Man who hit and killed dog turns himself in

The below story makes me a little sick. I would like to see this guy fired and tossed in jail. Laws related to animals are not harsh enough.

May 29th, 2009 @ 8:37am
By Ben Winslow
OGDEN -- Police in Ogden say a man accused of hitting a puppy with his car and dragging its owner by the leash has surrendered.
The man was identified by the Ogden Police Department late Thursday as Joseph Porter, 45, who is employed as a sergeant at the Weber County Jail.
Ogden Police Lt. Scott Sangberg told KSL NewsRadio Porter contacted them on Thursday and spoke with investigators about the incident on Gibson Ave.
"He spoke with detectives who took his statement and some other witness statements," Sangberg said, adding that the statements differ somewhat from what the woman who was dragged claimed.
Kristan Kap told the Ogden Standard-Examiner she was walking along Gibson Ave. with her 4-month-old puppy on a short leash when the dog was hit by a pickup. She was dragged a short distance because the dog leash was wrapped around her wrist. The driver stopped briefly, then left when confronted by Kap.
Ogden police said that on Thursday, Porter contacted them. He was not arrested and the case will be referred to city prosecutors to determine if any misdemeanor charges would be leveled against him. Charges could include failure to remain at the scene of an injury accident.
The Weber County Sheriff's Office told KSL it was still gathering information about the incident and that it would be premature to comment about Porter's status as a jail employee there.
Kap told the Standard-Examiner she does not want Porter to lose his job over the incident and that she feels "at peace" since he turned himself in.
E-mail:bwinslow@ksl.com

Homeless Utah dogs head to Colo.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

February 24th, 2009 @ 5:00pm
By Amanda Butterfield
Twenty dogs from Salt Lake County are en route to Boulder, Colo. The animals were picked up early Tuesday morning, and the trip on the "Rescue Waggin'" will save their lives.

The Rescue Waggin' program was created to help save the lives of homeless dogs and puppies by transporting them from areas of high pet population, where they face euthanasia, to shelters where adoptable dogs are in demand.


The program takes dogs from Utah because there are too many homeless dogs here and not enough people who want to adopt them. But that's not the case in Boulder.

April Harris of Salt Lake County Animal Services said, "It's actually a wagon that shows up and picks up anywhere from 30 dogs twice a month."

Animal services has teamed with Rescue Waggin' to take the animals to a neighboring state since last spring.

Harris said, "The reason they go to Boulder is because they have many people who neuter their pets. So they don't have enough puppies for the amount of homes for the people who are adopting."



Testing a dog for aggressiveness More than 200 dogs have been saved by going to Colorado, but not every dog gets to take a ride on the wagon.

"They need to pass behavior assessments, be good with family. They also have to go through a medical evaluation," Harris explained.

The dog shouldn't growl, bark or bite if you touch its food or touch it while it's eating.

"We look at the ears, teeth, paws, whole body to make sure she's not going to bite. That's how we know she's a good candidate for the rescue wagon," Harris said.

If you would like to help but can't commit to adopting a dog, the shelter needs people to foster the Rescue Waggin' dogs for a week before they go. The shelter will provide the food and vet care. If you're interested, go to the Salt Lake County Animal Services Web site.

E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com

Found here.

Driver calls police after seeing horse shot and killed near I-80

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

February 24th, 2009 @ 8:01pm
By Andrew Adams and Sheryl Worsley
A horse was shot and killed Tuesday morning near I-80 and 6800 West just off the Frontage Road.

According to Salt Lake County Animal Services, a witness saw a man bring his horse to the area then let his two dogs attack the animal before he shot the horse in the head.

That witness, Darlene Deleon, says it was among the worst things she's ever seen. "The horse was trying to get away from the dogs that were chewing him up," she said.

Deleon says she turned around and drove back to the scene, but by then the horse had been shot and the man and the dogs were gone.

"I've been on several animal cruelty cases involving horses, but this is a new one," says Officer Robert Lewis with Salt Lake County Animal Services.

It's unclear if anything was wrong with the horse, but officers say this isn't the way to put one down.

"There are better ways of taking care of horses or livestock and resolving and disposing of," Lewis says. "For whatever reason he did what he did. We don't know. If we hopefully get a hold of this gentleman and find out the circumstances behind it and why the situation took place the way it did, then we'll know more."

Investigators say if this is in fact a case of animal cruelty, the man responsible could face felony charges.

Deleon told investigators the man was driving a brown 4x4, possibly a Chevy, pulling a blue or gray 2-horse trailer. She also says the two dogs were black, but no description of the man who shot the horse was provided.

Investigators were able to find a shell casing, but do not know yet if it is related to this shooting.

Lewis says he expects to see more cases of people dumping their animals because people can't afford to care for them in the poor economy.

E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
E-mail: sworsley@ksl.com

Found here.

USA Swimming suspends Michael Phelps for 3 months

So new thoguhts, I heard on the news about Michael getting caught smoking weed, oh dear god the horror! Whatever. He is 23, and has the entire world looking at him, I don't blame him for a little bit of partying. Sometimes you just need to relax you know? However, if I where Michael I would of busted up the camera and likely that dudes face, and maybe looked around to make sure no one else took a picture. Than again maybe busting up his face would of been a bad idea too? Just the camera, no law suits that way. But I wonder, maybe Michael was to stoned to notice? My guess he is has done it before, likely a few times and just got caught this time. If I where a Olympic Athlete, I don't think I'd drink or anything if I wanted my body to stay in shape, but who knows? Maybe I would crack down and get stoned. He was doing it in between any meets, in down time where he was just trying to relax. The dude is 23 years old, who can blame him? Surely not the some 50% of the population who has admitted to smoking weed at one point in there lives. Likely the people so hard on him with this are the same people I tend not to get along with in many things. Anyways, story below.

Michael Phelps' return to competition for the first time since the Beijing Olympics is on hold. The swimming superstar has been suspended for three months and had his training stipend revoked by USA Swimming.
It's the latest complication for the 23-year-old Olympic great since a photo surfaced showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
He also lost a high-profile sponsor Thursday when Kellogg Co. said it wouldn't renew its deal with Phelps that expires later this month.
Phelps recently resumed serious training in his hometown of Baltimore with the goal of qualifying for this summer's world championships in Rome. But the suspension will cut into his racing schedule.
"This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero," the Colorado Springs, Colo.-based national governing body said in a statement

"Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust."
Phelps won a record eight gold medals in Beijing and returned to America as one of the world's most acclaimed athletes. He made headlines of a different kind, however, in the wake of the photo, published Sunday by News of the World, a British tabloid.
The latest fallout has been much greater than in 2004, when an underage Phelps was arrested for drunken driving three months after the Athens Olympics. He pleaded guilty and apologized to his fans, saying he wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"Michael's been through a lot and he's learned a lot, hopefully," his coach Bob Bowman told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I support him and I want to see him do better. I'm here, as always, to try to help him move forward. He's learned some tough lessons and he's disappointed a lot of people, me included."
USA Swimming provides a $1,750 monthly stipend to national team members to help defray travel and training expenses, plus performance bonuses. However, it's a fraction of the millions Phelps makes through endorsements. The stipend will be withheld throughout his three-month suspension.
Cereal and snack maker Kellogg Co. said it wouldn't renew its sponsorship contract with Phelps, saying his behavior is "not consistent with the image of Kellogg." The swimmer appeared on the company's cereal boxes after his Olympic triumph.
"Michael accepts these decisions and understands their point of view," said one of his agents, Drew Johnson. "He feels bad he let anyone down. He's also encouraged by the thousands of comments he's received from his fans and the support from his many sponsors. He intends to work hard to regain everyone's trust."
Phelps has acknowledged "regrettable" behavior and "bad judgment" in the latest incident. He didn't dispute the authenticity of the photo, reportedly taken at a house party while Phelps was visiting Columbia, S.C., in November during an extended break from training.
"I certainly understand USA Swimming needed to take action," Bowman said. "We will certainly abide by everything they've put down."
Phelps had planned to compete in early March at a Grand Prix meet in Austin, Texas.
Now, he won't be able to take on any rivals until early May, which would give him a little more than two months of competition before July's world championships in Rome.
"This is the result of a poor decision Michael made," U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said in an e-mail. "He understands there is accountability and has pledged to not repeat this in the future. We have offered our assistance to make certain he is as consistent and successful away from the pool as he is in it, and we are confident that will happen."
After the suspension, Phelps would be able to compete at a May meet in Charlotte, N.C.; there's another Grand Prix competition in Santa Clara, Calif., the following month. The U.S. team for Rome will be chosen at the national championships July 7-11 in Indianapolis.
"He's been very good in practice," Bowman said. "I think he feels good to be back in the water. Certainly, he's not in very good shape.
"We're anxious to get back to a really normal routine and we have. We're moving on."
Several of Phelps' Olympic teammates rallied to his defense. Among them was Dara Torres, the 41-year-old silver medalist whom Phelps jokingly referred to in Beijing as "Mom."
"I see him as a kid trying to grow up in the most intense spotlight known to any athlete. He has apologized and what else can he do?" she told the AP by telephone. "The thing I hope is that people realize Michael is still a person and not just a swimming hero."
Torres said she sent Phelps a text message to extend her support.
"He didn't let the USA down at the games, so we shouldn't let him down," she said.
Torres doesn't expect a three-month suspension in a non-Olympic year to have much affect on Phelps' career. He has said he wants to continue swimming through the 2012 London Games.
"Knowing Michael the way I do, I guarantee you it's going to make him want to do well," Torres said. "All this is going to do is light a fire under him."
Amanda Beard compared Phelps' ordeal to some of the disdain she faced after posing nude in Playboy magazine a year before the Beijing Games.
"If anyone knows public scrutiny, it's me," the four-time Olympian said in a text message. "When I posed for Playboy, so many officials looked down on me. Michael knows he isn't a bad person. He made a mistake. People need to get over it. I want to cheer him on in London."
Gold medalist Ryan Lochte, one of Phelps' teammates and main rivals in Beijing, said: "It really is kind of harsh. It's just a picture."
And even a rival agent came to Phelps' defense.
"Enough is enough," said Evan Morgenstein, who represents a large number of Olympic swimmers. "The penalty is far greater than the crime. He has said he is sorry. Let's move on to the real problems in this country."
___
On the Web:
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/

Stroy found here.

Federal Judge Rules That Students Can’t Be Barred From Expressing Support for Gay People

Article found here. Yeah for freedom of speech! I saw the article and it made me smile. Part of it because gay rights moved forward just a little bit. And part of me cause this judge looked at the situation and said someones rights are being violated, period. Check it out below.

Federal Judge Rules That Students Can’t Be Barred From Expressing Support for Gay People (5/13/2008)

Principal Said Rainbows Are “Sexually Suggestive”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: (212) 549-2673 or 2568; media@aclu.org

PANAMA CITY, FL – After a two-day trial in which a Florida high school principal testified that he believed clothing or stickers featuring rainbows would make students automatically picture gay people having sex, a federal judge today ruled that the school violated students’ First Amendment rights of students. The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a junior at the school who had been forbidden by her principal to wear any sort of clothing, stickers, buttons, or symbols to show her support of equal rights for gay people.

“Standing up to my school was really hard to do, but I’m so happy that I did because the First Amendment is a big deal to everyone,” said Heather Gillman, a junior at Ponce de Leon High School and the plaintiff in the case.

Judge Richard Smoak of the United States District Court, Northern District of Florida, Panama City Division, issued an order that forces the school to stop its unconstitutional censorship of students who want to express their support for the fair and equal treatment of gay people. The judge also warned the district not to retaliate against students over the lawsuit.

“Freedom of speech for every person and every idea is one of the bedrock principles on which America was founded,” said Christine Sun, a staff attorney with the ACLU national Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project. “Censorship reflects a deep lack of faith in the American system, and it teaches students exactly the wrong lesson on what America is about. We are thrilled that the court in this case made the importance of students’ First Amendment rights so completely clear.”

The case came about after Heather Gillman and other students approached the ACLU about an atmosphere in which students say they were routinely intimidated by school officials for things like writing “gay pride” on their arms and notebooks or wearing rainbow-themed clothing. According to students, problems began in September of 2007 when a lesbian student tried to report to school officials that she was being harassed by other students because she is a lesbian. Instead of addressing the harassment, students say the school responded with intimidation, censorship, and suspensions. That student testified on Monday, breaking down on the stand as she described the school’s indifference to the harassment she experienced.

During the trial, which was held in Panama City yesterday and today, Ponce de Leon High School’s principal David Davis admitted under oath that he had banned students from wearing any clothing or symbols supporting equal rights for gay people. Davis also testified that he believed rainbows were “sexually suggestive” and would make students unable to study because they’d be picturing gay sex acts in their mind. The principal went on to admit that while censoring rainbows and gay pride messages he allowed students to wear other symbols many find controversial, such as the Confederate flag.

“I am very pleased with the judge’s ruling to uphold the students’ right to express their views on issues that are important to them,” said Benjamin James Stevenson, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Florida. “This whole experience has been important civics lesson about exercising our Bill of Rights.”

Ponce de Leon High School is located halfway between Pensacola and Tallahassee, in Florida’s panhandle. According to the school’s website, about 400 students are enrolled there. Heather Gillman is represented by Stevenson and Robert Rosenwald of the ACLU of Florida, Sun of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project, and Garrard Beeney, Maura Miller, Meg Holzer, Megan Bradley, Tom Laughlin, and Vincent Liu of Sullivan & Cromwell, LLC.

Gillman v. Holmes County School District, case no. 5:08-cv-34, was heard in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Florida. A copy of the ACLU’s complaint as well as the earlier letter and the school’s response can be downloaded at:
www.aclu.org/lgbt/youth/33859res20080131.html.

For more information on the ACLU’s LGBT advocacy work, visit www.aclufl.org or www.aclu.org/lgbt.

At first I thought maybe the principal really thought things like rainbows put "sex images" in there minds. I would say this is a narrow minded statement but whatever. When I read that he left students do stuff like sport a confederate flag which supports slavery, racism and intolerance, I thought "you are a homophobic ass." And this thought is supported by the schools lack of action when a lesbian student was gay bashed. This proves intolerance. Maybe this man has learned a lesson? I doubt it. One day gay rights will not be nearly the issue it is now, but it will always be an issue. There are still people that think women should not have rights, there are still people that think blacks should be slaves and there will always be people that thing homosexuality is wrong. And you know what? Thats there right. Weather I like it or not, this is America and the wonderful thing about America is you can like or dislike whatever you want. Just treat everyone the same, thats all I ask.

Child pornography sting — Task force raids homes in Salt Lake Valley

Someone I know has been arrested for being in a child porn ring. Someone I've known like six years. Who has been one of my best friends. I think I may be the most shocked. I don't know what to think.

By Ben Winslow
Deseret Morning News

Published: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 12:18 a.m. MDT

SOUTH JORDAN — The sounds of little children playing nearby carried in the breeze as agents from the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force raided a home for suspected child pornography.

It was in quiet neighborhoods like this where "Operation Spring Cleaning" was carried out over the past several days, serving 17 warrants for computers and suspects accused of accessing illicit images. Three people were arrested — including a former elementary school teacher.

"It is disturbing. I'd be lying to say it didn't bug me," ICAC agent Coy Acocks said as he prepared to search a home for computers.

The operation was the culmination of weeks of investigations into downloading and trading of pictures and videos of children being sexually exploited.

"We've gone after individuals who seem to be trading on a regular basis and are very highly involved in what we believe is the trafficking of illegal images," said Capt. Rhett McQuiston, the commander of the attorney general's ICAC Task Force.

As they prepared for the operation, Lt. Jessica Farnsworth taped up photographs of a suspect's home. She covered points as officers reviewed briefing sheets. One agent was wrapping up a last-minute arrest warrant and others were preparing to fan out across the Salt Lake Valley.

"Time is wastin'!" Farnsworth shouted to her team. "Perpetrators are out there!"

Arrests

As agents surrounded the townhouse in a subdivision under development in Herriman, two LDS missionaries and a group of children stopped to watch the police activity.

Officers knocked on the door and as soon as it opened, they swarmed inside. Minutes later, Curtis Scharman kept his head down and said nothing as he was led to a police car.

ICAC agents said Scharman, 25, a former teacher at West Jordan's Oak Crest Elementary, was arrested on charges of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, a third-degree felony.

According to an affidavit filed with the criminal charges, ICAC agents were contacted by a woman who was baby-sitting Scharman's infant son and had been lent a laptop by his wife. The baby sitter found files describing sex acts with children on the computer and called police. ICAC agents noted in charging documents, however, that no child pornography images were ever recovered from the computer.

Scharman was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail and made his first appearance in court to the charges on Monday. The Jordan School District said Scharman had been placed on administrative leave in January and his employment was subsequently terminated. McQuiston said ICAC was still investigating to see if he had any inappropriate contact with students.

Most of the people arrested on suspicion of downloading child pornography know the knock on the door is coming. They have been questioned before, their computers have been seized. The arrests can't be made right away because it takes so long to get the forensic lab results back, so ICAC agents keep in regular contact with their suspects.

"In a way we act as their probation agents," Farnsworth said, adding that in one case she had a suspect call her regularly to keep in touch. Some suspects commit suicide rather than be faced with the prospect of prison time, agents said.

Farnsworth drove quickly into the South Salt Lake apartment complex, a convoy of unmarked vehicles behind her. Clad in bulletproof vests with their guns at the ready, the agents moved up to a second-floor apartment and knocked on the door.

"Police! Open up!" officers shouted.

The man answered and the agents ran inside. Eventually, 30-year-old David Simpson was led out in handcuffs. Simpson has been charged with second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor, accused of trading images of child pornography.

"The Australian federal police had done an undercover operation and took down a major porn ring," Farnsworth said. "They only had a screen name and they contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children."

The center investigated the screen name, leading it to contact the Utah Attorney General's Office. ICAC agents questioned Simpson and seized his computers. Forensic analysis of his computers led to the discovery of illicit images and the arrest warrant. Simpson is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Search and seizure

At an apartment in Murray, agents carried out computer towers, CDs, iPods and a Playstation console as part of a search warrant executed for child porn — anything that could store an image or a file.

Outside the apartment, agents questioned a man and a woman about what may have been downloaded or traded.

"Through investigative software that's out there for law enforcement, we're able to monitor those kinds of things," said ICAC agent Steve Gamvroulas, adding that law enforcement tries to track types of files featuring children that are traded back and forth by people seeking child porn.

There is no typical profile of a child pornography user, Acocks said.

"It can be about anybody," he said, noting that they have arrested schoolteachers, firefighters and other working professionals.

It is difficult to quantify the level of the problem in Utah, but agents say the state is considered "nirvana" for a child predator. Child pornography Web sites are growing rapidly across the globe, and exploitation is a multi-billion-dollar business.

As they wrapped up several days of serving warrants, McQuiston said the computers seized will lead to more warrants.

"It's kind of the end of one part of the investigation," he said. "But it's going to kick up a whole new one."