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Man drowned stepson, threw him into pool repeatedly: DA

homesafetytechpros — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 15:31:10 +0000

Left to right: Dakota Shawn Hays, Annastacia Atkins (Crawford County Sheriff’s Department).

A stepfather in Arkansas allegedly murdered his wife’s 2-year-old son by repeatedly throwing him into a pool and pushing him underwater while his mom gave the OK, ultimately drowning the toddler in what the couple said was attempt to teach the boy how to swim, prosecutors say.

Dakota Shawn Hays, 29, and Annastacia Atkins, 24, of Van Buren, were arrested and charged this week with first-degree murder and other offenses in connection to the June 2024 death of Atkins’ son and for previous allegations of abuse that were uncovered during the death investigation, according to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and Crawford County Prosecuting Attorney. The couple was named in an arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime on Thursday that outlines how Atkins allegedly let Hays abuse her 2-year-old.

During his autopsy, the local medical examiner reported finding injuries on the boy that were “indicative” of being “inflicted, as opposed to accidental,” and supportive of abusive trauma, according to the affidavit. Hays was purportedly teaching the boy how to swim on June 17, 2024, when he allegedly killed him.

“Annastacia stated [during police interviews] Dakota told her he was sorry and did not mean to,” the affidavit alleges.

Two other kids, a 6-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, were also being taught how to swim by Hays that day at a pool located at the victim’s aunt’s house. They both told investigators that Hays was “throwing” his stepson into the pool repeatedly and was pushing him underwater in an attempt to get him to retrieve items at the bottom.

The children said the 2-year-old tried telling Hays he didn’t want to swim anymore, but he allegedly refused to let up. The two of them took a break for dinner and then went right back out to the pool for more “swimming” lessons.

Hays finally stopped once the boy began “spitting up water” and shaking, according to prosecutors, with Hays allegedly telling police he thought the youth was having a seizure.

“Dakota came back into the house stating that something was wrong,” the affidavit says. Atkins told cops Hays claimed her son was “not acting right” after getting him out of the pool.

The couple called police and while on the phone with dispatch the boy’s heart stopped, along with his breathing.

“Annastacia started pushing on [the victim’s] chest and he choked up water,” the affidavit says. “Annastacia voiced concern, stating she should not have let [the victim] go back outside and that Dakota has been aggressive with [the victim] in the past, but not severe, and had never hit [the victim].”

Annastacia told police that afterward, Hays “kept apologizing” and saying he was going to accidentally get her son “taken” from her.

“Dakota advised he thought it was a freak accident and that he was scared because he had not been in trouble his whole life,” the affidavit says. “Dakota advised in the interview he would never hurt a child after being asked about the bruising on [the toddler].”

The medical examiner ruled the boy’s death as being the result of a prolonged lack of oxygen to his brain. Atkins claimed she was lying down inside when her son drowned, according to prosecutors.

The other children who were present that day told investigators that Hays was “particularly harsh” on the 2-year-old, and that he was known to hit him “with a wooden stick on his head, knees, feet, and toes,” per the affidavit.

In addition to murder, Hays has been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor; he remains behind bars on a $1 million bond. Atkins is being held on a permitting abuse of a minor charge, in addition to murder. Her bond is set at $750,000

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Woman allegedly shoots boyfriend repeatedly then apologizes

homesafetytechpros — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:50:03 +0000

Inset: Alexys Pinto (Harris County Pct. 4 Constable’s Office). Background: The intersection where Pinto allegedly shot her boyfriend (Google Maps).

A Texas woman was recently released from jail after she allegedly lured her longtime boyfriend to a field and then shot him repeatedly.

Alexys Pinto, 23, stands accused of one count of aggravated assault over the incident that left Elvis Munoz, 24, with multiple gunshot wounds across his body — and a bullet in his back for months.

The shooting occurred on Sept. 5. The victim, in recovery, has been struggling to come up with a reason for the violence ever since.

Pinto was initially upset with her boyfriend, a mechanic, on the day in question after one of his clients showed up at their residence with a car for him to work on, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Houston Police Department. When Munoz explained the nature of his work, Pinto allegedly flew into a higher state of rage — trying to hit her boyfriend and managing to kick one of their dogs.

Munoz intercepted the attack by grabbing his girlfriend’s wrists and advising calm, authorities say. This entreaty was a too-brief salve, however, as Pinto allegedly demanded to know why Munoz touched her before shifting her outward state on a dime to ask him if he recalled a specific place they once enjoyed the sunset together.

Munoz did remember the place, a field, he would later tell law enforcement. Pinto allegedly insisted he take her there immediately.

At the requested intersection of State Highway 288 and Airport Boulevard, Munoz stopped the car, according to the court document. Then, Pinto got out and began to run away down a hill. As Munoz called to her, she allegedly called back: “Come here!”

So, he did. Then he caught up with her. Then it got weirder.

“Teach me about deer hunting,” the woman allegedly said — prompting a question from her boyfriend just before he was shot in the chest.

The complaint relays what allegedly happened next:

“Stupid ass n—-“, can be heard from the Defendant as, “She straight shot me”. The Complainant stated Defendant was said to have held the black gun, in a tilted manner. Complainant stated he was in a state of disbelief, then thought he had to run away. The Complainant stated the Defendant shot at him again, when he turned around to face the Defendant, he received another hit on his other hand, from the gun held by the Defendant. Complainant stated he held his chest and ran from the Defendant. Complainant stated he slips and falls, then looks up at the sky, waiting for the Defendant to shoot him again. Complainant stated as he laid on the ground, bleeding and in pain, he thinks in what he feels are his final moments, “Oh my God, it’s not my time, what did I do, what did I do?”

Next, Munoz says Pinto called someone on her phone to lie and say he shot her. The injured man then shouted that he did no such thing.

“Call an ambulance baby, call the ambulance,” Munoz implored Pinto.

To which she allegedly replied: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do you like that, I didn’t shoot you in the right places!”

Confused again, Munoz was still prepared for the worst. He then held his hand over his face as it appeared likely Pinto was gunning for the right place. This time, while protecting his head, he was shot in the hand.

Then, Munoz screamed for an ambulance again.

“I didn’t mean to do you like this, it was supposed to be quick,” Pinto allegedly replied.

Eventually, with some cajoling, Pinto allegedly helped the wounded man back into his truck before taking him to a nearby Citgo gas station where strangers got Munoz the help he needed.

Pinto was arrested on Sept. 20, after an unrelated disturbance call turned up the existence of a warrant for aggravated assault.

Bail in the case was originally set at $75,000 but recently lowered to $10,000. The state initially requested $50,000 bail and then upped their request to $1 million.

On the same day, Munoz got the bullet out of his back, Pinto got out of jail, according to Houston-based ABC affiliate KTRK.

“All I did was ever love her,” Munoz somberly told the TV station.

Now, the victim says he fears for the safety of his friends and family.

“She’s a danger to the community, to children, to family and friends and to me as well,” he told KPRC. “She’s not just a danger to me or my friends because she knows where several of my friends stay at home, but most importantly, my family. I have little nieces. My sister and nephew, My mom and my dad.”

Law enforcement has not floated a motive for the violence.

Munoz is perplexed himself.

“I have no idea,” he continued. “I’ve always worked hard to care for her as best as I could. Sometimes I wouldn’t even eat just for her to have a good plate of food. She’ll be jealous, controlling, she would isolate me from family and friends. She holds grudges.”

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Man killed co-worker who ‘repeatedly rebuffed’ his advances

homesafetytechpros — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 19:44:07 +0000

Inset: Nicole Hammond (Facebook). Background: Michael J. Carpenter in court (KMSP).

A Minnesota man convicted of killing his co-worker by shooting her in the parking lot of their workplace after she rebuffed his advances will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Michael J. Carpenter, 38, learned his fate on Friday for the murder of Nicole Hammond, 28, the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office announced in a news release.

Carpenter smirked before he was sentenced after having smiled when he entered the courtroom, local Fox affiliate KMSP reported.

“He smirked so much it’s like now I want him behind the walls,” said Terri Anderson, Hammond’s mother, the outlet reported. “I just want him to pay for what he did to her.”

As Law&Crime previously reported, officers with the St. Cloud Police Department responded at about 6:59 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2022, to a report of shots being fired outside of a textile factory in the 400 block of Lincoln Ave NE.

Once there, first responders said they immediately observed the victim “laying in the parking lot with a puddle of blood around her head.” Despite lifesaving measures, she died at the scene. There, police noted that Hammond’s driver’s side door was open, and a spent shell casing and keys were found near the body.

A witness told police they were pulling into the company parking lot when they saw Carpenter get out of his car and walk toward the south end of the lot. The witness also heard a gunshot coming from that direction and saw Carpenter run to his car and drive away.

A search of Hammond’s cellphone uncovered “numerous text messages” between the victim and Carpenter from the night before the shooting, “indicating [Hammond] did not want to be touched by the defendant [Carpenter], nor did she want to be manipulated by him,” the affidavit states.

“She also informed him to not make things uncomfortable at work,” police wrote in the court document. “Officers also found a text from [Hammond] to another person who stated that the defendant was mad at her. In speaking with various co-workers, they indicated that the defendant had made numerous advances toward [Hammond] but his advances had been repeatedly rebuffed over the course of the past month. Co-workers also described the defendant as having a bad temper.”

While officers were interviewing the victim’s co-workers, it became known that one of them was on the phone with Carpenter, who confirmed that he knew Hammond had been shot and said that he was “not doing okay.” Carpenter at one point during this phone call said he was at his sister’s house, where police responded and took him into custody.

A search of his car revealed a 9 mm handgun and magazines that matched the brand and style of the shell casings found near Hammond’s body.

In an interview with police, Carpenter denied shooting Hammond.

The convicted killer said he was walking toward her car when he “heard a gun shot” and then “saw a person in a hat attending to [Hammond]. Carpenter said he “saw a lot of blood” and was “too traumatized, so he turned around and left” without rendering any aid or calling 911.

“The defendant also admitted to officers that he did not sleep well the night before, as, he kept waking up due to the text argument that he had with [Hammond],” the affidavit states. “The defendant stated that he was upset about that text conversation.”

Law&Crime’s Jerry Lambe contributed to this report.

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Jeffrey Clark repeatedly invokes his Fifth Amendment right

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 07:40:21 +0000

Left: Jeffrey Clark during his bar disciplinary hearings on March 27, 2024 (D.C. Bar Office of Disciplinary Counsel); Right: Jeffrey Clark in his DOJ profile photo (U.S. Department of Justice)

Former U.S. Department of Justice attorney Jeffrey Clark repeatedly invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent during a Wednesday disbarment hearing in the nation’s capital.

Clark briefly testified during disciplinary hearings where his law license is on the line over his efforts to help Donald Trump overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The proceedings in the case against the lawyer are long delayed — the D.C. Bar Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed ethics charges against him in July 2022.

When posed numerous questions by disciplinary counsel Hamilton Fox III, the pro-Trump lawyer invoked his constitutional right to remain silent — and often cited a host of other privileges, sometimes on the advice of counsel, in order to refrain from giving detailed answers.

“Mr. Fox, the same answer,” Clark replied in response to several questions. “The Fifth Amendment privilege at this time. The executive privilege. The law enforcement privilege. The deliberative process privilege and attorney-client privilege.”

Clark is an environmental lawyer whom Trump nearly tapped to be acting attorney general in his scramble to retain the presidency after losing to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. He also previously worked as an assistant attorney general at one sub-agency within the DOJ and as an acting assistant attorney general within another.

On Wednesday, peppered with question after question by Fox, Clark invoked the Fifth Amendment in various iterations. And the contents of the questions did not really seem to matter much.

Asked when he first met Trump, for instance, he said: “I will plead the Fifth.”

And sometimes, he even had fun with his stock response of remaining silent and asserting privilege after privilege.

“A veritable phalanx of privileges,” Clark joked.

The bar charges he faces are focused on an unsent draft letter falsely claiming the department “identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple states, including the state of Georgia.”

The specification of charges said that Clark violated D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4(a) and (c) (“in that respondent attempted to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, by sending the proof of concept letter containing false statements”) and Rules 8.4(a) and (d) (“in that respondent attempted to engage in conduct that would seriously interfere with the administration of justice”). The so-called “proof of concept letter” is the draft Clark compiled that would have urged legislatures in states where Trump lost to “send an unauthorized slate of electors to Congress,” according to the charges.

Identified as a “witness” during the hearing livestreamed on Zoom, Clark’s decision to plead the Fifth Amendment can be viewed through the prism of his legal jeopardy in Fulton County, Georgia, where he is one of the co-defendants in the racketeering (RICO) and election subversion case against his former boss.

Notably, Clark is also an integral aspect of special counsel Jack Smith’s D.C.-based case against the 45th president — and last month sought to delay his bar hearings over developments in Trump’s case.

That latest effort — unlike several earlier dilatory tactics undertaken by Clark months and even years ago — did not pan out.

Trump, however, injected himself into Clark’s proceedings — with the ex-president’s attorneys, in a letter, instructing the former DOJ lawyer “to maintain President Donald Trump’s executive privilege and other related privileges, including law enforcement privilege, attorney client privilege, and deliberative process privilege.”

Pleading the Fifth Amendment is nothing new for Clark — he invoked his constitutional right over 100 times in February 2022 when deposed by investigators for the House Jan. 6 Committee.

Clark’s behavior on Wednesday, while not fully illuminating, did draw attention and eventually led to at least one substantive answer.

“Mr. Clark, you asserted a number of times the attorney-client privilege,” D.C. Bar Committeewoman Patricia Matthews began. “For whom were you the attorney?”

To which Clark replied: “For President Trump, the head of the executive branch, the sole head, the unitary head of Article Two, the executive branch of the United States government.”

“So, throughout this whole process, that was your client?” Matthews attempted to follow up.

Clark’s attorney, Harry MacDougald, interjected and advised his client to, once again, invoke the Fifth Amendment.

The pro-Trump lawyer then asked the committeewoman to repeat her question, which she did.

Clark replied: “So, I provided an answer in this area. But I agree with my counsel that as to any inquiry as to how the privilege was formed, etc. —”

Matthews took the opportunity to interject and then asked her question a third time.

Again Clark replied: “I would respond to that by invoking the same grouping of privileges, with all due respect, the Fifth Amendment privilege at this time. The executive privilege. Law enforcement privilege. Deliberative process privilege and the attorney-client privilege.”

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Mom made child repeatedly whip young sibling with belt: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 13:58:33 +0000

Karyn S. Parrish (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

A 28-year-old mother in Florida is accused of physically and mentally abusing her young child, even directing and encouraging one of the victim’s siblings to repeatedly whip the child “hard” with a belt. Karyn S. Parrish was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with one count of felony child abuse in connection with the alleged attacks on the child.

The victim’s gender was not revealed by authorities, and their age was only specified as being “under the age of five.”

According to a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and investigators from the Department of Child and Family Services responded to a call at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday requesting a welfare check at a residence located in the Preserve at Sabal Park Apartments in Seffner, Florida, about 10 miles east of Tampa. It was unclear who placed the initial 911 call requesting the welfare check.

Once there, deputies encountered the young victim, who they said “exhibited signs of distress” such as “shaking and crying.” Deputies observed that the child had recently received a new haircut and had a bruise on their cheek nearly two inches in size. When asked what caused the injury, the child allegedly indicated that Parrish was responsible.

“Maybe my mom. Maybe she was slapping me around,” the child said, per the affidavit. “She doesn’t remember,” adding that her mother often “tells her she doesn’t remember things.’”

Investigators said that Parrish later admitted that she had slapped the child at least three times using the palm of her right hand.

During a search of Parrish’s cellphone, investigators said they uncovered several harrowing videos demonstrating the suspect’s disregard for the child’s physical and mental well-being.

“Detectives discovered videos on Parrish’s phone in which she directed one of her children to strike their sibling (the victim) with a belt,” the affidavit states. “In one of the recordings, Parrish can be heard laughing and saying, ‘Hit harder. Hit hard, baby. Beat the crap out of the sly devil.’”

A probable cause affidavit states that a second video from the phone allegedly showed Parrish “cutting the victim’s hair while verbally taunting the victim by stating (the victim) is going to be ‘tortured’ for eight hours. Parrish could also be heard telling that victim that “if they die, so be it,” the news release stated.

It was not immediately clear how many children lived in Parrish’s home, but authorities said the juveniles were removed and placed in the care of a relative.

Parrish was transported to Orient Road Jail without incident. Online jail records show that as of Friday afternoon, Parrish remained in detention at the Falkenburg Road Jail on bond of $7,500.

Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge Catherine M. Catlin ordered that if Parrish is released, she is to have no contact with the victim or any other minor, including her other children.

“It is absolutely gut-wrenching and incomprehensible to have a case like this, where a mother would inflict such horrifying treatment on her own children,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. “My heart aches for these two young and innocent children.”

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Man repeatedly breaks into home to watch girl sleep: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 00:50:46 +0000

A man appears in two still images after breaking into a house in Coatesville, Penn. on Dec. 24, 2023. (Coatesville Police Department; Tiffany Szabara)

A specter is haunting Pennsylvania — or, at least, a hoodie-wearing man is doing his best to frighten the wits out of one family in a small town in the Philadelphia suburbs of Chester County.

The man in question has reportedly broken into the same residence over and over, according to the Coatesville Police Department.

And, what’s more, the man allegedly had the same specific room in mind each time he gained entry to the home on Pennsylvania Avenue: the bedroom of the 9-year-old girl who lives there.

“He’s coming in and having conversations with her,” Tiffany Szabara, the girl’s mother, told Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI.

“He’s going straight to my daughter’s bedroom at the top of the stairs and watching her sleep,” the worried mother added.

According to Szabara, the unwanted visitor has broken into their home on at least four occasions beginning in September this year. The last time he came in was during the early morning hours on Christmas Eve, she said, when the man walked through her kitchen and was caught on surveillance footage. That footage was then shared with police who released still images of the suspect later that same day.

“We are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the subject,” police wrote in a Facebook post. “Like many, we are concerned and patrol officers & detectives are interested in obtaining additional information.”

In the footage, the man, wearing a light-colored hoodie, enters through a kitchen door, then later leaves the same way, closing the door behind him. In comments to WPVI, Szabara said the man is typically gaining access through the house’s back door. She attributed his first alleged entry into her home to a malfunctioning lock.

That first time, she told the TV station, she figured the man was just drunk and mistaken. But then it happened again and again — and again.

On two other occasions, the man gained entry because the back door was accidentally left unlocked, Szabara said. On yet another occasion, the man allegedly climbed through a window to get into the house.

“I even had cash on the counter one day, and he didn’t touch the cash. He just goes into my daughter’s bedroom,” she told WPVI.

The continuous presence of the uninvited man has raised uncomfortable questions for the family and broader Coatesville.

“You know, if this man is so determined to target my daughter, what else could he be doing?” Szabara went on to ask out loud.

After the repeat break-ins, Szabara told the TV station, she decided to outfit her home with additional locks and surveillance cameras.

But those measures have not quelled the fear.

“I do feel like he’s watching us at this point and that there’s something going on,” Szabara told WPVI. “And that he’s targeting my daughter.”

Police are reportedly interviewing the family about the incidents and adding additional patrols to the area near the Szabara residence.

Law&Crime reached out to Coatesville police for additional details about this story but no response was immediately forthcoming at the time of publication.

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