Hard Boiled News

True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Dumb + Dumberer

Teen Firing at Road Sign Charged in Stray Bullet Killing of Marine Vet

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Eason Reid Gravley, 17, shot at the sign as a prank but a stray bullet ended killing a man nearby

HODGES, South Carolina — A teenager who fired shots at a street sign as a prank has been charged with manslaughter after a bullet fatally struck a retired Marine Corps veteran sitting on his porch hundreds of feet away.

Eason Reid Gravley, 17, turned himself in to cops five days after firing the fatal shot in Hodges, South Carolina that passed through the sign, travelled through a wooded area and struck the unsuspecting vet in the chest.

When officers arrived at 48-year-old Joe Darius Black, Jr.’s home on Oct. 10, they found his family frantically performing CPR, but but unfortunately the retired major didn’t make it. He had served more than 20 years in the Marines, authorities said.

Joe Darius Black

He is survived by his wife and four children, who were in the house when he was shot. Authorities said the family had just recently moved in to the home.

Early on, police determined that the fatal shot had been fired by someone taking aim at the nearby sign and had offered a reward for any information leading to an arrest.

Gravley, who lives just two miles from the site of the shooting, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and possession of a handgun. Cops say he had gotten out of his car and fired several shots with a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun at the sign.

He has been released on $25,000 bond and the judge ordered all firearms be removed from his home and that he keep to a strict curfew. Gravely faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

 

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Naked Man High on Meth Busted For Jumping in Church Holy Water Fountain

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Zachary Burdick was high as a kite when he whipped out and climbed into a holy water fountain

MANDAN, North Dakota — A man allegedly high on crystal meth stripped naked in a church and jumped into the holy water fountain before masturbating as he walked up the aisle in front of shocked parishioners, police said.

Police say Zachary Burdick, 21, had earlier been thrown out of the Spirit of Life Roman Catholic Church in Mandan on Tuesday for trying to bless worshipers with the book of Mormon, KFYR-TV reported.

But when he returned later that afternoon, cops say he stripped off all his clothes and hopped into the holy water fountain.

He then wandered up the aisle masturbating on front of churchgoers, including a group of preschool kids who were attending the service, the Mandan police said.

Burdick was charged with ingestion of methamphetamine, criminal mischief and indecent exposure.

Church officials say they will have to drain the fountain, sterilize it and bless it once again.

 

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Dirty Florida Cop Busted Selling Drugs From His Patrol Car

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Dwayne Frazier White was caught selling drugs while on duty from his patrol car

BONIFAY, Florida — A small-town cop on Florida’s panhandle was busted for allegedly selling drugs while on-duty from his patrol car, authorities said.

Officer Dwayne Frazier White, 48,  of the Bonifay police department, was charged with selling a controlled substance for dealing opioid tablets from his marked police cruiser, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.

Authorities started investigating White last month after receiving a tip that he was selling drugs. Undercover officers then went to buy drugs from him as they built their case.

At the time of the deal, White sold the undercover officers drugs from his patrol while on duty and wearing his uniform, authorities said. White was using his personal cell phone to help arrange the drug deals.

White was arrested at the headquarters of the Bonifay police department and was being held at the Walton County Sheriff’s office.

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Man Claims Axe-Wielding Ghost Planted Meth Cops Found In His House

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Michael Auttonberry turns ghostly when he smokes meth, apparently

WEST MONROE, Louisiana — Stay away from whatever this guy is smoking.

A Louisiana man was busted after claiming to cops that a ghost planted drugs on him after he was hit in the head with an axe.

Police say Michael Auttonberry, 59, had no visible wounds to his head when they responded to a report that he had been stabbed at his home in West Monroe, according to an arrest report from the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Smoking Gun reported.

When deputies arrived, Auttonberry not only shouted at them, but also at people “who were obviously not there,” the arrest record said. Officials noted in their report that Auttonberry had not been stabbed in the head with an axe as he’d claimed.

Deputies also were unable to locate the intruders Auttonberry said were in his home.

When officers discovered a pile of crystal meth on his nightstand, Auttonberry allegedly told them that it had to have been planted by a “ghost or intruders” who happened to be climbing out a nearby window.

Auttonberry was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and giving a false police report.

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Pot Brownies Handed Out in Michigan School for Homecoming Votes

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School officials say a cheerleader handed out the edible to drum up votes

HARTFORD, Michigan — Her electoral lead may go up in smoke.

School officials in Michigan are investigating a purported pot brownie giveaway in which a cheerleader was handing out edible marijuana in exchange for votes for homecoming queen.

“You always think you’ve heard it all and seen it all, and there is always something new to surprise you,” Hartford patrolman Michael Prince told WWMT-TV.

Officials with the school district alerted parents earlier this week that pot brownies had been distributed to students in school. They said they began an investigation following a tip that was received by state police.

The name of the cheerleader was not disclosed publicly, but school Superintendent Andrew Hubbard said: “All individuals are being dealt with according to our district policies and student handbooks. We have notified the Hartford Police Department and are assisting them in their criminal investigation of the matter.”

Investigators said the suspected chef has moved out of state since the incident, and that there are no reports of anyone becoming ill from the brownies. However, they have sent some of the brownies to the Michigan State Police crime lab for testing.

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U.S. Border Agent Admits Sparking Massive Wildfire at Gender Reveal Party

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A firefighting plane battles an Arizona wildfire in 2017 sparked by an explosive set off at a gender reveal party

TUCSON, Arizona — An off-duty border patrol agent pleaded guilty to sparking a massive wildfire in a bizarre incident that involved detonating an explosive as part of a gender reveal party.

Dennis Dickey, 37, admitted that in April 2017, he fired a rifle at a target containing Tannerite, a highly explosive substance that was designed to emit a pink or blue puff of smoke that would tell partygoers whether the baby was a boy or a girl.

But the explosion instead sparked a blaze that quickly spread into the nearby Coronado National Forest, destroying 45,000 acres of land and causing more than $8 million in damages, federal prosecutors said.

Dickey immediately contacted authorities and cooperated from the beginning.

“It was a complete accident,” Dickey said in court, according to the Arizona Daily Star. “I feel absolutely horrible about it. It was probably one of the worst days of my life.”

It took 800 firefighters about a week to bring the blaze — called the Sawmill Fire — under control. No one was hurt in the fire and no homes were destroyed.

Dickey was sentenced to five years’ probation, and will make a public service announcement with the U.S. Forest Service.  He agreed to pay $220,000 in restitution — $100,000 up front and the rest in monthly installments over the next 20 years.

Dickey’s lawyer said he believed is client would be able to keep his job with the U.S. Border Patrol as the fire wasn’t considered arson because it was set accidentally.

 

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Indiana Man Pistol Whips Long-Time Pal in Fight Over Bruno Mars Song

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Roger Washburn insisted Bruno Mars hadn’t written a tune on the radio, but was wrong

GREENWOOD, Indiana — For many, the songs of Bruno Mars brings a smile to their face — but not for Roger Washburn.

Police say a song on the radio by the “Uptown Funk” singer drove the 71-year-old Washburn to pistol whip his friend of over 50 years in a fight over who actually sang the tune.

The victim reported to cops that he and Washburn got into a vigorous debate last week over the Mars song, which Washburn insisted was written by someone else.

When the man showed Washburn proof that it was indeed a Bruno Mars song, the argument grew more heated until Washburn pulled a gun.

The victim then called Washburn a “chicken (expletive)” to which Washburn responded by cracking him across the face with the pistol, the Indianapolis Star reported.

That caused the gun to go off, and when Washburn swung again at the victim, but missed, it went off a second time, cops say. No one was hurt.

The police report does not name the Bruno Mars song the men were arguing about.

The victim and another man who witnessed the fight waited several hours before filing a police report, saying they waited because they were so shocked over what had happened they weren’t sure what to do.

Police say Washburn admitted to hitting his friend in the face with his .38 revolver, and was charged with battery and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.

 

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School Bus Driver Sacked After Letting Kids Get Behind the Wheel

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Bus driver Joandrea McAtee was fired and charged with neglect for letting students driver her bus

PORTER TOWNSHIP, Indiana  — She drove straight to the unemployment line.

An Indiana school bus driver was fired and charged with felony neglect after letting three students, aged 11, 13 and 17, drive her bus on the way home from school, officials said.

Joandrea McAtee, 27, was handed her walking papers after a Boone Grove parent contacted school officials in Porter Township, the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune reported.

“Welcome to Boone Grove where we let 6th graders drive a bus with children on it,” student Brianna Lavin posted on Twitter along with a video of one of the kids behind the wheel.

The three students took turns driving a short distance each down down a rural road, police said. McAtee was immediately relieved of all duties involving Porter Township and the bus service provider.

“An investigation was immediately started and no one was injured or harmed. The sheriff’s office and the Porter Township School Corp. take safety and security of every student seriously and every parent must understand that this case will be investigated thoroughly,” school officials said in a statement.

 

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Shirtless Father and Son Shown Shooting Texas Neighbor in Fight Over Mattress

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ABILENE, Texas — A fight over a discarded box spring ended when a west Texas man was gunned down by his two shirtless neighbors in a shocking confrontation recorded by the victim’s girlfriend.

Police say Aaron Howard, 37, was fatally shot on Sept. 1 in an alley next to his house after he got into a screaming match with his armed neighbors, John Miller, 67, and his 31-year-old son, Michael. The entire incident was caught on tape by Howard’s fiance, Kara Box.

“I stepped in between Aaron and John, then my ears started ringing from the gunshots,” Box told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I just screamed and screamed.”

The spat began after Howard had tossed the box spring in a dumpster in the alley that separates his house from the Millers. Police say the Millers were angry about the trash and threw it back onto Howard’s property, triggering a confrontation.

Box said when Howard first arrived in the alley, he was accompanied by her and his young niece and nephew. The Millers, who were both shirtless, came armed, with John carrying a pistol and Michael toting a shotgun.

“You pulled a gun in front of my kids over a mattress?” Howard screamed, according to the video.

While the Millers cursed at Howard and told him to step away, he grew increasingly agitated and was eventually handed a bat by his brother. The Millers warned him not to come any closer, and then shots are heard on the tape. The younger Miller was filmed firing at least once from his shotgun.

“No, no, Aaron!” Box could be heard screaming as she ran to his crumpled body.

Police say Howard appeared to be about seven feet away and was raising the bat when the Millers opened fire.

Officers arrived quickly after receiving reports of shots fired. Howard was declared dead at the scene and the Millers surrendered without incident. Both men have been charged with first-degree murder and were held on $250,000 bond each.

Box said she decided to publicly release the video because “people deserve to know what actually happened and you know they deserve to know John and Michael Miller are murderers.”

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Bad Dad Busted for Having Toddler Climb Into Mall Game Machine to Steal Prizes

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Anthony Helsinki won’t win dad of the year anytime soon

SALEM, New Hampshire — Bad dad!

A Massachusetts school teacher turned himself in after police released  video of him instructing his toddler daughter to climb into a shopping mall game machine and steal the prizes from inside.

Anthony Helsinki, 34, a public school teacher in Andover, Massachusetts, was videotaped by passersby as he hunched over the slot at the bottom of the Keymaster game machine at the Mall at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire earlier this month.

Standing with a young boy next to him, Helsinki could be seen whispering instructions to a little girl who had climbed into the machine and was handing prizes out to her father through the slot.

Helsinki and the kids then left with the prizes, Salem police said.

After police posted the video online last week, they say they received numerous tips identifying Helsinki. He turned himself in with his attorney after police had obtained a warrant for his arrest.

Theft from Mall at Rockingham Park

Attached is a video from the incident Saturday night at the Mall at Rockingham Park. The video has intentionally been blurred out to protect the identity of the involved children. Anyone who recognizes the suspect in this case is urged to call Detective Dempsey at 603-890-2343 or message us here on Facebook.

Thank you!

Posted by Salem NH Police Department on Monday, September 17, 2018

Officials with the Andover Public Schools system, confirmed Helsinki was a teacher in the district, and say he has been placed on temporary leave.

“One of our teachers at the Doherty Middle School was involved in an incident in Salem, NH last week. Andover Public Schools is fully cooperating with authorities,” a spokeswoman said in a statement. “The teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.”

 

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