexico. Officials have denied any involvement in the cartel’s operations at this time.

Arizona Bust Seizes 3 Tons Worth Of Drugs, $2.4 Million In Cash is a post from: The Inquisitr

Criminals these days, I swear. In the second “nude crime” entry in 24 hours, an Arizona man stripped naked, stole at least two cars and then crashed them, injuring seven people on Friday.

The naked criminal has been identified as 45-year-old John Brigham of Scottsdale, Arizona. His nude crime spree began shortly before 1:30 p.m. when he crashed his first car into the side of a Porsche, sending it crashing into another vehicle, reports NY Daily. The driver of the Porsche was thrown from the vehicle and sustained serious injuries.

That’s when the weirdness started.

I guess Brigham figured he was already going to get in a boat-load of trouble, and thought, “why not have some fun with this?” or maybe news will come out in a few days that he was on bath salts or some other synthetic designer drug. In any case, after the initial wreck, he stripped down to his socks, jumped onto the roof of an SUV, and began screaming and chanting.

After this little display, he stole a blue Toyota Prius from a woman and hit several other cars with it before driving into a ditch. He was thrown from the Prius head first, and though you’d be tempted to think this was it for the naked carjacker, he got right back up and started looking for another car to continue his GTA4 spree.

“He got out naked, running all over the place, trying to get into other people’s cars,” a woman involved in the second crash said.

The naked mayhem ended there, as police arrested him and took him to a hospital for evaluation.

In total, seven people were injured. Among them, a nearly full-term pregnant woman who suffered two broken legs in the second accident, notes the San Francisco Chronicle.

Reader, what is with all of the naked crime lately?

Naked Man Goes On Carjacking Spree, Injures 7, Breaks Pregnant Woman’s Legs is a post from: The Inquisitr

A former Wall Street banker collapsed and died Thursday after hearing the guilty verdict against him in an arson case. Moments before, he had cupped his hands to his mouth, leading some to believe that he may have taken a poison pill.

Michael Marin, 53, had just been found guilty of arson in a Phoenix courtroom. Apparently, he had set his Biltmore mansion ablaze in a desperate bid to get out of his mortgage, which he couldn’t afford. He was found outside his house wearing scuba gear, of all things. The verdict would have put him in jail for almost 16 years, notes NY Daily. Upon hearing the jury’s verdict, he covered his mouth with his hands – seemingly in shock – and quickly collapsed in court.

“We the jury, duly impaneled and sworn in the above entitled action upon our oath, do find the defendant Michael James Marin guilty of arson of an occupied structure,” read the jury.

Marin dropped his head in anguish, then sliding his head up, cupping his hands over his mouth, and appearing to swallow something. He sat up, but continued the routine roughly 5 minutes later – closer inspection indicates that he swallows several times. He then leaned back, took a final sip from a water bottle, grabbed a tissue from a woman behind him, and began twitching, notes Fox.

He began to convulse violently, dropping to the floor and shaking wildly. Several people ran to his side to assist him. He was later shown being loaded into an ambulance, only to be declared dead.

Like we said, if you watch the courtroom video, it looks like he puts something in his mouth. “They are leaning towards that obviously if you watch the video it looks like he does put something in his mouth,” said MCSO spokesman Jeff Sprong. “We cannot verify that at this point and we’re not going to be able to until the toxicology report comes back.”

Until then, “We’re going to look at everything he had on him just because it looks like he’s putting something in his mouth we don’t know really what he did prior to that. He could do that to make us think he was taking something and he wasn’t and he did something else.”

Then of course, “We will obviously contact family to see if this is something he hinted at doing, maybe he left a note you know, it just needs to be thoroughly investigated then hopefully we’ll find out why he did it and what he did,” said Sprong.

“This is something new that I’ve never seen and I’m sure the courts haven’t seen it, I’m sure they’ll do everything they can do to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

That sums it up pretty nicely. Here’s the video. Do you think he swallowed a poison pill?

Ex-Wall Street Exec Dies After Apparently Popping Poison Pill In Court [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Convicted arsonist Michael Marin collapsed to the ground and died just moments after the court read his guilty verdict. The former millionaire couldn’t afford to pay the mortgage on his Baltimore mansion and was found guilty of setting it on fire, escaping from a second floor bedroom by donning scuba gear.

Marin entered the court room with nothing but a drink bottle in his hand and he took a sip of the beverage just before sitting at the defendant’s table.

The jury eventually proclaimed:

“We the jury, duly impaneled and sworn in the above entitled action upon our oath, do find the defendant Michael James Marin guilty of arson of an occupied structure.”

Marin then dropped his hands over his face and it appears that he slid something into his mouth. He then sat back and allowed the proceedings to continue. Five minutes later Marin appeared once again to place something in his mouth and then swallow several times.

Court witnesses then say at 12:52 he took a final sip of his drink and began to convulse at first lightly and then more violently. Realizing that something was wrong his attorney called for help .

10 minutes later a cell phone video captured paramedics taking Marin to an ambulance, he was later declared dead.

According to MCSO spokesman Jeff Sprong:

“They are leaning towards that obviously if you watch the video it looks like he does put something in his mouth.”

Sprong adds:

“We cannot verify that at this point and we’re not going to be able to until the toxicology report comes back.”

Since it takes two weeks to receive toxicology reports at this time investigators can only wait for a final cause of death report.

Police in the meantime plan to talk to family and friends to see if a potential suicide was something Michael Marin had hinted at.

Arsonist Drops Dead After Guilty Verdict, May Have Poisoned Himself is a post from: The Inquisitr

Luis V. Guiterrez (D-IL) took to the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday to attack Arizona lawmakers over their use of their controversial “Show Me Your Papers” law.

The law allows law enforcement officers to stop anyone they believe is in the country illegally and then ask them to provide documentation for their legal status.

Guiterrez decided to play a game called “pick out the immigrant in which he showed photos of Justin Bieber, Jeremy Lin and Geraldo Rivera and asked officials to pick out the immigrant.

Clearly angered (see the video below) Gutierrez chastised the law and the Supreme Court who recently ruled in favor for parts of the Show Me Your Papers law. As he explains:

“In Arizona today, all that stands between you and a legal nightmare is whether a police officer feels there is a reasonable suspicion to inquire about your country of origin. Yet, Arizona politicians will tell you with a straight face no less, that they can apply this law without using racial profiling.”

After asking everyone in attendance to pick out the immigrant he concluded:

“The point is simple … the idea that any government official can determine who belongs in America and who doesn’t simply by looking at them is completely ridiculous, unfair and un-American … and yet this absurdity is the law of Arizona.”

Here’s the full speech Luis V. Guiterrez gave to members in the House of Representatives:

Do you think Guiterrez has a valid point?

Congressman Attacks Arizona’s “Show Me Your Papers” Law By Using Justin Bieber Reference is a post from: The Inquisitr

After a two-year run South Carolina ended its College World Series streak on Monday night when Arizona claimed a 4-1 victory.

The victory was especially pleasing for Arizona coach Andy Lopez who took over the team 11 years ago and turned the program into a national contender. Arizona had not won a national championship since 1986.

The core of the team was built around a strong recruiting class that was assembled two years ago.

As his key players stood beside him Lopez said of his teams victory:

“They’ve just been a joy. I mean, how many times have I told you I love suiting up with you guys? Said it today before the game. And I really do, I like suiting up with young guys that go to class, go to study hall, hustle on the field, clean up the clubhouse on their own.

“I’m extremely, extremely fortunate to be in this profession and work with young people like this.”

To claim their national championship Arizona relied on two nights of strong pitching to sweep the CWS final. James Farris and Mathew Troupe combined to allow only three hits a night after Konner Wade threw his third straight complete game in a 5-1 win.

Showing support for his coach CWS Most Outstanding Player Robert Refsnyder said after the game:

“Coach Lopez means the world to us, and we’re so happy we brought joy back to his life in coaching.”

Refsnyder continued:

“You could tell that he was fed up with baseball and trying to teach young people to go to class and study hall and take care of your business off the field. You could see his frustration. But Lopez gave us, gave myself and the junior class this year, the tools to be successful.”

11 years is a long-time in the making but given Andy Lopez’s dedication to the team its likely they’ll come back even stronger next season.

Arizona Wins College World Series In 4-1 Victory Over South Carolina is a post from: The Inquisitr

A 14-year-old teen male shot an armed intruder in an attempt to protect his family in Phoenix. The teen boy nearly killed the armed man who invaded his home while he was babysitting his three siblings, ages 8,10 and 12 during the afternoon on Friday, The Blaze reports. Local law enforcement officers are still investigating the Arizona home invasion and do not yet know why the house was targeted, but did note during a press conference that the alleged armed intruder was taken to an area hospital in “extremely critical condition” to undergo surgery.

Officer James Holmes also stated the 37-year-old alleged armed intruder is expected to survive and will be booked on charges of aggravated assault and burglar once he is released from the hospital. The burglary suspect was not able to “get a shot off” before being shot by the the quick-thinking teenager who grabbed his father’s handgun while protecting his siblings up the stairs.

While babysitting the Phoenix teenager heard a knock at the door. Although the women he could see through the window did not look threatening, the young man exercised caution and chose not to allow a stranger into his home, according to Fox Channel 10 news live coverage of the incident. After refusing entry to the women Arizona teen heard loud bang on the door and ushered his siblings upstairs. He grabbed his father’s gun and as ran up the stairs to protect himself and his siblings. The Phoenix teen had reached the top of the stairs when he saw an armed man breaking through the front door and pointing a gun in his direction. The 14-year-old reacted to the deadly situation quickly, shooting the armed intruder before he could fire his own weapon.

“The police and indeed our community do not ever want to see a situation where a teenager has to take a weapon to protect his family. But, this young man did exactly what he should have done,” Holmes stated during media interviews. “The dad was pretty much out of his mind with distress, officers couldn’t even talk to him. It’s going to take them a while to recover mentally.”

14-Year-Old Shoots Armed Intruder To Save His Siblings in Phoenix [video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mitt Romney‘s Campaign staff chose a very unexpected spot to hold a meeting last month.  Romney’s Mormon, don’t drink, don’t smoke philosophy was thrown by the wayside as the staff met at a Scottsdale, Arizona “Ultra Club”.  According to documents filed with the Federal Elections Commission, the Romney Campaign spent $385.24 at a club called The Mint Restaurant and Ultra Lounge and billed it out as a meeting expense.

The campaign’s latest filing to the Federal Elections Commission shows a $385.24 payment to nightclub The Mint Restaurant and Ultra Lounge in Scottsdale, billed as a meeting expense.

Buzzfeed reported that according to the website of The Mint:

“”The Mint” specializes in making “all types of events imaginable” which include models, dancers, and showgirls along with body painting in a nightclub that calls itself “half restaurant” and “half ultra-lounge.”The club’s signature drunk [sic] is a $13 champagne cocktail called “the gold digger” after rapper Kanye West and [it] has been billed by some as “Arizona’s hottest new club.”"

“The club also offers a “specialty champagne bar in the co-ed bathroom.” In the marble unisex bathroom, a bartender makes drinks while patrons take “socializing in the bathroom to a new level” according to one review of the club.”

Andrea Saul, spokes woman for the Mitt Romney campaign was asked about the risque meeting by the Huffington Post and she responded,

“Campaign staffers having dinner is hardly news.”

The Romney Campaign is hardly going to miss the money,the presumptive Republican nominee raised $23.4 million in May and is on target to raise more than $100 million in June.

Romney Campaign Staff Has Official Meeting At Arizona Ultra Lounge is a post from: The Inquisitr

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is at it again.  Today his office arrested a 6-year-old girl they had reason to believe may have been in the country illegally.  Arpaio, who calls himself “America’s Toughest Sheriff” has a history of using the power of his office to further his political goals.  He recently conducted an ongoing investigation into whether President Obama’s birth certificate is authentic. He found that the evidence points to the conclusion that President Obama and the State of Hawaii forged the document.

The Arizona Republic  is reporting that according to Arpaio’s office the girl was rounded up with 15 other Hispanics who were suspected of being in the country illegally.  The 16 people were supposedly headed to the northeast United States when they were apprehended.

Chris Hegstrom, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office said,

“She’s been turned over to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to try to determine where she’s from. She told us she’s from El Salvador. That’s what she told us,”

According to the Sheriff’s office the suspects paid between $300 and $4,000 to a group who could get them over the border and transported to their desired destination within the United States.

Ironically, the arrests were made on Friday night, the same day that President Obama outlined his Administration’s policy of not arresting undocumented minors under certain circumstances.  This year the President is up for reelection and Hispanics make up a huge voting bloc that the President doesn’t want to lose.

Arpaio recently said in an interview,

“I think people from Mexico are now going to feel, ‘Hey come on in and we’ll get by with it.’ But it won’t happen in this county. They will still be arrested.”

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Arrests 6 Year Old Boy is a post from: The Inquisitr

Catalina Clouser of Arizona won’t be winning any mother of the year awards after she strapped her five-week-old baby into a car seat, placed her on top of her 2000 Ford Focus and then drove off, forgetting to move the child into the backseat.

The 19-year-old has now been charged with child abuse and aggravated DUI after she admitted to having smoked pot just before driving away with her child strapped to the roof.

After receiving a phone call at approximately 1 a.m. on Saturday morning Phoenix officials headed to the area of the incident and found the car seat in the middle of the road.

Officials from the Phoenix Fire Department took the child to a local hospital where they were listed as “perfectly OK” following the accident.

According to officials Catalina admitted to smoking marijuana with her boyfriend in a nearby park, they had left the area to go and purchase some beer at which point her boyfriend was arrested for an aggravated DUI and Clouster headed to her friends house.

The mother of the year did not realize her baby was missing until she reached her house at which point she called some friends and asked them to trace back her steps in search of the child. Clouser’s friends found the baby in the car seat however police were already on the scene and after obtaining the name of the child’s mother they placed her under arrest.

Do you think this child should be taken away from their mother permanently given her extremely bad judgement?

Stoned Mom Leaves Baby On Roof Of Car, Drives Off is a post from: The Inquisitr

An Arizona High School baseball team has reportedly forfeited their chance to play for the Arizona State Championship after refusing to play against an opposing team with a 15-year old girl on the roster.

The players and coaches of Our Lady of Sorrows Academy in Phoenix were due to face Mesa Preparatory Academy in the Arizona Charter Athletic Association State Championship, however after learning that 15-year-old Paige Sultzbach would be at second base for the game, Our Lady of Sorrows promptly withdrew from the game.

“They wouldn’t play the game as long as we had a girl on the team who was on the field. It violates their policy about boys playing against girls,” says Mesa Preparatory Academy headmaster Robert Wagner.

“It’s just unfortunate that our kids who are excited about playing don’t have the opportunity,” he added.

Various reports indicate that Our Lady Sorrows is a Catholic school run by traditionalist, conservative priests that do not agree with the interaction of girls and boys in that respect. They simply feel that it goes against their standards.

“It wasn’t that they were afraid they were going to hurt or injure her, it’s that (they believe) that a girl’s place is not on a field.” says the girls mother, Pamela Sultzbach.

According to Fox News, Our Lady of Sorrows Academy had this to say regarding the forfeiture of the game:

“Our school aims to instill in our boys a profound respect for women and girls,” adding

“Teaching our boys to treat ladies with deference, we choose not to place them in an athletic competition where proper boundaries can only be respected with difficulty”.

The Sultzbach family fully supports their daughter Paige, but are certainly saddened by the stance of the Catholic school.

“It’s unfortunate,” Sultzbach’s father, John says.

“We hadn’t anticipated coming across that. I think it’s sad.”

“She’s glad that they are the state champions, and she’s happy the way her school and her teammates stood behind her,” John Sultzbach continued. “But she wanted to play.”

Mesa Preparatory Academy finished their season undefeated at 11-0.

How does it make you feel to see that sexism still exists in High School sports?

HS Baseball Team Refuses To Play Against A Girl; Forfeits Championship Game is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jason “JT” Todd, the former neo-Nazi who lead a group dedicated to preventing illegal border crossings in Arizona’s desert near the Mexican border, is dead after having commit suicide in a Phoenix suburb on Wednesday.

The U.S. Border Guard, the group formerly lead by JT, vowed Friday to continue to patrol the US-Mexico border in an attempt to prevent drug smugglers and illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States.  Groups that monitor the US Border Guard have indicated that they doubt armed-patrol operations conducted by the group will be sustained with the loss of their influential leader.

Prior to Jason Todd’s death, the FBI was already in the process of investigating Todd for domestic terrorism.

Authorities have indicated that the 39-year-old shot and killed four people, including his girlfriend and a toddler, prior to shooting himself in a tragic murder-suicide.

The violent incident came as a result of domestic violence issues.

Special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix office, James Turgal, indicated that their investigation dated back to when Ready was still a member of the National Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi organization, and continued into the time frame in which he became involved with the border group.  The probe is based upon unspecified tips pertaining to criminal activity perpetrated by JT.

Southern Poverty Law Center’s Mark Potok was quoted having said:

“The U.S. Border Guard is probably finished. It really did revolve around JT Ready.”

Interim director of the Arizona chapter of the immigrant advocacy group the Southern Border Communities Coalition, Jennifer Allen, was quoted by Y! News having said:

“What brings hate groups together is anger and fear. So it makes sense that they would start to direct that toward one another. They also attract a lot of people that want to be mega personalities.”And it ends up being their own worst enemy — fighting over the limelight.”

What are your thoughts on the death of Jason Todd?

U.S. Border Guard’s Leader Jason Todd Ready Dead In Murder-Suicide is a post from: The Inquisitr

Maricopa Country Sheriff Joe Arpaio is the poster-child for Arizona’s controversial immigration laws. Though some see him as a Dirty Harry-esque rogue cop who abides by his own rules, others think that he is unfairly portrayed – a media scapegoat who only upheld the existing law. One thing is for sure – the man has his supporters. Very vocal, very public supporters.

“All he does is enforce the law that’s already on the books,” says Walt Lyons, a retiree who attended a Saturday rally and chanted “go Joe, go Joe,” to show their support for the Sheriff.

Roughly 200 supporters gathered outside of Phoenix in Fountain Hills where Arpaio lives, according to The Christian Science Monitor. Though he is facing a federal investigation alleging racial profiling, he maintains that he performed his duty and upheld a law neglected by the federal government. “He’s kind of a sacrificial lamb,” adds Mr. Lyons’s wife, Regina. “It’s part of the process and he’s willing to put up with it.”

The rally supporting Arpaio occurred days after the Supreme Court took up SB 1070 for review. The bill has split Arizona citizens into an ideological civil war, advocates of SB 1070 on one hand (with Arpaio) and detractors who find it a violation of civil rights on the other. “It’s a very divisive issue,” says Bruce Merrill, a political scientist and pollster at Arizona State University in Tempe. “It’s really hurt Arizona.”

Though the nation’s attention is tuned to SB 1070 itself, the issue is actually much more complex according to Merrill. Though state polls show that 60% of Arizonans support SB 1070, roughly 75% also support the Dream Act, which protects children of illegal immigrants who graduate from college or serve in the military. Demographic support for the Dream Act doesn’t just pull in Latino and Democratic support either – Independent and Republican voters support the measure too, with seven out of 10 non-Hispanics favoring it.

“People make a distinction,” says Merrill. “Illegal immigration is a complex set of issues.”

Despite seemingly strong support and personal conviction, Arpaio’s detractors have quite a bit of lead on their side too. Randy Parraz, an Arpaio critic, has repeatedly called for the Sheriff’s resignation, which Arpaio has resisted. Arpaio will run for a sixth term as Sheriff, but  “massive effort” to persuade Maricoparesidents to vote for an opponent will begin this summer, according to Parraz.

“We know he’s weak,” he opines of Arpaio.

Hundreds Rally In Favor Of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is a post from: The Inquisitr

Leave it up to GOP members in Arizona to beat a dead dog to death. Lawmakers in the state on Wednesday let it be known that they want a new birther law passed that would require potential presidential candidates to swear, via affidavit, that they were born in the United States and are qualified to be President of the United States.

Once a candidate swears under oath that they are legally allowed to be President they can then be added to the states ballot voting system.

Speaking of the bill Rep. Carl Seel said:

“Our ballot, no matter what office someone is running for, should have the highest level of validity.”

Seel then added:

“That couldn’t be more American, and it couldn’t be more nonpartisan.”

Carl is getting help from Sheriff Joe Arpaio, which is ironic because the Sheriff has commented in recent months that he has only been involved in the birther movement because of citizen requests, yet he seems to jump into support of the birther movement at every turn possible.

The birth bill managed to pass its committee two weeks ago but then stalled. You may recall that a similar birther bill passed last year in Arizona but was vetoed when it reached the desk of Governor Jan Brewer.

Carl Seel says the new bill addresses Brewer’s previous concerns while Sheriff Joe adds:

“It’s very controversial, but something has to be done. It’s very important to at least have some law that you have to show that you were born in the United States.”

And so the controversy continues, albeit in a much more muted fashion than when the birther movement began.

Arizona Republicans Trying To Push New Birther Bill is a post from: The Inquisitr