Hard Boiled News

True Crime and News of the Weird from around the Globe

Man Busted for Child Porn When Worker Spots Sick Pics On Screensaver

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James Drew Taylor allegedly used child porn as a screensaver

WEST MONROE, Louisiana — A not-so-sharp sicko was busted for having child porn after building employees came into his apartment to inspect his fire extinguisher and spotted the twisted images he’d been using as a screensaver.

James Drew Taylor was hit with 10 counts of child pornography after a building worker came into his West Monroe, Louisiana apartment and called cops when he saw a child porn slideshow scrolling across the screen of a computer in the living room.

Cops came to check the pictures out and then tracked Taylor down at his job where he admitted the images were his, KNOE-TV reported. He said he had downloaded them from the Internet.

Tenants in Taylor’s building had been notified by email three days before the inspections that they should put their fire extinguishers outside for collection. They were told that if the fire extinguishers were not outside, employees would enter the apartments to get them.

 

 

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Woman Claims She Fatally Stabbed Hubby After Slipping on Dog Poop

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Rachel Findanian says she slipped on poop and accidentally stabbed a knife into her husband’s chest

LAKELAND, Florida — A woman claiming to have accidentally stabbed her husband to death when she slipped on dog poop and fell forward with a knife in her hand, plunging the blade into his chest, has been charged with murder, police said.

The Polk County Sheriff’s office in Florida said that following a three-and-a-half month investigation, detectives determined that 38-year-old Rachel Fidanian’s story didn’t add up, so they chose to charge her with killing her husband.

“The suspect made a lot of excuses, but none of them made sense. Our detectives did a thorough investigation. In the end, they determined this was an intentional act of domestic violence,”  said Sheriff Grady Judd.

Police say they received a 911 call on the morning of June 25, that 40-year-old Bryant Fidanian had been accidentally stabbed by his wife in their home in Lakeland. He died a short time later at a local hospital.

During questioning, Rachel Fidanian gave several inconsistent statements about what had happened, cops said.

For starters, she said the stabbing happened when she either tripped or slipped while holding her dog in one hand, and a filet knife in the other and the pooch began pooping and peeing on the floor. But when she attempted to demonstrate how she was holding her dog, she was unable to pick it up.

“Ultimately, detectives determined none of her explanations were plausible,” the sheriff said.

An autopsy showed that Bryant Fidanian died after four inches of the blade cut through his s second rib bone on his left side and cut the pulmonary artery. The coroner ruled the death as a homicide.

Rachel Fidanian had charged with second-degree murder.

 

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Worst Driving Instructor Ever Charged With Driving Drunk During Lesson

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Russell Cohen was a very bad driving instructor

RIDGE, New York — Do as I say, but definitely not as I do.

A Long Island driving instructor was arrested after his four teenage students called 911 after they grew nervous that he was driving drunk, police said.

Russell Cohen, who was working as a substitute teacher for the Suffolk Auto Driving School, was arrested after the students managed to get him to pull over at a McDonald’s at about 11 a.m., according to the Suffolk County Police Department.

The teens said Cohen had been behaving erratically and saying inappropriate things to the female students in the car, so they asked a restaurant employee to call 911, Newsday reported.

When the kids didn’t come out, Cohen sped off and  crashed into the rear end of another car less than an hour later, authorities said.

The 29-year-old driver of the other car was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Cohen, 58, was not hurt, but was charged with aggravated DWI and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

“I’m happy I’m alive,” said student Matt McGeough, 16, of Holbrook.

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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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Wannabe Cop Gets 10 Years for San Diego Church and School Arson Fires

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The arson caused over $1.5 million damages to the church and neighboring school

SAN DIEGO — A wannabe cop who lived a secret life as a firebug has been sentenced to 10 years for a string of late night arson fires at a southern California church and middle school.

Tyler Carender, 22, admitted sparking three separate fires over 21 days at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and Oak Crest Middle School in Encinitas in 2016.

A student of criminal justice at Palomar College in San Marcos, Carender was caught after he admitted to a classmate — who was also studying to be a cop — that he was behind the arson fires.

The first blaze broke out on Oct. 22, 0216 at the Friendship House” Counseling and Youth Center building at the Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Firefighters were able to contain the fire, which still caused approximately $200,000 in damage, federal prosecutors said.

A week later, he also set fire to the administrative building at the Oak Street Middle School next to his house, by breaking in and using gasoline to set fire to books and files within the building.

Making matters worse, firefighters were forced to retreat from the building after the roof appeared like it might collapse. In all, prosecutors say the fire destroyed student records and caused $1.5 million in damages.

Two weeks later, Carender went back to St. Andrew’s  and threw a Molotov cocktail into the office of the church’s preschool, causing $25,000 in damages.

The San Diego sheriff’s office were led at first to Carender after detectives received an anonymous tip. Later,  Carender confided in a classmate about committing the three arsons. The classmate ultimately recorded Carender discussing his involvement and contacted authorities.

Following his arrest, Carender initially denied any involvement, but later admitted he had started the fires, cops say.

Carender was arrested in July 2017 at his home and pleaded guilty on March 9, 2018 to all three charges.

 

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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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Hungry Mosquito Swarm Forces Fleeing Thief to Surrender to Cops

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Hungry mosquitoes drove a thief to give up to police in Wisconsin

CAMPBELLSPORT, Wisconsin — Sometimes it’s just better to be behind bars.

A thief on the run from police gave himself up after spending an hour hiding in a Wisconsin cornfield so filled with mosquitoes that he said he would rather go to jail.

Police say John Wilson had led officers on a high-speed chase after helping to steal alcohol from a Piggly Wiggly grocery store in Campbellsport.

Surveillance video from the store showed a man loading up his cart with hundreds of dollars worth of alcohol. The suspect then got into a car and the driver, later identified as Wilson, fled the scene, WDJT-TV reported.

At some point, Wilson stopped the car and ran into a thick cornfield in Fond Du Lac County which has been beset with mosquitoes lately due to recent rains and flooding.

Even cops found the mosquitoes tough to deal with and began searching for bug spray.

“As soon as the sheriff’s department arrived, that’s the first thing I asked for, if he could give me some spray because it was crazy,” said Campbellsport Police Chief Thomas Dornbrook.

After about an hour later, Wilson surrendered because he couldn’t stand the swarming mosquitoes any longer.

“When we handcuffed him he asked us to wipe his forehead because he had 15-20 mosquitoes on his forehead at that time,” Dornbrook said.”I think if it weren’t for the mosquitoes he would have kept walking and trying to get a ride from someone.”

Wilson is now charged with fleeing officers, retail theft, and obstructing an officer. Investigators are still hunting for Wilson’s accomplice.

 

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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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Inmate Gouges Out Cellmates’ Eyes, Wears Ear as Necklace to Chow Hall

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Larry Mark had his eyes gouged out and his ear strung onto a necklace by his cellmate

LAKE CITY, Florida — An inmate serving a life sentence met a grisly fate when his cellmate allegedly choked him to death, gouged out his eyes, and then cut off his ear to wear as a necklace.

The gruesome slaying occurred just hours before a major gang-related rumble at the Columbia Correctional Institute in Florida, and only got the attention of authorities when the killer showed up for breakfast with his dead cellmate’s ear around his neck.

He had left the dead man’s blood soaked body wrapped in a bed sheet in the cell.

Authorities identified the dead inmate as 58-year-old Larry Mark, who had been serving a life sentence for the murder of cab driver in 1981. Officials wouldn’t discuss how he died, but the Miami Herald, citing prison sources, detailed his bloody end.

The killed, who had not yet been publicly identified, apparently grew angry with Mark for “pestering him.” After strangling him, the Herald reported that the killer cut off Mark’s ear and gouged out his eyeballs.

He then put the ear on a string around his neck, which he showed off to several inmates before breakfast in the chow hall, the paper reported. He left the eyeballs in a cup in the cell and told other prisoners that he intended to either eat them later.

The Herald reported that the killer had recently been transferred to Columbia from Florida State Prison where he had been on Death Row.

A few hours after the killing, an apparently unrelated gang fight erupted in another building on the compound between members of the Bloods and the Cutthroats began stabbing each other over smuggled contraband.

The prison holds 3,000 inmates and its guards complain that they are severely overstaffed.

 

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California Woman Fakes Own Kidnapping to Avoid Paying Employees

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Maria Gonzalez claimed she’d been assaulted and robbed but just wanted to stiff her employees, cops said

FRESNO, California — She’ll pay for it now.

The owner of a California trucking company is facing charges for allegedly making up a story about being sexually assaulted and robbed of payroll cash as part of an elaborate effort to avoid paying her employees.

Fresno police say Maria Gonzalez, 33, turned up at a house on Saturday partially bound and gagged and with an injury to her head and told cops she had been abducted at gunpoint by two black men, robbed of money to pay her employees, and possibly sexually assaulted.

But after an extensive two-day investigation by cops, Gonzalez admitted it was all a hoax, according to KFSN-TV.

“The reality is she did not have the $9,000 to pay the subcontractors and that’s why she made up the story,” Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.

The story unraveled as detectives probed further, turning up inconsistencies in Gonzalez’s story. For example, the robbers took Gonzalez’s money but left other valuables in her purse. There were also only one set of footprints found near her car.

When cops showed her a video of the area where the alleged kidnapping had taken place, Gonzalez admitted that she made it all up to get out of paying her subcontractors.

Police now want to charged Gonzalez with filing a false report.

“It is important that when people file a false police report, especially of this magnitude, that we hold them accountable for doing so,” Dyer said. “Not only did this create an enormous amount of work and pulled our detectives off other cases that they could have been working or should have been working, but it created a lot of fear in our community.”

 

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