Category: CNB CRIME

Research Shows Rifles and Shotguns Used More Often in Youth and Rural Suicides

Newswise — The researchers say their findings, published Feb. 3 in

Injury Epidemiology

,

suggest that adopting safety measures for rifles or shotguns may prevent suicides, particularly among young people and rural-area residents.

“Our goal as clinicians at Johns Hopkins Medicine is to save lives, and it’s concerning to see that it’s not just handguns, but long guns that are used commonly in youth suicide,” says

Paul Nestadt, M.D.,

assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Many of the safety protections that we have in place around the country typically don’t apply to long guns, and the data suggest that our strategy needs to be modified.”

In many states, there is no minimum age for owning long guns, and federal background checks are only required if buying from a licensed gun dealer. Requirements for permits and safety courses for rifles vary from state to state.

The public has long thought that handguns are more responsible for human deaths, including suicides, than long guns such as rifles and shotguns, which have been believed to be more commonly used for hunting or protection from wild animals. But now, in an analysis of data from 16 years of gun suicides in Maryland, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers found that long guns were used more often in suicides by kids and teens than by adults, and were more commonly used in suicide by people in rural counties.

The data analysis reviewed 3,931 gun suicides in Maryland from 2003 to 2018. About 45% of children and teens used long guns to die by suicide, compared to 20% of adults over age 65 who used long guns. The researchers found that 52% of rural firearm suicides were by long gun, compared to 17% in urban counties. Using rifles for suicide increased by 60% during hunting season, when researchers say rifles may be out and more available.

“In the midst of a suicidal impulse, a person will use what they have. Firearms are particularly lethal. If one is easily available, that will be the method of choice,” says Nestadt. “Holidays and hunting season are times when many young people receive hunting rifles as gifts, and I would advise family members to also provide gun locks or gun storage cabinets with their present. Just adding an extra protective step could be enough of a barrier to protect their family member from making an impulsive decision.”

Additional authors on the study are Kevin MacKrell, Alexander McCourt and Cassandra Crifasi of Johns Hopkins, and David Fowler, formerly Maryland’s chief medical examiner.

Support for the study came from the James Wah Fund for Mood Disorders.

The authors don’t declare any conflicts.

SEE ORIGINAL STUDY

Low-Life Hoodlums Throw Fireworks at Home of 94-Year-Old Brooklawn Resident

Fireworks explode in front of  Yvonne Spadora\’s home in the 100 unit block of Chestnut Street, Brooklawn. According to police the fireworks were thrown from two moving vehicles. (image courtesy of

FoxNews29)

by CNBNews Staff

BROOKLAWN, NJ–(February 19, 2020)–Long-time Brooklawn resident

Yvonne

Spadora was the victim of mean spirited hoodlums, according to

FoxNews 29 report

.

Surveillance video (see below) shows two explosions outside of Mrs. Spadora around 10PM Saturday, February 15. The  94-year-old woman, who was asleep at the time of the incident, has lived in her Brooklawn

residence

since 1957.

According to police, the fireworks were thrown from two moving cars.

Brooklawn police said the explosions started a fire in a bush outside of Spadora\’s home. Police woke up Spadora as a neighbor used a hose to put out the fire.

“After I knocked on the door, it was hard for her to even get to the door, so if the house caught on fire God forbid anything could have happened to her. We were just seconds away from a catastrophe,\” Brooklawn Police investigator Raymond McKenney said.

Police said they think one of the cars is a dark color Dodge Charger. Police don\’t believe Spadora was targeted.

If you have any information, please contact investigator Mckenney at 856-456-0750, ext. 171 or email rmckenney@brooklawnpolice.com Tips may also be submitted anonymously at 856-456-0750, ext. 180 or via email at tips@brooklawnpolice.com.

TO VIEW SECOND VIDEO CLICK HERE

The Father of the Boy Who Shot Himself Charged

Andrew Mack

MOUNT HOLLY, NJ (February 19, 2020)–Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Pemberton Township Police Chief David H. Jantas announced that the father of a 4-year-old boy who died earlier this month from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound in the family’s Browns Mills home has been charged in connection with the death.

Andrew Mack, 31, was charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Second Degree) and Storage of Firearms if Minors May Have Access (Disorderly Persons).

Mack is scheduled for a first appearance in Superior Court in Mount Holly tomorrow afternoon. The case will then be prepared for presentation to a Burlington County Grand Jury for possible indictment.

Emergency medical technicians and officers from the Pemberton Township Police Department were called to the family’s home on Maricopa Trail just after 7 p.m. on February 7 and discovered Lincoln Mack with a gunshot wound to his cheek. He was transported to Capital Health at Deborah – Emergency Services, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 8 p.m.

The investigation revealed that Andrew Mack was asleep in a bedroom with a loaded 9mm handgun next to him on the bed when Lincoln came into the room and took the firearm. Lincoln then went into another room where he had been playing with this younger sister and shot himself in the face.

“The death of Lincoln Mack was a tragedy, and it was made all the worse by the fact that it was entirely avoidable,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “Our deepest sympathies are with the Mack family and all of those who loved Lincoln, however, the defendant must be held accountable for not securing his firearm.”

Both of Lincoln’s parents were inside the home at the time of the shooting, as were two siblings.

The incident was investigated by detectives from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and the Pemberton Township Police Department. The lead investigators are BCPO Det. Erica Ridge and Pemberton Township Police Detective Tom Lucas.

All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

GOV. WOLF CALLS FOR BAN ON ALL GHOST GUNS

By Dave Fidlin |

The Center Square

HARRISBURG PA–A Pennsylvania policy less than a month old pertaining to the background requirements needed in the sale of so-called ghost guns remains on ice following a state judge’s recent ruling.

Judge Kevin Brobson of the Commonwealth Court issued a preliminary injunction Jan. 31 to state police on selling partially manufactured gun frames after reviewing a case filed by four petitioners: Firearms Policy Coalition, Landmark Firearms, Polymer80 and U.S. Rifle.

“The crux of this case is a perceived change in the Pennsylvania State Police’s interpretation of the term ‘firearm’ within the context of the Uniform Firearms Act,” Brobson wrote in

a memorandum opinion

.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, meanwhile, called for an outright ban on ghost guns in his budget proposal unveiled this week, along with a host of

other gun control measures

.

“I know there is no law that can eliminate every act of gun violence,” Wolf said during his budget address. “But the steps I\’m proposing are supported by the evidence and supported by the vast majority of Pennsylvanians. We can pass them tomorrow.\”

Brobson, throughout his 17-page analysis, expressed concern with the state police’s policy around the partially manufactured gun frames, which have been used to make actual rifles and pistols.

The injunction came weeks after state policy issued guidance to gun dealers on how background checks should be performed when sales of ghost guns are transacted. The devices are also referred to at times as 80-percent receivers because they are near, but not at, completion.

Brobson in his opinion said he agreed with the petitioners’ assertions the state police policy, as written, is ambiguous.

“Petitioners have taken the stance that their unfinished receivers do not meet the (Uniform Firearms Act’s) definition of firearm,” Brobson wrote. “Some level of additional effort – e.g. drilling, filing, sawing, etc. – is required for these unfinished receivers to become fully functioning receivers.”

In rendering his decision, Brobson in his opinion also said he looked at the state police’s interpretation of the term “firearm” against the backdrop of the UFA.

“In general, the UFA defines a firearm as ‘any weapon, which is designed to or may readily be converted to expel any projectile by the action of an explosive or the frame or receiver of any such weapon,’” Brobson wrote.

He added, “While, at first blush, this may appear straightforward, the UFA does not contain definitions of the terms ‘frame or receiver,’ ‘designed to’ or ‘may readily be converted to.’”

Brobson’s injunction is the latest in a series of legal maneuvers that have tested the definition of what constitutes a firearm.

In December, Attorney Gen. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, gave his own legal opinion on the ghost guns policy, giving state police the authority to develop a policy for background checks.

In his opinion, Shapiro stated in his legal guidance ghost guns could be viewed as firearms because the unassembled frames could eventually lead to the outcome of an actual firearm through such actions as expelling a projectile.

With Shapiro’s guidance in play, state police adopted their policy, which called for the gun dealers to use the state’s gun-purchase background check system for the ghost gun sales, in lieu of an alternate online system.

published by The Gloucestercitynews.net with permission of

The Center Square

State of NJ Sued by U.S. Department of Justice

By Bethany Blankley |

The Center Square

The U.S. Department of Justice has sued the State of New Jersey, Gov. Philip Murphy and Attorney General Gurbir Grewal for refusing to provide information to the U.S. Immigration and Customs

U.S. Attorney General William Barr speaks at the National Sheriffs\’ Association Winter Legislative and Technology Conference in Washington, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. Susan Walsh / AP

Enforcement (ICE) related to the immigration status and release dates of individuals in their custody.

The move is an attempt by the Trump Administration to reign in so-called sanctuary states and cities that have refused to enforce federal immigration laws.

“Today is a significant escalation in the federal government\’s efforts to confront the resistance of sanctuary cities,\” U.S. Attorney General William Barr said. \”But by no means do the efforts outlined above signify the culmination of our fight to ensure the rule of law, to defend the Constitution and to keep Americans safe.\”

The lawsuit challenges New Jersey Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive 2018-6, which prohibits state officials from sharing information with ICE and requires New Jersey law enforcement to “promptly notify a detained individual, in writing and in a language the individual can understand” if ICE files an immigration detainer request for the individual.

According to the complaint, New Jersey officials failed to provide information regarding the release dates of illegal immigrants who had been charged with or convicted of crimes multiple times last year.

“New Jersey’s decision to obstruct federal immigration enforcement by refusing to provide such information is unlawful under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution,” the DOJ argues.

The complaint states that “Congress has exercised its authority to make laws governing the admission, presence, status, and removal of aliens within the United States by enacting various provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act … the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 … and other laws regulating immigration.

“Congress has also codified basic principles of cooperation and comity between state and local authorities and the United States. Among the tools DHS uses to facilitate the sort of cooperation that Congress contemplated between law enforcement agencies and federal immigration officials is the ‘detainer request.’”

The detainer request is used by DHS to arrest and detain individuals subject to removal or removal proceedings.

In November 2018, the N.J. Attorney General issued a directive, which became effective in March 2019 and revised again in September 2019. The directive prohibits law enforcement agencies from “providing notice of a detained individual’s upcoming release from custody” to assist “federal immigration authorities when the sole purpose of that assistance is to enforce federal civil immigration law.”

republished by the Gloucestercitynews.net with permission of

The Center Square

OFFICER DOWN: White Mountain Apache Tribal Policeman David Kellywood Shot/Killed

Officer David Kellywood

White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department, Tribal Police

End of Watch

Monday, February 17, 2020

Officer David Kellywood was shot and killed after responding to reports of shots being fired near the Hon-Dah Casino in Pinetop, Arizona, shortly before 1:00 am.

Officer Kellywood was the first officer to arrive on the scene and encountered the subject, who immediately attacked him. During the ensuing struggle, the man fatally shot Officer Kellywood. Another officer who arrived on the scene shot and killed the subject.

Officer Kellywood had served with the White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Department for nine months and had previously served with the Navajo County Sheriff\’s Office. He is survived by his wife and two children.

RELATED:

Via

Officer Down Memorial page

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BREAKING NEWS

published Gloucestercitynews.net | February 18, 2020

PA. Sues JUUL for Targeting PA Youth, Deceiving Consumers About Safety

HARRISBURG―Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced his office is filing a

lawsuit

against JUUL Labs for violating Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer

Protection law and jeopardizing the health of Pennsylvanians, in particular the young people JUUL targeted with their products. Attorney General Shapiro’s lawsuit calls for JUUL to cease sales in Pennsylvania of their products.

Shapiro’s suit alleges JUUL’s actions violated the law by strategically targeting young people with “kid-friendly” flavors, chemically enhancing the amounts of nicotine and its absorption rate in the products, and rushing to market before providing proof of the safety of their product. The complaint also alleges that the company is liable for not disclosing the health risks of JUUL products.

“JUUL knowingly targeted young people with tactics similar to the tobacco companies’ playbook,” said Attorney General Shapiro. “There is no proof these e-cigarettes are safe and until there is, we need to get JUUL products off shelves and out of the hands of young people.”

“JUUL manipulated data to deceive consumers about the nicotine content of its products. First JUUL estimated their products delivered substantially more nicotine than its competitors in a patent, and then doubled back to say the products were comparable to an average cigarette.

“They disregarded their growing audience of young users, taking no action, as their profit margins skyrocketed on the backs of American kids.”

The complaint alleges JUUL “deliberately and cynically” marketed its products to young people in Pennsylvania, as a result, approximately 28 percent of American high school and middle school students are e-cigarette users. The company also led consumers to believe JUUL devices helped people stop smoking, while the engineer behind its flavors stated the company was “not trying to design a cessation product at all.”

The complaint also describes the deceptive marketing tactics employed by JUUL to target Pennsylvania youth, including its “Vaporized Campaign” on social media and in convenience stores. This campaign’s focus on social media attracted the interest of young people, many of whom were under 18 at the time of JUUL’s debut in 2015.

Attorney General Shapiro is asking the Court to, among other things, take JUUL devices out of production altogether. If the Court does not agree, the Attorney General’s office is asking the Court impose restrictions on the way the JUUL product is designed, marketed, and sold, and to require the company to pay for youth-oriented prevention programs, public health research, and nicotine cessation programs to help abate the harms they’ve already caused.

# # #

Authorities Investigate Murder of Atlantic City Man

MAYS LANDING – The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit is continuing its investigation into the shooting death of an Atlantic City man who was found inside a vehicle earlier this month, Atlantic County Prosecutor announced.

“We urge everyone who may have been in the area to contact the Prosecutor’s office if they witnessed or heard anything that could assist in the apprehension of the person responsible for this homicide,” Prosecutor Tyner said.

On February 7, 2020, at approximately 5:32 p.m., Atlantic City Police responded to the beach block of Melrose Avenue, Atlantic City, in reference to 911 call regarding an unconscious and unresponsive male. The victim was transported to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (City Division) where he was pronounced deceased. The victim is identified as Jeffrey Simpson (53), who is also known as Rasheed Abdullah.

An autopsy was completed by the Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office and the cause of death was ruled to be multiple gunshot wounds. The manner of death ruled is determined to be homicide.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office is looking for assistance in identifying any suspicious activity surrounding a white Chevrolet sedan with tinted windows. The attached maps and embedded yellow star depict where this vehicle may have been parked for several hours during the afternoon hours of February 7, 2020. Anyone with information pertaining to this vehicle is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.

Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.

Pennsylvania Suing Delta Auto to Get Money Back for Consumers in Repair Scam

HARRISBURG – Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced today that his Office has filed a civil lawsuit against extended automobile warranty company Delta Auto Protect to get money back for consumers and repair shops which fell victim to its car repair scam. Delta is operated by Omega Vehicle Services LLC and its managing member Charles Seruya.

The

lawsuit

alleges the company advertises and sells vehicle service and repair contracts to thousands of consumers in multiple states from a virtual office in Exton, PA, but refuses to honor the contracts it sells and, after accepting payment from consumers, refuses to cover the necessary repairs promised under contract.

“Many customers of Delta Auto Protect of Exton have complained to my Office, and they’re not happy,” AG Shapiro said. “From phone calls to emails and letters, consumers have let us know how unresponsive this defendant has been to them. This rude and illegal treatment of customers is unwarranted. We are listening, and we are taking action to get their money back.”

The Attorney General said he wants restitution for Delta customers who:

Paid for warranties and didn’t get the coverage they were promised,

Paid out-of-pocket costs to repair their vehicles, and

Tried to cancel their policies but didn’t receive refunds.

Shapiro said he is also seeking restitution for repair shops that didn’t get paid.

The lawsuit says Delta advertised “24/7 customer service” to entice sales, but when consumers and the repair shops called about missing payments, the company dodged them, re-routed their calls, left them endlessly “on hold.” They also failed to return messages.

In some instances, Delta placed a condition on payment that required a consumer to remove their negative reviews of the company. Multiple consumer complaints allege the company failed to pay refunds for contract cancellations.

“I’ve been calling this company almost every week for the past year and it has failed to pay for the repairs on my car,” said Carolyn Ames, a customer from Germansville, Lehigh County. “Delta is impossible to reach. If I do get through they hang up and they never return my calls. I’m so glad to know Attorney General Shapiro is standing up for consumers like me and is taking action to get my money back.”

AG Shapiro is urging any consumers who believe they were victimized by the defendants’ business practices to

submit a complaint

with the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, calling the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-441-2555 or emailing

scams@attorneygeneral.gov

.

This complaint has been filed in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas by Senior Deputy Attorney General Karen C. McRory-Negrin.

# # #

FBI Authorities Investigating Case of 9-Year-Old Who Disappeared 20 Years Ago

Asha Degree was 9 years old when she disappeared on February 14, 2000. An age-progressed photo shows what she might look today.

Charlotte, North Carolina–It was 20 years ago today that Asha Degree, a shy 9-year-old North Carolina girl, went missing in the middle of the night. The spirited fourth-grader’s disappearance in 2000 shook her rural community of Shelby and remains an enduring mystery, even as police, the FBI, and her family continue to actively search for clues.

“After 20 years, I still believe my daughter is alive,” said Iquilla Degree, who, with her husband Harold, still harbors hope that Asha (pronounced Ay-shuh) might find her way home. “I do not believe she is dead. And I know someone knows something. I’m not crazy enough to think that a 9-year-old can disappear into thin air without somebody knowing something.”

The case remains an open investigation, with a local detective reviewing leads—old and new—and FBI investigators from the Charlotte Field Office consolidating and combing through case files for unexplored patterns or clues. Like Asha’s mother, investigators believe someone in area may hold the key that could unlock the case.

“We strongly believe that there is someone out there that may have a piece of information that will help her,” said Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office Detective Tim Adams, who came out of retirement in 2014 to lead the department’s probe. In 2015, the sheriff’s office teamed up with the FBI and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation in a top-to-bottom re-examination of the case, which has since generated more than 350 leads, including 45 in the past year.

“The fact that it was a small child that left on Valentine’s Day really caught everybody’s heart in this community,” Det. Adams said. “She’s been called Shelby’s Sweetheart, because she’s a child that’s one of our own that has gone missing, and we want to find out what happened to her.”

What is known from the earliest hours of the investigation is that Asha disappeared from her bedroom sometime between about 2:30 a.m. on February 14, 2000, when Harold checked on Asha and her older brother, and 6:30 a.m., when Iquilla went in to wake the kids for school. There was no sign of forced entry and no promising scent trail for search dogs to follow. That afternoon, investigators received at least two separate reports from individuals who said they saw a young female walking along Highway 18, in the opposite direction of the Degrees’ home, around 4 a.m. One person said they went back to check on the girl but she had left the roadway and disappeared into the woods.

“That was the last time anyone had a sighting of Asha that had actually been confirmed,” Det. Adams said.

On August 3, 2001, some 30 miles north of the last sighting, construction workers digging an access road for a new home in neighboring Burke County found a book bag that belonged to Asha. Inside was a concert T-shirt featuring boy band New Kids On The Block and a children’s book,

McElligot’s Pool

, by Dr. Seuss. Neither belonged to Asha, though the book was from the library at Asha’s school, Fallston Elementary. Investigators released images of the shirt and book in 2018, hoping to jog the memories of people who may have helpful information.

The 2015 re-investigation also turned up another possible lead: Asha may have been seen getting into a dark green 1970s-model Lincoln Continental Mark IV or Ford Thunderbird with rust around the wheel wells. The FBI publicly announced the potential lead in 2016 and released images of the vehicle models.

“We encourage anybody out there that if they have any information—no matter how small or minor it may seem—it might be extremely crucial to further us getting one step closer to Asha,” said FBI Special Agent Michael Gregory, who is leading the case now for the Bureau. “We will continue to pursue all avenues to find out what circumstances led to her disappearance, and we will continue to pursue this case at all costs.”

Working with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the FBI has released multiple age-progressed photos of Asha, including a new version this month showing what Asha may look like now as a 29-year-old. The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward on top of $20,000 set aside by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and the community. Three years ago, the FBI deployed its Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team, which spent more than a week on location and generated still more leads and interview prospects.

“Although Asha left her house 20 years ago, we treat it as if it happened yesterday,” said Jeanine Merritt, an FBI intelligence analyst who has worked the case since 2014, bringing reams of 20-year-old paperwork from disparate offices and investigations into a single searchable database. “We’re constantly accepting new leads. We’re constantly sifting through new data.”

There are few clues about why Asha left her house on Valentine’s Day, which is also her parents’ wedding anniversary. If she was upset about her poor performance at a basketball game the Saturday before her disappearance (she fouled out and her team lost by one point), it seemed to have dissipated by the next morning, when the family went together to church and Sunday school. Still, it was a crushing loss for Asha, her mom said, leading Iquilla, Harold, and investigators to wonder if it may have spurred the competitive, intelligent 9-year-old to hatch some unknown plan.

“Apparently, she packed her bag prior to leaving, but the contents—from what we can tell—looked like something a child would pack rather than her parents preparing her for an overnight stay,” Det. Adams said.

For Asha’s family, prayers and hope have sustained them for the last 20 years, but they need answers. Iquilla appealed directly to anyone who may have been involved in her daughter’s fate to come forward and unburden themselves.

“That’s my prayer every night, that God will get into their heart and let them come forward, because it’s got to be a weight on them,” she said.

Iquilla was seated beside Harold, clutching a photo album full of pictures of Asha.

“We’re hoping and we’re praying that she’s had a halfway decent life even though we didn\’t get to raise her,” she said. “She was 9 years old, and she’ll be 30 this year. So we’ve missed everything. But I don’t care. If she walked in the door right now, I wouldn’t care what I missed. All I want to do is see her.”

Resources

ASHA JAQUILLA DEGREE

Investigators Seek Public Assistance in 20-Year Missing Girl Investigation