True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Man Dives Into River to Get Away from Cops, Disappears

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Lights of police car in night time. Night patrolling the city, crime scene. City lights at night background. Abstract blurry image.

LOWELL, Massachusetts — It was not the cleanest of getaways.

A Massachusetts man who fled police disappeared after jumping in the Concord River in sub-freezing temperatures to avoid arrest and hasn’t been seen since.

Lowell Police say they arrived at a home Saturday to investigate a domestic violence and vandalism incident when they man took off and dove into the water.

Officers began a search and called in the state police and the Lowell Fire Department, but found no trace of him.

They then called in boats, divers, sniffer dogs and even a drone but could still not find any sign of the man.

“This is not the desired outcome, regardless of the circumstances that led to police involvement with this individual,” said Lowell Police Commissioner Kelly Richardson. “Life and safety are our primary concerns, and right now our main preoccupation is with finding this person.”

Police say they have been in regular contact with the missing man’s family.

Biker Racing With Big Bag of Meth Wrecks, Shoots Self, is Hit by Car, Lives

By HardBoiledNews Staff

KANSAS CITY, Kansas — It just wasn’t his day.

A man carrying a large bag of meth wrecked his motorcycle during a drag race and then accidentally shot himself before being hit by a passing car, cops said.

The Kansas City, Kansas police department said the man was racing on his bike Thursday night when he “lost control and wrecked.”

During the crash, a gun the man had tucked into his waistband went off, shooting him in the hip. After he came to a rest, a passing car hit him and fled the scene, cops said.

He was taken to a local hospital with critical but non-life-threatening injuries. 

The man, whose name was not released, had a felony record, and officers discovered a “large bag of suspected methamphetamine” in his motorcycle, cops said.

Passenger Leaning Out of Car Dies After Fatally Knocking Woman Off Her Bike

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The men had been racing with others when they knocked the woman off her bike

LAS VEGAS — He got what he deserved.

A man who was hanging out of the passenger window of his pal’s car as they raced through downtown Las Vegas, was killed after fatally knocking a cyclist to the ground and then falling headfirst out of the vehicle and into a lamp post.

Police say the car appeared to have been recklessly racing with other vehicles when it pulled alongside the cyclist, 55-year-old Michelle Weissman. The passenger, 20-year-old Giovanni Medina Barajas, was leaning out of the car and attempted to punch two pedestrians but missed and then collided with Weissman, knocking her to the ground.

He then fell out of the vehicle and crashed head first into the pole. Both Weissman and Barajas were taken to the hospital where they were declared dead.

Rodrigo Cruz was charged with murder

“Senseless is an understatement,” Lt. Raymond Spencer told KSNV-TV. “You have a woman who was out riding her bicycle and they pull up next to her and strike her, causing her to die. It’s an absolute senseless act. There’s no reason behind this that I can tell you why it occurred, other than complete stupidity.”

The driver, 22-year-old Rodrigo Cruz, fled the scene but was later arrested and charged with murder, fleeing the scene and violating his parole.

Passengers from one of the other vehicles returned to the scene and said they had all been out drinking and were heading back to Cruz’s house. When cops found him there, he claimed he only veered to pull Barajas back into the vehicle.

“He never went back to check on him because he was scared since he was on parole and didn’t think Gio was hurt,” the Las Vegas Sun reported, citing the arrest report. “Gio was always doing stupid stuff, but (Cruz) stated he wasn’t intentionally driving in a manner to allow Gio to make contact with any pedestrians or the bicyclist.”

In 2016, Cruz was sentenced to four-to-12 1/2 years in prison for armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was released early after getting credit for 285 days of time served.

Man Dies in Freak Fall Sliding Down Banister While Helping Pal Move

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Kyle Wolf slipped while sliding down a banister

GRAPEVINE, Texas — A man helping a pal move met a freak end when he decided to slide down a banister but slipped and fell to his death, police said.

Kyle Wolf, 26, had been helping his friend move into a third floor apartment the Marquis at Silver Oaks complex in Grapevine, Texas on Friday when he tried to slide down the banister to the second floor, cops said.

On his way down, he lost his balance and landed hard on the concrete floor. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

Authorities ruled that Wolf died from multiple blunt force injuries from the fall and determined that his death was an accident with no foul play suspected.

Wolf was engaged to be married, according to a GoFundMe page set up for his fiancee.

 

 

 

Speeding Driver Killed in Collision With Elephant on Thailand Road

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The elephant was unmoved after being hit by the car and then stomped the driver to death

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand — A speeding driver was killed after he hit an elephant that then stomped his pickup flat, police said.

Officials in northeast Thailand said the vehicle plowed into the wild pachyderm’s hind legs as sun set at the edge of the Khao Yai National Park, police said.

The angry animal then reared up and crushed the vehicle, killing the driver, 58-year-old Nakharin Boonchai, the Bangkok Post reported.

“Elephants don’t come out during the day but they start coming out when it gets dark,” said Lt. Col. Kemchat Paedkaew, of the Thai police. He said up to two people a year are killed by elephants in areas surrounding the park.

The accident happened on Wednesday on a small road with signs telling drivers to be aware of wild animals that sometimes stray from the park. Locals reported that two elephants had been crossing the road at the time and that they tried to warn Boonchai — who was not from the area — to slow down, but he hit the rear animal as darkness fell.

This was all that was left of the truck after the elephant was done with it

Officials tracked the stricken elephant, which was bleeding from one of its legs but still able to walk, and were monitoring its condition.

Clumsy Burglar Dies Slashing Self on Jagged Glass From Broken Window

By HardBoiledNews Staff

The burglar really made a mess of this break-in

EL PASO, Texas — He accidentally took justice into his own hands.

A clumsy burglar killed himself after he slashed his arms on jagged glass from a window he broke to enter a home and bled to death, police say.

Cops in El Paso, Texas say the homeowner came home last week to find broken glass and pools of blood on the floor, so called police.

When officers arrived, they discovered the body of 28-year-old Javier Tellez, Jr. on the floor.

“Investigators determined that the man had lacerated his arms on the broken window while entering the residence and unable to stop the bleeding, the man died,” the El Paso police department said in a statement.

Police say that they are continuing to investigate.

 

Cops Believe Teen’s ‘Suicide’ Was Game of Russian Roulette Gone Bad

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Witnesses claimed the teen had committed suicide but evidence pointed to a game of Russian roulette

BIG SPRING, Texas — A teen who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound was playing Russian roulette, and Texas police are expecting to make arrests after witnesses claimed the boy had committed suicide.

Police in Big Spring, Texas say they were called to a home on Friday after receiving a report of a gunshot victim. When they arrived, they found the unidentified teen dead with a bullet wound to his head.

“The initial reports from various witnesses at the residence indicated this was a suicide although physical evidence indicated otherwise,” read a statement posted to the department’s Facebook page.

“As a result of this investigation, it is now believed the juvenile was shot as a result of a game of ‘Russian Roulette’ and although this is believed to be an accident, the Big Spring Police Department expects arrests to follow,” the statement continued.

Cops said an investigation had determined that two guns had been recently stolen from vehicles in the area and they asked residents to check the cars to see if anything was missing.

Man Killed By Fatal Blow in Friendly Punching Game With Pal at Bar

By HardBoiledNews Staff

One man died after he and a pal got into booze-fueled punching game

SAN DIEGO — And these guys are supposed to be friends?

A 27-year-old man died suddenly after he and a pal exchanged repeated blows to the face during a punching game at a San Diego bar, police said.

The two men were friends and began roughhousing during a night of drinking at the Jolt’n Joe’s Gaslamp bar.

“We’re not sure exactly what the arrangement or what the game was, all we know is that they were exchanging punches, mutually,” San Diego Police Lt. Matt Dobbs told KNSD-TV.

Witnesses told cops that after exchanging numerous blows, the 27-year-old man collapsed. Bystanders attempted to perform CPR, but the man was later declared dead at a local hospital.

The man’s friend remained at the bar and was later taken to the hospital after complaining of chest pains. It was not immediately clear if he would face charges in his friend’s death.

Sean Kisner, director of operations for Jolt’n Joe’s, told the TV station that the victim was attending a friend’s birthday party and appeared to be having a good time before the fatal fisticuffs.

“At one point, while they were roughhousing, one of them collapsed,” Kisner said.

He said the victim worked in the local bar and restaurant industry and was well-known in the area.

 

VIDEO: Drunk Driver Gets Knocked Over By Own Car During Police Chase

By HardBoiledNews Staff

 

You asked, we answered. Here’s the in-car video from this morning’s #FCPDStrangerCalls post.

CARma: Our officers tried to pull a man over. He sped off, then got out of his car to escape, but forgot to put it in park. Oops. He got hit by his own car. He’s okay physically, but is charged with DWI – 3rd offense, and a long list of other charges. #FCPDStrangerCalls

Posted by Fairfax County Police Department on Tuesday, March 6, 2018

MOUNT VERNON, Virginia — You’ve got to be pretty darn drunk to get hit by your own car.

A blotto Virginia man led cops on a high-speed chase before bailing out of his moving car which knocked him to the ground as he tried to scramble away, the Fairfax County police said.

Outlandish dashboard camera footage from a pursuing police cruiser shows Isaac Bonsu attempt to run in front of the vehicle and then get promptly knocked to the ground as officers close in.

Police say the zany episode unfolded early Sunday morning when the they attempted to pull over th 30-year-old Bonsu for a busted tail light. But he took off, leading cops on a chase before pulling onto a side street where he tried to escape on foot.

After getting knocked down, Bonsu managed to stay one step ahead of cops for a bit, but they eventually caught up to him and charged him with drunk driving — his third such charge — felony hit and run, driving without a license and with an open container of booze and marijuana in the car.

He was not hurt in the incident, cops said.

Isaac Bonsu

 

Chinese ‘Rooftopping’ Daredevil Falls 62 Floors to His Death in Stunt

By HardBoiledNews Staff

CHANGSHA, China — A skyscraper-scaling daredevil whose stunts became viral sensations in China, has plummeted to his death after losing his grip atop a 62-story building.

Wu Yongning, 26, fell to his death on Nov. 8 while engaged in “rooftopping,” atop the tallest building in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. He performed the particular stunt for a shot at a $15,000 prize, his family told the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.

“He planned to propose to his girlfriend [the day after the challenge],” his uncle Feng Shengliang said. “He needed the money for the wedding, and for medical treatment for his ailing mother.”

Authorities only discovered what had happened after Wu’s girlfriend called police the following day after he failed to return home. His fans later grew worried after he failed to post a new video for over a month.

Wu had amassed over a million followers on Chinese social media for his videotaped stunts in which he dangled from the tops of towering buildings without any safety equipment.

Rooftopping videos have become popular all over the world, with daredevils trying to outdo each other for the the most death-defying stunts.

Tourist Killed on Caribbean Beach by Jet Plane Takeoff

By HardBoiledNews Staff

SINT MAARTEN — A tourist from New Zealand visiting the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten was killed when she was thrown by the wake of a jet engine at a spot near the airport where planes take off and land just a few feet away from the beach.

The 57-year-old woman was standing by a fence at the base of the runway of Princess Juliana International Airport that has become a popular tourist attraction when she thrown by the force of the engine blast and struck her head on the pavement, leaving her seriously injured, police said.

She was rushed to the hospital, but “unfortunately the victim died shortly after as a result of the injuries she sustained,” the Sint Maarten police force said in a statement.

The area next to the runway is a popular spot for thrill seekers who come to watch low-flying planes cross over the narrow beach to land, or to be blown into the water from the engine blast of planes taking off.  Dozens of videos of people pressing their luck as planes pass by litter YouTube.

The woman who was killed was standing with several others clinging to a fence to watch a plane take off for Trinidad. In 2012, a woman was seriously hurt when she was thrown and struck her head on a low concrete wall.

https://youtu.be/LV28AL0k1kY

Police acknowledge that the spot has “become well known worldwide as a major tourist attraction,” but warned that it is “extremely dangerous” to stand there. Signs posted along the beach warn tourists to steer clear and police say they regularly patrol the area.

“The local authorities are urging the general public and mainly visitors to the island to adhere to the warning signs that are placed at that location to avoid serious injuries which can ultimately lead to the loss of life,” the police statement said.

Man Fatally Shot in YouTube Video Prank, Girlfriend Charged

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Cops say Pedro Ruiz died after his gal pal, Monalisa Perez, fired at a book he held to his chest

HALSTAD, Minnesota — The price of fame is high indeed, sometimes.

A Minnesota man attempting to become famous on YouTube for his increasingly outlandish stunts died tragically when his girlfriend shot him in the chest in a video prank gone wrong.

Police and relatives say 22-year-old Pedro Ruiz had handed his girlfriend, Monalisa Perez, 19, a handgun and asked her to shoot a book he held up against his chest under the mistaken belief it would stop the bullet.

The couple had set up multiple cameras to film the stunt on Monday night, KMSP-TV reported. Ruiz later died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Perez — who has one child with Perez and is seven-months pregnant with their second — has now been charged with manslaughter. She was released on $7,000 bail.

Monalisa Perez

Ruiz’s aunt, Claudia Ruiz, told Valley News Live that the whole thing had been conceived as a way to build a bigger following on YouTube.

The couple had already built  an audience around stunts such as slipping a hot pepper into someone’s sandwich and sprinkling baby powder on a donut and were trying to up their game.

“He had told me about an idea. I said, don’t do it, don’t do it. Why are you going to use a gun? Why? Because, we want more viewers.” Claudia Ruiz said. “I don’t know why they thought the book was supposed to stop the bullet.”

Perez told authorities that the stunt was Ruiz’s idea and he had talked her into it by showing her  a book he had practiced on which the bullet did not fully penetrate. In the fatal episode, Ruiz held up a hardback encyclopedia and Perez allegedly used a .50 caliber Desert Eagle pistol.

Club-goer Dies After Sucking Down Bottle of Tequila in One Sip

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Kelvin Mejia partied a bit too hard for his own good

LA ROMANA, Dominican Republic — Here’s a lesson in knowing your limits.

An overly amped-up club-goer in the Dominican Republic met his end after guzzling an entire bottle of tequila in one swig to win a bet.

Kelvin Rafael Mejia, 23, collapsed just minutes after collecting his winnings of $630 and later died of acute alcohol poisoning, according to the El Universal newspaper.

The tragic episode was captured on camera in late February. At first, Mejia is seen guzzling happily from the bottle. Then, as he is collecting his cash, his head starts to slump to one side. The video then cuts to Mejia unconscious on the ground.

He was rushed to a local clinic where he was declared dead. Mejia had recently become a father to a baby girl, the paper reported.

The contest started when Mejia — who was a regular at the club — approached a table of men at the Vacca Lounge who were laying down bets on who could drink the most tequila in one sip and asked to join in.

The management of the club insisted they had nothing to do with in the fatal incident.

“The only contests we ever do are dance contests or costume contests, with the award of bottle of champagne or other drink,” the club said in a statement.

12-Year-Old Buried Alive in Tragic Snow Pile Collapse

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Rescuers were unable to get to 12-year-old Joshua Demarest in time

GREENWICH, New York — A 12-year-old boy was killed and another miraculously survived after being buried alive in a freak accident when a giant snow pile they were playing on collapsed on them.

The two 12-year-old boys, Joshua Demarest and Tyler Day, had been digging tunnels and building snow forts on Tuesday on the pile which was made up of snow collected off of municipal streets and dumped in a lot.

Day, who survived, told investigators that he heard a snow removal truck arrive in the lot and begin dumping another load and then everything went dark. The road crew had worked on the other side of the pile and did not notice the boys.

When the boys did not arrive home that evening, authorities were alerted and footsteps led them to the pile where they spotted a partly buried sled sticking out of the snow. That led to a frantic effort to dig for the boys.

“They moved an enormous amount of snow,” Greenwich-Cambridge Police Chief George Bell said, according to the Albany Times Union. “By hand, shovel, snow rake … to recover those boys.”

He estimated that crews moved up to seven tons of snow before locating Demarest, who was in poor shape. He was rushed to a hospital in Saratoga Springs but died. Rescuers located Day shortly after, who was able to speak to officers. He was hospitalized overnight and sent home the following day.

Bell said Day explained that he and Demarest  didn’t worry when the heavy machinery pulled into the lot, but kept playing and dug further into the pile.

“This is a true tragedy. It’s an accident,” Bell said.

 

 

 

TRAGIC SELFIE: All Smiles Seconds Before Sudden Death

By HardBoiledNews Staff

 

Kelsea Webster, Essa Ricker and Savannah Webster (l-r) were killed moments after shooting this selfie by the train right behind them

Kelsea Webster, Essa Ricker and Savannah Webster (l-r) were killed by the train right behind them moments after shooting this selfie

SPANISH FORK, Utah — Death was right behind them and they didn’t see it coming.

This tragic selfie captures the final moments before three Utah pals were fatally struck by a passing freight train.

The train is so close its headlight can be seen in the background of the photo bearing down on the smiling  girls.

The photo was published last week by railroad company Union Pacific, as part of a public service campaign warning people of the dangers of taking selfies too close to the tracks.

Kelsea Webster and Essa Ricker, both 15, were killed instantly in the tragic October 2011 accident. Kelsea’s 13-year-old sister, Savannah Webster, died four days later after her parents took her off life support.

The girls had wandered down by the tracks in Spanish Fork Canyon to take picture of the passing trains. Moments before the tragedy, Savannah posted “Standing right by a train ahaha this is awesome!!!!” on her Facebook page.

But as the girls watched a westbound Utah Railway train pass by, they didn’t hear a second Union Pacific train coming towards them from the other direction until it was too late.

“We watched in horror as we got closer,” said conductor John Anderson. “We saw them for about 12 seconds until they disappeared from our sight and the train continued moving forward.”

Investigators believe the girls were struck by the one train and knocked into the other.

Union Pacific Engineer Michael Anderson said the episode haunts him to this day.

“What happened was very intense and I have to carry it the rest of my life,” he said.

Kelsea and Savannah Webster’s mother said she hoped that people would learn from her family’s tragedy that trains are dangerous.

“The accident that took my daughters’ lives was preventable and a good illustration of how close a train can be without hearing it,” she said. “No one should have to go through this and I hope people will seriously think about the campaign’s rail safety message and share it with their loved ones.”

 

Thief Hiding in Florida Pond Claims He’s ‘Just Fishing’

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Cops Could See Where Torres Was All Along

Cops Could See Where Torres Was All Along

DELTONA, Florida — Stupid is as stupid does.

A Florida man on the run from cops hopped into a pond and then told officers who found him that he was “just fishing” and the guy they were looking for had “gone that way.”

Sean Torres, 29, of Daytona Beach had tried to rob a nearby Family Dollar store on Nov. 27, walking in with his shirt on his head leaving the “loyalty” tattoo on his stomach in plain view and demanding cash, police said.

Sean Torres Thought He Could Talk His Way Out of Trouble

Sean Torres Thought He Could Talk His Way Out of Trouble

When the clerk said no, Torres allegedly threatened to shoot him and reached into the waistband of his shorts as if he had a gun, but then running out of the store into the night.

Cops were called and quickly responded with K-9 units and a helicopter as Torres fled into a swampy area near the store.

In an effort to hide from cops, Torres jumped into the pond and submerged his body, leaving only his face sticking out of the water. Little did he know, but the helicopter was equipped with a heat-imaging camera which detected where he was lying all along.

https://youtu.be/nUs2vWXwx3U

When officers approached and asked what he was doing there, Torres allegedly told them he was “just fishing” and that his pole was in the water. He then claimed that “the guy who did it went that way.”

He soon surrendered, saying he didn’t want to be bitten by the police dog. When he crawled out of the water, cops immediately noticed the “loyalty” tattoo on his stomach.

After being placed in the back of a Volusia County Sheriff’s office patrol car, Torres allegedly threw himself repeatedly against the interior of the vehicle, kicking doors and causing damage to the car.

Torres was charged with robbery and criminal mischief and was held on $30,500 bail.

 

Son Takes Dad’s $200K Car for a Spin, Crashes it in Creek

By HardBoiledNews Staff

 

Dad's $200K Car in the Drink

Dad’s $200K Car in the Drink

DALLAS — If you’ve ever seen the film “Risky Business,” you know how this ends.

A 20-year-old Dallas man “borrowed” his father’s $200,000 Aston Martin sports car for a late night spin with a pal while dad was away on a business trip and promptly drove it into a creek.

The vehicle sank to the tops of its windows in the murky creek that feeds into White Rock Lake in a posh bit of East Dallas. The two passengers managed to escape unharmed, and divers were able to pull the car out of the water the next day.

risky2

While they got out lucky, it was not clear what fate lay in store for the son when his father returned home. On the bright side, at least they weren’t running a high-end brothel out of the house and weren’t on the hook to Guido the Pimp.

 

risky3

Death by Turtle Ruled Cause in Florida Man’s Demise

By HardBoiledNews Staff

A box turtle was deemed the culprit in David Kervin's death

A box turtle was deemed the culprit in David Kervin’s death

INDIAN HARBOR BEACH, Florida — Slow and steady wins the rest, and to think otherwise proved deadly for one Florida man.

Police in Brevard County say 51-year-old David Kervin appears to have met his fate when he accidentally struck a box turtle and was thrown off his bike while cycling in Indian Harbor Beach early Wednesday.

David Kervin was thrown from his bike and suffered a head injury

David Kervin was thrown from his bike and suffered a head injury

Cops received a report of a man lying in the road with an apparent injury. Officers discovered Kervin laying next to a motorized bike and declared him dead at the scene in what they called an isolated mishap. The presence of a turtle with a cracked shell nearby led them to believe the animal played  role in Kervin’s death.

“There was no evidence that any vehicles were involved. A small turtle was observed in the area where Mr. Kervin had been traveling. The turtle had a small crack in the bottom of the shell, which could suggest Mr. Kervin possibly had contact with the turtle causing him to lose control of his bicycle,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Police say the turtle’s injuries were not life threatening and it was returned to its natural habitat.

An autopsy determined Kervin, who had worked as a server in the restaurant of the nearby Eau Gallie Yacht Club, died of injuries consistent with a fall from a bike, police said.

 

Man’s Body Dissolved in Grisly Yellowstone Hot Spring Accident

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Colin Scott fell into a super-heated pool near the Pork Chop Geyser (pictured above)

Colin Scott fell into a super-heated pool near the Pork Chop Geyser (pictured above)

MAMMOTH, Wyoming — An Oregon man who died after falling into an acid-filled hot spring in Yellowstone National Park in June, was searching for a place to “hot-pot” or soak in a thermal pool when he lost his footing, a new report revealed.

Colin Nathaniel Scott, 23, had wandered off the park’s boardwalk trail in the Norris Geyser Basin with his sister, Sable Scott, when he tried to test the water temperature in a pool and fell in.

“They were specifically moving in that area for a place that they could potentially get into and soak,” Deputy Chief Ranger Lorand Veress told KULR-TV. “I think they call it ‘hot potting.'”

“There’s a closure in place to keep people from doing that for their own safety and also to protect the resources because they are very fragile. But, most importantly for the safety of people because it’s a very unforgiving environment,” he said.

Colin Scott had ventured off the official trail

Colin Scott had ventured off the official trail

Sable Scott had been videotaping her brother on her phone when the accident happened and captured his horrific final moments on film, park ranger reports obtained by the Montana TV station showed.

When rangers arrived at the hot spring, they determined that Colin Scott was dead. Floating on the surface of the spring were Scott’s melted orange flip-flops and wallet and nearby they spotted the “upper torso of a male victim floating face-up.”

The temperature in the 10-foot-deep pool was over 212 degrees Fahrenheit, the report stated.

A lightning storm and darkness forced the rangers to abandon their recovery efforts and when they returned the following morning there was no sign of Scott’s body.

“Evidence suggests that the extreme heat and the acidity of the water quickly dissolved his body in the hot spring,” according to the report. The cause of death was listed as ‘”scalding due to submersion in thermal hot spring.”

 

 

Judge Spares Ohio Man Who Beat Drug Dealer, Saying Community is Fed Up

By HardBoiledNews Staff

Edwin Sobony won a judge's sympathy for beating his wife's drug dealer

Edwin Sobony won a judge’s sympathy for beating his wife’s drug dealer

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Talk about junk justice.

An Ohio judge spared a man from jail for beating his wife’s heroin dealer with a baseball bat, saying he was sympathetic because the community has grown fed up with the scourge of drugs.

Judge Charles Schneider opted to give Edwin Sobony II two years probation instead of the two-to-eight years in prison he faced because of the community outcry and outpouring of letters of support sent on his behalf.

“I’m not supporting what Mr. Sobony did,” the judge said, according to the Columbus Dispatch. “Vigilante justice is not supported by the court. But the people in this community have just had it.”

Sobony, a 38-year-old, postal worker, was convicted in September in the 2015 beating of the drug dealer, Larry Jewell, that sent him to the hospital with multiple skull fractures and left him blinded in one eye.

Sobony testified that he had warned Jewell , who is his wife’s cousin, many times to stay away from their house, but when he caught there last December, he just snapped.

“My actions were a little aggressive,” he said in court. “I’m sorry, but I felt I was protecting my family.”

Larry Jewell was selling heroin to his cousin, Sobony's wife

Larry Jewell was selling heroin to his cousin, Sobony’s wife

News of the case led numerous people to offer donations to Sobony to help pay for his defense, which the judge noted.

“The reaction in the community was immediate, and it’s because this community has had it with drugs,” he said.

Ohio has been in the midst of a heroin epidemic, with 3,050 fatal drug overdoses in the state in 2015, up 20% from the year before, according to the state department of health.

Sobony said after the sentencing that his wife is managing her addiction and that they were looking forward to getting on with their lives.

 

 

YouTube Daredevil Busted for Jumping off Buildings in California

By HardBoiledNews Staff

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — California cops busted a daredevil filmmaker who posted numerous YouTube videos online of himself climbing to the tops of landmark buildings and jumping into swimming pools and the ocean several floors below.

Anthony Booth Armer, 28, was charged with trespassing following the months-long investigation it took for cops to figure out the identity of the masked daredevil star behind the YouTube videos posted under the named “8Booth” that had attracted millions of views online. [Read more…]

Texas A&M Co-Ed Taking Topless Selfie Crashes into Police Car

By HardBoiledNews Staff

 

Miranda Kay Rader, 20, crashed into a police car whil snapping a topless Snapchat pic for her boyfriend

Miranda Kay Rader, 20, crashed into a police car while snapping a topless Snapchat pic for her boyfriend

BRYAN, Texas — A Texas A&M co-ed was busted after trying to take a topless selfie while driving drunk and crashing into a parked police car.

Cops say they found 20-year-old Miranda Kay Rader with an unclasped bra and struggling to put her top back on after the collision Wednesday evening not far from campus. [Read more…]

Half-Headed Man of Internet Fame Busted for Arson in Florida

By HardBoiledNews Staff

 

half-head-man2half-head-man

 

MIAMI — A Florida man missing half his head whose bizarre mugshot photo became a viral sensation in 2010 has been charged with arson and attempted murder for setting his mattress on fire.

Miami police say Carlos Rodriguez — known as “Halfy” to his friends — allegedly set his bed on fire early Tuesday, putting his neighbors in the next door duplex at threat.

According to The Miami New Times said Rodriguez explained himself as follows:

“I wanted to burn down my house so I could build a new, two-story house, and I don’t care if there was people in the other side of the house because it wasn’t going to reach them,” he allegedly told cops.

Rodriguez was held on $30,000 bond.

The man’s unsettling photo swept the Internet in 2010 after he was arrested for soliciting a prostitute. He suffered the devastating injury that cost him much of his skull and brain when he was in a car accident at the age of 14.

“I was barred-out on drugs,” he explained in a YouTube clip, describing how he suffered his injury. “And I was driving. And I hit a pole, flew out the front window, and landed on my head.”

The New Times reports that Rodriguez apparently has difficulty with impulse control and has been arrested on a variety of charges over the years, from disorderly intoxication, soliciting a prostitute, possession of weed, battery and burglary.

 

Man in Wheelchair Commits Suicide by Pipe Bomb in Oakland Clinic

By HardBoiledNews Staff

A disturbed man in a wheelchair used a pipe bomb to commit suicide in an Oakland clinic

A disturbed man in a wheelchair used a pipe bomb to commit suicide in an Oakland clinic

OAKLAND — A wheelchair-bound man blew himself up with a pipe bomb in a California health clinic in what police say was an act of suicide.

The unidentified man entered the lobby of the San Antonio Neighborhood Health Center in Oakland and waited for everyone to leave before detonating the explosive around 6:30 p.m.

“The investigation reveals this is an isolated incident where an individual took his own life,” the Oakland police  department said in a statement.

No one else was hurt.

The man had been a patient at the clinic, but it was not clear why he was there at the time, which was about an hour after closing, the East Bay Times reported. The paper said the man told a security guard to leave shortly before detonating the bomb.