True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Father and Son Gun Each Other Down in Fight Over Family Dog

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The Cokers were described as a ‘very dysfunctional’ family

WAGARVILLE, Alabama — An Alabama man and his son shot each other dead after getting in a fight over a family dog, which the younger man had killed for trying to attack a child. 

When Kelvin James Coker, 60, discovered his dog had been shot on Saturday, he drove to the home of his 32-year-old son, Kelvin Nicholas Coker, who admitted killing the animal, cops said.

As the argument grew heated, James opened first, striking his son in the torso, cop said.

Nicholas returned fire with a shotgun, hitting his father in the neck. Both men died from their wounds.

The sheriff called the family ‘very dysfunctional.’ 

Chief investigator Blake Richardson of the Washington County Sheriff’s office, told WALA-TV  that the dispute began when Nicholas opened fire on four of the family’s dogs, after one of the animals started attacking his girlfriend’s young daughter.

Moments later, James arrived at his son’s home in his truck and an argument erupted. During the confrontation, Nicholas pointed his shotgun at his father who drew a handgun and shot his son, cops said..

A mortally wounded Nicholas then returned fire and killed his father.

‘It’s unfortunate that they would not value human life not any more than that,’ Richardson said. 

Nicholas’ girlfriend, Ariel Anderson, has disputed the official version of events, claiming that her boyfriend did not kill his father, but rather that James took his own life after killing his son in a fit of anger. 

‘Nic Coker did not kill his daddy and they did not have an argument!!’ she wrote on Facebook. ‘Nic was protecting my daughter from his and his dads pitbulls that were hurting her and his dad just showed up and shot him because he was mad that Nic killed his dog then he shot himself!’

However, investigators have defended their initial findings, saying that the coroner’s unofficial report shows James could not have committed suicide. 

‘I’m very confident that’s how the events unfolded, we try and let the evidence speak for everything and make sure everything is considering with our witness statements and right now we believe that’s the case.’ Richardson told WKRG-TV. 

Sheriff’s officials said they have responded to multiple violent incidents involving the Cokers over the years. In 2012, James was charged with first-degree assault for shooting his other son three times.   

Man Steals Salvation Army Kettle, Poses as Worker to Pocket Donations

By HardBoiledNews Staff

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — This Grinch really did steal Christmas.

Cops in Montgomery, Alabama are on the lookout for a man who stole a Salvation Army Christmas donation kettle and has been using it to collect contributions for himself.

Lt. Bryan Farrington of the Salvation Army says the man has been seen in downtown Montgomery posing as an employee trying to collect money from unwitting donors.

When the suspect was confronted, he fled  on foot. Police said the suspect was last seen on Thursday.

Farrington is now asking the community to be sure that when you donate, you are dropping your cash in the right kettle.

“We felt like it was our responsibility to let the community know that if you see somebody out there that doesn’t have on a red apron, that’s not standing in front of one of the stores – the Walmart’s, the Winn-Dixie’s, the Belks, the Hobby Lobby’s, that doesn’t have a stand with a sign on it and the kettle will be chained to it. That’s not us,” Farrington told WFSA-TV.

Every year, the Salvation Army relies on the money they collect from their Red Kettle Campaign to support the community.

“The funds that we raise during this time make up about a third of our operating income, so it’s huge,” Farrington said.

This year, they started collecting donations even earlier because they knew it would be challenging with the pandemic. But with fewer volunteers this year, Farrington said so far they have still fallen short on their usual donation goal of $250,000.

“There’s a real gap this year,” Farrington said.

The Salvation Army says if you see someone on a street corner posing as a Salvation Army volunteer to report it to police immediately.

Phony Uber Driver Took Pics of Unconscious Women in His Car: Cops

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Phony Uber driver Tommy Wayne Beard was found with an unconscious college student in his car

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — A creepy perv posing as an Uber driver was taken into custody after cops found him driving around with an unconscious University of Alabama student in the back seat of his car.

The Tuscaloosa County sheriff’s office said they also found numerous photos of unconscious young women in 61-year-old Tommy Wayne Beard’s phone, the Tuscaloosa News reported.

Cops began investigating Beard when they spotted the woman passed out in the back seat of his car around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. He told them he was an Uber driver and was taking the woman home.

But the 22-year-old woman told cops she had no recollection of getting into Beard’s car and could only remember leaving a bar in downtown Tuscaloosa earlier in the evening.

Beard then confessed that he was not actually a driver for Uber but had simply purchased a placard identifying him as one and was picking people up and giving them rides, cops said..

When cops found the pictures in Beard’s phone they took him into custody although he was not immediately charged.

Two People Arrested In Alabama Crab Leg Buffet Brawl

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Chequita Jenkins (l) and John Chapman were busted in the crab-driven clash

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — The claws really came out in this one.

Two people were arrested after an argument over crab legs at a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet boiled over into a full-scale rumble, police said.

“There’s a woman who’s beating a man. People are moving around, plates are shattering everywhere,” Huntsville police officer Gerald Johnson who was eating at the restaurant at the time told WHNT-TV.

He said people had been waiting for up to 20 minutes for more crab legs to be brought out at the Meteor Buffet and that all hell broke out once they arrived, with people accusing each other of cutting the line.

“Everyone was saying, ‘They cut me in line. She cut me in line. He cut me in line. I was here first,'” Johnson said.

He added that people began sparring using the buffet table tongs.

“It’s not something you typically hear, if you can imagine a fencing match,” Johnson said.

Police arrested John Chapman and Chequita Jenkins who was eating at the buffet with her kids.

“They’d been waiting there for the crab legs for a good 10, 20 minutes. When they finally came out, it’s very heated. Especially if someone is taking more than their fair share,” Johnson recounted.

Chapman is facing disorderly conduct, Jenkins is charged with third-degree assault. Both people could end up paying a few hundred dollars in fines, well above the $10.58 per plate charge at Meteor Buffet.

 

Crook Uses Hot Sauce as Weapon on Clerk in Convenience Store Hold-Up

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The thief has a thing for hot sauce and spicy foods apparently

VALLEY, Alabama (Nov. 15, 2018) — That’ll bring tears to your eyes.

An Alabama man has been charged with hurling hot sauce in a store clerk’s eyes as she opened the register, and then trying to snatch cash from the drawer.

Cops in Valley say the suspect, 42-year Michael Brisky, walked into the CV Express store and up to the register where he acted like he wanted to buy two pieces of candy.

But when the 73-year-old clerk opened the register to give Brisky his change, police say he threw a cup of liquid in her face, stinging her eyes.

Cops say Brisky then reached over the counter to grab cash out of the register but struggled with the clerk before fleeing.

When cops arrived, they found the clerk sitting on the floor in pain with orange liquid all over her face. She was treated at the scene.

After reviewing surveillance tape, cops picked Brisky up about three blocks from the scene. He has been charged with robbery and theft

 

Pervert Police Chief Busted for Masturbating in Front of Strangers on Elevator

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Police Chief Billy Maurice Driggers had a a bad habit of following women with his hands in his pants

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Florida — An Alabama police chief has been busted for allegedly fondling himself in an elevator in front of strangers and masturbating as he followed teen girls down a Florida beach.

Billy Maurice Driggers, 44, who is the chief of police in Level Plains, Alabama, was charged in Panama City Beach in Florida on four counts of disorderly conduct.

Police there say they first got a call last week about a suspicious person at a condo complex. There guests had told security that they saw a man masturbating as he watched women.

Police eventually identified Driggers as the suspect and determined that he was not a registered guest of the condo nor did he have any reason to be there, police said, AL.com reported.

A review of surveillance footage from the property showed Driggers using the elevators at the resort and on three occasions appeared to have his hand down his pants, masturbating in front of women and children, police said.

Driggers was also accused of masturbating while walking behind teenage girls on the beach and filming or taking photos of the girls rinsing off in the outside showers, police said.

Investigators said they were not able to determine an instance where Driggers’ exposed his genitals. “However, Driggers’ actions were found to be obscene and sexually deviant in nature,” the statement read.

Driggers has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

“The city of Level Plains will be cooperating and assisting with the ongoing investigation with Alabama and Florida law enforcement agencies. In the interim during Driggers absence, another police officer will be appointed to serve as the acting police chief pending the resolution of the investigation,” city officials said in a statement.

Driggers has been police chief for Level Plains since June of 2016.

 

 

13-Year-Old Beheaded by Drug Dealers After Seeing Grandmother Killed

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Oralia Mendoza (l) was stabbed and 13-year-old Mariah Lopez beheaded in a drug deal gone bad

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — A 13-year-old girl with special needs was beheaded by drug dealers after witnessing them stab her grandmother to death in an Alabama cemetery, investigators said.

The grisly slayings came at the end of a drug deal gone bad, as the grandmother, Oralia Mendoza, who was associated with the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, went with three others, including her boyfriend, to pick up a batch of methamphetamine in Georgia.

After one of Mendoza’s drug partners grew suspicious that she was going to set them up, the gang drove her and her granddaughter, Mariah Lopez, to a cemetery in Owens Cross Road.

There they stabbed Mendoza and left her to die. They then marched Lopez into the woods where they beheaded her, Investigator Stacy Rutherford told a Madison County judge, according to AL.com.

Israel Palomino, 34, and 26-year-old Yoni Aguilar — who was Mendoza’s boyfriend — have been charged with two counts each of capital murder. Investigators say Aguilar confessed and also pointed the finger at Palomino.

The cross-state drug trip began on June 2, when Palomino, Aguilar, Mendoza and a woman named Leticia Garcia went to pick up a quarter kilo of meth in Norcross, Georgia. At some point, on the way back, Palomino grew concerned that Mendoza was setting them up, Rutherford testified.

On June 4, Mendoza was told she and Lopez would be taken somewhere safe, but were instead taken to the cemetery where Mendoza was killed.  Because Lopez witnessed the slaying, the suspects took her to a secluded area in the woods to kill her.

Yoni Aguilar (l) and Israel Palomino face capital murder charges

In his statement, Aguilar said Palomino forced him to kill the girl. “He said he was fearful of Israel,” Rutherford testified.

Three days later, Lopez’s body was found. Less than an hour after police released a description of the girl’s clothes to the media, her mother came in and said she believed it was her daughter who had been missing. Mendoza’s body was found a week later after cops zeroed in on Aguilar and Palomino.

 

Ozzy Osbourne Sentenced to 30 Years In Barbershop Shooting

By HardBoiledNews Staff

It’s the Ozzy on the left we’re talking about

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  — A totally different crazy train all together.

A man named Ozzy Osbourne has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for a fatal barbershop shooting three years ago, authorities said.

Osbourne, 27, of Montgomery, Alabama, was convicted in May of shooting 30-year-old Rodrekas Ziegler in the neck as he walked into the barbershop on Sept. 11, 2015, prosecutors said.

Last week, a judge sentenced Osbourne to 359 months in prison — or 29 years and 11 months.

“Our community is tired of these senseless murders and it is my hope this conviction and the sentencing will reinforce the message that there are extreme consequences to violent actions,” Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey said.

Osbourne’s namesake, the former singer of Black Sabbath, couldn’t be reached for comment.

Man Cuts Deal in Fatal Shooting During Heated Game of Dominoes

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Sterling Warren didn’t have a leg to stand on following a fatal shooting over a game of dominoes

DECATUR, Alabama — A one-legged Alabama man cut a deal and pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a pal during a fight over a game of dominoes.

Sterling Gerome Warren, 68, was given a 10-year sentence as part of the deal after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the 2013 shooting of Thomas Jerome Bibb, Jr. during a game at Warren’s house.

“It’s unfortunate, it’s sad,” assistant district attorney Stacy Adams said, according to the Decatur Daily. “Mr. Bibb lost his life over 10 points in a domino game.”

According to cops,  Warren — an amputee who wore a prosthetic leg — shot Bibb because he refused to leave when the game was over. He allegedly punched and threatened Warren when he tried to get Bibb to leave, prompting Warren to pull out a shotgun and open fire.

Warren had faced a murder charged but agreed to the plea deal involving a reduced charge as his trial was about to begin.

Alabama Executes 83-Year-Old Prisoner, Oldest in Modern Times

By HardBoiledNews Staff

 

Walter Moody was put to death for sending a package that killed a judge in 1989

ATMORE, Alabama — It was his time to go.

An 83-year-old Alabama inmate jailed for the 1989 mail bomb killing of a federal judge, was executed Thursday, making him the oldest convict to be put to death in modern times.

Walter Leroy Moody Jr. was convicted in 1996 of mailing out four bombs in December of 1989, killing Judge Robert Vance of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, as well as Robert Robinson, a  black civil rights attorney from Savannah, Georgia.

Two other bombs, including one mailed to an NAACP office in Jacksonville, Florida, were found before they detonated.

At his trial, prosecutors said Moody had sent the bomb to Vance as part of an effort get revenge against the legal system, stemming from  a 1972 pipe-bomb possession conviction that prevented him from practicing law.

He then sent the other bombs to obscure his tracks and make it look like the Ku Klux Klan was responsible.

The bomb killed Vance instantly at his home near Birmingham, and severely injured his wife.

Moody was first convicted in 1991 in federal court and sentenced to seven life terms plus 400 years. He was later convicted in state court in 1996 and sentenced to death for Vance’s murder.

Moody’s attorney’s had appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which had initially granted a short stay, but later overruled it without explanation. Moosy was executed shortly afterwards.

Moody became the oldest U.S. inmate put to death since executions resumed in the U.S. in the 1970s, according to the non-profit Death Penalty Information Center. His attorneys argued in court filings that his advanced age and vein condition would make lethal injection more difficult.

Alabama’s Attorney General Steve Marshall, said the execution was justice served.

“Moody has spent the better part of three decades trying to avoid justice. Tonight, Mr.Moody’s appeals finally came to a rightful end,” Marshall said.

 

 

Well-Known Evangelical Pastor Hit With Child Sex Abuse Charges

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The founder of the Acton Bowen Outreach Ministries is charged with sex abuse for allegedly molesting a young family friend

HOOVER, Alabama — A well-known evangelical pastor in Alabama has been busted on child sex abuse charges, police say.

Paul Edward Acton Bowen, the 37-year-old founder of Acton Bowen Outreach Ministries, was arrested on Tuesday on charges of second-degree sodomy, enticing a child to enter a vehicle or house for immoral purposes, and second-degree sex abuse.

Cops only described the victim as a male family acquaintance above the age of 12 but under 16.

“This is certainly one of the more disturbing cases that we’ve investigated in quite some time,” Hoover Police Capt. Gregg Rector told AL.com. “Mr. Bowen is in a highly-respected position of influence and he is trusted by many. We believe he betrayed that trust in the worst kind of way.”

Bowen was released Wednesday on $90,300 bond.  In a statement, Bowen denied the allegations against him.

“I have not done what I am accused of and have not acted inappropriately in any way,” Bowen said. “My family and I trust the legal system and the people who are entrusted with the duty of protection each of our rights. I believe the truth will stand and I will be vindicated of this false accusation. We ask that each of you keep everyone involved in this process in your prayers.”

Bowen describes himself on his website as a speaker, best-selling author and visionary.

“Many words are used to describe him, but Acton Bowen’s only passion has been to connect people with the one, true God,” the website states. “Once recognized as one of the nation’s leading student pastors, God has clearly blessed Acton with the ability to reach today’s high tech, attention-lacking culture.”

 

Husband Arrested in Death of Mom Who Led Secret Online Porn Star Life

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Cops say they suspected Jeff West in the January killing of his secret porn star wife, Kat West, all along

CALERA, Alabama — The husband of an Alabama mom who had a secret life as an online sex star has been arrested for her murder, a month after her half-naked body was found bludgeoned to death on the street outside their home.

Cops were finally able to build their case against 44-year-old William “Jeff” West, 44, in the January slaying of his wife, Kathleen West, after  a key piece of forensic evidence  came to light, although they have yet to reveal what it is.

“We know what happened that night and we do have evidence to support that,” Calera Police Chief Sean Lemley said at a press conference, according to AL.com. “But providing that evidence may hinder prosecution.”

He said the husband was a suspect from the very beginning, and that when cops had spoken to him during the investigation, “he didn’t seem to be very upset.”

Security camera footage from a local liquor store had shown the couple looking happy the night before Kathleen’s body was found. But Lemley said it was unclear what happened in the interim.

“Unfortunately, domestics turn bad pretty quickly,” he said.

He said it took a while to work out exactly what had happened because, unlike most domestic violence deaths, Kathleen’s body was found on a public street, not at home.  The investigation was also complicated by the fact that she was partly naked when she was found.

By day, Kathleen was a typical stay-at-home mom. But she had a second life online as a porn star, where she posted racy images to a private Instagram account with nearly 52,000 followers — and promoted a $15.99-per-month subscription deal for “naughty fun.”

Asked whether her secret life online played a role in the killing, Lemley said simply: “I think her online profession, her activities, certainly warranted a lot of attention.”

 

Three Teens Arrested for Giving Meth-Laced Candy to Classmates

By HardBoiledNews Staff

BAYOU LA BATRE, Alabama — Three Alabama teenagers have been arrested for handing out meth amphetamine-laced gummy candies to classmates, sending six people to the hospital, police said.

The six students at Alma Bryant High School — five girls and a boy between the ages of 15 and 17 — were hospitalized Thursday after a teacher noticed they were acting “loopy,” and showing signs of mood swings, lethargy and elevated heart rates, according to WALA-TV.

The teens didn’t suffer any long term injuries, authorities said.

Investigators said three boys — whose names were not released — who had brought the gummy candies into school were taken into custody.

The candy was sent to a lab where it was determined the candy had been laced with meth.

“Our main concern is finding the source and finding out how it is getting into the school,” said Capt. Scott Dagg. He said local authorities had not previously encountered anything like this out in the area.

 

“These edible incidents have happened elsewhere in the county, though, certainly,” he said.

Defiant Death Row Inmate Flips the Bird, Curses Alabama, Just Before Execution

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Torrey McNabb was angry until his last breath

ATMORE, Alabama — An unrepentant cop killer callously flipped witnesses the bird and cursed the state of Alabama just moments before being put to death for the 1997 murder of a police officer.

Torrey McNabb, 40, defiantly raised both middle fingers toward witnesses while strapped to a gurney as the execution began.

“Mom, sis, look at my eyes,” he said. “I’ve got no tears in my eyes. I’m unafraid . . . to the state of Alabama, I hate you m—–f—–s. I hate you,” he said, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.

McNabb had been convicted of fatally shooting Montgomery Police Officer Anderson Gordon as he sat behind the wheel of his patrol car in 1997.

Gordon had pulled up just moments after the then 20-year-old McNabb had wrecked his car while fleeing a bail bondsman.

McNabb’s execution had been delayed as the Supreme Court reviewed his appeal but then ruled it could continue.

His lawyers had sought to stop the execution as he and other death row inmates in an have legally challenged the humaneness of the state’s lethal injection procedure.

Some have argued that the drug cocktail used to put convicts to death does not effectively knock a person out before other drugs are used to stop the heart and lungs from functioning.

Gordon’s family thanked prosecutors for seeing the execution through.

“Over twenty years ago, we lost a companion, a father, a brother, and a friend who only wanted to make a difference in his community,” the family said in a statement. “‘Brother,’ as he was affectionately called, worked to make a difference in his community until his life was taken on September 24, 1997.”

Man Charged After Mother’s Corpse Found Stuffed in Oil Drum Under Porch

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Nathanial Sebastian is charged with killing his mother

WILMER, Alabama — A man obsessed with serial killer John Wayne Gacy has been charged in the murder of his missing mother after a woman’s body was found in an oil drum stashed under his front porch, Alabama police said.

Nathaniel Sebastian, 32, allegedly told cops, ‘OK my mama’s under the front porch. Y’all got me,’ just as officers were about to execute a search warrant to dig up the ground underneath the house.

Susan Mayo, 60, was reported missing on June 17, a week after she was last seen alive. Her body was found stuffed inside a 55-gallon oil drum buried under the porch.

Sebastian’s grandmother, Doris Clark, 81, also was charged with obstruction of justice, the Mobile County Sheriff’s office said.

Police said they believe Sebastian may have got the idea to bury his mother’s body body under the house from John Wayne Gacy, who was famed for stashing his victim’s under his home. The bodies of 26 young men were found there in 1978.

“One thing is that he claims to be a big fan of John Gacy, who was a serial killer and he in fact kept bodies of his victims underneath his house,” Capt. Paul Burch told Al.com.

Man Charged With Beating Twin With Bat Over Taco Bell Meal

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Tyler Dukes wasn’t going to let family stand in the way of his Taco Bell

ATHENS, Alabama  — Blood may be thicker than water, but it’s got nothing on Taco Bell.

An Alabama man has been charged with slugging his twin brother on the head with a baseball bat after getting in a fight over having to share his Taco Bell meal.

Tyler Tarell Dukes, 19, allegedly blew his top after his brother and grandmother came home on Thursday with bagful of Taco Bell takeout.

Dukes “became irate over having to share tacos and because his brother didn’t get him a soft drink,” the Athens News Courier reported, citing a police report. “Tyler produced a baseball bat and struck his brother in the back and across the head, causing a deep cut.”

Seems like the bad blood may have been brewing for some time. When asked why he did it, Dukes told cops that his brother was “always disrespecting me.”

The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.

Dukes was charged with assault and held on $10,000 bond.

Phony Cancer Victim Charged With Fraud for Using Fake Illness to Raise Cash

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Jennifer Cataldo raised over $100,000 from friends and relatives

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — This is sick.

A woman who falsely claimed she was battling with cancer in order to bilk her friends and family out of cash has been hit with federal fraud charges.

Jennifer Flynn Cataldo, 37, of Sterrett, Alabama, pretended she was terminally ill and convinced pals to give her $1000,000, all of which she put in her pocket, prosecutors said.

“Sadly, crimes like this make good people think twice before they are willing to be charitable,” FBI Special Agent Roger Stanton said. “It is hard to comprehend how anyone could sink so low as to claim to have cancer just to fuel their greed.”

Federal authorities say that between 2014 and 2017, Cataldo told her friends and family that she was dying from cancer and allegedly solicited contributions from people she knew to fund her lifestyle.

For example, in January 2016, Cataldo allegedly launched a GoFundMe campaign dubbed “Mom had Terminal Cancer Disney Trip,” with the goal of raising $4,000 to take her daughter to Disney World before she died.

The campaign ended up raising more than $10,000, prosecutors said.

Then in September 2016, a friend who believed Cataldo was dying created a second GoFundMe page titled, “Jenny Flynn Cataldo Medical Care,” to raise $20,000. It ultimately took in $25,000.

In both cases, prosecutors say Cataldo transferred the cash from the GoFundMe accounts into her personal bank account.

Cataldo, who was hit with state charges in Alabama earlier this month, faces up to 20 years on each of several counts of wire fraud she now faces in federal court and up to 30 years on bank fraud charges.

GoFundMe officials have said they are working to recover the cash and return it to anyone who donated to Cataldo.

Girl, 9, Narrowly Escapes Vicious Kangaroo Attack at Alabama Animal Park

By HardBoiledNews Staff

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — A 9-year-old girl had the fright of her life when she was viciously attacked by a jumpy kangaroo at an Alabama petting zoo.

Jennifer White was filming her daughter. Cheyenne, as she approached the enclosure housing a kangaroo named Erwin on Saturday and captured the beast as it reached through the fence, grabbed the screaming little girl by the hair and bit into her ear, Huntsville’s WAFF-TV reported.

Cheyenne ended up needing 14 stitches in her head but was otherwise not seriously injured, her mother said.

“I’m just glad I was there,” she told the station. “I don’t want it to happen to someone else’s kid because they might not be as lucky as she was.”

Erwin has lived at the park for nine years

Operators of the Harmony Park Safari outside of Huntsville told AL.com that Erwin had been there for nine years and had always been well behaved. Still, his enclosure featured two signs warning that the animal does bite.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees such animal parks, said that a complaint had been filed following the incident and that it was investigating.

A park operator, who gave his name only as Lewis, told AL.com, that the park receives “tens of thousands” of visitors a year and that they do not keep any dangerous animals.

“We’re just so happy the little girl’s OK,” Lewis said.

Woman Filmed Stomping Boyfriend’s Car Says She ‘Prayed About it and Stuff’

By HardBoiledNews Staff

CULLMAN, Alabama — A woman caught on video angrily smashing in the windshield of her ex-boyfriend’s car says a night of prayer convinced her not to launch the wild attack but that she changed her mind when she saw a shovel lying near the vehicle.

Barbara Emily Lowery, 24, landed behind bars on a disorderly conduct charge for the Monday episode in which she stomped in the windshield and sunroof of the car in the parking lot of a furniture store. She also scrawled on the hood in permanent marker: “You’re so pretty, fucker.”

The furious fracas was filmed by several stunned passersby and the video spread online.

“I prayed about it first, and I slept on it, and I decided it wasn’t a good idea. Then I saw a shovel,” Lowery told WBMA-TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obwHFRG42i8

The station reported that the eruption of violence stemmed from a love triangle that took an ugly turn, but Lowery declined to kiss and tell.

“Well I’m not trying to give his personal business out like that,” she said.

The owner of the car, Nick Myrick, said on his Facebook page that Lowery was not his ex, but was simply, “an angry person.”

But Lowery said she had no regrets.

“I already knew going into it that I would have to face some consequences, and you know it kind of sucks, but like I said I prayed about it and stuff, and I did it anyway,” Lowery said to the station.

Feds Indict Alabama Widow For Stealing Social Security for Husband She Murdered

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Opal Elaine Tillman killed her husband in 1987

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — A woman who was convicted of murdering her husband 30 years ago has been charged with illegally collecting his social security benefits for nearly a decade after her release from prison.

Opal Elaine Tillman, 71, of Morris, Alabama, came under investigation following her arrest in 2015 for stealing over $60,000 from an elderly couple she worked for as a housekeeper. She pleaded guilty in that case last month.

Tillman was imprisoned from 1988 until 1996 for killing her husband, Walter Tillman, federal prosecutors said. The month after he died in 1987, prosecutors say Opal Tillman applied to receive his social security benefits.

Shortly after she was convicted, she was informed by the social security administration that she was no longer eligible to receive the payments as “a person who has been convicted of the felonious and intentional homicide of a wage earner cannot be entitled to monthly benefits.”

But in 2009, prosecutors say Tillman applied once again to receive the payments and was inadvertently approved. She continued to receive the payments until 2016 — a total of $168,000, prosecutors said.

Tillman is currently incarcerated for stealing money from the elderly couple she worked for from 2011 until 2015. Local authorities say Tillman started helping the couple with their finances as the 87-year-old wife’s health declined, but began helping herself to their savings.

The scam continued until relatives noticed several suspicious transactions from the couple’s bank account.

“I think there is a special place for people that take advantage of our senior citizens, most especially those placed in a position of trust,” Jefferson County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Randy Christian said at the time.

Alabama Jail Booking Turns Bizarre When Gun Falls From Prisoner’s Anal Cavity

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Jesse O’Neal Roberts chose a pretty odd place to keep his heat

ELKMONT, Alabama — This gives whole new meaning to the term “gun butt.”

Alabama police were nearly blown away when a suspect who “appeared to be walking strangely” when he was brought into a county jail, stumbled and a handgun dropped out from his anal cavity.

“I immediately considered that he defecated on himself before noticing a familiar shape in the form of a pistol in his boxers,” a corrections officer processing the arrest of Jesse O’Neal Roberts said in a police report.

Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely was unimpressed. “It happens,” he said, leaving one to wonder just how crazy things must get in Alabama’s jails.

Police say the 23-year-old Roberts was brought in early Tuesday after a local resident reported a prowler on his property. The caller spotted Roberts near his garage and held him at gunpoint until cops arrived.

Cops say Roberts appeared drunk and they spotted his pickup truck stuck in a ditch nearby. He was arrested for public intoxication and hauled off to the county jail where officers found his rather uncomfortable piece of contraband.

Investigators determined the weapon, a .380 Jimenez, had been reported stolen from a home in Florence, Alabama. It seems unlikely the owner will want it back now.

Alabama Schools Employee Caught With Fighting Dogs, $500K of Heroin

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Cops found 22 fighting dogs in Charles Walker’s house

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — A Birmingham City schools employee was busted with half a million dollars worth of heroin and is believed to run a dog fighting ring, police said.

Charles Walker, 45, who works in technical services and computer services for the school system, was busted last week as part of drug investigation.

Police had postal inspectors deliver a suspected drug package to Walker’s home that had been delivered through the mail. After Walker took custody of the package, agents swooped in and arrested him after a brief foot pursuit.

Authorities executing a search warrant say they found 1,700 grams of heroin and Fetanyl and about $9,000 worth of crack cocaine as well as a handgun and $55,000 in cash at Walker’s home.

But they also discovered 22 pit bulls at the home — 17 adults and five puppies — that were kept in unhealthy conditions and appeared to have been used as fighting dogs.

Walker has been charged with trafficking in cocaine, heroin and a synthetic controlled substance and that he faces additional animal cruelty charges. He was released on $15,000 bond.

The dogs have been taken to a local animal sanctuary and will remain there until a judge decides their fate.

Alabama Biker Stages Fake Arrest as Part of Marriage Proposal

By HardBoiledNews Staff

MOBILE, Alabama — That’s a novel way of convincing a woman you’re a keeper.

An Alabama biker enlisted the aid of the Mobile police to stage his arrest as part of an elaborate way of asking his girlfriend to marry him.

Daiwon McPherson, 33, wanted to surprise his girlfriend of five years, Shawna Blackmon, but knew he had to pull out all the stops.

“She knows my every move –I can never surprise her,” he told the Alabama Media Group.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o028z401YEM

As part of the ruse, he made plans to meet her for dinner in downtown Mobile on Friday night, but then didn’t show up and didn’t answer his phone. He then had friends in the Mobile biker community tell Blackmon he was on the run from police and that he had a gun.

“Friday is bike night…it was believable,” Blackmon said.

When she approached a nearby gas station she saw McPherson surrounded by police cruisers with lights flashing and officers ordering him to the ground.

“I thought he was going to jail!” she said.

The officers then asked her to retrieve the gun McPherson was supposedly carrying, but when she approached, he pulled a ring out of his pocket. The surprise worked.

“It never crossed my mind… I had no idea,” she said.

“I really wanted to bring the bike life and the police together,” McPherson said. “I can’t believe I actually pulled this off.”

 

Mannequin Challenge Video Leads Cops to Weapons and Drug Stash

By HardBoiledNews Staff

This gang made it a bit too easy for cops

This gang made it a bit too easy for cops

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — A mannequin challenge clip featuring a gang of gun-wielding dopes ended with two men getting arrested and Alabama cops seizing a cache of drugs and guns after the video went viral.

The video, which was shot on Nov.9, features several armed men standing still in poses as if they were engaged in a pitched gun battle in front of a home in Huntsville. When the video spread like wildfire on Facebook, it drew the attention of police.

A raid of the house uncovered two handguns, an assault rifle and a shotgun as well as a bullet-proof vest and a cache of bullets and magazines, the Madison County sheriff said. Cops also found several bags of marijuana packaged up to be sold as well as scales and other drug equipment.

Two men, Kenneth Fennell White, 49, and Terry Brown, 23, were arrested. White was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm by a violent felon and was held on $30,000 bail. Brown was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and loitering and held on $3,800 bail.

Terry Brown (L) and Kenneth White

Terry Brown (L) and Kenneth White

The mannequin challenge is a viral video trend in which a group of people stand frozen like statues in a pose while someone walks through the scene filming with a camera. Numerous athletes and celebrities have taken part, but this is the first arrest believed to have stemmed from such a video.

Man Tosses Blind Date From Car, Leads Cops on High-Speed Chase

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Whoever set her up on this date has some explaining to do

Whoever set her up on this date has some explaining to do

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — It was truly a blind date from hell.

A man who got pulled over by police pushed a woman he had just met on a blind date out of his car before leading officers on a high-speed chase.

Officers with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office in Alabama say they pulled the man over at  8 p.m. on Saturday night for a minor traffic violation. The man said he did not have his license with him but the officer agreed to run his name and information through the system.

But when the cop walked back to his patrol car, the driver, identified as 22-year-old Jesse Allen Elliot of Hayden, threw his date out of his Mazda and sped away.

Deputies say they ended their pursuit because of Elliot was driving erratically and at a dangerously high rate of speed. It turned out the name Elliot had given them was false and that he had several outstanding misdemeanor warrants and a suspended driver’s license.

The woman was unharmed.

“She told deputies that she had just met the suspect and, in fact, had been on a blind date with him when they were stopped. She was given a ride to her home,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

“I think these two are off to a bad start,” Chief Deputy Randy Christian told the Birmingham News. “Whoever fixed her up has some explaining to do.”