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Witness says teen whooped when thrown rock hit woman’s car

homesafetytechpros — Sat, 19 Apr 2025 22:14:58 +0000

Left: Alexa Bartell (Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department). Right: Joseph Koenig (Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department).

The scene inside a Colorado courtroom looked a grim picture of human action on Friday as a young and condemned man testified to his onetime best friend’s alleged glee in violence.

Joseph Edwin Koenig, 20, was a high school senior, but 18 years old, when he and two friends were charged with “extreme indifference” murder over the April 19, 2023, death of Alexa Bartell, 20.

On the day in question, the windshield of the victim’s Chevy Spark was struck and smashed by what authorities termed a “large landscaping rock.” The impact sent the young woman’s car careening “off the roadway” on a remote stretch of road in Jefferson County.

Bartell died a horrible death in the ensuing crash; prosecutors previously testified the victim’s brain was found in her backseat.

“There was biological matter on the roadway,” a deputy sheriff who led the murder probe testified during a hearing in October 2023.

In May 2024, two codefendants in the case, Nicholas “Mitch” James Karol-Chik, and Zachary Kwak, pleaded guilty to lesser crimes, and substantially lesser crimes, respectively. They both agreed to testify against Koenig during his jury trial in Jefferson County District Court.

Each of the codefendants, to varying degrees, played instrumental parts in the rock-throwing that night. But Karol-Chik was admittedly more culpable than Kwak, having also taken part in additional such attacks in February 2023 and even days before in early April 2023.

On Friday, Karol-Chik told jurors Koenig let out an excited whoop as he saw Bartell’s compact car drive off Indiana Street and through a fence in a field near the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, according to a courtroom report by the Denver Post.

“He was excited,” the witness told the jury, referring to the defendant. “He would just look at us with this big smile on his face.”

On that fateful night, several landscaping rocks were thrown at other cars, both in motion and parked. But some claimed details are mixed.

Kwak maintains he did not throw any of the rocks at all that night, according to the Post. Instead, Kwak earlier testified he only collected the rocks from multiple parking lots and then handed them over to the two front-seat passengers, who threw them.

The speedometer in the teenagers’ vehicle was 103 mph just before the 9.3-pound rock was thrown that took Bartell’s life, Kwak also previously testified. Karol-Chik, however, said the car was doing 80 mph. Both men said Koenig sped up before the final, fatal attack.

Karol-Chik went on to say the celebratory whooping and smiles were in line with how the trio had generally acted over the thrown rocks that night; when a rock struck a car, they would express delight; when a rock missed a car, they would express disappointment.

“We only thought of them as cars,” the witness continued. “But we never thought of who may be driving them.”

Each of the defendants was initially charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault in the second degree, and attempted second-degree assault. Kwak took a plea deal on three assault charges: one count of first-degree assault on Bartell and two counts of second-degree assault for attacks on three other victims. Karol-Chik pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder.

Even with plea deals, Karol-Chik and Kwak face decades behind bars; they are slated to be sentenced on May 1 and May 2, respectively.

Koenig, for his part, has conceded some responsibility. His lawyers insist he should only be convicted of manslaughter because none of the rock-throwers had the intent to kill, or even harm, anyone else.

The defense is also hinging some hopes on long-inconsistent statements from Karol-Chik, who for several months told prosecutors that Kwak was the one who threw the rock that killed Bartell.

Only during a fourth and final proffer interview — an interview in service of a plea deal — did Karol-Chik finally tell investigators Koenig was the person responsible for the woman’s death.

At the time, he and Koenig were best friends and “almost close enough to be brothers,” Karol-Chik reportedly told the jury. The lies came during three out of four proffer interviews, because Koenig and Karol-Chik agreed to pin the crime on Kwak, who they barely knew, during a discussion after seeing emergency vehicles later that night.

“We went over everything that happened and it was at that time that Joe said to me that we wouldn’t have to worry about it, we’ll just say that Zach did it,” Karol-Chik testified on Friday.

On cross-examination, however, Karol-Chik also said he long believed Kwak had actually thrown the rock, according to the Post.

The witness testified he remembered remarking on the sheer size of the rock, recalling he told Kwak it was too big to throw and being rebuffed. Karol-Chik went on to say he remembered Kwak saying he would throw the rock if Karol-Chik would not.

Then, the state worked to clean things up a bit.

“Was the truth that Joseph Koenig threw the rock that killed Alexa Bartell?” a prosecutor asked on redirect.

Karol-Chik replied in the affirmative.

This coming week, jurors will decide who and what to believe. Closing arguments are scheduled to end by April 21.

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Matt Naham contributed to this report.

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Teacher drunkenly hit pedestrian on way to work: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 21:25:28 +0000

Inset: Jamie Caldwell (Lexington, Kentucky Police Dept.). Background: The area on Georgetown Road where Caldwell allegedly left a pedestrian critically injured after a hit-and-run collision (Google Maps).

A 29-year-old special education teacher in Kentucky was arrested this week after she allegedly got drunk before driving to school, hitting and critically injuring a pedestrian on the way.

Jamie Caldwell was taken into custody at the school on Wednesday morning and charged with one count of aggravated operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and one count of leaving the scene of an accident with failure to render aid or assist with death or serious physical injury, authorities announced.

According to a news release from the Lexington Police Department, officers at about 6:50 a.m. on Wednesday responded to a call regarding a hit-and-run involving a pedestrian in the 1000 block of Georgetown Road, which is about 75 miles east of Louisville.

Upon arriving at the scene, first responders located the pedestrian and emergency medical personnel transported them to a local hospital for treatment of “life-threatening injuries.”

Police then utilized the department’s “Real-Time Intelligence Center” to quickly locate the vehicle and driver — later identified as Caldwell — involved in the collision. The “intelligence center” allows the department to access public traffic video feeds and footage from private surveillance cameras, with permission, to aid in investigations.

A copy of the arrest citation obtained by Lexington ABC affiliate WTVQ provided additional details about the circumstances of Caldwell’s arrest.

According to the report, police located Caldwell at Glendover Elementary School, where she is employed as a teacher. Officers at the scene said that Caldwell’s vehicle was in the school parking lot with visible damage.

They also reportedly noted that when they came into contact with Caldwell, her “eyes were bloodshot and watery.” They also said they “smelled alcohol coming from her,” Lexington NBC affiliate WLEX reported.

Speaking with police, Caldwell allegedly admitted that she had been drinking “Bacardi Rum” Tuesday evening and taken prescription drugs for anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure Wednesday morning, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Caldwell also allegedly admitted that while driving to school that morning “she heard a thud, but did not realize she hit a person,” WLEX reported.

A subsequent breath test revealed that Caldwell had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.278, more than three times the legal limit to drive in the state. She was taken into custody and processed at the Fayette County Detention Center.

Caldwell on Thursday appeared in court via Zoom where she pleaded not guilty to the aforementioned charged, according to WTVQ. After waiving a formal arraignment hearing a magistrate judge set a cash-only bond of $25,000. She is currently scheduled to appear in court again on April 29.

Fayette County Public Schools issued a statement to multiple news stations regarding Caldwell’s arrest through District Spokesperson Dia Davidson-Smith:

“Fayette County Public Schools is aware of the situation involving Jamie Caldwell. Due to the ongoing investigation and the confidential nature of personnel matters, we are limited in what we can share at this time. However, we can confirm that the employee has been placed on administrative leave. As always, the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority.”

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Father hit with manslaughter over infant’s drowning death

homesafetytechpros — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 15:44:26 +0000

Inset: Angel Marcus Rodriguez (East Haven Police Department). Background: The residence where his son drowned in October 2024 (Google Maps).

A Connecticut man is behind bars following the drowning death of his 7-month-old baby boy last fall, authorities say.

Angel Marcus Rodriguez, 29, stands accused of one count of manslaughter in the second degree as well as two counts each of risk of injury to a minor and two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment, according to the East Haven Police Department.

Those charges stem from Angel Josiah Rodriguez’s death — and the alleged harm that could have befallen the boy’s 3-year-old brother.

The incident occurred late in the evening on Oct. 6, 2024, at a house on Redfield Avenue in East Haven — a medium-sized town located a few miles east of New Haven and part of the broader metro area.

Police say the father admittedly left his two children alone in the bathtub while he went to use another bathroom in the residence because the toilet in the children’s bathroom did not flush adequately, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the New Haven Register. Rodriguez did not initially recall how long he was gone, police allege. Later, the defendant allegedly told investigators he was gone for maybe five minutes while the children bathed alone.

The little boy was found by his grandmother, facedown in the tub, while his older brother was playing with toy cars right beside him.

More Law&Crime coverage: ‘Not a viable explanation’: Couple searched ‘dent’ injuries hours before taking infant to hospital with bleeding brain, police say

“He just turned over,” the older boy allegedly told his grandmother when she walked in, according to law enforcement.

At such a young age, the baby could not sit up by himself. Family members said he was propped up in an Angelcare brand “Back Support” bathing chair, which the company describes as “ideal for newborn babies up to six months or 9 kg/20 lbs.,” according to the warrant.

The grandmother allegedly told investigators she grabbed both children out of the tub and ran into her son’s bedroom — where she found him talking on his cellphone. Then, the grandmother said she yelled at her son to dial 911 as she performed CPR on the child.

Those lifesaving efforts were passed onto the children’s aunt, investigators wrote in the warrant, who overheard the shouting upstairs and came running — quickly relieving the grandmother and vainly trying to press life into the baby boy’s chest.

More Law&Crime coverage: ‘Tasted weird’: Mom arrested after boy, 5, allegedly ingested meth through his apple juice container and died

Details about the final moments in the children’s bathroom, different but not necessarily contradictory, would find their way to investigators.

The children’s grandmother allegedly said she had never before seen her son fill the bathtub up so high. Normally, she allegedly said, the water would only reach halfway up the baby’s bathing chair.

Rodriguez himself, speaking to detectives through tears, said he left the water on “just a trickle” but that it was only at the level of the baby’s feet when he left the children by themselves.

Investigators also noted other factors that might have contributed to the water levels in the bathtub. Such factors included: whether or not the plug was in the drain — this was unclear; whether or not the water was still running — the grandmother said it was not; or if the 3-year-old had touched the faucet or the plug — Rodriguez said he told his older boy not to touch either but efforts to interview the surviving child were swiftly abandoned because he could neither understand the questions nor remain focused, police said.

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When confronted about allegedly being on the phone while the children bathed, Rodriguez added to his initial recollection, according to the warrant. He said he stopped by his bedroom, after using the second bathroom, to get his phone off the charger. While the defendant told investigators he thought the phone call was brief, the children’s grandmother said she noticed her son on the phone in a hallway for at least 10 minutes, police say.

“The East Haven Police Department extends its deepest condolences to the family of Angel Josiah Rodriguez,” the police department said in a press release. “We hope this arrest brings some measure of accountability and helps Angel’s family in their pursuit of healing. This heartbreaking loss has deeply affected all involved. We are grateful to our first responders and investigative personnel for their dedication to this case, and we continue to stand with Angel’s family as they grieve.”

Rodriguez was arrested on Monday. He is currently being detained in the New Haven Correctional Center on $200,000 bond.

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Trump hit for using Bondi to attack ‘unreasonable’ lawyers

homesafetytechpros — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 02:32:13 +0000

Left: President-elect Donald Trump on “Meet the Press” Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 (NBC News/YouTube). Right: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announces lawsuit against New York’s immigration policies from Washington, D.C. on Feb. 12, 2025 (YouTube).

President Donald Trump handed down orders to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday directing federal law enforcement to go after lawyers and law firms that challenge his administration with “frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation.”

The White House issued a memo late Friday announcing Trump’s memorandum, which was titled, “Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court.” In it, the Trump administration warns that lawyers and firms engaging in actions that violate the laws of the United States or rules governing attorney conduct “must be efficiently and effectively held accountable.”

“Accountability is especially important when misconduct by lawyers and law firms threatens our national security, homeland security, public safety, or election integrity,” the memo states. An example of “grossly unethical misconduct” is included in the memorandum, with Trump administration officials claiming it’s “far too common.”

“For instance, in 2016, Marc Elias, founder and chair of Elias Law Group LLP, was deeply involved in the creation of a false ‘dossier’ by a foreign national designed to provide a fraudulent basis for Federal law enforcement to investigate a Presidential candidate in order to alter the outcome of the Presidential election,” the memo alleges. “Elias also intentionally sought to conceal the role of his client — failed Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — in the dossier.”

According to the White House memo, Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem have both been instructed to weigh legal action for “ethical misconduct” committed by junior attorneys to “partners or the law firm when appropriate.” It says when the attorney general determines conduct by an attorney or law firm in litigation against the Trump administration “warrants seeking sanctions or other disciplinary action” the attorney general shall — in consultation with “any relevant senior executive official” — recommend to the president additional steps that may be taken. This includes “reassessment of security clearances” held by the lawyers in question or termination of any federal contract for which the relevant attorney or law firm has been hired to perform services.

“I further direct the Attorney General, in consultation with any relevant senior executive official, to review conduct by attorneys or their law firms in litigation against the Federal Government over the last 8 years,” the memo says.

“If the Attorney General identifies misconduct that may warrant additional action, such as filing frivolous litigation or engaging in fraudulent practices, the Attorney General is directed to recommend to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, additional steps that may be taken,” the order adds.

Trump’s memo notes “Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 prohibits attorneys from engaging in certain unethical conduct in Federal courts.” Specifically, it states that attorneys must not present legal filings “for improper purpose[s]” — including “to harass, cause unnecessary delay, or needlessly increase the cost of litigation,” the memo says.

“Unfortunately, far too many attorneys and law firms have long ignored these requirements when litigating against the Federal Government or in pursuing baseless partisan attacks,” the order claims. “To address these concerns, I hereby direct the Attorney General to seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States or in matters before executive departments and agencies of the United States.”

Trump’s reasoning for involving Noem is that the immigration system is likewise “replete with examples of unscrupulous behavior” being shown by attorneys and law firms challenging Trump, the document says.

The memo claims the “immigration bar” and “powerful Big Law” pro bono practices frequently “coach clients to conceal their past or lie about their circumstances” when asserting asylum claims. The White House condemns it as an attempt to “circumvent immigration policies” and “deceive the immigration authorities and courts” into granting them relief that is “undeserved” and not needed.

The memo says, “Gathering the necessary information to refute these fraudulent claims imposes an enormous burden on the Federal Government. And this fraud in turn undermines the integrity of our immigration laws and the legal profession more broadly — to say nothing of the undeniable, tragic consequences of the resulting mass illegal immigration, whether in terms of heinous crimes against innocent victims like Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, or Rachel Morin, or the enormous drain on taxpayer resources intended for Americans.”

Legal experts, prosecutors and former Justice Department officials have called out the Trump administration for issuing the Friday order. Former Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, who served in the Obama and Biden administrations, told The Washington Post she believed the memo was a dangerous threat to the judicial system.

“I have both sued and defended the government with equal vigor,” Gupta said. “This presidential memorandum attacks the very foundations of our legal system by threatening and intimidating litigants who aim to hold our government accountable to the law and the Constitution.”

New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin blasted the memo as “an unprecedented and frankly outrageous attempt to threaten lawyers simply for doing their jobs” — saying, “The president has consistently violated the law and hurt our residents in very real and direct ways — cutting their healthcare, denying their kids a quality education, and making them less safe. No baseless threat will stop me from doing my job, which is to protect my state from harm.”

Sue Hendrickson, president and CEO of the nonprofit rights organization Human Rights First, told the Post she felt the new memo was aimed at silencing Trump’s legal opposition directly.

“This policy is likely to go after cases that are opposed to [Trump’s] political views versus cases that are meritless,” Hendrickson said. “It was clear that [Trump] has had difficulty controlling the judges with lifetime appointments and now is going after the legal systems and the lawyers who are representing individuals in cases and in connection with immigration cases, asylum cases and efforts to protect due process and the First Amendment.”

Attempts by Law&Crime to reach the Trump administration for comment Sunday were unsuccessful.

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Judge who unretired on Trump hit with judicial complaint

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 09:20:11 +0000

Left: U.S. District Judge James Wynn Jr. (NC Newsline/YouTube). Right: President-elect Donald Trump speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” (NBC News/YouTube).

A “grassroots” organization founded by conservative lawyer and Donald Trump ally Mike Davis has filed a judicial misconduct complaint against a federal judge and Democratic appointee in North Carolina who rescinded his plans to take “senior status” last week, calling the decision to unretire on the future POTUS — before he can take office and choose a Republican replacement — “politically motivated” and a betrayal of “the public trust in the judiciary.”

The Article III Project, which describes itself as wielding “brass knuckles to fight leftist lawfare,” filed the complaint Monday and posted it online, along with a statement detailing why it was going after Fourth Circuit Judge James Wynn Jr., who announced his decision to rescind his senior status in a letter to President Joe Biden on Dec. 14.

“The complaint raises serious concerns about violations of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges following Judge Wynn’s abrupt decision to withdraw his earlier announcement of retirement in December 2024, immediately following the outcome of the 2024 presidential election,” A3P said in its statement. “A3P’s complaint makes clear that this sudden reversal was politically motivated and undermines public trust in the judiciary.”

Appointed in 2009 by former President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in 2010, Wynn is a federal judicial vet who served as a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals and briefly as a justice on the Supreme Court of North Carolina. His decision to unretire came last week after President Biden’s nominee to replace Wynn — North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Park — withdrew his name from being considered after it was reported by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer that Park didn’t have enough votes to get confirmed in the Senate.

Republicans called out Wynn in the wake of the move, with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) going after him and other judges in public statements that warned of “significant” ethics complaints to come.

“He’s earned it,” McConnell said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday.

It’s not every day that a judge has a retirement party and then tells the President he’s going to keep his job. I expect that Judge Wynn will face significant ethics complaints based on Canons 2 and 5 of the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges, followed by serial recusal demands from… https://t.co/NI6QpEPzrv

— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) December 15, 2024

In addition to Wynn, A3P leaders have also announced that they’ve filed similar misconduct complaints against two trial court judges who have also rescinded senior status bids following the 2024 election.

U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn Jr. — another Obama appointee — of the Western District of North Carolina had his name quietly removed from the federal judiciary’s list of future vacancies late last month, just weeks after U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley of the Southern District of Ohio, a Bill Clinton appointee, announced he would be remaining active after officially rescinding a “senior status” bid he made in October 2023 to semi-retire.

“Until Judge Wynn, no federal appellate judge had ever rescinded a retirement or senior-status letter after a presidential election,” the A3P complaint says. “Indeed, they have long stood by their announcements of intent to retire or take senior status despite electoral outcomes.”

The A3P complaint specifically addresses two violations committed by Wynn — against Canons 2 and 5 of the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges — which are outlined in the document.

“Canon 5 prohibits United States judges from undertaking a variety of political actions, including opposing a candidate for public office, soliciting funds for a political candidate, or “engag[ing] in any other political activity,” the complaint says. “Rescinding a public retirement or senior-status letter because of the outcome of a presidential election is the epitome of engaging in political activity and opposing a political candidate.”

Citing Canon 2 directly, the complaint says: “A judge … should act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”

According to A3P, withdrawing a public senior status or retirement letter because of the results of a presidential election “strikes at the heart of impartiality and public confidence: a judge who changes his public stance based solely on presidential elections.”

“On the public record as it currently exists, every indication is that Judge Wynn — who had already celebrated his retirement nine months earlier — had a change of heart solely because of the outcome of the 2024 presidential election,” A3p said.

In Cogburn’s and Marbley’s cases, Biden never nominated anyone to replace the two judges on account of there being a split in support from their respective state’s senators, leading to them rescinding their senior statuses. Per the Senate’s “blue slip” policy, home-state senators have the ability to support or oppose presidential nominees.

For Marbley, it was Republican Vice President-elect JD Vance, Ohio’s Republican senator, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who were standing in his way. For Cogburn, Biden would’ve had to try and get his pick past Tillis and Republican Sen. Ted Budd.

“Democrats don’t have the votes to confirm these [circuit] nominees and both seats are in red states with two Republican senators,” George Washington University law professor John P. Collins told Reuters last month. “So even if blue slips came back, you’d get a far right replacement.”

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Trial gets underway for alleged hit man accused of shooting attorney for litigant friend

homesafetytechpros — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 08:00:05 +0000

Criminal Justice

Trial gets underway for alleged hit man accused of shooting attorney for litigant friend

By Debra Cassens Weiss

November 13, 2024, 3:10 pm CST

A Hilton Head, South Carolina, man is on trial this week for attempted murder in an April 2023 shooting of a Greenville, South Carolina, attorney. (Image from Shutterstock)

A Hilton Head, South Carolina, man is on trial this week for attempted murder in an April 2023 shooting of a Greenville, South Carolina, attorney.

The defendant, Travis Douglass, is accused of shooting lawyer JP Baum outside his law office in a crime carried out for a friend who was being sued by Baum’s then-law firm, the Law Offices of Truluck Thomason, WYFF 4 reports. Baum survived.

Prosecutors say Douglass’ friend, architect David Smith, was sued for $1.7 million over construction issues, according to a prior WYFF 4 story. Smith bequeathed his house to his wife in a will on the day of Douglass’ arrest and died the next day after crashing his car into a pole while traveling 105 miles per hour.

Baum’s lawyer has said he wasn’t the intended target, according to WYFF 4. Baum was the same size as another lawyer who was the subject of a Google search by Douglass, the lawyer said.

Baum feared that he was dying, he said in a statement read in court, according to the previous WYFF 4 story.

“My right lung collapsed, and blood began to fill my lungs. As I started to take what I believed was my last breaths in this world, I called my wife to tell her I was dying, and that I loved her,” according to the statement.

Evidence in the case includes video of a man getting out of a scratched RV to look at an attorney’s car and then waiting in the vehicle for three hours before the shooting, the television station reports.

Douglass had an RV with the same scratch, prosecutors say. A bullet casing was under the seat. Cell tower information and receipts also put Douglass in the vicinity of the crime.

A prosecution witness also cited Google searches by Douglass and Smith, including a search by Smith for “maximum sentence for accessory after the fact.”

Baum has left the Law Offices of Truluck Thomason and now practices with Campbell Teague, according to an online bio.

He did not immediately respond to an ABA Journal request for comment.

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Inmate uses code words to put out hit using jail phone: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 11:29:22 +0000

Jebea Johnson (Flagler County Jail).

A Florida man already behind bars is facing even more jail time after he allegedly tried to put out a hit on a fellow gang member.

Jebea Johnson, 22, has been in the Flagler County Jail since June on burglary and attempted robbery with a deadly firearm charges. About a month ago, deputies became aware of a series of phone calls between Johnson and his family members in which he tried to get one of them to post a message on social media that would put a hit on a man who wanted to leave the gang, the agency said in a press release.

More on Law&Crime: Casino cafe manager offers employee raise to murder romantic rival after girlfriend dumped him for ex-husband

According to deputies, Johnson and the victim had been serving time together in the jail. Johnson had tried to recruit the man into the Kutt Throat Committee prison and street gang, per police, but the victim decided to leave the gang. Apparently upset, Johnson allegedly had a family member post a message on social media with “coded gang language” that would signal members on the outside to murder the victim.

Detectives interviewed family members who confirmed there was a message posted on Johnson’s behalf, but they were unaware it had an alternative meaning. Law enforcement scuttled the alleged plot before anyone could carry it out.

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Jan. 6 rioter hit cops guarding US Capitol with poles

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:12:58 +0000

Odin Meacham (U.S. Attorney’s Office).

A Utah farmer and one-time MMA fighter who hit police guarding the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 with wood and metal poles is going to prison.

Odin Meacham, 30, was sentenced on Tuesday to six years in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a press release. Bates found Meacham guilty of civil disorder, assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and trespassing.

In their sentencing memo asking for 96 months — or eight years — incarceration, prosecutors called Meacham “an agent of chaos” as he repeatedly attacked police officers at the Capitol’s West Plaza.

“Meacham initially attempted to take away a bike rack barricade that police officers had been using for protection,” prosecutors said. “After being pepper sprayed, Meacham picked up a wooden flagpole and struck a police officer on his upper body so hard that the flagpole broke in half. Meacham was then pepper sprayed again. Undeterred, Meacham picked up the broken half of the flagpole and rushed the police line again, striking the bike rack barricade precisely where an officer’s hand had been just seconds earlier.”

After two flagpole strikes, Meacham picked up a metal pole from the ground and threw it at a sergeant, hitting and then taunting him, prosecutors said.

Meacham didn’t stop there. He approached another officer and yelled, “lean in,” to fellow rioters, and then grabbed the officer’s baton and tried to wrestle it away.

He stayed on Capitol grounds later harassing cops, screaming “you f——- pieces of s—,” “you f—— scumbag pieces of s—,” “you are protecting criminals,” and “are you scared motherf—–” and “you traitors,” “you dogs.”

In his sentencing memo asking the court for a sentence of 40 months, Meacham’s public defender, Scott K. Wilson, said his client is deeply remorseful for the 10-minute span of Meacham’s life during which he appeared like someone “who had lost reason.”

“He knows that his decision to cross the line from protest to attack was completely unacceptable, no matter what his political beliefs,” Wilson wrote. “It was a terrible choice for which he has paid and will continue to pay dearly.”

Wilson said Meacham grew up on a family farm with a controlling father who thought his family descended from messianic and masonic lineages and believed in Knights Templar, curses, numerology, conspiracy theories, and black magic, Wilson wrote.

“He preached these beliefs to his children, all undergirded by a healthy mistrust of contemporary American society,” the memo said. “It was a disorienting, often terrifying world view, and the natural isolation of the farm enhanced its power.”

Meacham was arrested on May 15, 2023. In a voluntary interview then, Meacham told FBI agents the purpose of his trip to Washington, D.C., was to “help” former President Donald Trump.

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Man who wanted to have sex on beach hit with hatchet: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 07:39:30 +0000

Left: Wayne Streeter. Right: Alana Cagle (Volusia County Jail).

A Florida man and woman are behind bars after they allegedly attacked a man who wanted to have sex while tied up on the beach.

According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, a “frantic” man flagged down a Volusia County Sheriff’s deputy around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 1900 block of Ocean Shore Boulevard in Ormond by the Sea. He was bleeding heavily throughout his body. The man told a deputy he had been jumped by a man and woman on the beach.

He said he and a woman, later identified as 18-year-old Alana Cagle, agreed to come to the beach where she would tie him up and then have sex, the affidavit said. Cagle picked him up at his home and they drove to Bicentennial Park where they parked the car and walked to the beach, he stated. When they got to the beach he started to feel “odd vibes” from Cagle because she was sitting about 5 feet away from him. Nonetheless, she took out a yellow rope that she brought with her and began to tie him up.

It was at this point that the victim saw another man approaching them, the affidavit said. He tried to untie himself but Cagle jumped on top of his legs. He was able to fight her off and began to run away. But the other man, later identified as 24-year-old Wayne Streeter, tracked him down and tackled him. Streeter allegedly began choking him while Cagle punched him in the face. Per deputies, Cagle then pulled out a hatchet and began hitting him with it all over his body.

The victim was able to fight off both of the suspects and ran to get help, according to authorities. He described Cagle’s vehicle and deputies pulled her over nearby with Streeter inside, they said. There allegedly was also a backpack that the victim had left behind. Deputies tried speaking with Cagle but she requested a lawyer, they said. Post Miranda, Streeter told detectives that he and Cagle are boyfriend-girlfriend. Streeter said that Cagle picked him up and they drove to the beach. He then claimed he saw a man he did not know push Cagle down on the beach and he went to save her. Streeter said there were no weapons used but he admitted to choking the victim, the affidavit stated.

Deputies went to the beach where they found blood and the yellow rope used to tie up the victim. He suffered several lacerations and “multiple long cuts” to his abdomen. Paramedics took him to the hospital where doctors treated his injuries.

Cops arrested Cagle and Streeter on aggravated battery with a deadly weapon charges. Both have since posted a $5,000 bond. They have court dates scheduled for Nov. 26.

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Ex-BigLaw partner hit with prison time, $4.2M restitution order in tax case

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 14:47:54 +0000

Criminal Justice

Ex-BigLaw partner hit with prison time, $4.2M restitution order in tax case

By Debra Cassens Weiss

October 18, 2024, 9:35 am CDT

A former partner at Husch Blackwell and Dykema Gossett has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two misdemeanors for failing to pay $2.46 million in taxes. (Image from Shutterstock)

A former partner at Husch Blackwell and Dykema Gossett has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two misdemeanors for failing to pay $2.46 million in taxes.

Eric E. Lenzen, 44, was sentenced to prison Tuesday and ordered to pay total restitution of $4.2 million to the Internal Revenue Service, according to an Oct. 16 judgment. The amount represents unpaid taxes plus penalties and interest.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin of the Eastern District of Wisconsin said during sentencing Lenzen’s conduct was “exceptionally aggravated,” and he tried to “thwart the government’s attempts to recover” the money, according to an Oct. 16 press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Reuters, Law360 and Bloomberg Law have coverage.

An Oct. 8 government sentencing memorandum said Lenzen was “a high-powered, highly compensated attorney” who “made a choice not to pay his taxes.” Despite being given years to pay up, Lenzen “made a multitude of false representations and took significant actions to avoid paying his taxes,” the memo said.

While refusing to pay his taxes, Lenzen spent nearly $1.5 million on a “lavish lifestyle” that included private planes, jewelry, home remodeling and golf club memberships, the government said. While making promises to pay, Lenzen transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars between accounts or to third parties, the memo asserted.

Lenzen’s crimes “were motivated by greed, not need,” the memo said.

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