Charlotte area man arrested for sexually assaulting 15-year-old girl

Lincoln County, N.C. man arrested for sexually assaulting girl

LINCOLNTON, NC — A man now faces charges after sexually assaulting a girl in 2011.

Jeremiah Lee Mitchell, 37, inappropriately touched a young girl that he knew when she was 15 years old.

Mr. Mitchell was charged with felony statutory rape of a 13-, 14- or 15-year-old and indecent liberties with a minor.  He turned himself in at the Lincoln County Magistrate's Office and was released on a $50,000 unsecured bond. [WSOC-HD]

Cateret County man jailed after stabbing two women

BEAUFORT, NC — A 21-year-old man is in jail charged with stabbing two women on Father's Day.

Police said they found the 21-year-old standing on the front porch wearing a blood soaked t-shirt. He was taken into custody after telling the officers, "It's their blood, I fucked up".

They found two stabbing victims, both women, inside the home.  Beaufort EMS took both victims to Carteret General Hospital for treatment.  Their conditions are not known at this time.

Officers said there were 4 children, ages 4 to 11, inside the Turner St home at the time of the double stabbing. They were taken to the nearest relatives' residence.

Aaron Smith, 21, was arrested and charged with Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill Inflicting Serious Injury.  He's being held without bond.  Let's hope that these women can recover so they can testify against him. [WNCT 9 On Your Side]

Onslow County man arrested for domestic violence after abused woman holds up "Call 911" sign

JACKSONVILLE, NC — A 19-year-old man was arrested after authorities say they saw a woman asking motorists to call 911.

Onslow County Sheriff's Department deputies say it happened early Sunday morning on Catherines Lake Rd.

A driver saw the woman and called 911 while following the vehicle into nearby Duplin County.

That's when deputies learned that the woman had been in a domestic dispute at her home, and they say her boyfriend took her car keys. The woman jumped in the vehicle just before the man left the home, according to deputies.

After the victim held up the sign for passing motorists, deputies say the 19-year-old boyfriend stopped the car and assaulted the woman, smashing her mobile phone to pieces in the process.

She was injured.

Tregan Hankins, 19, of Wallace, N.C., was arrested and is facing several charges, including assault on a female, felonious restraint and motor vehicle theft.  Duplin County Sheriff's Department deputies manage to stop the car in their county. [WITN-HD 7]

Ga. man arrested for killing woman

ASHBURN, GA — A Turner County man has been apprehended and jailed for murder after a triple shooting on Father's Night.

A 41-year-old woman died at the scene of the a shooting on North St.  Two other victims were taken to the hospital.  Their conditions were not immediately known.

Ashburn PD says that the deadly shooting all stemmed from an argument between Joshua McKelvin and the woman, and that it seems that McKelvin shot her, and then fired randomly into a crowd at the motel.

GBI agents assisted Ashburn Police with the investigation.

Ashburn PD said that Turner County Sheriff Andy Hester, his deputies, and the Dooly County sheriff's office assisted in the case. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is also involved at the crime scene.

Mr. McKelvin is in jail charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder. [WALB 10]

Woman committed voyeurism when she filmed herself and Waffle House CEO having sex

MARIETTA, GA — A sexual harassment lawsuit case has just gotten bigger, and this time, it is bad news for a woman who decided to file it.

A Cobb Superior Court judge Friday found that Mye Brindle, a former housekeeper of Waffle House Chief Executive Officer Joe Rogers, blatantly violated his privacy when she unlawfully recorded video of them engaging in a sex act at his home.

While this new revelation may not result in the outright dismissal of Ms. Brindle's lawsuit against Mr. Rogers, it will likely result in criminal charges being filed against Ms. Brindle, even if Mr. Rogers does not want to pursue such an avenue.

Cobb Superior Court Judge Robert Leonard found that in just under a year ago, Ms. Brindle's lawyers, David Cohen and John Butters, sent their client to a private investigator’s office, who ordered Mr. Brindle a “spy camera,” which she used to make a video in Mr. Rogers's bedroom without his consent.

As a part-time housekeeper from 2003 until she resigned June 29, 2012, Ms. Brindle also made 15 audio recordings of sexual encounters, and kept a towel with her boss’s DNA, according to court documents.

A few weeks later, on July 16, 2012, Mr. Cohen sent Mr. Rogers a letter alleging Mr. Rogers had engaged in a “long history of unwelcome sexual demands and other sexual harassment and abuse” toward Ms. Brindle. The letter went on to imply that unless the matter was “resolved early and outside public litigation,” Mr. Rogers would experience unwanted media attention, “injurious publicity,” “divorce and destruction of families” and “lengthy incarceration.”

Mr. Rogers's lawyer, Robert Ingram, tried to gather more information about Ms. Brindle’s recording for the past nine months and whether her own lawyers were involved in helping to make it.

“The video recording makes it clear that (Brindle) was a willing participant in the sexual encounter and is not the victim of a sexual battery,” states the order.

I can tell you that this whole thing is disgusting. Cobb County Sheriff's deputies need to arrest Ms. Brindle and prosecute her for felony voyeurism. Don't go for the misdemeanor, make an example out of her so that women understand that illegally videotaping sexual acts without a man's consent is not ok.

Mr. Ingram wants Ms. Brindle to testify under oath and I do not blame him one bit. Ms. Brindle illegally videotaped Mr. Rogers during the commission of a crime and her lawyers helped set it up. In short, Ms. Brindle violated Mr. Rogers's privacy and she should be severely punished for it — there needs to be no slaps on the wrist from the Peach State judicial system simply because she is a woman.  Yes, even fat cat millionaires like Mr. Rogers has a right to some reasonable privacy too.

[Marietta Daily Journal]

Photo of uninterested man courtesy of Boldsky.

Woman killed in Stanly County crash

Woman killed after family member fails to stop at intersection where RYGs malfunctioned

ALBEMARLE, NC — A 32-year-old woman died after an accident at an intersection where traffic lights malfunctioned after a teenage family of hers failed to stop at the intersection.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Albemarle Police Department.

The crash happened at the intersection of US 52 and NC 27 in Albemarle around 4:15 Friday.

According to investigators, a tractor trailer driven by Larry McIntire of Sanford was driving westbound and a minivan driven by a 17-year-old girl was traveling southbound on US 52.

Officials say the lights at the intersection were flashing when the two vehicles collided.

"Chills went over me. I couldn't believe it," said the grieving family's next door neighbor Betty Tutherow.

The girl had 4 four passengers in her vehicle, including her older family member, who died.

Her 47-year-old father, and her 14-year-old and 11-year-old brothers were taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem for treatment.

The tractor trailer driver was not injured. [WBTV-DT 3]

Palmetto mothers sending gun safety gifts to Congressional delegation

COLUMBIA — A group of extremely politically active mothers are sending gifts to the nine elected members of the Congressional delegation, urging them to stop taking families grieving at their losses due to gun violence for granted.

Members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America have been making neckties from yarn and paper that read "I have Gun Sense."

Organizers say they'll also send a card either thanking the congressman for his votes on gun control legislation or asking him to consider the group's position.

Towards the end of last month while gun bills were being debated in the General Assembly, the group's members held a rally at the Statehouse to honor people killed by gun violence.  They also released a Mother's Bill of Rights, which lays out rights that the moms want to protect their kids from guns. [WLTX News 19]

Man arrested for child porn in Columbia

COLUMBIA — A 25-year-old Richland County man is in jail charged with possession of child pornography after Berkeley County Sheriff's Department traced his IP Address.

Reanado Cortez Rose, 25, was arrested on two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor second-degree.

An undercover officer in Berkeley County, working with the state's internet task force, downloaded images of children engaged in sexual activity. The state attorney general's office says those images originated from Mr. Rose's computer.

Richland deputies say they served a warrant on Mr. Rose's home and found child pornography on the notebook.

He was granted a surety bond of $50,000.00. [WLTX News 19]

Bay Area Feminists and Human Rights Activists! The last spring protest against San Francisco's nudity ban is Thursday

SAN FRANCISCO — The final spring protest against San Francisco's unconstitutional nudity ban takes place on Thursday at noon local time (15:00 Eastern Daylight Time).

Letter from Gypsy Taub:

Please come join us in our ongoing struggle against the nudity ban. Let’s make it clear to the power brokers: we are not going to surrender our constitutional rights no matter how many times the City chooses to violate them.

Body freedom is our birth right and no one but ourselves has any authority over our bodies. The City government is overstepping its boundaries and imposing tyranny on us.

I have an arraignment on June 19 for the last 3 citations that I got. I am facing 3 years in jail for exercising my 1st Amendment rights. Those citations were given to me at the last nudity ban protest on March 22nd.

This is what San Francisco has become. What a shame! If you don’t want your rights to be taken away from you one by one, if you are outraged about the City shredding your constitutional rights, please come join us on June 20th.

The nudity ban made exceptions for city permitted parades. They said we would be allowed to be nude at city permitted parades. I applied for a permit and was denied. I was told by the event coordinator Sgt Mark Moreno that his superiors told him that our event would not be safe for the cars. I aksed Mark Moreno to email me a written statement explaining why we were denied permit. He said he would but so far he hasn’t.

This is what so called “democratic” Supervisor Scott Wiener and the other 5 “democrats” on the Board who voted with Scott Wiener have pushed down our throats. This is what they call “democracy”.

Please help us overturn the nudity ban and restore our constitutional rights as well as our body freedom rights!
Whether you choose to get naked or not please come and support freedom of choice (your choice)!

Gypsy Taub
gypsytaub(at)gmail(dot)com

Emphasis all mine in bold and underline.

The San Francisco government is no different than the North Carolina state government in illegally arresting and jailing people for exercising their First Amendment rights.  That is on top of San Francisco violating the 1st, 10th, 13th and 14th Amendment rights of the city's nudists in one fell swoop upon enacting this nudity ban.

[Gypsy Taub & My Naked Truth]

Biker clocked at 136 mph on Ohio highway

SPRINGFIELD, OH — Someone broke the speedometer recently.

Reports indicate a black sport motorcycle reached a speed of 136 miles per hour while driving on Northbound US Route 68.

An officer on the emergency police scanner just before 14:30 Friday was attempting to keep a visual on the motorcycle without giving chase and asked for Champaign County officers to be notified that the driver was headed that way.

The rider is wearing a white shirt and dark shorts, according to the officer on the scanner. He was last seen on Willow Rd.

Man arrested for upskirt video of woman at Kmart

Upstate man busted for upskirt video of woman

GREENVILLE — Apparently, Creepshots have come to Greenville.

A 31-year-old man was arrested on Thursday after surveillance video at the Kmart Plaza caught him upskirting a woman.

When investigators arrived, they found a second piece of proof of his upskirting: on his smartphone.

That is when the law enforcers decided to book the man on voyeurism charges.

Agustin Guzman-Garcia (pictured top left), 31, was arrested by the Greenville County Sheriff's Department and charged with voyeurism.  He is still in jail on $20,000.00 bond. [WHNS Fox Carolina]

UNC co-ed crushed to death by falling tree

CHAPEL HILL, NC — A 20-year-old rising junior at North Carolina was killed on Thursday after a tree that was toppled by destructive winds fell on her.

Xuezhou "Julia" Nan, 20, of Cary, was pronounced dead at the UNC Hospital after a tree fell on the sorority house that she and other women were staying in at East Franklin St trying to take shelter from the aftermath of a destructive wind event.

"She stopped and told us there was a storm coming and she was trying to get home, and then, all of the sudden, I heard a really loud cracking," said Adriana Lorenzini, 15, who lives nearby.

"I’d been really close to the tree when it fell, and I couldn’t understand why she’d been the one under it and I had’t," said Ms. Lorenzini.

Someone pulled Ms. Nan from the under the mangled tree before EMTs arrived, however, she never responded, Orange County EMS Director Jim Groves said.

"It was hard for me last night," said Ms. Lorenzini.

Ms. Nan, who double-majored in psychology and biology, was a 2011 graduate of Panther Creek High School in nearby Cary.

"Julia was a very sweet girl," said Diego Malaver, a friend since high school. "She always had a smile on her face."

Another Panther Creek and UNC friend, Eric Schafer, called her "a positive spirit" who was both brilliant and modest.

"You just don't expect anything bad to happen to someone like this," said Mr. Schafer.

"It is so hard to lose one so young, especially in such a terrible, random and tragic event. I hope that all of you, Julia's fellow Tar Heels, will keep her family and friends in your thoughts at this sad time," said Chancellor Holden Thorp in a message Friday to students and staff.

Mr. Thorp said grief counselors were available on campus to help people cope with the death.

"Life is just really fragile," said Mollie Martin, a rising senior at UNC.

Ms. Martin said one of her friends saw the tree crush Nan. "It just kind of puts things in perspective that anything can happen," she said.

Like Asheboro and Randolph County, Raleigh and Durham were under a PDS Thunderstorm Watch when Ms. Nan was hit by the falling tree. [WRAL-DT 5]

Atlanta-area WNBA star pleads guilty to domestic violence charges against ex-girlfriend

ATLANTA — A former Olympic gold medalist, Women's National Basketball Association and Tennessee Lady Volunteers star was sentenced to probation on Friday after entering a guilty plea on domestic violence charges.

Chamique Holdsclaw, 35, of Smyrna, Ga., pleaded guilty as charged to two counts of aggravated domestic assault, criminal damage in the first degree, two counts of criminal damage in the second degree and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felonious crime.

She was sentenced to three years’ probation, ordered to pay a $3,000 and turn in all of her guns, DA Paul Howard said.  Ms. Holdsclaw pleaded guilty in March before entering her guilty plea Friday as part of a plea deal.

Ms. Holdsclaw was arrested in November after she allegedly bashed the windows of a Range Rover belonging to active WNBA player Jennifer Lacy, who told Atlanta police she was Ms. Holdsclaw’s ex-girlfriend.  Ms. Holdsclaw allegedly bashed the driver’s side window, a rear passenger’s window and the rear window before whipping out a nine and firing a shot into the SUV, according to police.

A 9mm shell casing was found, but no one was injured.  Ms. Holdsclaw turned herself in and was booked into the Fulton County jail, where she stayed for two days before being released on $100,000.00 bond.

“According to the terms of the plea agreement, Holdsclaw must avoid violent contact with the victim, complete anger management treatment, and perform 120 hours of community service speaking with youth about depression, overcoming adversity and the consequences of one’s actions,” said Howard in an emailed statement. “She must also relinquish all firearms.”

Ms. Lacy currently plays for the Tulsa Shock.  Ms. Holdsclaw played for 12 seasons in the WNBA.

June is LGBT Pride Month.  This would be an excellent time to remind people that domestic violence does happen in same-sex relationships, as well as in relationships involving transgendered people. [WSB-DT 2]

Anderson Motor Speedway racer charged with sexually assaulting girl

ANDERSON — A familiar face at the Anderson Motor Speedway is now in jail on sexual assault charges.

Ralph Carnes, 54, was arrested and charged with committing a lewd act on a minor and with criminal sexual conduct with a child younger than 11 years old.

The sexual assaults allegedly happened between 2001 and 2009, and that one girl was the victim in both instances.

"Watch out for signs from the kids, if the child does make a disclosure, stop right there, don't press the child, go ahead and call law enforcement," Capt. Garland Major said.

Judge James Cox has not set a bond.

Mr. Carnes, who races cars at the Anderson Motor Speedway short track, will remain in jail until a bond, if approved, can be set.

[WYFF-DT 4]

Boy tells ex-girlfriend to carve apology into her arm with knife, threatens her

Boy threatens ex with knife

MYRTLE BEACH — A 16-year-old boy faces domestic violence charges after threatening his ex-girlfriend, forcing her to cut an apology into her own skin and forcing her to eat sticks.

The Horry County Police Department was called by the girl's mother at their Carolina Farms Blvd residence, saying that she feared for her daughter's life.

She said her daughter walked from the Farm subdivision to Avalon to "apologize" to her ex-boyfriend, so he would stop nagging her.

The girl victim told cops that while walking down a trail earlier that day, he got in front of her and would blocked her from leaving. He grabbed her neck and tried to cut her hair with a Swiss Army Knife, and then stabbed her with a corkscrew on the knife collection.

The aggressor handed her the knife with the serrated blade out, and demanded her to carve her apology into her skin. She refused, and the suspect stole her eyeglasses. The suspect then agreed to trade her glasses for his knife, and when she got her glasses back, she ran to a public area and dropped the knife in an attempt to prevent him from using the knife on her.

I truly hope that this boy's name is released once charges are filed against him. [WMBF]

Woman sues medical spa after she gets scarred

ATLANTA, GA — A woman has filed a lawsuit against a medical spa after they burned a hole in her face during photo-facial treatment.

The woman sought the treatment at The Age Less medical center on Lenox Rd. Her lawyers said she had a scab on her face, but a doctor at Age Less said it needed to be removed.

“He ripped off the scab, which wasn’t pleasant,” said attorney Bryan Baer.

He said the doctor treating the woman shouldn't have been performing that type of procedure under any circumstances.

“The reality is, he is a podiatrist. He is not a licensed physician under Georgia law. He’s only allowed to treat from the knee to the ankles,” said attorney Tony Kalka.

A podiatrist is a foot doctor.

People should always research the doctors involved before having any type of treatment done.

“It’s OK to ask doctors about educational history,” said Mr. Kalka.

[WSB-DT 2]

One of Steubenville players convicted now classified as a sex offender

STEUBENVILLE, OH — A judge has formally announced that Trent Mays should be classified as a sex offender.

Judge Thomas Lipps announced today that Mr. Mays must register as a Tier II Sex Offender.  Earlier in the day, he canceled a sex offender hearing for Mal'ik (muh-LEEK') Richmond, the other Steubenville High School football player convicted of raping a girl on Saint Patrick's Day.

A Tier II sex offender "includes those who have been convicted of offenses such as gross sexual imposition with a victim under 13 years old, pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor when the offender is four or more years older than the victim. Adult offenders must register every 180 days for 25 years; juvenile offenders must register for 20 years."

Ohio sought Tier III status for Mr. Mays, noting the nature of the crime and Mr. May's lack of remorse during an assessment. The state also noted the mental harm done to the West Virginia victim, who is in counseling and still suffers from flashbacks. The state also noted the use of alcohol during the commission of the crime.

The victim's mother spoke during the hearing and said that Mr. Mays publicly humiliated and shamed her daughter and the images of that night can never be removed from the internet. She said her daughter endured countless ridicule that will forever haunt her.

The hearing is to be a first step for Mr. Richmond and Trent Mays to be transferred from a state juvenile detention center to a facility that works with sex offenders.

Mr. Richmond's sex offender hearing will continue at a later date. [WNCT 9 On Your Side]

[WIS News 10]

[WTRF-DT 7]

UPDATE @ 15:16: Updated the post with new information about the Steubenville sex offender hearings.

Barnwell County Hospital has been sold

BARNWELL — Barnwell County Hospital has been sold to Resource Management Company, a business located in Flowery Branch, Ga.

The sale was just announced about 13:06 today.  The hospital will remain in Barnwell County and there will be 30 jobs cut at the hospital, as confirmed by the People Sentinel.

"Unfortunately, we didn't have availability for everyone," said Phillip Eastman, the Resurgence Management Company CEO, in a phone interview Friday. He wasn't sure of the total number of jobs cut.

This sale means that Barnwell County will still have a hospital, Bamberg County will not.

Bamberg County Hospital may be closed permanently if the finances are not in good shape soon.

BCH has been closed since last year.

Barnwell County Hospital is still open and in bankruptcy, but could emerge from it.

"Despite our best intentions, Barnwell County could not afford to underwrite the losses at Barnwell County Hospital," said Lowell Jowers, Barnwell County Hopsital Board Chairman and Barnwell County Councilman. "Our options were limited, close the hospital or find an experienced operator; we selected Resurgence Management Company as the successful bidder to purchase and operate our hospital."

Mr. Eastman said his company has operated rural hospitals in the Southeast for since 1988. "The challenges at Barnwell County Hospital are typical of many other hospitals we have owned and operated. The difference between us and other operators is we are a private company and we believe in the community hospital," he said in the release.

"We need a new image, a new name and a new direction," said Mary Valiant, Barnwell County Hopsital CEO. "With the past behind us, we can now concentrate on doing what we were meant to do, take care of patients."

"Barnwell County Hospital name will change, but not its mission or services. We will continue to provide emergency services, outpatient and inpatient programs, along with physician offices to the residents of Barnwell County," said Mr. Eastman.

A new hospital board will be appointed after the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the current members of the Barnwell County Hospital board are guilty of dual office-holding, which is illegal in South Carolina.

That case has been remanded back to the local circuit court for a decision on how to proceed.

[The People-Sentinel]

Women blatantly assault Adam 'Pacman' Jones — Jones is unjustly and illegally arrested! (NSFW Video)

CINCINNATI — Although Adam 'Pacman' Jones has been known to start trouble in the past but he wasn't the one starting any trouble this past weekend.

Instead, two women, who have not been identified as of this post, started all of the trouble and, initiated an assault on Pacman Jones.

ESPN 1530 caught raw footage of what really went down that night.

So what exactly happened? The security tape shows the real story. One of the young ladies engaged Jones briefly in conversation. Shortly after the tape shows the women initiates contact and hits Jones across the face with a beer bottle (at 11:44) prompting him to react with what can best be described as an instinctive reaction to protect himself. Please note the woman never drops the bottle and continues to pursue Jones after he deflects her.

Mr. Jones is no angel — he got suspended for one calendar year in 2007, meaning he wasn't re-instated until the summer of 2008 — but the women in the video are clearly the aggressors here.  Cincinnati police illegally arrested Mr. Jones.

As for the women, I hope that they are identified so they can be apprehended and prosecuted for aggravated assault to the fullest extent of Ohio law.

Jason Leffler (1975-2013) dies from injuries sustained in dirt track crash

SWEDESBORO, NJ — Jason Leffler, a Nationwide Series regular who was looking for a ride for 2014, was killed in a crash at the Bridgeport Speedway dirt track on Wednesday night.

Mr. Leffler was the main driver involved in an accident on the North Wilkesboro-like track just after 20:15. Witness Christopher Taitt, 40, of West Deptford, N.J., said that Mr. Leffler's car barrel-rolled several times down the front stretch. EMTs did the "jaws of life" to get him out of the car, but he died of his injuries at 21:09.

Mr. Leffler was in the runner-up spot when the accident happened.  Mr. Taitt said it appeared that the rear of Mr. Leffler's vehicle "locked up" before it hit the wall and flipped.

"NASCAR extends its thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies to the family of Jason Leffler who passed away earlier this evening," said NASCAR president Mike Helton in a statement. "For more than a decade, Jason was a fierce competitor in our sport and he will be missed."

Mr. Leffler was the odd man out after NASCAR made dramatic rule changes in January to the Nationwide Series, including eliminating three spots from the junior circuit's maximum starters in a race (from 43 cars to 40).  He had been racing in dirt car events most of this year, including the 410 Sprint Car race Wednesday that promised a $7,000 prize to the winner at Bridgeport.

Mr. Leffler made 423 starts on the NASCAR circuit and won three times. He had one Camping World Truck Series win and two wins in the Nationwide Series.

He last ran a full NASCAR schedule on the Nationwide side in 2011, finished in the top 10 overall in the final standings.

He never won on the Sprint Cup level, although he did have strong cars while at Target Earnhardt Ganassi and Joe Gibbs Racing.

Mr. Leffler was the original driver of the FedEx #11 car in 2005 until he was fired by Coach Gibbs after failing to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600.  That car was then rotated between several drivers, including Denny Hamlin — Coach Gibbs limited Mr. Hamlin's starts in that car so he could retain his rookie eligibility the following season.

"Really sad for Jason Leffler and his family," said NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski on Twitter. "Thinking about his little boy."

IZOD IndyCar driver Justin Wilson tweeted: "Another reminder of how this sport we love can be so cruel. Thoughts with his family." Wilson included the hashtag "#LEFturn."

Sprint Cup driver Clint Bowyer also included #LEFturn in a tweet, saying: "So sad to hear about Jason Leffler. Was a wheel man and a fun fun person to be around."

Mr. Leffler, a single father, is survived by his son, five-year-old Charlie Dean.  Mr. Dean was the subject of many tweets from motorsports drivers and fans alike.

"Praying for all of Jason Leffler family, especially his little guy Charlie," tweeted Indianapolis 500 pole sitter driver Ed Carpenter.

Mr. Leffler started the Party at the Poconos 400 on Sunday and was the first driver to fail to finish the event, finishing in 43d.  He would have been 38 years old on September 16.

[WPVI-HD 6]
[Sydney Morning Herald]

Hephzibah man shot by his fiancee in domestic violence incident

Augusta man shot be fiancee

HEPHZIBAH, GA — A man is in grave condition at the all-new Georgia Regents Medical Center after he was shot by his fiancee.

Just after 15:00 today, police got a call to the 4400 block of Forest Rd after reports of gunshots and one person laying down afterwards.

They found the unconscious 51-year-old man with one gunshot to his upper torso.  That is when they learned that his reported fiancee, Amanda Neeley, 29, of Hephzibah-McBean Rd shot him.

Ms. Neeley was arrested by the Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff's Department and charged with Aggravated Assault and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime under the Family Violence Act.

She was taken to the Augusta-Richmond County Detention Center.

I hope that they will also charge her with attempted murder or, if he dies, capital murder. [WJBF-DT NewsChannel 6]

Man gets girls buzzed, then rapes one of them

COLUMBIA — A 30-year-old man was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting one of two girls he provided alcohol to.

Columbia Police Department detectives say that Richard Delano Williams, 30, provided alcohol to two 16-year-old girls at a home in the 1400 block of Harden St on Monday.  Mr. Williams attempted a sexual act with one of the teens but she refused.

Investigators say while the second victim was "grossly intoxicated," Mr. Williams allegedly approached her and engaged in a sexual act without her consent.

Mr. Williams is charged with criminal sexual conduct and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. [WIS News 10]

Man arrested after girlfriend turns in 'illegal' gun

BLYTHE, GA — A 38-year-old man was arrested and charged today with…possession of an illegal weapon!

Sammy Dennis Odom’s girlfriend called Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff’s Sgt. Randy Hayes and asked him to meet her at a secret location in Blythe. That’s where she handed him a 12-gauge shotgun, saying her live-in boyfriend had the weapon at her house and “she did not want it in her house.”

Sgt. Hayes took a timeout and measured the barrel of the gun.  He found that it was short of the 18 inches in diameter as required by Georgia state law, the report says. So he contacted an officer with the Arson, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau, leading to Odom’s arrest.

Mr. Odom, 38, was released Wednesday after posting a $7,900 bond.  It is unknown as to whether they broke up or not. [The Jail Report]

Ex-EMS director fired for sexual harassment disputes claims

TRYON, NC — A woman Polk County EMS director fired for sexual harassment last week disputes those claims and says that her termination was 'part of a campaign promise'.

“The allegations are not true,” said Sandra Halford, the former Polk County EMS director. “I was a campaign promise and here it is. It’s unbelievable, it really is.”

Ms. Halford was fired last week with the county sending her two certified letters, one on June 4 and another more detailed letter on June 5. The detailed letter gave Ms. Halford specific reasons for her termination, including sexual harassment, lying to public officials and creating or causing a hostile or abusive work environment through means of verbal abuse, intimidation and retaliation, according to the June 5 letter sent to Ms. Halford and signed by interim county manager Marche Pittman and commissioner chair Michael Gage.

The second letter specifically gave three reasons for Ms. Halford’s termination, including sexual harassment in violation of Title VII, Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (both quid pro quo and sexual favoritism for women); impeding the course of an official investigation by lying to public officials, and creating or causing a hostile or abusive work environment through means of verbal abuse, intimidation and retaliation.

Because Ms. Halford was considered a career state employee, as well as a county employee, Jana Berg, Polk County's attorney, said the following statute, General Statute 2010-169 Sections 18 (a) and 18 (e) regarding state and county employees, applied:

“Certain records to be kept by State (18e – County) agencies open to inspection.

(a) Each department, agency, institution, commission and bureau of the State shall maintain a record of each of its employees, showing the following information with respect to each such employee:

(1) Name; (2) Age; (3) Date of original employment or appointment to State service; (4) The terms of any contract by which the employee is employed whether written or oral, past and current, to the extent that the agency has the written contract or a record of the oral contract in its possession; (5) Current position; (6) Title; (7) Current salary; (8) Date and amount of each increase or decrease in salary with that department, agency, institution, commission, or bureau; (9) Date and type of most recent each promotion, demotion, transfer, suspension, separation, or other change in position, classification with that department, agency, institution, commission, or bureau; (10) Date and general description of the reasons for each promotion with that department, agency, institution, commission, or bureau; (11) Date and type of each dismissal, suspension, or demotion for disciplinary reasons taken by the department, agency, institution, commission, or bureau. If the disciplinary action was a dismissal, a copy of the written notice of the final decision of the head of the department setting forth the specific acts or omissions that are the basis of the dismissal.” [Tryon Daily-Bulletin]

NSFW RAW VIDEO: Woman sexually assaulted, victim-blamed and arrested in Las Vegas

Trigger Warning

LAS VEGAS — Raw video from a Las Vegas CBS station shows a now ex-officer sexually assaulting a woman who was in divorce court nearly two years ago.

After finalizing her divorce, Monica Contreras, 28, of Las Vegas, was summoned for a drug test to be conducted by Ron Fox.  That is when Mr. Fox touched her breasts, her butt and asked her to pull up her shirt. Ms. Contreras was so steamed over the incident that she told the judge she felt extremely uncomfortable and the woman judge, Patricia Donninger, told her that she could have gotten the drug test done with a woman in Mr. Fox's place.

In Nevada (where this story obviously comes from if you read the dateline on the blogposts), there is no law about making false allegations against a police officer.  However, Mr. Fox decided to take a page right out of the book of Horry County's corrupt cops and arrest her on a bullshit charge.  Also in Nevada, there is nothing on the books that allows for the officer to arrest an accuser, especially if the accuser is accusing a cop of rape.

I just hope that Ms. Contreras mops the floor with Mr. Fox in her lawsuit against him.  This is the rawest abuse of power by a cop that Las Vegas has seen in a very long time.

This blog usually does not name victims of crime, but since most other feminist blogs have done so, I'm making an exception here. Read more at The Frisky.

Not Safe for Work videos below:



UPDATE @ 16:40: Full video from WLAS-DT added to the post, above. This disputes the claim made by a certain commenter on The Frisky that no sexual assault occurred.

Gillibrand amendment killed by Carl Levin

WASHINGTON — Rape cases will still be at the mercy of a military chain of command that just does not get it, thanks to a certain DINO Senator from Michigan.

Sen. Carl Levin defeated the bill in the Senate Armed Services Committee. If passed, it would have been added to the write up of the 2014 NDAA.

Senator Levin’s bill “is another half measure that will essentially kick the can down the road,” said Nancy Parrish, president of Protect Our Defenders told MSNBC. Parrish argued that, even if higher-ranking officers are involved in reviewing decisions, “It is the low-level commanders who hold the initial disposition authority that can prevent a sexual assault case from ever moving forward. These unit commanders hold the keys to the courthouse.”

Gillibrand's women co-sponsors say that they will keep fighting, including offering amendments to the bill when it appears to the Senate floor.

Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California said in a statement that she was “stunned that when it comes to prosecuting these crimes that the committee is largely embracing the status quo,” and that she “[looks] forward to fighting for these critical changes on the floor of the Senate.”

While the amendment was supported by a majority of servicewomen and civilians, it was opposed by the powerful voices in the military, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and senators from both parties. All twelve military leaders that testified before the Armed Services committee last week insisted that they had the ability to reduce rape and sexual assault without any assistance from the outside.

New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen was not surprised at the amendment being tabled.

“It didn’t surprise me,” she said. “What we knew after the hearing last week on sexual assault, and the opposition we heard from virtually everybody serving in the military, that this was going to be an uphill battle.”

SWAN also issued a statement.

“SWAN has carefully studied this issue for five years now and has consulted with many victims, JAGs, academics, commanders and military law experts, who agree that that allowing prosecutors to handle felony level crimes will provide justice for victims, adequate due process rights to the accused and restore faith in what is now a broken status quo.” a spokesperson for the Service Women’s Action Network, another advocacy group, said. “The MJIA actually protects commanders’ ability to prosecute military specific misconduct.”

Rep. Jackie Speier, one of the political leaders in the fight against the military rape culture, pointed out that our strongest allies have similar policies.

“If we don’t follow the example set by nations like England, Canada, Australia, and others,” said Rep. Speier to Thomas Roberts, “It’s putting us in a position where we’re going to be reviewing another scandal in six months or a year.”

[MSNBC]

Federal judge orders sale of Barnwell County Hospital to proceed as usual

BARNWELL — Even though the Barnwell County Council was guilty of dual office holding by the state Supreme Court, the sale of the county's hospital isn't being stopped by any judges anytime soon.

A federal judge denied the motion to delay or stop the sale of Barnwell County Hospital.

"It's great the judge turned it down," said Barnwell County Councilman Jowers of the motion. "We still have a hospital and it will be a better hospital."

The hospital he is talking about?  It will be located in Bamberg County, between Blackville and that county's largest city, Denmark, on the Heritage Hy. The distance to the proposed hospital will be shorter for a majority of the residents countywide, despite the fact that Barnwell County will be the first county without a hospital in the state should the sale go through, and despite the fact that Bamberg County and Dobbs withdrew from the deal.

The finalization of the Barnwell County Hospital's sale to Atlanta-based Resurgence Management Company should proceed any moment now.

[The People-Sentinel]

Aiken County man sexually assaults two girls

Man arrested for sexually assaulting two girls

NORTH AUGUSTA — A 40-year-old man was arrested for sexually assaulting at least two girls.

Dwayne Lee Rudd, 40, of 743 Willow Ln, North Augusta, was arrested by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office and charged with 10 counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.  Five of the charges are third degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and the other five are second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

The ten charges were filed after two victims, both girls, contacted the Aiken Sheriff's Office.  One of the victims is 12 and the other is 14.

The Aiken Sheriff's Office did a short investigation that later led to Mr. Rudd's arrest.  He is at the Aiken County Detention Center.

No word on whether Mr. Rudd sexually assaulted other girls or if he was related in any way to the two victims. [The Jail Report]

Gaston County boy faces Peeping Tom charges after recording woman at tanning salon

GASTONIA, NC — A 15-year-old boy will be charged with felony Peeping Tom charges after a woman more than twice his age witnessed him videotaping her in the tanning salon while she was naked.

"How could you do that? Why would you do that," asked the visibly angry woman.

The woman has been going to the Shades of Summer in downtown Gastonia for half a decade. As she finished tanning in the buff, Tuesday, she said she noticed a cellphone held over the wall around the tanning bed.

"I am very upset," she said. "I feel violated.  You never know if you are going to end up on the Internet."

The woman confronted the boy. He admitted to taking the photos.

"I want to prosecute to the fullest," the woman said.

The owners of the Shades of Summer said they could not talk about the case right now.

Police said they have the report, but they cannot comment on the case because the suspect is a minor.

They will look at the images on the camera.

While it is illegal to be nude at a tanning salon, let alone elsewhere, in North Carolina; there is a reasonable expectation of privacy that customers at tanning salons are guaranteed; and it is the violation of that privacy, not indecency, that is the issue here.  The woman's name is not released here as she is a crime victim, and as a result, video will not be posted here. Click the link in the brackets for the video story. [WSOC-HD 9 Eyewitness News]

Murder charges filed in deadly crash

WINSTON-SALEM — A head-on collision has resulted in second-degree murder charges for a man.

A 74-year-old woman died after the head-on collision at the 300 block of Meadowlark Dr on Sunday.  The crash happened on Thursday.

A Mazda pickup truck driven by Samuel Ray Cox crossed the center line and collided with the elderly woman's Dodge Neon around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, police said. Cox suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Police also charged Mr. Cox Tuesday with felony death by motor vehicle in addition to the DWI charge. He was previously charged with DWI. [WXII-HD 12]

Connecticut woman intentionally crushes ex to death with vehicle

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A 21-year-old mother did not enter a plea on Tuesday morning to capital murder charges from one of the most brutal domestic violence murders in recent Connecticut memory.

On May 18, Cherelle Baldwin intentionally drove her Pontiac right at her ex-boyfriend and crushed him against a wall. Police called the incident a domestic homicide.

EMTs responded to the grisly scene and was unable to revive the man.

Ms. Baldwin suffered a leg injury during the commission of the domestic murder.

An accident reconstruction team determined Baldwin's car traveled nearly 100 feet and accelerated the entire time, before hitting the man and the cinder block wall, police said. Ms. Baldwin never made an attempt, or effort, to brake. Investigators said Ms. Baldwin's leg injury was most likely caused by the impact with the wall while her foot was on the accelerator.

Ms. Baldwin is being held on $1 million bond and is due in court on July 16.  Let's hope that this is one woman that remain in jail for life. [WVIT-HD]

Woman stilettos boyfriend to death

HOUSTON — A Harris County woman was in court today, two days after stilettoing her boyfriend to death.

Ana Trujillo, 44, was arrested for capital murder after she took off the shoes she was wearing and stabbed the 59-year-old man to death.

At 4:00 Sunday, Houston police responded to an assault in progress call at Parklane on 1701 Hermann Dr, said Houston PD spokesman Kese Smith.

Ms. Trujillo opened the door for police, who found the man's body lying on the floor, Smith said.

Brian Wice, a criminal defense attorney and legal analyst, said he was shocked to learn that a man his age had died in the same luxury apartment unit he used to rent.

"It had a beautiful view and wonderful security," he said. "When I lived there, it was a lot of doctors, a lot of lawyers. Back in the day, at least one criminal district court judge and a sportscaster. It was a great place to live."

Ms. Trujillo was released from Harris County Jail on $100,000 bond, and was in court today.  No word on whether she entered any plea.

In 2011, Thelma Carter, of Augusta, Ga., murdered her boyfriend with a stiletto heel shoe that she was wearing.

When a woman uses her stiletto heels against a man, she is intending to murder him in cold blood, plain and simple. Stiletto heels are among an abusive woman's weapons of choice when it comes to committing domestic violence against men. [Huffington Post]

What took President Obama so long to do the right thing with Plan B?

WASHINGTON — Monday night, President Obama decided to end the lawsuit against the dispensing of Plan B over the counter with no restrictions.

Question is: what took him so long?

In a word, Mr. Obama was appeasing misogynistic conservatives who don't give a damn about women's health.

His reversal on Monday night sends the correct message that women and girls must have the same rights that Mr. Obama and I currently have as men.

As Annie Tummino, the National Women's Liberation coordinator correctly put it, "Women and girls should have the absolute right to control our bodies without having to ask a doctor or a pharmacist for permission."

Former First Daughter and current Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said it best: by Washington dropping the appeal, it is "a huge breakthrough for access to birth control and a historic moment for women's health and equity."

Not surprisingly, misogynistic organizations are lashing out over Mr. Obama dropping the case.  Their responses are all too predictable: they strongly believe that women and girls should not have the same health care rights that men and boys like Mr. Obama and I do.

The far right's response is paternalistic and condescending.  There was never any doubt in my mind that they do not care about women and girls.

Ed Korman, the judge who slapped down Washington on April 5, refused to suspend the ruling because the decision to restrict Plan B was politically motivated, scientifically unjustified, contrary to agency precedent, and there was no basis to deny the request to make the drugs widely available.

[Huffington Post]

How to compliment people without objectifying them

Note: This may be a long and winding post, since it is two parts. Credit for most of the first part of this post goes to Everyday Feminism.

AUGUSTA, GA — Woman sits down in her own little world.

Man then approaches her.  Man finds woman attractive.

Man then make an attempt to get in woman's pants by telling her how sexy she is by looking at her Dale Earnhardt halter top and short miniskirt, and how if she sleeps with him that he will treat her to days worth of everything.

Woman, finding man creepy, then tells him to "back off!" in a Yosemite Sam-like way. After originally feeling rejected and hurt, man then becomes angry and hurls "slut, cunt, bint" and any other sexual slur at woman, one after the other.

That is very common in a major city like Augusta. (The only major city that this scenario is [becoming increasingly] uncommon is in Seattle, as I wrote about in a post yesterday.)

So, what is wrong with this situation, as well as these two situations below?

A heterosexual man, while out at the bar or in a coffee shop or anywhere else in public, finds a woman attractive and attempts to (get to know, date, sleep with) her by giving her what he views as a compliment.

But in the process, something goes wrong. The possibly well-intentioned compliment has an undesirable effect, and both parties end up frustrated and angry.

This same situation also can occur if a man already knows a woman, but wants to take things to the next level. The woman may feel put off by the man’s advances that suddenly strain a good friendship.

Intent behind the compliment is a two way street — sadly, most of us (read: men) and some women fail to realize that when interacting with people of the opposite gender.

One of the biggest reasons why people buy the hook, line and sinker about feminism saying that male sexuality (and male sexual desires) is wrong is because the movement, while centered around equal rights for women and less advantaged groups, had failed for years to debunk this horrible myth in a clear and effective manner — that allowed the men's rights extremists to exploit the conversation and make this accusation mainstream.  Now, unfortunately, the third-wave of feminism has a ton of lost ground to make up for in order to assuage fears amongst non-feminist men that feminism is not about repressing male sexuality.

A decent starting point female feminist allies have come up with in the march to take back the sexuality conversation from anti-sex extremists is saying that sexual entitlement — whether it is by the man or woman — is wrong.

It’s when the person feels entitled to that sexual desire being reciprocated, or has other motives, that it infringes on the other person’s boundaries and turns creepy – or at least uncomfortable.

We will get to ways where women can compliment men without objectifying them later.  This part of the post will be tips posted from Everyday Feminism. While this list of tips is applicable everywhere, some modifications are possible to this list since we are talking about major cities like nearby Augusta, as those tend to be the singles hot spots.

1. Check Your Expectations
   
   Think a woman is hot? Go ahead and tell her.
   
   Just don’t expect it to lead anywhere else.
   
   If it does, great. If not, sorry, better luck next time.
   
   The thing is, you should be nice to a woman just to be nice to her. If you’re only talking to her or being nice to her to have sex with her, that’s manipulation, pure and simple.
2. Have a Conversation (or Several) with Her First
   
   Despite your best intentions, some women will simply be turned off by a stranger giving them a compliment. It sometimes make women feel like their bodies exist for your judgment and entertainment – not a good feeling.
   
   It always helps to get to know a person a little first – even if just for a few minutes.
   
   Starting up a conversation about the tough exam you have in Chemistry class next week or the cool band that’s coming to town could have the positive effect of breaking the ice and discovering what you may have in common with each other.
   
   Having conversations with people has multiple benefits: it helps others get to know you, it builds trust, and makes you come across as a much more genuine person and not just as The Desperate Guy Who Needs To Get Laid.
3. Compliment Her on Something Other than Her Appearance
   
   Regardless of their age, accomplishments, or social status, women are evaluated overwhelmingly on their physical appearance.
   
   Even Hillary Clinton, with all her major political accomplishments, is still the subject of articles that focus on her hair or fashion choices — especially in mainstream newspapers and in women's magazines.
   
   Some women appreciate being recognized for what they do or who they are more so than for what they look like.
   
   So if you know something about a woman – such as that she gave a great speech in a class you took together or that she does a good job detecting rotation in thunderstorms at the bureau where she works – compliment her on that instead of on her physical characteristics.
   
   Not only does it show that you’re interested in getting to know her personality and accomplishments, but it will likely be a refreshing change for her.
4. Avoid Sexually-Charged “Compliments”
   
   If you do decide to say something nice about her appearance – which is entirely your choice – avoid using sexual overtones or telling her what you’d like to do to her.
   
   This is called sexual objectification, which means reducing the person to nothing but the sum of their parts to be used for another’s pleasure, and there’s absolutely nothing empowering about it.
   
   Sometimes it can be difficult to ascertain the difference between commenting on someone’s body and making an explicitly sexual comment.
   
   Considering this, I would recommend totally avoiding complimenting women on their physical features, regardless of how attractive she is.
   
   The difference between complimenting someone’s shiny hair or glowing skin and saying she has a hot ass are slim to none when it comes to objectification of women, which is this post's aim to avoid. While all three items are objectification by the standards of most women, the latter carries a definite sexual overtone and the former two would possibly carry the same overtone.
   
   Above all, remember that people’s bodies belong to them, and trespassing into that personal space can make some people really uncomfortable.
5. Be Sincere
   
   Above all else, be honest.
   
   Don’t make something up just to get the chance to talk to her, or as an attempt to get laid.
   
   Pro tip: If it seems like a cheesy pick-up line, it probably is.
   
   There’s a difference between yelling “hey baby, you must be from Tennessee ‘cause you’re the only ten I see!” and asking a woman how her day’s going, respectfully asking if you can speak to her about something, or paying her a genuine compliment.
6. Do not approach women in major cities, instead let them approach you
   
   One tip that most women who write anti-harassment and anti-objectification pieces tend to ignore is that making men approach women in a large city can, unfortunately, encourage the exact type of situation that was written in the very fourth paragraph.
   
   A lot of my female readers will hate this suggestion, but I strongly recommend men to avoid approaching women if they are looking for love in a city that has 100,000 people or more, or in a metropolitan area that is close to, or has more than, 250,000 people, using the most recent Census data available (in this case, 2010).  Yes, as in completely.  Instead, let the women in these areas approach you.  This would significantly reduce — but not completely eliminate — the probability of harassment taking place (objectification can be defined as harassment in some areas).  Some women at first would probably give you a chilly reception for not recognizing her, but as most women learned in Seattle, they will eventually come around and embrace it.
   
   A man is more likely to accept rejection from a woman without attacks if she approaches him, rather than vice versa.

All right. Those are the tips for men. Your turn now, women! Brief tips on how to compliment men without objectifying them, starting now!

1. Like with the men, check your expectatons!
   
   Think a man is hot? Go ahead and tell him.
   
   Chances are, it won't lead anywhere else.  So don't get your hopes up too much.
   
   If it does, great. If not, try again with another man.
   
   The thing is, you should be nice to a man just to be nice to him. If you’re only talking to him or being nice to him to get his money, that’s manipulation, in the purest and simplest terms.
2. Compliment Him on Something Other than His Appearance
   
   Although women are evaluated overwhelmingly on their physical appearance; regardless of their age, accomplishments, or social status, men are not immune to having his compliments limited to only his appearance. In fact, men have been increasingly evaluated on such in the last 15 years.
   
   Even powerful men like President Obama and Jimmie Johnson, with all of their major accomplishments, are increasingly the subject of articles that focus on their hair, beard or fashion choices — especially in mainstream newspapers and in men's fitness magazines and women's magazines.
   
   Like women, some men appreciate being recognized for what they do or who they are more so than for what they look like.
   
   So if you know something about a man – such as that he gave a great briefing about a current hostage situation you saw on the news or that he does a good job making 16 inch pizzas where he works – compliment him on that instead of on his physical characteristics.
   
   Not only does it show that you’re interested in getting to know his personality and accomplishments, but he will likely give you the same courtesy in the future.
3. Avoid Sexually-Charged “Compliments” and Avoid Talk About Money
   
   If you do decide to say something nice about his appearance – which is entirely your choice – avoid using sexual overtones or telling him what you’d like to do to him.
   
   This is called sexual objectification, which means reducing the person to nothing but the sum of their parts to be used for another’s pleasure.  Nothing empowering ever comes from that.
   
   Sometimes it can be difficult to ascertain the difference between commenting on someone’s body and making an explicitly sexual comment.
   
   Unlike the men earlier when I recommended totally avoiding complements on women's appearance, I'm giving women some leeway here.
   
   Find a feature that you find interesting or striking, rather than focusing on body parts that are considered explicitly sexual.
   
   Because complimenting someone’s shiny hair or glowing skin is a lot different than saying he has a nice long penis (or a six-pack of abs, for that matter), which carries a sexual overtone and veers into the zone of objectification.
   
   Also, do not, under any circumstances, ask about his finances.  You don't want him to hang you with a certain common sexist attack launched on single women who are on the prowl.
   
   Above all, remember that people’s bodies belong to them, and trespassing into that personal space can make some people really uncomfortable.
4. Be Sincere
   
   Above all else, be honest.
   
   Don’t make something up just to get the chance to talk to him, or as an attempt to get into his wallet (or even get laid).
   
   Pro tip: If it seems like a cheesy pick-up line, it probably is.
   
   There’s a difference between yelling “hey hunk, you must be from New York ‘cause you’re the only ten I see!” and asking me how my day’s going, respectfully asking if you can speak to me about something, or paying me a genuine compliment.

The takeaway is this: People like being complimented, but they also treasure their personal space. Keep it honest and respectful, and they will be more likely to appreciate your efforts.  This is especially true of my fellow gender when it comes to giving compliments to women.

The sad sexist Reddit & Seattle Times trolls on the Times' dating piece

SEATTLE — While most of the criticism hurled at Danielle Campoamor was well-deserved, some of the criticism of her was completely out of bounds.

Here are screenshots I took of some of the sexist, fat-shaming and slut-shaming invectives hurled at Ms. Campoamor on both the Seattle Times and Reddit.

Use of the word broad in this sense is no more acceptable when a woman uses it.



This man calls women 'shrews'.



Education has a lack of education when it comes to slut-shaming language:



And the oh-so-predictable "women are golddiggers" perception.



And the attack on Seattle for allowing equal gender roles in dating:






Then, the attack on liberalism (and, by extension, feminism):





And now, fat-shaming:



And now, for the worst of MRA Reddit's comments on the issue:







































And back to the Times' comments. The oh-so-predictable "lonely woman with cats" comment.



This commenter attacks men who actually like Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues:



Then, this misogynist, probably from the Boycott American Women hate blog:



Then, the personal attacks on the author, herself:

Man arrested for killing woman in motel

Man arrested for killing woman at motel, will face judge Monday

HICKORY — A 40-year-old man is in jail after a woman was found dead in a Catawba County motel.

An employee at the Motel 6 on Lenoir Rhyne Blvd discovered a woman's body underneath a bed in one of the rooms.

A guest who had been staying at the motel described smelling a foul odor Thursday, but it wasn't until after noon Friday that Hickory Police got the 911 call.

Investigators were at the motel Friday trying to determine how the woman was slain.

Tim Brown was outside when the body was found.

"I heard some screaming and I don't know what happened after that," said Mr. Brown. "I didn't know anything was going on, to be honest with you, but wow."

The deceased woman was 48.

Ricky Allen Payne, 40, of Hickory, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, resisting arrest, obstruction of justice, delaying an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.

He will be in court on Monday, and he remained at the jail today with no bond. [WSOC-HD 9 Eyewitness News]

Man arrested for murder after welfare check discovers deceased woman

CHINA GROVE, NC — China Grove Police detectives arrested a man after a 12-hour search after they first did a welfare check on a woman and discovered her dead.

At 8:00 today, Eugene Hill, 55, was arrested and charged with capital murder.

At 19:45 Saturday night, law enforcement did a welfare check on a 48-year-old woman who was reported missing. They made the welfare check at 124 Poplar St.

The woman's vehicle was left parked. However, she was found dead inside. Mr. Hill was immediately a person of interest.

Mr. Hill's vehicle was ultimately found alongside the Stanly and Montgomery County lines. [WSOC-HD 9 Eyewitness News]

Man wins discrimination suit against Georgia for banning pro-LGBT license plates

ATLANTA — A few months, Cyrus Gilbert applied for a "gay rights" vanity plate.

Then, he was told that they were not available.

"The first one came back as unavailable, as well as second, as well as the third one," said Mr. Gilbert.

Ultimately, he found out that now ex-Gov. Sonny Perdue and the General Assembly explicitly banned LGBT license plates.

"It doesn't cause harm to anyone. It is not vulgar in any way and it is my choice," said Mr. Gilbert.

That is when Mr. Gilbert took action and sued the state for blatant discrimination.

"This was blatantly unconstitutional, needed to be challenged," said Mr. Gilbert's attorney, Cynthia Counts.

"It's all about progress. It's another step forward," said Mr. Gilbert.

Thanks to Mr. Gilbert for doing what's right.  Now people in Bulloch, Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren and Wilkes counties can show their support for marriage equality! [WSB-DT 2]

Baldwin County jailer axed, arrested for raping woman inmate

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA — A Milledgeville Police Department jailer was axed from his position and then was arrested and charged after raping a female inmate.

The rape happened around civil twilight on Tuesday evening.  The woman filed a complaint at 13:30 the following day.

Less than 30 minutes after he received the complaint, Milledgeville Police Chief Dray Swicord contacted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), agent Joseph Ricketson says.

Swicord said Jeffery Bernard Brown, 40, raped the inmate in a day room of the jail's women's dorm.

He would not describe the encounter, but said Mr. Brown would have faced a different charge if investigators believed the sex was consensual.

The inmate told a female jailer about the encounter the next day, he said.

Mr. Ricketson sent a crime scene analyst and two agents to investigate the claims. He says they found "enough probable cause" to justify charging Mr. Brown.

Mr. Brown is in the Baldwin County Detention Center, Sheriff William Massey says.

And again, this proves why people want the gender of the jailers and the inmates to be the same. [WMAZ 13]

Flooding in Orangeburg County

NORTH — For the third time in less than a week, flooding has hit the Central Savannah River Area.

Flooding was reported in North at about the 15:00 hour this afternoon, and one CoCoRAHs spotter reported 5.35 inches of rain in her rain gauge at that time, according to the National Weather Service in Columbia.

The heavy rains have caused flooding across North. The Savannah Hy, Ninety Six Rd, and Salley Rd all were victims of flooding or ponding as well.

Here is a photo one person sent to WLTX News 19's Facebook page.



This is the fourth time that severe weather has hit the CSRA in less than seven days.

With the exception of Wednesday (when it will be hot and dry), scattered thunderstorms are expected all this week.

Related posts:

Tornado Strikes Bowman
Flooding in Hampton County
Flooding in Aiken County

The Seattle Times' op-ed piece from Friday is an example of what women should not be doing in order to get men in the major city

So, there was a piece from the Seattle Times on Friday about how men are not approaching women.

At first glance, my thought was "what's wrong with them?". But then, my feminist instinct kicked in and I realized what Danielle Campoamor is just too damn ignorant to realize: the Seattle men that she illogically ridicule as 'timid, shy and seemingly incapable of striking up a conversation' actually respect women and their space, which is a lot more than I can say about my fellow gender in a lot of other places (see Stop Street Harassment to get what I am talking about here).

(NOTE: The Seattle Times now have a paywall, but I am lifting the ban on them as a source for just this one time.)

Reading Ms. Campoamor's piece is like hearing someone whine about how they are not able to find a mate. I know for a fact that no woman would want to hear a man complain — which means, I will really criticize women who complain about being unable to find men.

That means that Ms. Campoamor has the misfortune of being the first target of my criticism.

I am gonna respond to each paragraph of Ms. Campoamor's whine piece below, starting with the third paragraph.

I quickly learned that Seattle men are far different from any other I’ve encountered: shy, timid and seemingly incapable of striking up a conversation, let alone offering to buy a female a drink. The Seattle males’ inability to successfully merge with their female counterparts reminds me of the colossal cluster that is I-5 onramps. Much like a Seattleite merging onto a freeway, our men’s apprehensive tendencies leave them incapable of finding either the open lane or the open bar stool.

Suck it up, Ms. Campoamor.  Most Seattle men know how to respect the boundaries of women.  It is not the men's apprehensive tendencies that are the problem here, it is the 1963 dating mentality that you and other women like you have.

You may not realize it, Ms. Campoamor, but given the fact that 49 out of every 50 women will experience street harassment at some point in her life, I applaud the shy and timid men for respecting the women and giving them their space.  The 1963 dating approach only encourages men to harass women in any major city that has more than 100,000 people, that approach does not work and has not worked at all.  It is time for a new approach for dating in the major cities.  That approach means that the women will have to do the approaching and conversation-starting instead, sorry if you don't like it.  It's 2013, the dating rules have changed in places like Augusta, Ga.; Columbia; New York City and Seattle - and not all of it by choice.

Like a Seattleite’s driving, which is among the worst according to two years of Allstate claims data, Seattle men are unable to properly insert themselves, thanks to a “no, you go first” mindset, creating a plethora of blundering crash-and-burn scenarios.

As mentioned above, it is no longer the man's responsibility to properly insert themselves. The "no, you go first" mindset that Seattle men have is a mindset that reduces the probability of a woman being harassed at a social gathering.  There is a chance it can go wrong with either the men or the women if the women make the first move, but not very likely.

Being born and raised in Alaska, I found such dating behavior foreign. Sure, there are more men than women in the great 49th state. According to the most recent census data, 52 percent of Alaska’s population is male. However, Alaskan mating rituals cannot be boiled down to a simple numbers game. The northern, hardworking, truck-driving men of my hometown are born with confidence in their veins and courage in their one-liners.

No duh.  Alaska has been the only state since the first 50-state Census (in 1960) that has had a majority male population.  Of course, the rules are gonna be different there (statewide) than in the other 49 states if we were to simply take their populations instead of eliminating all incorporated communities that is below the 100,000-person threshold like I am doing with this post since the old-fashioned rules can still be used in smaller communities where people would have a good chance of knowing each other (the smaller the population, the higher the likelihood that everyone will know everyone).  Also, there is a such thing as being overconfident if you are a man — it is impossible for women to be overconfident when it comes to dating.

It’s true not every man from the last frontier can be described as such. Some still live with their parents, are dealing with their third DUI, or are desperately attempting to relive their high-school glory days. But even those men aren’t afraid of letting a woman know they’re interested. They have no problem requesting phone numbers or purchasing beverages or, when the time calls for it, throwing fisticuffs if it means gaining the attention of that one woman who caught their eye. While some of it may be unnecessary, no one can honestly call them bashful.

Most of the Seattle men can't be called bashful, either.  In fact, I'm willing to bet that the men of Seattle have higher confidence than the men of Anchorage.

That, gentlemen of Seattle, would be refreshing. Much more refreshing than having a man’s father ask a woman out for his son, an incident that turned into one of the most substantial relationships in my dating career here. It would be obviously more refreshing than a gentleman needing to down two six-packs to adequately express his feelings with big-boy words. Absolutely more refreshing than a man using Twitter, or poking through Facebook, or finding a friend of a friend of a distant cousin to break the ice.

Most of the men of Seattle are already refreshed.  What would be really refreshing is to see big city women jump into the 21st Century when it comes to dating, much like everything else.  Obviously, far more refreshing than Ms. Campoamor, who's mentality is in the same year as Alaska's first as a member of the United States.

When a woman is consistently left with the check and the burden of asking for a phone number, we have a problem.

Those are definitely not the problems.  Expecting dating in 2013 to be like dating in 1963 is the problem.  Put on your big woman underwear and slip your phone number somewhere that your male target can see it when he either gets up or sits back down during a dinner date.

Why the struggle, gentlemen? Are Seattle women too independent or career driven or, for lack of a better word, scary? Or are you simply protecting yourselves from the phenomenon I’ve witnessed of Microsoft/Amazon.com sugar babies desperately seeking a life of leisure via marriage?

The women in Seattle are not scary in the least bit.  Some of the men are just too scary for women, though (which is why Hollaback! Pacific Northwest — formerly known as Hollaback! Seattle — exists).

For the most part, there is no struggle on the part of men.

Perhaps all of the above. I, however, have a different theory. According to Richard Florida, a senior editor at The Atlantic and director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, Seattle is the top-ranked tech city in the United States. It isn’t a male’s missing backbone that’s at fault, it’s technology. Men’s Health magazine seems to agree. Seattle is the eighth-best online dating city according to a study titled “Best and Worst Cities for Online Dating.”

This is the first thing with common sense she has written in this piece so far.

It seems our male counterparts need a keyboard and monitor buffer in order to successfully court a woman. What they lack in actual human interaction they make up for in profile pictures and witty online comments.

Mostly true, but the first date should always be technology-free. Always.

Some men claim the women’s equality movement, which empowered women to simply take care of themselves, has left a man two steps behind and incapable of putting his foot down. I find such an excuse ridiculous.

As do I. Equally (actually, more so) ridiculous is the notion that big city men must be the ones to make the first move on the date and pay for the date.  Those days are long gone and they are definitely NOT coming back — big city women must now either a) step up and be the ones to make the moves when it comes to dating, or b) come to the smaller communities and try their hand at dating in those locations, where it is expected of men to make the first move and to pay for the dates.

Women have been juggling men’s capabilities, egos and independent tendencies for decades on end. Is it too much to ask that men do the same without the support of the World Wide Web? A woman opening her own doors or creating her own opportunities or owning her own home doesn’t negate a man’s wooing capabilities. At least, it shouldn’t.

It is too much to ask that women leave the 1960s mentality behind permanently when it comes to dating?  Obviously, it is.  Men's wooing capabilities are not negated one bit.

So while women of Seattle search for answers, it seems men’s confidence, or lack thereof, isn’t changing anytime soon. Thankfully, we have The Space Needle, Starbucks, a Legion of Boom, hipsters, the Puget Sound and Mount Rainier to distract us.

Men's confidence hasn't been lacking since the military draft ended.  The women of Seattle would be wise to just leave the 1960s in the 1960s and at least evolve their dating life into the 2000s.

This Seattle Times piece is a prime example of what women should not do in order to get men to talk to them in a major city. I can understand if this was a piece about Greenville (population 60,709), but this is a city that has 634,535 people — more than decuple Greenville's population!

Excuse me for crashing the pity party here, but the dating rules that can be used in the Fairbanks of the world can't be used in the Seattles of the world.

The problem is not the men of Seattle.  The problem is some women of Seattle like Ms. Campoamor and their sense of entitlement when it comes to dating.  They need to ditch that attitude in a hurry or the Seattle Freeze that they say is going on will continue for a very long time.

Coming up: While most of the criticism of Ms. Campoamor's whine fest was valid, there were some sexist responses to the piece both on the Times forums and on reddit. I'll expose those nasty responses.